Showing posts with label Cuba: Santiago de Cuba - Santiago de Cuba. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cuba: Santiago de Cuba - Santiago de Cuba. Show all posts

Friday, October 05, 2012

Santiago de Cuba: A ride with Jorge in his 1930’s Ford convertible car

In Cuba, Blondine and I drank, errr feasted I mean, on cocktails, especially mojitos, the country’s national drink. At the lobby restaurant of our hotel—Hotel Casa Granda we sipped on mojitos at every chance we get. It’s very warm so a mojito drink is always welcome to quench the thirst. Hotel Casa Granda have the best mojitos in Cuba!

While settling our bill at the lobby restaurant for the mojitos, we spotted this beautiful black 1930’s Ford convertible car parked across the street below the cathedral. We’ve had the chunky American vintage car experience several times already, here in Santiago de Cuba and in Havana as well, but we’ve never ridden in a vintage convertible car.


Meet our cabbie, Jorge! He’s such a sweet man. He is like a harmless papa teddy bear.


It’s actually past the lunch hour already and we haven’t had our lunch yet. I’ve read online about this fish restaurant on stilts located in an island nearby town. To get there we would have to take a 15-minute cab ride and then change over to a boat. The whole idea of crossing the waters just to eat at this restaurant thrills us. I heard that the views are spectacular as well.

Jorge brought us to the boat terminal and explained to us how the boat schedule works. He then volunteered to wait for us until we finished our lunch in the island. Good idea because transport between the boat terminal and Santiago de Cuba city centre is a major challenge. There are no public buses between and there are rarely taxis queuing outside as well.

Here are more pictures:



Blondine and moi with our mojitos at the lobby restaurant of Hotel Casa Granda.



Here is a quick video I took during the vintage convertible ride:



Up next, our boat trip and lunch in the island.

Travel Period: May 2012
Destination: Santiago de Cuba (Santiago de Cuba), Cuba

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Happy Travels! Enjoy Life =)

Thursday, October 04, 2012

A taste of real Cuban Coffee at ‘Cafe Mama Ines’ in Santiago de Cuba

I am not joking when I say that you can get very good coffee anywhere in Cuba. It is a known fact. Cuba produces some of the best coffee in the world. You can get excellent coffee in the country even from a little rundown café restaurant along the highway. It doesn’t matter where you order your coffee, you are always guaranteed of a very good coffee experience in Cuba. Especially if you like it strong, like me.


Ay! Mama Ines is a popular Cuban song.

In Santiago de Cuba we discovered this café specialising in coffee—the ‘Café Mama Ines’ located across Plaza de Marte. It’s reminiscent of the local Starbucks without the marketing bells and whistles, the thousands of branches and the frappucinos. I’m not even sure if the café has other branches in Cuba or if this is the only one.

Anyhow the avaricious me ordered 2 different types of coffee. Actually, I wanted to taste them all, haha.

1) ‘Cubano café’ –A normal coffee which is like the Italian espresso. This is very good!
2) ‘Café con ron’ –Rum coffee which is like the Italian espresso + rum. I so love this! You know, I like alcohol.

Blondine was too Dutch and gave in to ‘café con leche’, the nearest they have to cappucino.

In summary, the café is unpretentious, they serve superb coffee, and is a timely place to stay for a breather on a hot and humid afternoon in Santiago de Cuba. It’s air-conditioned!

Café Mama Ines is the closest one can get to experiencing a chic Cuban coffee culture experience in the country. I am very glad that we have found this place in Santiago de Cuba. I really enjoyed my coffee here.


Cafe con ron (Rum Coffee). I could use another serving.


The coffee are served in interesting cups as well.


It's like Starbucks, the place is frequented by young people, students and all. There was even a couple beside us who were doing Bible study? Eh, reminds me of my religious days in the Philippines.


If you are in Santiago de Cuba and looking for a coffee fix? Go here!

Travel Period: May 2012
Destination: Santiago de Cuba (Santiago de Cuba), Cuba

Keep in touch and follow me on Facebook: Travel & Lifestyle Diaries by Dutched Pinay Travels
Happy Travels! Enjoy Life =)

Wednesday, October 03, 2012

Bacardi Museum in Santiago de Cuba: A disappointment

We knew that Bacardi’s roots are traced back to Santiago de Cuba so Blondine and I were very excited to visit the Bacardi Museum. We were quite expecting a historical exhibit of the Bacardi spirits empire detailing the evolution, the timeline and the highlights of the Bacardi brand. However, this was not the case.

Emilio Bacardi Museum in Santiago de Cuba. Emilio Bacardi is Don Facundo Bacardi's eldest son.

The Bacardi museum as a matter of fact houses the art and artifact collection (mostly paintings) of the Bacardi family who fled Cuba during the height of the Fidel Castro Cuban Revolution. These are art collections that the family left behind including a well-preserved mummy bought during their travels in Egypt. Yep, art and artifacts. That’s it.

So that is why we were disappointed.

Anyway, for the curious, here is a quick historical synopsis of the Bacardi brand:

Bacardi was founded by Facundo Bacardi Masso, a wine merchant born in Catalonia, Spain and emigrated to Cuba in 1830. His wine experimentations led him to develop the Bacardi white rum. He then opened the first Bacardi distillery in Santiago de Cuba. Fruit bats lived in the distillery house’s roof beams. Hence, the birth of the bat Bacardi logo.

During the Cuban Revolution in the 1960’s, the Bacardi family fled the country to the Bahamas (currently headquarters of Bacardi) when Castro’s regime confiscated Barcardi’s assets. It is believed that the Bacardi empire helped backed the US embargo case against Cuba.

You can find a detailed history and more information about Bacardi here: Wikipedia: Bacardi and Bacardi Limited: Heritage-Early Years

Nowadays, Bacardi is NOT sold in Cuba. The main rum brand sold there is called ‘Havana Club’.

Who knows, one day Bacardi might just be reunited with its birthplace, Santiago de Cuba. Perhaps when the ailing and old Castro dies? Like I say, who knows?


The Bacardi (art and artifacts collection) Museum in Santiago de Cuba, Cuba.


Ironically, Bacardi is not sold in Cuba, instead you can find the brand 'Havana Club' that is owned by the Cuban government. Moi here having a rest on a bench across the Bacardi Museum.


A peek to the outside from the Bacardi Museum.


Across the street from the Bacardi Museum is the beautiful building, Palacio Provincial.


Would you believe that this is Cuba's public transportation? This old truck is their bus.

Travel Period: May 2012
Destination: Santiago de Cuba (Santiago de Cuba), Cuba

Keep in touch and follow me on Facebook: Travel & Lifestyle Diaries by Dutched Pinay Travels
Happy Travels! Enjoy Life =)

Tuesday, October 02, 2012

Santiago de Cuba: Cespedes Park, the Town Hall, Casa de Velasquez and the Cathedral of our Lady of the Assumption

We were very pleased with our hotel in Santiago de Cuba. Not only that it is a historical hotel but it is right in the heart of Santiago de Cuba, located in front of the Parque Cespedes.


Blondine and Moi with the Cespedes Park and the Town Hall in the background.

Cespedes Park is ringed by important colonial buildings:

  • ‘Ayuntamiento’ (Town Hall) in the north where Fidel Castro first gave his public speech.
  • ‘Nuestra Senora de la Asuncion’ (Cathedral of Our Lady of Assumption) in the south, the emblem of Santiago de Cuba.
  • ‘Hotel Casa Granda’ in the west, the best restaurant terrace to people watch and they have the best mojitos (seriously) as well in Cuba... and the ‘Casa de la Cultura Miguel Matamoros’.
  • ‘Casa de Diego Velasquez’ in the east, home of Santiago de Cuba’s colonial governor.

One morning we visited the neo-classical cathedral and the little park.


Although a large part of the church was built in 1922, many parts of it goes back to the late 1500's.

The Cathedral de la Asuncion (Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption) is currently undergoing renovation. The church sits on top a gallery of shops and offices. It’s in a somewhat derelict state with beggars loitering inside and aggressively asking for money. The design on the ceiling and walls are quite impressive considering they were paintings. From afar they looked like engraved details. Beautiful!

In the middle of the Cespedes Park is a monument dedicated to Carlos Manuel Cespedes, one of the first Cubans to take arms against the Spaniards.


Parque Cespedes, the heart of Santiago de Cuba. Its more like a small plaza actually. The weather was a bit greyish but it was warm.


Pretty Ayuntamiento (City Hall) where Fidel Castro first held his public speech.


The mansion of Diego de Velasquez, the colonial governor of Santiago de Cuba.

The park is a lively spot in Santiago de Cuba. Many people come here to play music, gather together and chat, sit under the shade and smoke cigars. Lately though, which is something I heard from the grapevine that nowadays the park is fast becoming a lair of the local ‘jineteras’ (prostitutes). It is their pick-up joint. And who else are the customers? Obviously, the visiting foreign men.

We also wanted to check out the town hall but security denied us entry informing us that only individuals with appointments are allowed inside. Fine, we can live with that.

More of Santiago de Cuba next! Besos =)

Travel Period: May 2012
Destination: Santiago de Cuba (Santiago de Cuba), Cuba

Keep in touch and follow me on Facebook: Travel & Lifestyle Diaries by Dutched Pinay Travels
Happy Travels! Enjoy Life =)

Sunday, September 16, 2012

Dinner at Taberna de Dolores and mojitos nightcap with Japanese women in kimonos (in Cuba!)

We spent our first evening in Santiago de Cuba walking around the vibrant Plaza Dolores and having dinner at an old colonial house at the corner of the plaza called, ‘Taberna de Dolores’.

The tavern is very nice. There is a big triangular patio inside with a wellspring and foliage with blooming white flowers hanging from above and suspended on mid-air with the help of fisherman’s nets. Beautiful arched hallways on 2 corners of the patio recalling the Spanish colonial period in Cuba.

There is a little balcony on the first floor as well that looks down to the lively Plaza Dolores. Blondine and I initially spotted this little balcony. We both like dining with a view and we’re attracted to the prospect of sitting on the balcony while watching the hubbub on the plaza and the bars and restaurants surrounding it. However, when we went up and closely inspected the balcony we realised that it is too narrow and squeezing ourselves into it might not be comfortable.

But we like the restaurant, the traditional colonial ambiance and the open friendly atmosphere. It is also frequented by locals so that is a good sign. Plus the crawling foliage above the courtyard hanging from the suspended nets really speak to us. We decided to settle at the courtyard instead.

We both ordered the local menu: Shrimps, grilled for moi and in tomato sauce for Blondine, some fried plantains that usually go with the menu and the usual Cuban side salad. For drinks we had mojitos.

Food here is 4 stars out of 5 and we really enjoyed the Cuban ambiance. Food presentation may not be a strong element in Cuban cuisine but overall the food tasted good here at Taberna de Dolores.


A beautiful mustard coloured old-timer was parked outside the restaurant.



The church across the restaurant and the plaza.


After dinner we back tracked to our hotel at Casa Granda for more mojitos (nightcap) and live salsa music. In the restaurant’s lobby we saw a small delegation of Japanese middle-aged women dressed in colourful kimonos. Their Cuban tour guide who speaks Japanese was also dressed in a kimono.

The spotlight was on this group for the evening. I mean, pale-looking Japanese women dressed in kimonos dancing to western music with a dark-skinned Cuban in dreadlocks also dressed in a kimono... in Cuba? Hah, that’s definitely an odd combination that warrants attention!


We have tasted mojitos all over Cuba, from Havana to Santiago de Cuba to the Cayo’s to Pinar del Rio and we have found the best so far here at Hotel Casa Granda in Santiago de Cuba.



Japanese women in kimonos getting all worked up in Cuba, haha.


With mojitos in hand and this unusual spectacle before us? Surely a great thing to end our first night in Santiago de Cuba.

Travel Period: May 2012
Destination: Santiago de Cuba (Santiago de Cuba), Cuba

Keep in touch and follow me on Facebook: Travel & Lifestyle Diaries by Dutched Pinay Travels
Happy Travels! Enjoy Life =)

Saturday, September 15, 2012

Visiting Castillo del Morro in Santiago de Cuba

‘Castillo del Morro’ circa 1633 is located outside Santiago de Cuba, about 20 minutes from the city centre. Blondine and I came here with a 1950's Chevy taxi.

I read that there is a nice restaurant beside the fortress with lovely views to the sea. We thought that this would be a great place to have dinner after checking out the old fortress. However, upon arriving we found out that the restaurant is closed. It is only open during the day.

So we proceeded to the castle. It was rather late in the afternoon and the castle will soon be closing its doors so the attendant gave us a 50% discount on our tickets. Muchas gracias!

We loved the place. It is not big but not small as well. The fortress is designed in a very interesting way, with so many angles and corners. I highly suggest a visit to this place during the day with a combination of a lunch or snack at the restaurant. The scenery here is just plain gorgeous.

We also met some Russian guys who had local girls with them. This is a common thing that happens to many male tourists/travellers, they become sailors and have girlfriends at every port of call. Nevertheless, a few days later into our Cuban trip, we bumped into the same Russian guys, but in Havana while I was manoeuvring the car backwards on a one-way street.

‘Hey you! (his finger pointing at us) Santiago de Cuba remember?!’ says one of the Russian guys.

Anyway, we were lucky enough to witness a ceremony in the fortress celebrating Cuba’s independence from Spain. A small brigade of locals dressed in traditional legionnaire costumes paraded in the fortress and fired a cannon ball into the sea.

Here is the video of the ceremony:


Our pictures inside the fortress:



Travel Period: May 2012
Destination: Santiago de Cuba (Santiago de Cuba), Cuba

Keep in touch and follow me on Facebook: Travel & Lifestyle Diaries by Dutched Pinay Travels
Happy Travels! Enjoy Life =)

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