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HAVANA IN FASHION MAY INCLUDING GUIDE TO THE BEST PLACES TO EAT, DRINK, DANCE AND STAY IN HAVANA

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EDITORIAL

May is a real tough month for culture vultures in Havana. Put quite simply, there is not enough time—too many things to do, places to go. There is definitely something for everyone this month. Cuba is celebrating its 9th Jornada Cubana Contra la Homofobia from May 10 to May 21, coinciding with the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia (IDAHOT) on May 17. Not to miss is the colorful and lively traditional gay parade to the beat of conga drums that will start out on the Malecón and will continue along Calle 23 down to Pabellón Cuba. May is a month packed with various cultural activities: Cubadisco, the Cuban version of the Grammys, will shake things up from May 14 to 22 while Mayo Teatral, the Latin American and Caribbean Theater Season, is a real highlight for fans of the performing arts. A high spotlight in May is the French Culture Month with an all-encompassing program of music, theater, visual arts, dance, architecture, design and film events. And the French Cinema Festival, created back in 1997, has become an important festival recognized not only in Cuba and France, but internationally as well. The House of Chanel is presenting “Obra en Proceso/Work in Progress,” an unseen-before photography exhibition by its head designer and creative director, Karl Lagerfeld, at Factoría de Arte in Old Havana. Many things are happening in Havana and it’s no wonder people are saying it’s the place to be at right now. Just a little over a month ago, President Obama visited Cuba with his family, while that same week, the Rolling Stones gave a legendary concert in the Cuban capital. Rihana and model Joan Smalls came to Havana for photo shoots, and Usher chose this city to get married. Now, the eighth instalment of the Fast and Furious series, due to be released in April 2017, is being shot here, while the Adonia Cruiser, the first to sail from the US to Cuba in more than a half century, made its entrance in Havana Harbor on May 1. In the light of these events and the increase of visitors, many people assure that Havana is in fashion. And demonstrating this in a big way, Karl Lagerfeld made history on May 3 with the presentation of the Chanel Cruise 2016-2017 Collection, the first show by Chanel in Latin America. The beautiful tree-lined 18th-century promenade Paseo del Prado became Lagerfeld’s catwalk for this historical show. A number of models arrived in Havana, like British Stella Tennant, one of Lagerfeld’s muses, who attended this past Sunday the opening of the couturier’s photography exhibit, a preamble to the Chanel Show in Havana. At least half of the models are Cuban, selected by the Chanel team in a casting held months ago. But surely, the spotlight shined on one male model. Tony Castro, grandson of Fidel Castro, was signaled out as the grand star of the Chanel show. Yes, winds of change are blowing in Havana.

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MAY 2016

Photo by Ana Lorena

HAVANA’S IN FASHION

Chanel Cruise 2017 Collection – Destination: Havana p7 Karl Lagerfeld: Obra en Proceso/Work in Progress p9 Cuban fashion designer Jacqueline Fumero p11 Guadalupe Blázquez – from Chanel to Fast and Furious p13 How do Cuban celebrities dress? p15 Havana Shopping p17 What young people are wearing in Havana p19 Havana’s Hairdressers’ Alley p21 Hats Conquer Havana p24 Beauty Salons Galore! p26 Fast and Furious – street racing in Havana p28 1st Design Biennale of Havana p31 Hostal Sueño Cubano p33

HAVANA LISTINGS

Visual Arts p35 — Photography p38 — Dance p39 — Music p40 — Theatre p48 — For Kids p49

HAVANA GUIDE

Features - Restaurants - Bars & Clubs - Live Music Hotels - Private Accommodation p57

Chanel Cruise 2017 Collection – Destination: Havana For a few weeks now an unusual buzz of activity has been sweeping over Havana’s popular Paseo del Prado. The tree-shaded promenade began to be built in 1772 , forming the boundary between La Habana Vieja and Centro Habana. “Ah…they’re talking about some fashion thing.” Passersby comment, oblivious to the ins and outs of haute couture. “It’s Chanel!” The bronze lions that have been the guardians of the place since 1928 seem to be more in the know. These sculptures have watched the years flow by, from the days when the area was the capital’s busy business center and the adjacent streets housed exclusive boutiques, perfume shops and the ateliers of famous dressmakers. We have known about it since last October, and by now everything is receiving the finishing touches and the first Latin American fashion show presented by the celebrated French fashion house is about to become reality. On the third of May, the House of Chanel is going to present its prêtà-porter line for its Cruise 2016-2017 Collection. And now Havana will share the privilege of hosting such a stellar event in the world of high fashion with cities such as Miami, Venice, Singapore, Dubai and Seoul.

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In the words of a press communiqué from Chanel, “The cultural richness and the opening up of Cuba to the world make the country a source of inspiration for Karl Lagerfeld and for Chanel.” Many of us are anxious to see how Cuban references are going to be interpreted à la Chanel. Will there be an explosion of color? Will we be seeing the linen, cotton, lace, tiny pleats and crochet knits that have formed the long tradition of dressing Cuban-style? In short, how is our island flair going to coexist with French sophistication? And how is that radiant modernity going to look in the midst of the rather tarnished eclecticism of the surroundings? Adding more spice to the mixture, rumors are floating around that the “Kaiser” Karl Lagerfeld will be announcing his retirement after the Havana show, after over thirty years of being the creative director of the company. Maybe the writer Alejo Carpentier was right when he complained in his youth that only “beginner” or “fading” celebrities came to Cuba. A possible successor is even being mentioned: Hedi Slimane who has left Yves Saint Laurent. But these are only rumors, fueled by a close friend of the German designer and denied by the Chanel spokesperson who considers them to be “unfounded.”

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Meanwhile, the work continues in the Prado, setting up the runway, installing lights, preparing guest seating, all hidden by hoardings that won’t come down until just before show time. Work is also going on at the Martí Theater, general headquarters for the troupe, and the managers and owners of hotels and restaurants in the vicinity are rubbing their hands with glee: Word has it that all the rooms in the Saratoga, Parque Central and Telégrafo hotels are sold out. It has also been announced, perhaps making the most of the enthusiasm generated by Chanel, that the international “Cuba is Fashion” Fair will be held in Havana from May 31 to June 4, hoping to “take up its position among the most important players in the sector” and as “the most representative for Latin American and Caribbean countries.” The

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event organizers are announcing a series of fashion shows by foreign and Cuban stylists with special emphasis on the exquisite national tradition that has often appeared to be in danger from crumbling before the avalanche of poorly made products in the worst of taste. But for now, curious Havana residents are getting ready for yet another exceptional event. Fashionistas are dreaming about Chanel opening up a branch in Havana so that its shop windows will provide an endless source of inspiration just as the El Encanto store used to do for their predecessors. Celebrity groupies are getting excited too: not just about the 2016-2017 Cruise Show novelties, but about the tsunami of jet-set notables that tends to accompany the Kaiser at his openings. Will George Clooney be coming…?!

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FACTORÍA HABANA

OBRA EN PROCESO/WORK IN PROGRESS APRIL 28 - MAY 12

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photos by Y. del Monte

“Photography is part of my life. It completes the circle of my artistic and professional concerns and interest.” Karl Lagerfeld Preceding its Cruise 2017 show in Cuba, the House of Chanel is presenting “Obra en Proceso/Work in Progress,” an unseen-before photography exhibition by its head designer and creative director, Karl Lagerfeld. Curated by Eric Pfrunder and Gerhard Steidl, “Obra en Proceso/Work in Progress” presents a general vision of Lagerfeld’s professional and private photography to date. The exhibition, which showcases over 200 photographs, opened this past April 28 at Factoría Habana Gallery in Old Havana. Divided into three sections—fashion, architecture and landscape—the show explores the wide range of motifs, varied styles and diverse media that characterize Lagerfeld’s tenacious and kaleidoscopic attitude towards photography. Karl Lagerfeld explores an ever-increasing range of photographic topics and styles while he shows his fascination for the use of different exposure and printing techniques. “Obra en Proceso/Work in Progress” shows that—in Lagerfeld’s own words—“a photo is not just an image but also a unique visual object.”

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cuban fashion designer

JACQUELINE FUMERO by Ricardo Alberto Pérez photos Y. del Monte

The outstanding fashion designer Jacqueline Fumero has become very visible on the Havana scene these days ever since her Café-Boutique opened about three years ago. Her shop is located in a lovely part of town that carries with it a substantial load of history and legend: La Loma del Ángel. Just a few steps from the Museum of the Revolution, the hill is closely associated with the most important novel written in Cuba in the 19th century: Cecilia Valdés. Born in Havana in 1966, Jacqueline Fumero began designing clothes in 2003 and soon established two lines for her work: daywear and evening wear. Her daywear uses natural fibers such as cotton and linen and different craft techniques such a thread-pulling, embroidery, hand-painting and patchwork. In contrast, her vision for elegant eveningwear includes silk, chiffon, muslin, gauze, organza, taffeta and brocade.

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Jacqueline designs both prêt-a-porter and custom tailoring. The party dresses she creates make use of adornments in silver, nacre, pearls and Swarovski crystals. Besides clothing, she also has a line of bags, purses and necklaces made of semi-precious stones. Everything she creates gives women the chance to feel they are creative and bold and that they are wearing one-of-a-kind items. Her special concept of elegance has a touch of simplicity, with styles that are practical and respond to the demand of our tropical climate, although they are still tinged with the breath of the avant-garde and they always work to enhance female charms. Jacqueline has often stated that her work reflects the day-to-day experiences of her country, something of which she is very proud. Her inspiration comes from the most minimal details around her and they enrich her highlydeveloped esthetic ideas.

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When we ask about her trajectory in the fashion business, we discover that she has also devoted herself to making classic Cuban “batas” or frocks. Cecilia Valdés is her inspiration for these because this fictional character is clearly the most vivid symbol of the image of a Cuban mulatto woman. This collection combines traditional elements with contemporary touches and they are both beautiful and practical. She has also designed a collection of skirts that can be used both for day and eveningwear. Predominantly in black with blue, green or red applied designs, they come in a wide variety of informal styles, perfect for women of any age. A series of exclusive, very youthful dresses in her shop highlight a very original use of ribbons and bows. Her boutique is full of glamorous objects conceived to add sparkle to feminine sensibilities: boxes, perfume bottles, and a range of decorations. Jacqueline’s Café & Boutique provides us with a special venue that combines fashion with culinary fantasies, all in good taste. Nothing like enjoying a sensational smoothie, dessert or cup of coffee surrounded by the vibrant world of fashion.

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GUADALUPE

BLÁZQUEZ

from Chanel to Fast and Furious by Ricardo Alberto Pérez photos Y. del Monte

Cuban model Guadalupe Blázquez Suri (born in Camagüey, December 10, 1995) told me right away that she started modeling at the age of 18 after being discovered by a photographer while she was talking with some friends in a park. After signing with the agency Víctor-Fashion, she took part in runway shows at the Galerías de Paseo shopping mall in Vedado. This led to Estudio 50 where she met Luis Mario and was hired for a couple of assignments. Later, some successful lingerie advertising assignments for foreign publications followed. Guadalupe comes across as a multi-level professional, a young lady who has very clear concepts about how to conduct herself in a very visible profession, both in Cuba and abroad. Her youthful candor and the measured and decisive way in which she speaks are part of her decidedly sensual image. At one point in our chat she told me that she had studied saxophone at the elementary level in her home town of Camagüey. At the age of 14, she arrived in Havana and enrolled in the National Arts School (ENA) and subsequently at the Amadeo Roldán Conservatory of Music, from which she graduated.

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These days she performs as a musician three times a week at the Casa Migli Bar and one of her goals, it seems, is to one day put together a small group made up only of women. She goes on to explain to us that switching back and forth from music to modeling is a rather complicated affair. Both activities require a lot of time and she finds herself being forced to be extremely flexible when juggling these two responsibilities. Her technique is to try to make them mesh together because she firmly believes they can be mutually enriching. Although she has taken part in a number of music videos promoted by Casa Migli, she thinks that continuously doing the same thing, such as, for example, always appearing in reggaeton videos, could have the effect of harming and minimizing her image due to over-exposure and therefore result in a loss of exclusivity. It is pretty clear that Guadalupe is carefully considering each of her moves and commitments carefully, concentrating on the possibilities, and waiting for the best opportunities to come her way. Standing out among some of her most recent jobs is the Artex advertising campaign, especially the Colección Lauros del 2016, because it promoted the essential values of creation in Cuba. When the

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French couture house of Chanel held a casting for the runway show it will stage in Havana on the 3rd of May, Guadalupe took part and, after ending up among fifty finalists, she and two other girls were selected for a historical fashion show that will surely become an important precedent for the future of the Cuban modeling and fashion industry. She is also currently involved in the shooting of the eighth installment of Fast and Furious in Havana. Guadalupe spoke to us about how she sees the future of modeling in Cuba. She hopes that the changes taking place at the present time will be very beneficial for the model market and added: “They say that Cuba is fashionable; now many come to Cuba not only to enjoy the country but also thinking of the business opportunities that can be established here. Things are changing and as soon as the large corporations which need advertising get here, this process is going to pick up speed; advertising is a very important element in every kind of business. And that is going to open up many more possibilities.” When we ask her about Cuba’s image in the world of fashion today, she says that some people in Cuba are just beginning to appreciate what good taste entails when it comes to dressing. She believes that fashion as a whole has to be appreciated via the visual. She also acknowledges that Cuba’s most talented designers are an elitist group that has no real direct contact with the people on the street. For that connection to happen, she thinks we just have to let some time go by. But she is very optimistic and for now, her energy knows no bounds.

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Paulo FG

HOW DO CUBAN CELEBRITIES DRESS? lahabana

by Victoria Alcalá Cuba's Digital Destination

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Whoever has strolled along any Cuban street (or watched TV) and has been awed by the profusion of cellulite-imprisoning Lycra tights; pants that defy gravity and fall well south of the waistline to reveal what they’re supposed to be hiding; blouses, shirts and dresses made of doubtful synthetic textiles, mostly from Panama and Ecuador (a poet friend of mine who lives in Ecuador says that he has no idea where they buy that merchandise that he has never seen in any store there) might get an erroneous idea about Cuban taste. Strident colors, shiny cloth and trinkets, and garish prints all seem to wipe out any other trends that would express any refined or distinguished tradition, not just reserved for the catwalks, and in which humble neighborhood dressmakers and well-known artisans are involved. At every arts and crafts fair, more and more frequently, we get the chance to acquire reasonably priced garments made of fabrics that suit our climate, styles that flatter every figure type and which assimilate the latest fashion trends for all ages. There are regular spots on TV that not only show us fashions but they also advise us on how to dress and use makeup depending on our personal characteristics, the time of day and the place; this involves a

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Wendy Guerra painstaking effort and it seems to be working. But since our fashion ideals tend to be public figures, it is worthwhile to thank the elegant insouciance of young singers like Luna Manzanares and Diana Fuentes; the glamor of ballerina Viengsay Valdés; the daring modernism of writer Wendy Guerra; the laid-back distinction of salsa stars Pablo FG and Issac Delgado; the elegant Cuban quintessence of fashion designer Ismael de la Caridad... They are bringing back a long tradition which, over the centuries, left the aristocratic salons and arrived on the streets, giving Cuban men and women the reputation of being well-dressed.

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Havana Shopping

photos by Y. del Monte

by Ricardo Alberto Pérez

Beware: Havana is not a shopping paradise and chances are you’ll never find that special piece of clothing or shoe brand you need. Having said that, an increasing number of shopping centers and boutiques have sprung up throughout Havana that are worth looking into. The Saratoga Hotel on Prado Street (yes, just a few blocks away from Paseo del Prado, the promenade where the Chanel Cruiser Show is taking place May 3) has a decent assortment of clothing and accessories both for the ladies and the gents. Other hotels you might want to check out fashionwise are the Habana Libre and the Meliá Cohíba in El Vedado, and Galería Comercial Comodoro. Fashion concessions in the latter include Mango, Benetton, Adidas, Converse, Benetton, Clarks and Lacoste. Some brand name sportswear that’s available in Havana are Adidas, Nike, Puma and Joma, which are pretty widespread in Havana, both in shopping centers, hotel stores or independent stores. The spectrum goes from the more classical looks to the more edgy. Comfort is the password for this line of items. Meanwhile, Paul & Shark Yachting in Plaza Vieja is a very exclusive and expensive boutique offering a selection of yachting clothing for men and women, including a restricted choice of shoes.

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For more formal wear, the widely available Fariani brand has become quite popular, and can be found at malls and hotels stores. There is also a separate Fariani shop on Obispo Street. Its popularity is probably based on the fact that the clothing is not as expensive as in other boutiques and you can find both serious and more daring items under the same name. One store that has become very popular of late with young girls is Jennifer López, which sells clothing bearing the house brand name. It is also located on Old Havana’s Obispo Street. If you’re looking for more exclusive designs, get ready to pay the higher prices at Habaguanex boutique stores, all located in Old Havana in Plaza Vieja and Plaza de San Francisco. Diesel Gas sells youthful clothing perfectly adapted to our climate, for both men and women. At the Lacoste shop, you can purchase sporty footwear and an excellent range of T-shirts and caps. Other shops are United Colors of Benetton and Pepe Jeans London. Also on Obispo Stree, just a block away from Plaza de Armas is El Quitrín, which sells beautiful, high quality handmade Cuban clothing in cotton and linen fabrics. The famous guayaberas are a must for men and there are some chic dresses for women.

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This is just a sample of some of the stores you’ll find in Havana. Other shopping centers are Carlos III, La Puntilla, Casa Bella, 5ta y 42, La Vigía, Galerías Amazonas, and more. Two more upscale one-stop department stores are La Maison, which also holds fashion shows, and Le Select, both in Miramar. With the new wave of private entrepreneurship in Cuba, several stores have opened in Havana. These stores are owned either by well-known Cuban couturiers or by not so well-known designers who are trying to make a name for themselves in the business. Two of them are located in the San Rafael Boulevard, just a couple of blocks away from Parque Central and another one on Galiano Street.

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photos by Y. del Monte

What young people are wearing in Havana by Ricardo Alberto Pérez

So far in this 21st entury, we have been able to see great transformations in the social behavior of Cuban young people. This ends up directly influencing the way in which they perceive and project fashions here on an Island that has never wanted to lag behind in any new trend. What is very interesting is the capacity Cubans have to make a very unique imprint on anything that comes to us from abroad. Even though there are those among us who are highly critical of such an attitude and use the phrase “Cubans either reach the goal or they go way past it,” this type of irreverence characterizes us and puts an exotic and seductive slant on the behaviors our people exhibit. Cuban youth has decided to accept everything these times have to offer. In this regard, I believe that the subject of sexuality has also been very much associated with what is worn and what is not worn these days. In terms of fashions, it seems that the sexes have been manifesting themselves in different directions. While the guys have a tendency to cultivate a scruffy image, with hairstyles that look uncombed, with lumberjack style beards that are full and somewhat uneven, and boots being worn

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with shorts to complete the image, girls are aiming for a refined look. They like elaborate hairstyles, both in the cuts and in the use of hair products, including keratin, hair wax, mousse… Hair is getting tinted in different tones of red and blonde, and braids are a favorite stylistic element for swept up styles. As for make-up, it looks like we are seeing a neutral trend in base tones. Women are tattooing their eyebrows and applying silver and gold as “permanent” eyeliners. Lips are veering towards red and orange and nails are done in bright colors with an emphasis on the dark range of black, green and blue.

highlights. These lads wear close-fitting clothing, both their shirts, and their shorts and trousers, choosing colors that have been traditionally seta side for the gals. There is no doubt that a huge influence on the fashions worn by young men on the Island has been exerted by international soccer players, other sports stars or show business figures who are very popular here.

Lately we have been seeing a lot of Cuban young people wearing boots in all styles and colors. They are worn with short shorts, dresses or jeans. Some of the younger girls have revived the princess style dresses, circle skirts and lots of cleavage. Other popular items are plaid shirts and very short shorts paired up with canvas sneakers. When talking about male fashions, we cannot ignore the importance of the metrosexual these days in Cuba. This trend sees men shaving their whole bodies and their eyebrows, wearing earrings and dying their hair, preferably black or getting

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Havana’s Hairdressers’ Alley

by Ricardo Alberto Pérez / photos by Ana Lorena

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When in 1999 Gilberto Valladares Reina, known in his Santo Ángel neighborhood as Papito, started a project he called Cortearte, I’m sure there were very few people in Havana that could fully understand the scope of his undertaking. Almost 17 years later, reality speaks for itself. In an area that takes up around 100 meters in Old Havana, life has taken on a completely different dynamic that has surprised even his neighbors. Energy plus creativity gives birth to enterprise. And this enterprise which is based on lots of hard work does not only net profits, it comes accompanied by improvements to the human condition. We need to examine the essence of this project, one that reaffirms the historically social importance occupied by hairdressers and hairdressing salons in Cuba. It is almost impossible not to stop and admire the unique design of the sign posted on the walls of 10 Aguiar Street: Artecorte, Casa Museo de la Barbería (Hairdressing Museum). Cross the threshold, climb the stairs and you will discover that the walls have been turned into a fascinating gallery with allegorical drawings depicting the art of cutting and looking after hair. And in this bewitching way, we are drawn up into the inner sanctum. Another thing that calls our attention is that close to the

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alley there is a replica of the appointment of the first barber in the ancient villa de San Cristóbal de La Habana: his name was Juan Gómez, and the year was 1552. Over the years, Gilberto Valladares has evinced his ability to bring people together and show them how they can be successfully useful. He has drawn into the enterprise a group of young unemployed school dropouts, teaching them the secrets of the trade of cutting hair. These days the project has also benefited a group of mute girls who have been able to learn a greatly valued profession. This private initiative has been multiplying spontaneously and harmoniously along the short boulevard, endowing the alley with a certain charm. Others have joined the undertaking: Roberto González inaugurated his Studio/Art Gallery, designer Pedro Pérez set up a shop selling traditional clothing such as the well-known guayaberas, and Luis Carlos Benvenuto, owner of the Artists’ Café, has joined the small community contributing to the cultural liveliness of the place with activities related to urban cinema. As a follower of the outstanding Cuban filmmaker Humberto Solás, he hopes to promote the love for the cinema by carrying out community improvements actions.

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At the far end of the Callejón is the La Farmacia Bar-Restaurant. It restored the building’s original uses in the 1940s when it was first a restaurant and later a pharmacy. It’s the ideal place to stop by for delicious tapas and drinks, the establishment’s hallmark.

Some of these places in the alley also collect and rescue old objects such as cash registers, typewriters and barbers’ chairs, thereby providing us with information about the past life of the city and that of its inhabitants. But more importantly, it aims to participate in the future, something that is very positive and speaks highly about the city to come.

photo by Y. del Monte

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Hats

Conquer Havana by Ricardo Alberto Pérez photos by Ana Lorena

photo by Y. del Monte

Both Cubans and foreigners have difficulty imagining Cuba without having a good hat because our climate, especially the burning rays of the sun, practically makes it a must. Besides this practical requirement, hats have also had their moments of splendor and have taken part of making definite fashion statements here on our Island. The trick for designers is how to make an item of clothing that is strictly necessary into an element that will contribute to a personal image. As usual, the fashion industry has a myriad of answers to offer. Those of us in Cuba who are familiar with people who live in the countryside know that the hats they use are revered articles of clothing. I have even heard say that any self-respecting farmer absolutely had to own two hats: a straw hat for the daily chores and another one to attend festivities, take part in social activities or to visit the city. That straw hat is very significant for Cubans. It is practically a national symbol, partly due to the fact that it was always worn by our freedom fighters, the Mambises, during the wars of independence, and partly because the process of making it is extremely authentic and natural. Recently something very

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interesting has happened to our country straw hat: it has undergone an urbanization process that takes it outside of its customary setting in order to open up new possibilities. Whenever we look at old family photos or have the chance to peruse historical photographs, we are impressed to see how pervasive the custom of wearing hats was in the past. Hats were also synonymous with some styles of Cuban music such as the Son or traditional Trova. Recently, there has been a veritable explosion in the manufacture and sale of hats, both in Havana and in other cities throughout the Island. It seems that a lot more people are returning to the custom of wearing a hat. In this phenomenon of commercialization, several things draw our attention. First, we can see how these hats can be bought at a greater number of places: arts and crafts fairs, Artex shops, even boutiques. In the second place, we are struck by the infinite variety of styles and materials used in their manufacture. Hats come in a rainbow of colors. And in the third place, the creators of these

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hats have been displaying an incredible intensity in their creative processes. In the Cuban context, hats can sometimes even express a feeling, a kind of militancy reflected by the signs or symbols featured on it. Hats can also be decorated with a wide variety of accessories such as ribbons or feathers. And hats can provide the finishing touches for both men and women on our beaches. Depending upon a person’s style and the type of image they wish to project, hats can give you a wide variety of possibilities. I have noticed the trend in men’s hats to combine them with plaid shirts and jeans. There also seem to be also some parallels between hats and short, well-groomed beards. Women prefer broad-brimmed sunhats with shapes and colors that set up an attractive combination with the rest of their outfits. Of course everyone has their point of view about headgear but all things considered, hats have become a permanent feature in current Cuban fashions. The right hat can certainly complete anyone’s look, both for men and women.

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Beauty Salons Galore!

photos by Y. del Monte

by Victoria Alcalá

Visitors to Havana in the 19th century had already observed that we Cubans love grooming ourselves and this taste has persisted, defying shortages and hardships. My teenage years happened to coincide with the setback of the sugar cane harvest of 1970 and we had to “invent” all sorts of things: detergent replaced shampoo, watered-down vinegar substituted hair conditioner, shoe polish was used as mascara for our lashes, black ball-point pens served as eyeliner…we were ahead of our time in terms of organic beauty products when we mashed avocados with honey to add shine to our hair that we would straighten out with mom’s good old iron. The dress I wore at my quinceañera party had been sewn with the organza and satin coming from one of my mother’s old negligée and the sandals had wooden heels and thin straps fashioned out of the plastic bags used by coffee-growers. Maybe that’s why these days I love the professional smells emanating from beauty salons so much. And I love talking to hairdressers; it doesn’t matter whether they belong to the group that pampers their clients or those that maintain a haughty distance. Whatever their modus operandi, all of them are well-aware of how much we need their hands to feel enchanting, whether it’s to keep alive the spark of enthusiasm in a years-long relationship or to set out on a new romantic conquest. When one of my co-workers, who used to be happy with

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a haircut once in a blue moon and who would dye her hair in her own bathroom, suddenly appears with a sophisticated do in a sexy tone of burgundy with shiny highlights, the possibility that she has just been divorced zooms up to 99%. Straightening, curling, cutting, dying, highlighting…these are all operations that, when they are skillfully applied, result in a radiant appearance that gives our selfesteem a huge shot in the arm. With the proliferation of beauty salons, many of them unisex since men are increasingly dying, bleaching, adding extensions or getting keratin treatments, that geographically-conditioned state of affairs when the best stylists were only found in the jet-set locations of El Vedado or Miramar seems to have disappeared. Gilberto Valladares (yes, that’s Papito, the entrepreneur Obama talked about) has turned a formerly rundown alleyway in Old havana (Aguiar between Peña Pobre and Avenida de las Misiones) into Hairdressers’ Boulevard; Danilo Arocha, the official technician in Cuba for Salerm and Schwarzkopf beauty products, has opened his shop Darocha on San Indalecio Street in the popular neighborhood of Santos Suárez (municipality of 10 de Octubre) where he also teaches courses for stylists and whose slogan is an irresistible proposition: “Inspire yourself with our fashionable haircuts and give yourself a new image.” I have a young journalist friend who goes on what is practically an interprovincial journey to Santiago de las Vegas to get her “California streaks” done because her hairdresser is “the best.”

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8

IN HAVANA, CUBA

It’s becoming in to say that Cuba is the in thing. Whoever repeats that phrase immediately waves a list of the celebrities who have visited the Island during the past year as irrefutable proof. But anyone who has even a sketchy knowledge of Cuban history knows that this vogue goes way back to the 19th century. Between then and now an incalculable list of famous people has visited Cuba for one reason or another, from the great Austrian ballerina Fanny Elssler to sopranos Adelina Patti and Marietta Gazzaniga—the latter was honored by Havana bakers of the time when they concocted a cake that has come down to our day: the popular gaceñiga. Twentieth-century Cuba welcomed Anna Pávlova, Enrico Caruso, Sara Bernhardt, Ignacy Paderewski, and many more, all of whom performed on Cuban stages. Igor Stravisnky conducted the Havana Philharmonic Orchestra, which played a number of his works; Albert Einstein gave a lecture at the Academy of Sciences; Ernest Hemingway set up general headquarters at his estate Finca Vigía where, so they say, Ava Gardner (“the most beautiful animal in the world”) occasionally took a dip naked in the pool; and Marlon Brando went out drinking in sleazy bars in the Marianao Beach neighborhood.

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After the triumph of the Revolution in 1959, the country was subjected to an avalanche of the curious. Some of the people arriving in Cuba then were Jean Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir, filmmaker Agnes Varda and actor Gerard Philipe, just to mention the French visitors. Then came others both on private visits and engaged in intense public activities: Miguel Ángel Asturias, Gabriel García Márquez, Mario Vargas Llosa, James Petras, Yuri Lotman, Eduardo Galeano, Günter Grass, Joan Manuel Serrat, Joaquín Sabina, Chico Buarque de Hollanda, Michel Legrand, Paul McCartney, Sting, Sophia Loren, Gina Lollobrigida, Alain Delon, Kevin Costner, Jack Nicholson, Gregory Peck, Jack Lemmon, Pedro Almodóvar, Oliver Stone, Steven Spielberg, Arthur Miller, Bobby Fischer, Mohamed Ali, Maia Plisetskaya, Maurice Béjart, Carla Fracci, Julio Bocca, Vladimir Malakhov, Paco Rabanne, Paris Hilton, Tom Jones, Beyoncé, Mick Jagger, Naomi Campbell, Kate Moss, and the list goes on and on. So even though the international press loves to make a big noise from time to time, after December 17, 2014, Havana residents have seen a number of uber-famous faces around and they haven’t even batted an eye. And then came the announcement that several scenes of the eighth installment of the Fast and Furious series, due to be released in April 2017, were to be shot in Havana. The reaction was not so much amazement but sarcastic comments about how these scouts for exotic locations like Dubai or Rio will manage to film the de rigueur car races in Havana streets that have potholes so old they deserve to be declared national heritage.

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Now, please don’t interpret that in any way as lack of interest in what is happening or rather, what is about to happen. I remember my grandmother would constantly say that “Cubans love the novel, and not just because they like telenovelas, which they do, but because they are crazy about anything that’s refreshingly new. Along these lines, there is nothing worse than greeting someone with an anxious “qué hay de nuevo” [what’s new?] and getting the disappointing answer of “el cuartico está igualito” [nothing has changed]. Perhaps because we want to counter the sense of isolation imposed by our condition of being islanders, we go out of our way to keep up with everything that’s happening, we profess to know both State and intimate secrets, and we always look like we’re on the inside. So, competing with comments about the recent lowering of the prices of some prime necessity products, from 6 to 20%, we are now hearing talk about the “casting of almendrones” (those vintage American cars that still circulate around town) that took place in the vicinity of the Hotel Nacional. Word is out that the headquarters for the production crews of Fast & Furious 8, the next in Universal Pictures’ celebrated saga, will be the Deauville Hotel. And, we hear that the star of the film, Vin Diesel/Dominic Toretto, is already in Havana. And then there are those imaginative souls who dream of seeing a shiny new Dodge Charger Daytona screaming down the Malecón, being chased and obviously overtaken by a 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air.

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by Ricardo Alberto Pérez It’s hard to believe that there could be any timelier event for Cuba than the 1st Design Biennale of Havana scheduled for May 16 to 20. Organized by the National Design Bureau, ONDI by its Spanish initials, its secondary locations will be in Camagüey and Santiago de Cuba. The event comes at a time when Cuba is undergoing changes in a number of areas, something that inspires people to rethink some of their perceptions. The Biennale setup provides a wide-ranging program that includes exhibitions, shows, runways and an overview of Cuban and international design trends. There will be a theoretical forum held from May 18 to 20 at the Havana Convention Center and it will also provide the ideal scenario for awarding the ONDI Design Prizes, thereby taking

the temperature of what is happening these days in Cuban design. We know that design is in fact already ensconced in a vanguard that is demonstrating visible signs about every one of the changes that are being generated in our society. It actively participates in the desire to be in dialogue and have an understanding with everything that is new, but at the same time it wishes to salvage a visual memory that will enrich the dizzying pace of our present, overtaken by the dominant effect of images. Some pretty serious indications have shown us that our cultural traits are able to cross over design boundaries along with everything associated with our insularity and the characteristics of our

climate which consistently, and sometimes unconsciously, has produced our principal customs and habits on the Island. It is a matter of imprinting the different design fields with an authentic vision of Cuba that has a vaporous lightness and the humor that characterizes our people without forgetting about our reflective side, ready to understand the most complicated ideas and incorporate them into our everyday lives. The event will be graced by the presence of remarkable design personalities on a world scale and by important corporations from a variety of regions. Among these visitors, one of the most outstanding will surely be Martin Sorell, President of the WWP Group, considered to be a world marketing leader. It takes in many of the most admired global agencies in the industry and employs some 190,000 people in 112 countries. Our own large body of design talent will of course be present, showing off the work of a heady blend of highly experienced designers and a younger generation of capable creators who have their finger firmly placed on the pulse of what is happening in the world today. The guiding slogan for the event is Design and Prosperity. As in any self-respecting event, this one’s success will largely depend on how well it will integrate the general public into its theme. It is important for people to realize that design has the power to improve their quality of life. We should also emphasize the event’s humanistic nature: taking the spotlight will be matters dealing with including products geared to physically and motor-skill disabled persons, adding Braille to the labels on medicine packages, and making sure that the designs on these self-same medicine packages use colors that are appropriate for the vision restrictions of older people. Packages for products designed for children should also respond to their demands and fantasies. Among its priorities, the Havana Design Biennale will be issuing an alert to the sense of professionalism that should be working hand-in-hand at every level of design. This aspect is more necessary than ever because the damaging effects on the image and credibility of national design when unskilled improvisation gets involved interfere with the work of all trained individuals, especially those coming out of the Higher Institute of Design. The event will provide confirmation on the fact that our Cuban designers are fully committed to the world of technology and the sciences and that they also incorporate a high level of culture and humanism associated with the symbolic and subjective values of consumers, with a full range of practical experience, tastes and feelings. We are convinced that the merits of Cuban design will be clearly visible not only in Cuba but within the global dynamic.

Photos by Ana Lorena

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Hostal Sueño Cubano

photos by Ana Lorena

by Victoria Alcalá

Havana today triggers the interest of people from all over the world, and the prospects indicate that one of the most promising businesses lies in the hospitality sector. This has been clearly understood by two couples— Havana residents Ernesto and Ileana, and Stefano and Silvia, who live in Italy—who today are partners in what was once a dream and is now a reality: the Hostal Boutique Sueño Cubano, a remarkably attractive site located at Calle Santa Clara, No. 66, in the heart of Old Havana, just a few meters from Avenida del Puerto. After an intense search for the perfect location, they found this building which is halfway between Plaza Vieja and the Russian Orthodox Church. The building’s façade is pure stile Liberty while the Spanish colonial style invades the interiors. The owners told me that when they discovered the building, they felt like if they had found a valuable pearl covered in dust. And immediately, a question arose: Will it be possible to incorporate it into the present and yet respect its history? The restoration and reconstruction process was arduous, and Santa Clara Street neighbors— bricklayers, electricians, plumbers—did their bit. This gave them a sense of belonging within a

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positive atmosphere. Stefano prepared the first restoration project and work began on October 29, 2014, with the advice of Stefano himself and the experience acquired by Ernesto in this adventure that lasted approximately a year and a half.

the Museum of Colonial Art, located in Cathedral Square, and consulting books that recreated colonial Havana, their customs and fashions. The end result is simply fantastic, and very respectful of the building’s history.

Taking a look at certain features that ensure the comfort of future guests, we need to mention the effectiveness of the modern hydraulic system that was installed, capable of ensuring optimal water pressure, which can make guests feel they are under a tropical rain. In addition, the entire electrical installation provides security and visible practicality in its use.

The natural light that filters through the windows in rooms and corridors becomes a show in itself as the day progresses into the stunning Havana night.

As I toured the hostel, poking around its rooms, I experienced a very pleasant feeling of peace and an intimate atmosphere that is not so easy to find in this part of the old city. Thanks to Stefano’s wife, Silvia, the ambiance is strengthened by ideally chosen furniture, lamps and other accessories that harmonize with the characteristics of the property. This was a job that Silvia took very seriously, to the point of making frequent visits to

In the cozy and intimate dining room, guests can start the day out with either an excellent Cuban or international breakfast.

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The hostel features four terraces, ideal for enjoying a drink from the bar, and even a refreshing guarapo—sugar cane juice—that comes out of the traditional trapiche, or sugarcane press.

So if you are thinking of taking a trip to Cuba, do not hesitate in spending your holiday at the beautifully designed Hostal Sueño Cubano, where your Cuban dream will surely come true.

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VISUAL ARTS

photos by Alex Mene Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes. Edificio de Arte Cubano

Contaminación

MUSEO NACIONAL DE BELLAS ARTES. EDIFICIO DE ARTE CUBANO THROUGH JUNE 19

Los rostros de la modernidad. The entry of Cuban visual arts in the modernity of the avantgarde and its various trends can be seen in 45 photos made from 1925 to 1957 by 15 important photographers, including Jorge Arche, Arístides Fernández, Víctor Manuel, Wifredo Lam, Amelia Peláez and Mariano Rodríguez.

THROUGH AUGUST 19

Cardinales is a group of paintings in which Cuban artist Carlos Alberto García used a mixed technique on cloth. The medium- and full-scale pictures were created especially for this occasion. The artist has defined his work as “very much connected to early 20th-century avant-gardes, especially Expressionism.

GALERÍA GALIANO THROUGH MAY 27

PALACIO DE LOMBILLO

La Familia Real, six canvases and a light box by Marco Arturo Herrera focuses on aristocratic society, its surroundings and characters.

THROUGH MAY 28

100 años de Social, a selection of the best pieces entered in this poster competition.

OPENS MAY 6

Ángeles de bruma, by Alberto Sautúa Fernández, who explores the female universe through recently created drawings and paintings.

SALA ABELARDO ESTORINO. MINISTERIO DE CULTURA THROUGH JUNE 11

Cosas de mujeres, group show by Jacqueline Brito, Flora Fong, Alicia Leal, Julia Valdés and Lesbia Vent Dumois.

VITRINA DE VALONIA MAY 23

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Habana, exhibition about Cuban comic strips.

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CASA DEL ALBA CULTURAL THROUGH MAY 29

CENTRO HISPANO AMERICANO DE CULTURA

Cartel / Mujer/ Cartel

OPENS MAY 17

Diseño y prosperidad, exhibition of prizewinning works during the 1st International Design Biennial of Havana, BID Habana 2016.

THROUGH MAY 27

The Seattle-La Habana-Tehran Poster Show, exhibition of posters made by designers from these three cities, that reveal common aspoects shared by their respective cities. Seattle: David Gallo, Carlos Ruiz, Vittorio Castarella, Shay Roth, Jeff Kleinsmith, Ames Bros, Jesse LeDoux, Chad Lundberg, Jan Smith, David Bratlon, Seab Waple, Shogo Ofa, Darib Shuler, Kelsey Gallo, Devon Varmega, Joanna Wecht, Andrew Crawshaw, Adam Vick and Chelsea Wirtz. Havana: Darwin Fornés, Edel Rodríguez (Mola), Darién Sánchez, Idania del Río, Raúl González (Raupa), Robertiko Ramos, Fabián Muñoz, Michelle Miyares, Eric Silva, Giselle Monzón, Nelson Ponce, Lily Díaz, Laura Llópiz, Pepe Menéndez and Carlos Zamora. Teheran: Shahrzad Changalvaee, Reza Abedini, Reza Babajani, Mojtaba Adibi, Aliagha Hasseinpour, Homa Delavaray, Mehdi Fatehi, Farhad Fozouni, Iman Raad, Babak Safari, Masoud Morgan, Morleza Mahallati, Alireza Askarifa, Mohammadreza Abdalali, Erfan Jamshida, Mohammad Khodashenas and Naghi Vaseiy. 

CENTRO DE ARTE CONTEMPORÁNEO WIFREDO LAM THROUGH MAY 6

La madre de todas las artes is an exhibition by over 50 artists, such as Lidzie Alviza, Luis Enrique Camejo, Los Carpinteros, Ernesto García Peña, Arturo Montoto, Mabel Poblet, Wilfredo Prieto and Sandra Ramos, whose central theme is the interest shown by a significant number of Cuban artists in architecture.

THROUGH JUNE 18

Desde el sonido, solo show by Ricardo Martínez. Voces indígenas, curatorial project by Alfons Hugs.

THROUGH 20

Ni sagrado ni secular, show by Henry Erick Hernández and Canadian artist Marysse  Goudreau.

MAY 27-JUNE 27

Cool War, project by Rachel Price on technologies with the participation of Cuban and international artists.

THROUGH JUNE 30

Si las paredes hablaran, solo show by Colombian artist Lina Leal.

CENTRO CULTURAL CINEMATOGRÁFICO FRESA Y CHOCOLATE MAY 7-JUNE 3

Figure it Out, abstract works by artist Martha Beatriz.

CENTRO DE DESARROLLO DE LAS ARTES VISUALES THROUGH MAY 25

Mujeres en acción de gritar, tour of post-1959 Cuban posters created by women artists.

FÁBRICA DE ARTE CUBANO THROUGH MAY 15

Pórtate bien, group show. Diseñadores que ilustran, group show.

El cartel social y la imagen femenina en el cartel francés, group show by French artists. MAY 16-JUNE 16

Las esquinas, group show.

THROUGH JUNE 16

Nuevos medios, group show.

El doble, show by artists Carlos Quintana and Enrique Rottenberg.

FACTORÍA HABANA OPENS MAY 15

FUNDACIÓN ANTONIO NÚÑEZ JIMÉNEZ DE LA NATURALEZA Y EL HOMBRE THROUGH MAY 20

Monte, with works Antonio Núñez.

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Palimpsesto, show by Swiss graphic designers Gavillet & Rus.

artist

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Clara Porset…el eterno retorno vindicates an artist who is considered one of the most important designers of the 20th century.

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GALERÍA ALTERNATIVA DE LUZ Y OFICIOS MAY 10-JUNE 11

Partitura en rojo, group show organized by Casa Yeti, Casa Museo Antonia Eiriz and the Centro Provincial de Artes Plásticas.

GALERÍA LA ACACIA THROUGH MAY 22

GALERÍA ARTIS 718 THROUGH MAY 27

Discurso fragmentado, paintings by Harold López, related to portraiture, in which he makes use of pop art, expressionism and other trends.

GALERÍA ORÍGENES THROUGH MAY 14

GALERÍA COLLAGE HABANA THROUGH JUNE 17

The Merger, sculptures, objects and installations, and the works that constitute the project of these sculptures and installations on canvas and bristol, belonging to the creative group The Merger, made up by Alain Pino, Mario Miguel González (Mayito) and Niels Moleiro.

Límites, solo show by Linet Oquendo Meneses, undergraduate of the Unniversity of the Arts, who reflects on the barriers and thinking of contemporary man.

THROUGH MAY 31

Retrospectiva del implosivismo, 1950-2015, from New York to Old San Juan, with paintings by Wilfred Labiosa.

THROUGH MAY 27

$0$, by Yunier Hernández, refers to the anguish felt by the artist in relation with money: “I fear its growth and the multiplicity of powers it establishes in social life.”

MAY 20-JULY 8

Jerarquía negada, solo show by ex Carpintero Alexander Arrechea, who has insistently delved into the “surveillance and cocntrol mechanisms from the position of power.”

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Cuentidubujos, show by artist, illustrator and designer Enrique Martínez, a true classic among illustrators of books for children in Cuba.

GALERÍA VILLENA OPENS MAY 20

Story de mi vida, show by designer Raúl Raupa Valdés, who has put together a group of original works that in the manner of a graphic script narrate stories that reflect personal experiences.

PABELLÓN CUBA THROUGH JUNE

GALERÍA HABANA THROUGH MAY 13

Cambio de rostro, by painter Barbaro Mirelys Pango Reyes Mesa.

GALERÍA VILLA MANUELA

GALERÍA EL REINO DE ESTE MUNDO. BIBLIOTECA NACIONAL JOSÉ MARTÍ THROUGH MAY 27

Memorias, exhibition of works by artists Sandra Ramos, Ibrahim Miranda and Belkys Ayón.

GALERÍA VÍCTOR MANUEL

GALERÍA D NASCO MAY 19-31

La leve gracia de los desnudos, paintings, drawings, sculptures, photography and performance in this group show of artists Víctor Manuel, Carlos Enríquez, Servando Cabrera, Raúl Martínez, Tomas Esson, Rafael Zarza and Adonis Flores.

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Fuerza y sangre. Imaginarios de la bandera en el arte cubano is a collection of 160 pieces by 124 Cuban artists of different trends, esthetics, manifestations (painting, sculpture, installation, printmaking, drawing, photography, etc.), who have repeatedly or occasionally included the Cuban flag in their work. Veteran artists like Raúl Martínez, Nelson Domínguez, Roberto Fabelo, Manuel Mendive, René Francisco, Raúl Corrales or Osvaldo Salas join younger artists representative of the Cuban artistic vanguard in this singular homage to the Cuban flag.

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PHOTOGRAPHY

FOTOTECA DE CUBA THROUGH MAY 15

Wanted Bikers, exhibition by French artist Philippe Vermes, with pictures taken in the late 1980s during bike demonstrations in Loudon (New Hampshire) and Sturgis (South Dakota). MAY 20-JUNE 18

La ciudad infinita, with pictures taken by Jennifer Jiménez Rico, prizewinner of the Alfredo Sarabia Biennial in Pinar del Río. MAY 20-JUNE 20

Algunas imágenes de la colección, exhibition from the collection of the Fototeca de Cuba.

CASA DE LAS AMÉRICAS THROUGH MAY 17

CENTRO CULTURAL BERTOLT BRECHT

Pares y nones, contemporary photography from Haiti and Dominican Republic.

THROUGH MAY 15

Campo de batalla, first solo exhibition of artist Yasser Expósito Cárdenas, with pictures of the Cuban stage.

MUSEO DEL RON THROUGH MAY 28

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Exposición de René Peña, exhibition by one of the great Cuban photographers.

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DANCE Concert program DANZA CONTEMPORÁNEA DE CUBA MAY 13-14, 8:30PM; MAY 15, 5PM GRAN TEATRO DE LA HABANA ALICIA ALONSO

Performance of three new choreographies: El cristal, by Julio César Iglesias; Cenit, by Laura Domingo Agüero, and Matria Etnocentra, by George Céspedes.

Ciudad de Guantanamo

La danza y sus estilos MAY 21, 5PM CENTRO HISPANO AMERICANO DE CULTURA

Show by the Así Somos, Ecos and Ban Rará dance companies, directed by Lourdes Cagical, Ana Rosa Menéndez and Isais Rojas, respectively.

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THURSDAY, MAY 5

SATURDAY, MAY 7

SALÓN ROSADO DE LA TROPICAL

FÁBRICA DE ARTE CUBANO “TURNTABLES IN HAVANA”

Esquina 46, Avenida 41, Havana

Calle 26, Havana

7:00PM - 8:00PM KIKE WOLF (CUBA)

2:00PM - 9:00PM PRE-SHOW - VIP LOUNGE

8:00PM - 9:00PM ADONIS & OSAIN DEL MONTE (CUBA)

PRESS, VIP, ARTIST CREDENTIAL PICKUP

9:30PM - 10:30PM IBEYI (FRANCIA) 11:00PM - 12:00AM LARITZA BACALLAO (CUBA) 12:00AM - 2:00AM DJ CEDRIC GERVAIS (FRANCIA / US)

7:00PM - 8:00PM NAPPY G (US)

X Alfonso 8:00PM 9:00PM DJ DRM (US) Photo Alex-Mene

9:00PM - 10:00PM CUMBA MELA (US) 10:00PM - 11:00PM DJ JIGUE (CUBA) 11:00PM - 12:00AM DJ JOYVAN (CUBA) 12:00AM - 2:00AM DJ NICKODEMUS (US) & UPROOT ANDY (CA) + NAPPY G ON PERCUSSION (US)

FRIDAY, MAY 6 SALÓN ROSADO DE LA TROPICAL 4:00PM - 6:00PM PRESS, VIP, ARTIST CREDENTIAL PICKUP AT LA TROPICAL 6:00PM - 7:00PM DJ ART BLEEK (US)

SUNDAY MAY 8 FÁBRICA DE ARTE CUBANO “TURNTABLES IN HAVANA”

7:00PM - 8:00PM DJ LEJARDI (CUBA) 8:30PM - 9:30PM LA BETE NOIRE (FRANCE / US)

2:00PM - 9:00PM PRE-SHOW - VIP LOUNGE PRESS, VIP, ARTIST CREDENTIAL PICKUP

11:30PM - 12:30AM JUANA BACALLAO (CUBA) 1:00AM - 2:30AM INTERACTIVO (CUBA)

SALÓN ROSADO DE LA TROPICAL IBEYI

6:00PM - 7:00PM CUMBA MELA (US) 7:00PM - 8:00PM UPROOT ANDY (CA) 8:00PM - 9:00PM JEREMY SOLE (US) 9:00PM - 10:00PM NICKODEMUS (US) 10:00PM - 11:30PM HAVANA D’PRIMERA (CUBA) 12:00AM - 1:30AM TROMBONE SHORTY (US) 1:30AM - 3:00AM DJ RASHIDA (US)

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MUSIC CONTEMPORARY FUSION

BALNEARIO UNIVERSITARIO EL CORAL FRIDAYS & SATURDAYS 1PM-1AM

GATO TUERTO

Electronic music with rapping, DJing, Vjing, Dj-producers, breakdancing and graffiti writing, among other urban art expressions.

Grupo vocal Retro

SATURDAYS

/ 10PM

Tenor Bernardo Lichilín and DJ Eddy Sánchez

CAFÉ CONCERT EL SAUCE / 5 PM SUNDAYS

La Máquina de la Melancolía, with Frank Delgado and Luis Alberto García

TERCERA Y 8 MONDAYS 11 PM

SUBMARINO AMARILLO / 9 PM Miel con Limón

SUNDAYS

Eddie Escobar

MAY 4

Los Tackson

Interactivo

SATURDAYS

David Blanco

Nube Roja

WEDNESDAYS

Qva Libre

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Rock ’n’ Roll with Vieja Escuela.

FRIDAYS

Electronic music with Sarao.

MAY 11

Darkness Fall, Switch y Krampus

MAY 18

Congregatión, Combat Saloma y Treinkill

MAY 25

Estigma DC, Okularis, Treatment Choice

Noise, 679

y

SATURDAYS 11 PM

Gens

EN GUAYABERA

CAFÉ CANTANTE, TEATRO NACIONAL / 5 PM TUESDAYS

SUNDAYS 5 PM

DIABLO TUN TUN

CENTRO CULTURAL BERTOLT BRECHT / 11 PM WEDNESDAYS

CASA DE LA AMISTAD

SALÓN ROSADO DE LA TROPICAL / 9 PM

Baby Lores

MONDAYS

/ 12PM & 11PM

THURSDAYS, FRIDAYS & SUNDAYS

WEDNESDAYS 10:30 PM

Hip-Hop Night / 5 PM

DON CANGREJO MAY 15 10PM

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Alexander Abreu y Havana de Primer

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Photo by Alex Mene

Photo Alex Mene

SALSA / TIMBA CASA DE LA MÚSICA DE MIRAMAR

CASA DE LA MÚSICA HABANA

MONDAYS 5 PM 11 PM

Maykel Blanco y Salsa Mayor Sur Caribe

TUESDAYS 5 PM

Alexander Abreu y Havana D Primera

ALL DAYS 5 PM & 11 PM

Popular dance music

Juan Guillermo

ALL DAYS 5 PM & 11 PM

Popular dance music

FRIDAYS

Azúcar Negra

SUNDAYS

Grupo Moncada

Alain Daniel

CASA DE 18 / 8 PM

Popular dance music hosted by Blanca Rosa Blanco

FRIDAYS

Iván y Fiebre Latina

SATURDAYS

Ahí Namá

EN GUAYABERA

DIABLO TUN TÚN THURSDAYS 11 PM

Charanga Latina

WEDNESDAYS 11 PM

Manana Club

CARPA TROMPOLOCO FRIDAYS 6 PM

THURSDAYS 11 PM

TERCERA Y 8

CAFÉ CANTANTE. TEATRO NACIONAL MONDAYS 11 PM

José Luis Cortés y NG La Banda

JARDINES DEL 1830 / 10 PM

SALÓN ROJO DEL HOTEL CAPRI SUNDAYS 11 PM

WEDNESDAYS 11 PM

NG La Banda

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SATURDAYS 10:30PM

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Haila y su grupo

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MUSIC JAZZ Jazz Café

Calle 88A No. 306 e/ 3ra y 3ra A, Miramar. +53 (07) 209-2719

Mellow, sophisticated and freezing due to extreme air conditioning, the Jazz Café is not only an excellent place to hear some of Cuba’s top jazz musicians, but the open-plan design also provides for a good bar atmosphere if you want to chat. Less intimate than La Zorra y el Cuervo – located opposite Melia Cohiba Hotel.

Café Jazz Miramar SHOWS: 11 PM - 2AM

This new jazz club has quickly established itself as one of the very best places to hear some of Cuba’s best musicians jamming. Forget about smoke filled lounges, this is clean, bright—take the fags outside. While it is difficult to get the exact schedule and in any case expect a high level of improvisation when it is good it is very good. A full house is something of a mixed house since on occasion you will feel like holding up your own silence please sign! Nonetheless it gets the thumbs up from us.

UNEAC MAY 12 5 PM

JARDINES DEL TEATRO MELLA La Esquina del Jazz, hosted by showman Bobby Carcassés

CAFÉ MIRAMAR

WEDNESDAY 8 PM

Zule Guerra (singer) & Blues D’ La Habana

CENTRO CULTURAL BERTOLT BRECHT

MONDAYS 4 PM

Lunes de la Juventud

TUESDAYS 10 PM

Casabe World Music

SATURDAYS 10:30 PM

César López (saxophonist) and Havana Ensemble

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THURSDAYS 11 PM

Jam Session

ASOCIACIÓN CUBANA DE DERECHOS DE AUTOR MUSICAL MAY 9 6 PM

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Alexis Bosch (pianist) & Proyecto Jazz Cubano

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MUSIC BOLERO, FOLKLORE, SON & TROVA ASOCIACIÓN YORUBA DE CUBA FRIDAYS 8:30 PM

DIABLO TUN TUN / 5 PM

Obbiní Batá(folkloric group

THURSDAYS

EL JELENGUE DE AREÍTO / 5 PM

CAFÉ CANTANTE, TEATRO NACIONAL / 5 PM MONDAYS

Proyecto Lírico

CAFÉ TEATRO BERTOLT BRECHT MAY 28 3 PM

Rafael Espín and guests

CASA DE ÁFRICA MAY 7 4 PM

Eduardo Sosa Síntesis

WEDNESDAYS

Trova

THURSDAYS

Conjunto Arsenio Rodríguez

FRIDAYS

Rumberos de Cuba

SUNDAYS

Rumba

Ivette Cepeda.

HURÓN AZUL, UNEAC

Trova

Bolero Night

SATURDAYS 9 PM

THURSDAYS

Abel Maceo y Buena Vida

FRIDAYS

Son en Klab

PABELLÓN CUBA / 4 PM Tres Tazas with trovador Silvio Alejandro

FRIDAYS

GATO TUERTO

BIBLIOTECA NACIONAL JOSÉ MARTÍ

FRIDAYS 5 PM

La Hora Infiel, with music, visual arts, literature and more.

DAILY 8 PM

Gato Tuerto Nights, hosted by Julio Acanda

BARBARAM PEPITO’S BAR / 10:30PM Yaima Sáez

Concert by Ivette Cepeda

MAY 5 4 PM

LE SELECT / 9 PM FRIDAYS

Yaíma Sáez

SATURDAYS

Grupo Moncada

CASA DE 18 / 4 PM

CENTRO IBEROAMERICANO DE LA DÉCIMA MAY 7

3 PM / Ad Libitum Duet

MAY 29 5 PM

El Jardín de la Gorda with trovadors from every generation

CENTRO CULTURAL FRESA Y CHOCOLATE / 9 PM SATURDAYS

Conjunto Chappottín

FRIDAYS 9:30 PM

DELIRIO HABANERO / 10 PM

SATURDAYS

TUESDAYS

HOTEL TELÉGRAFO

CASONA DE LÍNEA SUNDAYS 8 PM

Trova with Ray Fernández

Trova with Frank Martínez

WEDNESDAYS

Héctor Téllez

THURSDAYS

José Valladares

FRIDAYS

Leidis Díaz

SUNDAYS

Georgeana

CLUB AMANECER / 5 PM FRIDAYS

Conjunto de Arsenio Rodríguez

CENTRO HISPANOAMERICANO DE CULTURA MAY 14

MAY 28 5 PM

ABossanova Sinfónico, Brazilian jamming that combines voices, piano, drums and bass. 5 PM /

Concert by trovadora campos and guests

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DOS GARDENIAS / 10 PM WEDNESDAYS

Haila María Mompié

Marta

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CLASSICAL MUSIC

BASÍLICA MENOR DE SAN FRANCISCO DE ASÍS / 6 PM MAY 12

Concert by Barbara Hendricks, accompanied by the Camerata Romeu.

MAY 14

Recital by the Entrevoces Choir, condcuted by Digna Guerra.

MAY 21

Performance by the Cello Capriccioso duet, made up by Cuban cellist Douglas Vistel and German pianist Almuth Krausser-Vistel.

BIBLIOTECA NACIONAL JOSÉ MARTÍ SATURDAYS 4 PM

Concerts by chamber soloists and ensembles.

SALA IGNACIO CERVANTES / 6 PM MAY 15

The Promúsica duet, composed of Alfredo Muñoz (violin) and Maria Victoria del Collado (piano), with the participation of clarinetist Aristides Porto, will play perform works by Schubert, Debussy, Khachaturian and Cuban composer Juan Piñera.

MAY 18

Lyric concert Marie Galante or Exile Without Return, with the participation of French soprano Emilie Pictet, the Orchestra of the Gran Teatro Alicia Alonso and Toni Piñera as reciter.

MAY 22

Italian pianist and composer Paolo Vergari will play works by Bach, Schubert, Brahms and Messiaen.

MAY 29

Performance by the Exaudi choir, conducted by Maria Felicia Perez.

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CASA VICTOR HUGO / 5 PM MAY 27

Duo Cáliz, made up by Luis Manuel Molina (guitar) and Vicente Monterry (clarinet).

MAY 28

Concierto del tenor Bernardo Lichilín.

GRAN TEATRO DE LA HABANA / 7 PM MAY 7

Concert Amistad Cuba-Estados Unidos (Cuba-United States Friendship), with works by European and American composers, including Mozart, Verdi, Johann Strauss II, George Gershwin, Carlisle Floyd, Leonard Bernstein, Ernesto Lecuona, Gonzalo Roig and Rodrigo Prats, played by Cuban and American musicians.

MAY 14 & MAY 15

Maria de Buenos Aires, tango-opera with music by Astor Pizzolla and libretto by Horacio Ferrer, in concert form. In the main roles: soprano Pilar Pousada (Shadow of Mary), mezzosopranos Dunia Pedraza and Malú Méndez (María of Buenos Aires), tenor Jorge Félix Leyva (Porteño Sparrow), and students of the Academy of Singing of the National Lyric Theater of Cuba in the choruses. Renowned actor Jorge Luis de Cabo will play the role of el Duende (the Goblin Ghost Storyteller), leitmotif of the work. Artistic direction by Helson Hernandez and musical direction by pianist Gabriel Chorens, who has made an interesting review of the original score to bring a different sound for a chamber format, without altering its original conception.

ORATORIO SAN FELIPE NERI MAY 6 7PM

Closing concert of orchestral workshops of the ISA Symphony Orchestra, conducted by the Austro-English maestro Walter Reiter.

MAY 7 4PM

Concert by the Ventus Habana wind quintet and the D’Accord duet.

MAY 19 7PM

Performance by oboist Frank Ernesto Fernandez Neira and the ISA Symphony Orchestra.

MAY 21 4PM

Recital by clarinetist Aristides Porto and guests.

MAY 26 7PM

Performance by the awarded pianist Victor Diaz.

MAY 28 4PM

Recital by the great soprano Maria Eugenia Barrios, who will offer a sample of her vast repertoire.

SALA COVARRUBIAS. TEATRO NACIONAL / 11 AM SUNDAYS

Performances by the National Symphony Orchestra.

MAY 8

Special concert with the Spanish maestro Gregorio Gutierrez as guest conductor: Introduction and dance of the opera La vida breve and Noches en los jardines de España, by Manuel de Falla; Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 3.

PARROQUIA DEL SAGRADO CORAZÓN DE JESÚS / 7 AM MAY 28

Conciertos solidarios: Solidarity concerts, organized by Leo Brouwer, designed to benefit the most vulnerable individuals and groups in Cuban society (toys, medicines, staples or cash donations are appreciated).

SALA GONZALO ROIG. PALACIO DEL TEATRO LÍRICO NACIONAL / 7 AM MAY 29

Cuerda Dominical, with guitarist Luis Manuel Molina.

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THEATRE

Diez millones ARGOS TEATRO / PRODUCTION: CARLOS CELDRÁN, THROUGH MAY 8, FRIDAYS & SATURDAYS, 8:30PM; SUNDAYS, 5PM , SALA ARGOS TEATRO

This play by Carlos Celdrán explores the emotional education of a child and teenager in the past decades in Cuba, his relationship with his parents, History and the events that shaped his life.

Teatro Trianón Photo Alex Mene

El lobo, el bosque y el hombre nuevo GRUPO BLANCO Y NEGRO, MAY 12, 19 & 26, 6PM , CENTRO HISPANOAMERICANO DE CULTURA

Adaptation of Senel Paz’s short story of the same name ,which the film Fresa y chocolate, by Tomás Gutiérrez Alea, was based on.

Cachivache THÉÂTRE OCTOBRE DE BRUSELAS, MAY 21, 8PM, SALA ADOLFO LLAURADÓ

Play by the Spanish actor and playwright Alberto García Sánchez. The play examines humoristic ally the relation of man with things and reflects on consumption and the world in the imaginary city of Cachivache. CAMILO

LAS VENAS ABIERTAS

Teatro La Candelaria (Colombia) May 13-15, 7 pm Centro Cultural Bertolt Brecht. Sala Tito Junco

MENDOZA

VIBRACIONES

Teatro Los Colochos (Mexico) May 17-18, 8:30pm Centro Cultural Bertolt Brecht. Sala Tito Junco

CUBAN COFFEE BY PORTAZO’S COOPERATIVE (CCPC) Teatro El Portazo (Cuba) May 20-21, 8:30pm; May 22, 5pm Centro Cultural Bertolt Brecht. Sala Tito Junco

OTELLO Viaje Inmóvil (Chile) May 17-19, 5pm Sala Hubert de Blanck

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Teatro La Rosa (Cuba) May 13-15, 8:30pm Centro Cultural Bertolt Brecht. Café Teatro

Yuyachkani (Peru) May 19-20, 5pm Centro Cultural Bertolt Brecht. Café Teatro

EL QUIJOTE NO EXISTE Teatro Gayumba (Dominican Republic) May 13-15, 5pm Sala Adolfo Llauradó

EVOCANDO A LOS MUERTOS... Ói Nóis Aquí Traveiz (Brazil) May 17-19, 7pm Sala Adolfo Llauradó

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FOR KIDS Había una vez... un circo SATURDAYS AND SUNDAYS, 3PM Y 8PM, CARPA TROMPOLOCO

Circus with magic acts, trapeze, juggling, acrobatics, clowns and more. Reservations online: www.circonacionaldecuba.cu

Muñecos, cuentos y canciones MAY 7, 11AM CENTRO HISPANOAMERICANO DE CULTURA

Show by the group Escena X, directed by Omar Piedra.

Concierto de la agrupación infantil Olas MAY 7, 2PM, CENTRO HISPANOAMERICANO DE CULTURA

Concert celebrating the seocnd anniversary of the children’s chorus Olas, a project of Schola Cantorum Coralina, directed by Mercedes Pla.

Fantasías

Contada y concurso

SATURDAYS AND SUNDAYS, 3PM CINE YARA

MAY 14, 10AM CASA DE LA OBRA PÍA

Circus show with magic, pole dance, aerial ribbons, lassos, whips, acrobatics, hula hoop, juggling, clowns and much more.

Storytelling for children and children’s competition ContArte, with participants of the workshop of the same name from La Lisa and other districts in the capital, organized by Circuito de Oralidad del Festival ContArte.

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EVENTS IN HAVANA

Feria Internacional Cubadisco 2016 MAY 14-22 NACIONAL, KARL MARX THEATERS, SALA AVENIDA AND CASA DEL ALBA CULTURAL

CUBADISCO 2016: DANCING WITH TRADITIONS Cuba draws from an incredibly rich musical heritage. As anyone who has spent any time in Cuba knows, you are never far from the sound of live music. Toby Brocklehurst is only half joking when he explains that ‘There are 100,000 registered musicians in Cuba and everyone else plays the guitar.’ Cubadisco is not so much Cuba’s version of the Garmmy’s as its own musical celebration and appreciation of the strides, which Cuban musicians and the Cuban recoding industry have made over the years. There are 25 prize categories with the main awards being keenly sought. The festival includes concerts, recitals, symposia and exhibits, and undoubtedly represents Cuba’s most important musical awards. The Festival has been held since 1997 and brings together the different Cuban recording studios and record labels under one roof for a week or so of celebration of music… The 2016 edition of the Cubadisco International Fair is dedicated to popular dance music and acknowledges its evolution in other provinces. As a preamble to the awards ceremony in Havana, Cubadisco will carry out different activities that delve in the development of popular dance music throughout the Island, through the project “Dancing with Traditions” until May 15. This initiative of the Cuban Institute of Music includes colloquiums, tributes, lectures on traditional folk music handed down from generation to generation and which is part of the Cuban identity. The initiative will focus on three broad areas: song, dances and musical instruments.

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EVENTS IN HAVANA

MAY HAVANA

Created on the initiative of President of the European nation François Hollande during his visit to Havana in May 2015, music, theater, dance, architecture, design and film, among other art forms, will be present during the French Culture Month in Cuba, which began on April 27 with three exhibitions at the Alliance Francaise of Cuba, the former Palacio Gomez in Old Havana. The ambitious program of the event will bring the diversity and dynamism of French arts to the Cuban public. The event will coincide with the French Film Festival that is held every year in Havana. Also, the House of Chanel will be presenting its Cruiser Show in Havana on May 3. Parallel to the event, Paris will host from the 2nd of May the Cuban culture Month aimed at sharing the wealth and artistic diversity of Cuba with the French public. PROGRAM (SELECTED ACTIVITIES) THORUGH MAY 12 FACTORÍA HABANA

THROUGHOUT MAY ALIANZA FRANCESA DEL PRADO

Karl Lagerfeld, Obra en Proceso / Work in Progress, a general vision of Karl Lagerfeld’s professional and private photography.

THROUGHOUT MAY MUSEO NAPOLEÓNICO Exhibition The Human Condition of the Leader, made up images of the most intimate moments in the life of Napoleon Bonaparte.

Exhibition of Parisian interior design schools (Boulle) and fashion schools (Duperré), with young designers Camille Gasser, Clotilde Merlet, Elie Gillet, Guillaume Corbin, Nicolas Blas, Pola Tocquer and Quentin Maurin. Installation by Étienne Rey, who explores the notion of space.

THROUGHOUT MAY ALIANZA FRANCESA DEL PRADO Exhibition by Cuban artist Anabel Cairo, who lives in France sicne 2006.

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Exhibition Cuadros Mesas, las artes de la mesa y del diseño. The best French designers of the principal makers of tableware designed ten tables that are presented as pictures evoking different foods.

MAY 5, 8PM FÁBRICA DE ARTE CUBANO Opening of “Water Light Graffitti” in the presence of Antonuin Fourneau.

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MAY 6, 5PM MUSEO NAPOLEÓNICO

MAY 19, 3PM MUSEO NAPOLEÓNICO

Charlotte Corday y el animal, by Andrea Doimeadiós Peralta and Martha Luisa Hernández Cadenas, based on Charlotte Corday. Poema dramático.

MAY 20, 5PM CASA VÍCTOR HUGO

MAY 7-JUNE 7 CASA VÍCTOR HUGO Exhibition Variations on a Baroque Concert, by Ernest Pignon-Ernest, with large-scale reproductions of portraits of the musicians mentioned in Alejo Carpentier’s novel Concierto barroco.

MAY 12, 10AM MUSEO NAPOLEÓNICO Lecture The Human Condition of a Leader, in color, by Hilda Pérez de Peñamil.

MAY 12, 6PM BASÍLICA MENOR DE SAN FRANCISCO DE ASÍS Concert by Barbara Hendricks.

Lyrical concert Marie Galante o El exilio sin retorno, adapted, sung and orchestrated by Kurt Weill. Special performance by soprano Emilie Pictet and Cuban pianist Giovanni Duarte.

MAY 21, 8PM FÁBRICA DE ARTE CUBANO Concert Chassol, closing ceremony of the French Film Festival.

MAY 24, 3PM MUSEO NAPOLEÓNICO Lecture Napoleón, First Consul, by specialists from the restoration Department of the Office of The City Historian.

MAY 24, 4PM CASA VÍCTOR HUGO

MAY 12, 9PM FÁBRICA DE ARTE CUBANO Opening of the exhibition by Georges Rousse, who will be present.

MAY 14, 7:30PM GRAN TEATRO DE LA HABANA ALICIA ALONSO Opening of the Design Biennial.

MAY 14, 10:30PM Fashion show Wake Up!, Cuban Trashion

Screening and debate of the film El siglo de las luces, by Cuban filmmaker Humberto Solás.

MAY 25, 8PM TEATRO MELLA Grand finale of the French Song Competition.

MAY 26, 2PM CASA VÍCTOR HUGO Lecture Carpentier and the pictorial vanguard by Dr. Graziella Pogolotti, president of the Alejo Carpentier Foundation.

MAY 18, 10AM CENTRO CULTURAL BERTOLT BRECHT Opening of the exhibition Decorative Arts in the Napoleonic Empires.

MAY 28, 4PM PLAZA VIEJA Made in Habana by Joanne Leighton.

MAY 18, 6PM SALA IGNACIO CERVANTES Lyrical concert Marie Galante o El exilio sin retorno, with the performances of French soprano Emilie Pictet, the Gran Teatro Alicia Alonso Orchestra and reciter Toni Piñera.

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Lecture The power of Images by Anabel Caraballo and René González.

MAY 31 LAB.26 Closing ceremony of the French Culture Month.

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French Film Festival THROUGHOUT MAY CHAPLIN, YARA, LA RAMPA AND MULTICINE INFANTA SALA 1 THEATERS IN HAVANA

CINE CHARLES CHAPLIN MAY 4 5PM

Unos días para rétablissement!)

recordar

8PM

Fui banquero (J’étais banquier)

(Bon

MAY 5 5PM

Mustang

8PM

Joven y bella (Jeune & jolie)

MAY 6 5PM/ 8PM

Marguerite

MAY 7 2PM / 5PM

Conexión Marsella (La French)

5PM

La próxima vez apuntaré al corazón (La prochaine fois je viserai le cœur)

MAY 8 2PM / 5PM

La próxima vez apuntaré al corazón (La prochaine fois je viserai le cœur)

8PM

Conexión Marsella (La French)

MAY 10

MAY 15

5PM

Diplomacia (Diplomatie)

2PM

La familia Bélier (La famille Bélier)

8PM

La profesora de historia (Les héritiers)

5PM

Los recuerdos (Les souvenirs)

8PM

Edén (Éden)

MAY 11 5PM

La profesora de historia (Les héritiers)

8PM

Diplomacia (Diplomatie)

MAY 12 5PM/ 8PM

Hipócrates (Hippocrate)

MAY 17 5PM

Por primera vez (Toute première fois)

8PM

Bandas de chicas (Bandes de Filles)

MAY 18 5PM

Bandas de chicas (Bandes de Filles)

8PM

Por primera vez (Toute première fois)

MAY 13 5PM/ 8PM

El precio de la fama (La rançon de la gloire)

MAY 14 2PM

Edén (Éden)

5PM

La familia Bélier (La famille Bélier)

8PM

Los recuerdos (Les souvenirs)

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CINE YARA MAY 4

MAY 16

1PM / 4:30

Mustang

1PM / 4:30

El outsider (L’Outsider)

MAY 17

Conexión Marsella (La French)

MAY 18

1PM / 4:30

3PM / 8PM

MAY 5 4:30 / 8PM

MAY 6 4:30 / 8PM

Diplomacia (Diplomatie)

MAY 7

El precio de la fama (La rançon de la gloire)

Edén (Éden)

1PM / 4:30

Edén (Éden)

3PM / 8PM

El precio de la fama (La rançon de la gloire)

MAY 19

1PM / 4:30

Unos días para rétablissement!)

recordar

3PM / 8PM

Joven y bella (Jeune & jolie)

(Bon

MAY 8

1PM / 4:30

Mustang

3PM / 8PM

La ley del mercado (La loi du marché)

MAY 20

1PM / 4:30

Joven y bella (Jeune & jolie)

3PM / 8PM

Unos días para rétablissement!)

recordar

(Bon

MAY 10

1PM / 4:30

Bandas de chicas (Bandes de Filles)

3PM / 8PM

Los recuerdos (Les souvenirs)

MAY 21

1PM / 4:30

Marguerite

1PM / 4:30

Los recuerdos (Les souvenirs)

3PM / 8PM

La próxima vez apuntaré al corazón (La prochaine fois je viserai le cœur)

3PM / 8PM

Bandas de chicas (Bandes de Filles)

MAY 11 1PM / 4:30

La próxima vez apuntaré al corazón (La prochaine fois je viserai le cœur)

3PM / 8PM

Marguerite

CINE LA RAMPA MAY 4 5PM

Día de fiesta (Jour de fete)

8PM

Por primera vez (Toute première fois)

MAY 12 4:30 / 8PM

La familia Bélier (La famille Bélier)

MAY 13 4:30 / 8PM

La profesora de historia (Les héritiers)

5PM

Pépe le Moko

8PM

La ley del mercado (La loi du marché)

MAY 6

MAY 14 1PM / Hipócrates (Hippocrate) 4:30 3PM / 8PM

MAY 5

Por primera vez (Toute première fois)

MAY 15 1PM / 4:30

Por primera vez (Toute première fois)

3PM / 8PM

Hipócrates (Hippocrate)

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5PM

El alegre mes de mayo (Le joli mai)

8:30

Edén (Éden)

MAY 7 5PM

Los paraguas de Cherburgo

8:30

Fui banquero (J’étais banquier)

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CINE LA RAMPA

MULTICINE INFANTA SALA 1

MAY 8

MAY 4

5PM

French Cancan

8PM

Fui banquero (J’étais banquier)

5PM / 8PM

MAY 5

MAY 10 5PM

Lejos de Vietnam (Loin du Vietnam)

8PM

Mustang

Melodrama (Mélo)

8:30

Joven y bella (Jeune & jolie)

5PM / 8PM

La profesora de historia (Les héritiers)

Bandas de chicas (Bandes de Filles)

MAY 7 5PM / 8PM

Por primera vez (Toute première fois)

MAY 8

MAY 12 5PM

Capitán Conan (Capitaine Conan)

8:30

Unos días para recordar

5PM

Los paraguas de Cherburgo

8:30

Marguerite

5PM / 8PM

Día de fiesta (Jour de fete)

8:30

Conexión Marsella (La French)

Hipócrates (Hippocrate)

Conexión Marsella (La French)

MAY 11 5PM / 8PM

MAY 14 5PM

5PM / 8PM

MAY 9

MAY 13

Edén (Éden)

MAY 12 5PM / 8PM

Los recuerdos (Les souvenirs)

MAY 13

MAY 15 4:30 / 8PM

5PM / 8PM

MAY 6

MAY 11 5PM

Diplomacia (Diplomatie)

Bandas de chicas (Bandes de Filles)

5PM / 8PM

Unos días para rétablissement!)

recordar

(Bon

MAY 14

MAY 17 5PM

La profesora de historia (Les héritiers)

8:30

Hipócrates (Hippocrate)

Joven y bella (Jeune & jolie) (Jeune & jolie)

MAY 15

MAY 18

5PM / 8PM

5PM

Los recuerdos (Les souvenirs)

8:30

La próxima vez apuntaré al corazón

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5PM / 8PM

La próxima vez apuntaré al corazón (La prochaine fois je viserai le cœur)

MAY 17 & 18 5PM / 8PM

La familia Bélier (La famille Bélier)

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HAVANA’S

best places to eat

Los Mercaderes

EL ATELIER

BELLA CIAO

CAFÉ BOHEMIA

CAFÉ LAURENT

EXPERIMENTAL FUSION

HOMELY ITALIAN

CAFÉ

SPANISH/MEDITERRANEAN

Interesting décor, interesting menu.

Great service, good prices. A real home from home.

Bohemian feel. Great sandwiches, salads & juices

Attractive penthouse restaurant with breezy terrace.

Calle 5 e/ Paseo y 2, Vedado (+53) 7-836-2025

Calle 19 y 72, Playa (+53) 7-206-1406

Calle San Ignacio #364, Habana Vieja

Calle M #257, e/ 19 y 21, Vedado (+53) 7-831-2090

LOS MERCADERES

CUBAN-CREOLE

Beautiful colonial house. Polpular place whit great food and good service. Calle Mercaderes No. 207 altos e/ Lamparilla y Amargura. H.Vieja (+53) 7861 2437

OTRA MANERA

CASA MIGLIS

EL CHANCHULLERO

INTERNATIONAL

SWEDISH-CUBAN FUSION

SPANISH/MEDITERRANEAN

Beautiful modern decor. Interesting menu and good service. Calle #35 e/ 20 y 41, Playa. (+53) 7-203-8315

Oasis of good food & taste in Centro Habana

Fabulous value hole in the wall tapas. Trendy.

Lealtad #120 e/ Ánimas y Lagunas, Centro Habana (+53) 7-864-1486

Teniente Rey #457 bajos, Plaza del Cristo, Habana Vieja (+53) 7-872-8227

EL COCINERO

CORTE PRÍNCIPE

RÍO MAR

D.EUTIMIA

INTERNACIONAL

ITALIAN

INTERNATIONAL

CUBAN/CREOLE

Industrial chic alfresco rooftop with a buzzing atmosphere

Sergio’s place. Simple décor, spectacular food.

Contemporary décor. Great sea-view. Good food.

Absolutely charming. Excellent Cuban/creole food.

Calle 26, e/ 11 y 13, Vedado. (+53) 7-832-2355

Calle 9na esq. a 74, Miramar (+53) 5-255-9091

Ave. 3raA y Final #11, La Puntilla, Miramar (+53) 7-209-4838

Callejón del Chorro #60C, Plaza de la Catedral, Habana Vieja (+53) 7 861 1332

LA FONTANA INTERNACIONAL

HABANA MÍA

INTERNATIONAL GOURMET

IVÁN CHEF SPANISH

EL LITORAL INTERNATIONAL

Consistently good food, attentive service. Old school.

Endless summer nights. Excellent food and service.

Brilliantly creative and rich food.

Watch the world go by at the Malecón’s best restaurant.

Calle 46 #305 esq. a 3ra, Miramar (+53) 7-202-8337

Paseo #7 altos e/ 1ra y 3ra. Vedado (+53) 7-830-2287

Aguacate #9 esq. a Chacón, Habana Vieja (+53) 7-863-9697

Malecón #161 e/ K y L, Vedado (+53) 7-830-2201

SANTY SUSHI/ORIENTAL

NAZDAROVIE SOVIET

ITALIAN

Authentic fisherman’s shack servicing world-class sushi.

Well designed Soviet décor excellent food & service.

Calle 240A #3023 esq. a 3ra C, Jaimanitas (+53) 5-286-7039

Malecon #25, 3rd floor e Prado y Carcel, Centro Habana (+53) 7-860-2947

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NERO DI SEPPIA The new location for Havana’s best pizza chef, Walter. Same food, great locale. Calle 6 #122 e/ 1a y 3a, Miramar (+53) 5-478-7871

Cuba's Digital Destination

SAN CRISTÓBAL CUBAN/CREOLE

Deservedly popular. Consistently great food. Kitsch décor. San Rafael #469 e/ Lealtad y Campanario, Centro Habana (+53) 7-860-9109

El Litoral Style of food

TOP PICK

International

Cost Expensive Type of place Private (Paladar) Best for Quality décor, good service and great food. Best new place recently opened. Don’t Miss Drinking a cocktail at sunset watching the world go by on the Malecón Malecón #161 e/ K y L, Vedado. (+53) 7-830-2201

Nazdarovie Style of food

TOP PICK

Soviet

Cost Moderate Type of place Private (Paladar) Best for Getting a flavor of Cuban-Soviet history along with babuska’s traditional dishes in a classy locale. Don’t miss Vodka sundowners on the gorgeous terrace overlooking the malecon. Malecon #25 3rd floor e/ Prado y Carcel, Centro Habana (+53) 7-860-2947

Santy Style of food

TOP PICK Sushi

Cost Moderate Type of place Private (Paladar) Best for Fabulous sushi, wonderful ambience overlooking fishing boats heading out to sea. World class. Don’t miss Getting a reservation here. Calle 240A #3023 esq. 3raC, Jaimanitas (+53) 5-286-7039

La Guarida www.laguarida.com

TOP PICK

Style of food: Contemporary fusion Cost: Expensive Type of place: Private (Paladar) Best for Authentic, charming and intimate atmosphere in Cuba’s best known restaurant. Great food, professional. Classy. Don’t Miss Uma Thurman, Beyoncé or the Queen of Spain if they happen to be dining next to you. Concordia #418 e/ Gervasio y Escobar, Centro Habana. (+53) 7-866-9047

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Café Bohemia Style of food

TOP PICK

Traditional

Cost Moderate Type of place Private (Paladar) Best for taking a break from long walks and seeking shelter from the stifling Cuban. Don’t miss location in the cool inner courtyard of the colonial building. Ground floor of the Palacio de la Casa del Conde de Lombillo, Calle San Ignacio #364 (+53) 5- 403-1 568, (+53) 7-836-6567 www.havanabohemia.com

Iván Chef Justo Style of food

TOP PICK

Spanish

Cost Expensive Type of place Private (Paladar) Best for Spectacular innovative food. Light and airy place where it always seems to feel like Springtime. Don’t Miss The lightly spiced grilled mahi-mahi served with organic tomato relish. Try the suckling pig and stay for the cuatro leches. Aguacate #9, Esq. Chacón, Habana Vieja. (+53) 7-863-9697 / (+53) 5-343-8540

Los Mercaderes Style of food

TOP PICK

Cuban creole

Cost Moderate Type of place Private (Paladar) Best for Beautiful colonial house. Polpular place whit great food and good service. Don’t miss Wonderfull balcony view to the clasic street. Calle Mercaderes No. 207 altos e/ Lamparilla y Amargura. Habana Vieja (+53) 7861 2437 y (+53) 5290 1531

Casa Miglis Style of food

TOP PICK

Swedish-Cuban fusion

Cost Expensive Type of place Private (Paladar) Best for The beautifully designed interior, warm ambience and Miglis’s personality create the feeling of an oasis in Central Havana. Don’t Miss Chatting with Mr Miglis. The Skaargan prawns, beef Chilli and lingonberries. Lealtad #120 e/ Ánimas y Lagunas, Centro Habana (+53) 7-864-1486

www.casamiglis.com

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HAVANA’S

best Bars & Clubs TRADITIONAL BARS EL FLORIDITA Hemingway’s daiquiri bar. Touristy but always full of life. Great cocktails. Obispo #557 esq. a Monserrate, Habana Vieja (+53) 7-867-1299

1950S TRADITIONALS

SLOPPY JOE’S BAR

CERVECERÍA

ANTIGUO ALMACÉN DE LA MADERA Y EL TABACO

GUEST PERFORMERS INCLUDE BUENA VISTA SOCIAL CLUB MEMBERS

Recently (beautifully) renovated. Full of history. Popular. Lacks a little ‘grime’.

Sociedad Rosalía de Castro, Egido 504 e/ Monte y Dragones, Old Havana (+53) 5-270-5271

Ánimas esq. a Zulueta, Habana Vieja

Microbrewery located overlooking the restored docks Simply brilliant. Avenida del Puerto y San Ignacio, La Habana Vieja

(+53) 7-866-7157

CONTEMPORARY BARS EL COCINERO

ESPACIOS

TABARISH

FAC

Fabulous rooftop setting, great service, cool vibe.

Laid back contemporary bar with a real buzz in the back beer-garden.

A comfortable place to chat / hang out with your friends. Great service.

Calle 26 e/ 11 y 13, Vedado (+53) 7-832-2355

Calle 10 #510, e/ 5ta y 31, Miramar (+53) 7-836-3031

Calle 20 #503, e/ 5ta y 7ma. (+53) 7-202-9188

X Alfonso’s new cultural center. Great concerts, funky young scene. Calle 26 e/ 11 y 13, Vedado (next to the Puente de Hierro) (+53) 5-329-6325 www.facebook.com/fabrica. deartecubano

CONTEMPORARY BARS/CLUBS DON CANGREJO Love it/hate it—this is the oldest Friday night party place and is still going strong. Outdoor by the sea. Ave. 1ra e/ 16 & 18, Miramar (+53) 7-204-3837

BOLABANA Packed night after night with a young dressed-up clientele wanting to party. Don’t go looking for Buena Vista Social Club! Calle 39 esq. 50, Playa (+53) 5 -294-3572

CORNER CAFÉ Great live music every day. very frequently by locals. Good tapas. Calle B e/ 1ra y 3ra. Plaza de la Revolución (+53) 7837 1220

SANGRI-LA For the cool kids. Basement bar/club which gets packed at weekends. Ave. 21 e/ 36 y 42, Miramar (+53) 7-264-8343

GAY-FRIENDLY CABARET LAS VEGAS Can get dark and smoky but great drag show (11pm) from Divino—one of Cuba’s most accomplished drag acts. Ave. 21 e/ 36 y 42, Miramar (+53) 7-264-8343

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FASHION BAR HAVANA A superb example of queer class meets camp, accompanied by a fantastic floor show. San Juan de Dios, esq. a Aguacate, Habana Vieja (+53) 7-867-1676

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CAFÉ BAR MADRIGAL Pop décor, fancy cocktails, and the staff’s supercilious attitude, this is a gathering spot for all types of folks. Calle 17 #809 e/ 2 y 4, Vedado (+53) 7-831-2433

Corner Café

TOP PICK

CONTEMPORARY BAR/CLUBS

Best for Frequently by locals. Great tapas.

Don’t Miss Live music every day. Calle B e/ 1ra y 3ra. Plaza de la Revolución (+53) 5-264-8343

Espacios

TOP PICK

CONTEMPORARY BAR/CLUBS

Best for Laid back lounge atmosphere in the garden area which often has live music. Good turnover of people. Don’t Miss Ray Fernandez, Tony Avila, Yasek Mazano playing live sets in the garden. Calle 10 #510 e/ 5ta y 31, Miramar (+53) 7-202-2921

Sangri-La

TOP PICK

CONTEMPORARY BAR/CLUBS

Best for Hanging out with the cool kids on the Havana Farundula in the most popular bar/club. Don’t Miss The best gin and tonic in Havana. Ave. 21 e/ 36 y 42, Miramar (+53) 5-264-8343

Bolabana

TOP PICK

CONTEMPORARY Best for Trendy new location near Salón Rosado de la Tropical Don’t Miss Hipsters meet the Havana Farándula

Calle 39 esq. 50, Playa

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Sloppy Joe´s Bar

TOP PICK

BAR / TRADITIONAL

Best for Immense original bar lovingly restored. Good service, History. Worst for Not quite grimy. Too clean. Ánimas, esq. Zulueta La Habana Vieja, (07) 866-7157

Fábrica de Arte

TOP PICK

CONTEMPORARY BAR

Best for X Alfonso’s superb new cultural center has something for everyone Don’t Miss Artists who exhibit work should demonstrate ongoing creativity and a commitment for social transformation. Calle 26 e/ 11 y 13, Vedado (next to the Puente de Hierro)

Fashion Bar Havana

TOP PICK

GAY FRIENDLY Best for A superb example of queer class meets camp, accompanied by a fantastic floor show. Don’t Miss The staff performing after 11pm San Juan de Dios, esq. a Aguacate, Habana Vieja (+53) 7-867-1676

Bertolt Brecht

TOP PICK

CONTEMPORARY BAR/CLUBS Best for Hanging out with hip & funky Cubans who like their live music. Don’t Miss Interactivo playing on a Wednesday evening. Calle 13 e/ I y J, Vedado (+53) 7-830-1354

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Basílica Menor de San Francisco de Asís

HAVANA’S

best live music venues

CONCERT VENUES KARL MARX THEATRE World class musicians perform prestigious concerts in Cuba’s best equipped venue. Calle 1ra esq. a 10, Miramar (+53) 7-203-0801

BASÍLICA SAN FRANCISCO DE ASÍS A truly beautiful church, which regularly hosts fabulous classical music concerts. Oficios y Amargura, Plaza de San Francisco de Asís, Habana Vieja

FÁBRICA DE ARTE

SALA COVARRUBIAS

X Alfonso’s new cultural center. Great concerts inside (small and funky) and outside (large and popular!). Calle 26 e/ 11 y 13, Vedado (next to the Puente de Hierro)

TEATRO NACIONAL

Recently renovated, one of Cuba’s most prestigious venues for a multitude of events. Paseo y 39, Plaza de la Revolución.

JAZZ CAFÉ JAZZ MIRAMAR

LA ZORRA Y EL CUERVO

JAZZ CAFÉ

Clean, modern and atmospheric. Where Cuba’s best musicians jam and improvise.

A staple of Havana’s jazz scene, the best jazz players perform here. Somewhat cold atmosphere-wise.

Cine Teatro Miramar 10:30pm – 2am Ave. 5ta esq. a 94, Miramar

Galerías de Paseo Ave. 1ra e/ Paseo y A, Vedado

Intimate and atmospheric, this basement jazz club, which you enter through a red telephone box, is Cuba’s most famous. Calle 23 e/ N y O, Vedado (+53) 7-833-2402

SALSA/TIMBA CAFÉ CANTANTE MI HABANA Attracts the best Cuban musicians. Recently renovated with an excellent new sound system. Ave. Paseo esq. a 39, Plaza de la Revolución (+53) 7-878-4273

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CASA DE LA MÚSICA

CASA DE LA MÚSICA

CENTRO HABANA

MIRAMAR

SALÓN ROSADO DE LA TROPICAL

A little rough around the edges but spacious. For better or worse, this is ground zero for the best in Cuban salsa.

Smaller and more up-market than its newer twin in Centro Habana. An institution in the Havana salsa scene.

The legendary beer garden where Arsenio tore it up. Look for a salsa/timba gig on a Sat night and a Sun matinee.

Galiano e/ Neptuno y Concordia, Centro Habana (+53) 7-860-8296/4165

Calle 20 esq. a 35, Miramar (+53) 7-204-0447

Ave. 41 esq. a 46, Playa Times: varies wildly (+53) 7-203-5322

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CONTEMPORARY CAFÉ TATRO BERTOLT BRECHT Think MTV Unplugged when musicians play. Hip, funky and unique with an artsy Cuban crowd. Calle 13 e/ I y J, Vedado (+53) 7-830-1354

DON CANGREJO

EL SAUCE

Love it/hate it—this is the oldest Friday night party place and is still going strong. Outdoor by the sea.

Great outdoor concert venue to hear the best in contemporary & Nueva Trova live in concert.

Ave. 1ra e/ 16 y 18, Miramar (+53) 7-204-3837

Ave. 9na #12015 e/ 120 y 130, Playa (+53) 7-204-6428

TEATRO DE BELLAS ARTES Small intimate venue inside Cuba’s most prestigious arts museum. Modern. Trocadero e/ Zulueta y Monserrate, Habana Vieja.

TROVA & TRADITIONAL BARBARAM PEPITO´S BAR Some of the best Cuban Nueva Trova musicians perform in this small and intimate environment. Calle 26 esq. a Ave. del Zoológico. Nuevo Vedado (+53) 7-881-1808

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GATO TUERTO Late night place to hear fabulous bolero singers. Can get smoky. Calle O entre 17 y 19, Vedado (+53) 7-833-2224

TRADICIONALES DE LOS 50

SALÓN 1930

COMPAY SEGUNDO

The 1950s traditionals, a project created over 10 years ago, pays tribute to the Golden Era of Cuban music: the 1950s.

Buena Vista Social Club style set in the grand Hotel Nacional.

Sociedad Rosalia de Castro, Egido #504 e/ Monte y Dragones, Havana Vieja (+53) 7-861-7761

Hotel Nacional Calle O esq. a 21, Vedado (+53) 7-835-3896

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HAVANA’S Best Hotels Hotel Nacional de Cuba

SIMPLY THE BEST… IBEROSTAR PARQUE CENTRAL Luxury hotel overlooking Parque Central Neptuno e/ Prado y Zulueta, Habana Vieja (+53) 7-860-6627

SANTA ISABEL Luxurious historic mansion facing Plaza de Armas Narciso López, Habana Vieja (+53) 7-860-8201

SARATOGA

TERRAL

Stunning view from roof-top pool. Beautiful décor.

Wonderful ocean front location. Newly renovated.

Paseo del Prado #603 esq. a Dragones, Habana Vieja (+53) 7-860-8201

Malecón esq. a Lealtad, Centro Habana (+53) 7-862-8061

BOUTIQUE HOTELS IN OLD HAVANA FLORIDA Beautifully restored colonial house. Obispo #252, esq. a Cuba, Habana Vieja (+53) 7-862-4127

PALACIO DEL MARQUÉS... Cuban baroque meets modern minimalist Oficios #152 esq. a Amargura, Habana Vieja

BUSINESS HOTELS MELIÁ COHÍBA

MELIÁ HABANA

Oasis of polished marble and professional calm.

Attractive design & extensive facilities.

Ave Paseo e/ 1ra y 3ra, Vedado (+53) 7- 833-3636

Ave. 3ra y 70, Miramar (+53) 5-204-8500

HOSTAL VALENCIA Immensely charming, great value. Oficios #53 esq. a Obrapía, Habana Vieja (+53) 7-867-1037

OCCIDENTAL MIRAMAR

CONDE DE VILLANUEVA Delightfully small and intimate. For cigar lovers. Mercaderes #202, Lamparilla (+53) 7-862-9293

H10 HABANA PANORAMA

Good value, large spacious modern rooms.

Cascades of glass. Good wifi. Modern.

Ave. 5ta. e/ 70 y 72, Miramar (+53) 7-204-3583

Ave. 3ra. y 70, Miramar (+53) 7 204-0100

FOR A SENSE OF HISTORY AMBOS MUNDOS

MERCURE SEVILLA

A must for Hemingway aficionados

Stunning views from the roof garden restaurant.

Calle Obispo #153 esq. a Mercaderes, Habana Vieja (+53) 7- 860-9529

Trocadero #55 entre Prado y Zulueta, Habana Vieja (+53) 7-860-8560

HOTEL NACIONAL Eclectic art-deco architecture. Gorgeous gardens. Calle O esq. a 21, Vedado (+53) 7-835 3896

RIVIERA Spectacular views over wavelashed Malecón Paseo y Malecón, Vedado (+53) 7-836-4051

ECONOMICAL/BUDGET HOTELS BOSQUE

DEAUVILLE

SAINT JOHN’S

VEDADO

On the banks of the Río Almendares.

Lack of pretension, great location.

Lively disco, tiny quirky pool. Popular.

Good budget option with a bit of a buzz

Calle 28-A e/ 49-A y 49-B, Reparto Kohly, Playa (+53) 7-204-9232

Galiano e/ Sán Lázaro y Malecón, Centro Habana (+53) 7-866-8812

Calle O e/ 23 y 25, Vedado (+53) 7-833-3740

Calle O e/ 23 y 25, Vedado (+53) 7-836-4072

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HAVANA’S

best private places to stay Sueño Cubano

MID RANGE - CASA PARTICULAR (B&B) 1932 MIRAMAR 301 Visually stunning, historically fascinating. Welcoming. Campanario #63 e/ San Lázaro y Laguna, Centro Habana (+53) 7-863-6203

LUXURY HOUSE

4 bedrooms private luxury villa with swimming pool

HABANA

JULIO Y ELSA

Beautiful colonial townhouse with great location.

Cluttered bohemian feel. Hospitable.

Calle Habana #209, e/ Empedrado, y Tejadillo, Habana Vieja. (+53) 7-861-0253

Consulado #162 e/ Colón y Trocadero, Centro Habana ( +53) 7-861-8027

UP-SCALE B&BS (BOUTIQUE HOSTALS) SUEÑO CUBANO Old palace carefully restored, seven rooms, suites with bathrooms and featuring 24 hour service. Calle Santa Clara número 66 entre Oficios e Inquisidor. Habana Vieja (+53) 78660109 (+39) 339 1817730

CAÑAVERAL HOUSE

VITRALES

CASA ESCORIAL

But undoubtedly the most beautiful about private homes in Cuba

Hospitable, attractive and reliable boutique B&B with 9 bedrooms.

Attractive accomodations with a panoramic view of Plaza Vieja

39A street, #4402, between 44 y 46, Playa, La Habana Cuba (+53) 295-5700

Habana #106 e/ Cuarteles y Chacón, Habana Vieja (+53) 7-866-2607

Mercaderes # 315 apt 3 e/ Muralla y Teniente Rey, Plaza Vieja, Habana Vieja (+53) 5-268 6881; 5-278 6148

APARTMENT RENTALS BOHEMIA BOUTIQUE APARTMENTS Gorgeous 1-bedroom apartment beautifully decorated apartment overlooking Plaza Vieja. San Ignacio #364 e/ Muralla y Teniente Rey, Plaza Vieja (+53) 5- 403-1 568 (+53) 7-836-6567 www.havanabohemia.com

CASA CONCORDIA Beautifully designed and spacious 3 bedroom apartment. Spanish colonial interiors with cheerful, arty accents. Concordia #151 apto. 8 esq. a San Nicolás, Centro Habana (+53) 5-254-5240 www.casaconcordia.net

LUXURY HOUSES VILLASOL

CASABLANCA

Rent Room elegant and wellequipped. Beautiful wild garden and great pool.

Elegant well-equipped villa formerly owned by Fulgencio Batista. Beautiful wild garden.

Calle 17 #1101 e/ 14 y 16, Vedado (+34) 677525361 (+53) 7-832-1927 (+53) 5-360-0456

Morro-Cabaña Park. House #29 (+53) 5-294-5397 www.havanacasablanca.com

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TROPICANA PENTHOUSE A luxurious penthouse with huge roof terrace and breath-taking 360 degree views of Havana and the ocean. Galiano #60 Penthouse Apt.10 e/ San Lázaro y Trocadero (+53) 5-254-5240 www.tropicanapenthouse.com

MICHAEL AND MARÍA ELENA This leafy oasis in western Havana has an attractive mosaic tiled pool and three modern bedrooms. Calle 66 #4507 e/ 45 y Final, Playa (+53) 7-209-0084

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SUITE HAVANA Elegant 2-bedroom apartment in restored colonial building. Quality loft style décor. Lamparilla #62 altos e/ Mercaderes y San Ignacio, Habana Vieja (+53) 5-829-6524

RESIDENCIA MARIBY A sprawling vanilla-hued mansion with 6 rooms decorated with colonial-era lamps, and Louis XV furniture Vedado. (+53) 5-370-5559

TOP PICK

Bohemia Boutique Apartments Red

Best for 3 small balconies (facing the Patio of the Palace), 1 spacious bedroom with air conditioning Don’t Miss The apartment is fully furbished, plenty of light and very well ventilated. San Ignacio #364 e/ Muralla y Teniente Rey, Plaza Vieja, Habana Vieja [email protected] (+53) 5 4031 568: (53) 7 8366 567 www.havanabohemia.com

TOP PICK

Bohemia Boutique Apartments Blue

Best for i1 internal balcony, 1 spacious bedroom on the mezzanine with air conditioning. Don’t Miss The apartment is fully furbished, plenty of light and very well ventilated. San Ignacio #364 e/ Muralla y Teniente Rey, Plaza Vieja, Habana Vieja [email protected] (+53) 5 4031 568: (53) 7 8366 567 www.havanabohemia.com

Sueño Cubano

TOP PICK

Best for Old palace carefully restored, seven rooms, suites with bathrooms and featuring 24 hour service. Don’t Miss Relax at any of the four terraces, feel the mellow touch of antique and original Cuban furniture.

Calle Santa Clara número 66 entre Oficios e Inquisidor. Habana Vieja (+53) 78660109 (+39) 339 1817730 www.suenocubano.com correo [email protected]

Cañaveral House

TOP PICK

Best for Large elegant villa away from downtown Havana. Great for families or groups of friends. Don’t Miss Basking in the sun as you stretch out on the lawn of the beautifully kept garden.

39A street, #4402, between 44 y 46, Playa, La Habana Cuba (+53) 295-5700 http://www.cubaguesthouse.com

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