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Private excursion findings - Santiago de Cuba


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I have contacted the following vendors offering private tours in Santiago de Cuba.  I will have more information to share soon.  You may want to contact them and judge for yourself if you want to go with any of them.  If you have experience with them or have additional operators that we can add to the list please share.  

Fernando Hernandez Mora at https://www.caribbeanpearltours.com Emails: fehmor1982@gmail.com, fernando8205@nauta.cu

Maikil Alvarez at cubacabbie.com group: http://cubacabbie.com/the-yacht-1/

Shango Tours at http://www.shagotours.com/ Email: info@shagotours.com
Stoycho Tours at https://www.guruwalk.com/santiago-de-cuba and http://cubacitytour.com/tours-santiago.html Email: via Guruwalk contact and menafaez@nauta.cu 

Yoennis Díaz Moreno at http://www.outofthebox.zone/ Email: yoe@outofthebox.zone

Yuri at http://cubaguider.com Email: Yuri.arcayaborrego@nauta.cu

 

You may also want to check this thread on TripAdvisor:
https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g147273-i1702-k10331373-Private_Tour_Guide_for_the_day_in_Santiago_de_Cuba-Santiago_de_Cuba_Santiago_de_Cuba_Provi.html

 

I posted this on TripAdvisor:

Quote

If you are looking for an orientation tour of Santiago de Cuba you may want to check out what's listed on Guruwalk for Santiago de Cuba: https://www.guruwalk.com/santiago-de-cuba. The Stoycho free walking tours looks very comprehensive. He has a tour that is targeted for cruise arrival times which is just perfect for cruise passengers to save time in port!!! He also has paid tours listed on his website http://cubacitytour.com/index.html. Looks like he is a new guide. He has zero ratings right now on Guruwalk and none on TripAdvisor. However his profile says that he provides tours in Santiago de Cuba where he lives and Havana: http://cubacitytour.com/about.html. May be people going on his tours just don't hang out on TripAdvisor and Cruise Critic. I see that another group on Oceania roll call booked with him. May be we will have some feedback on his tours soon.

 

We LOVE taking tip based "Free" Walking tours when we travel. We took the free walking tours in many European cities, NYC, Israel (the BEST!), ... all were well worth the time and $. Most are 2-3 hours of walking/stopping/hearing stories. When we can we take the walking tours to get a good orientation of the city and then supplement with other DIY and paid tours. Many cities has multiple free walking tours. e.g. Havana has over a dozen free walking tours: historical center, food, evening and even a free bike tour!. Each guide brings his/her own prospective so we don't mind going to multiple tours when we are in a city.


I think much of what needs to be seen are in historical center in Santiago and can be done with a walking tour.  Santiago de Cuba has a very strong musical heritage the Carnival Museum, Calle Herredia,  the famous Casa de la Trova are all within easy walking distance (15 - 20 minutes leisurely walk) from the port.  Taking Stoycho's "free"  tours  is a good inexpensive way to see most of these highlights.  Note that he also offers an evening tour.  If your ship is staying overnight you can definitely save $ going with him to the jazz clubs vs. taking an expensive tour from the cruise lines.  Most clubs only charges a few CUC for entry and drinks!!!  You can DIY but I think more importantly you can feel safe walking around in Santiago de Cuba with him away from the Jinteros at night!! 

 

See his list of sights covered here: https://www.guruwalk.com/walks/20711-santiago-free-orientation-tour-cruise-arrival-schedule

and his evening musical tour walk here: https://www.guruwalk.com/walks/20731-evening-free-santiago-musical-tour

Note that like other independent tour operators who are not "managed" his responses to emails are very slow due to the poor internet infrastructure in Cuba! 

 

There are a few places that may be worth driving to.  Castillo de San Pedro de la Roca / El Morro stands out.  It is an only 17 minutes drive from the port. https://goo.gl/maps/ptLcPitU2Hn We are taking a "free" (part of our paid cruise fare) OLife excursion there.  You may want to consider going there with a driving tour from one of the tour operators.  For the DIY'ers a negotiated taxi ride may save you some $ to see the fortress vs. taking a tour.  If anyone has DIY please post your experience!  There's suppose to be a good crafts market just outside of the fortress.  https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g147273-d207870-Reviews-Castillo_de_San_Pedro_de_la_Roca-Santiago_de_Cuba_Santiago_de_Cuba_Province_Cuba.html   

 

El Cobre is another off city center tour to consider.  It is a 40 minutes drive from town center.  map: https://goo.gl/maps/u9FV9zKEn6r

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Tourism-g1916207-El_Cobre_Santiago_de_Cuba_Province_Cuba-Vacations.html.  I would do this early in your day in Santiago de Cuba.  For the DIY'ers a negotiated taxi ride may save you some $.  Just make sure you have an agree price up front!  

 

more later...

Laurence

 

 

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We were extremely happy with our private customized tour of the Cienfuegos area through Fernando Mora.  Guide Beatriz was incredible. Our 50's car was in good shape.

 

Not as happy with Yuri in Santiago de Cuba. We liked the places we saw (Revolution Square, Fidel's grave/cemetery, San Juan Hill, and El Morro), but we thought it was going to be a private tour....we did have our own car, but we were part of a caravan of about 10 cars that followed each other to each site. It took a LONG time to get from one place to another and park, then all 20 of us walking to the sight. When we would arrive, there was just Yuri to describe the places. I could barely hear him sometimes. And the 50's cars he used were broken down and junky.

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On 10/21/2018 at 3:43 PM, Go-Bucks! said:

Not as happy with Yuri in Santiago de Cuba. We liked the places we saw (Revolution Square, Fidel's grave/cemetery, San Juan Hill, and El Morro), but we thought it was going to be a private tour....we did have our own car, but we were part of a caravan of about 10 cars that followed each other to each site. It took a LONG time to get from one place to another and park, then all 20 of us walking to the sight. When we would arrive, there was just Yuri to describe the places. I could barely hear him sometimes. And the 50's cars he used were broken down and junky.

 

Thanks and thanks for your other post on Yuri.  It is not right that he promised a private tour and didn't deliver.  Having a 10 cars caravan is not cool.  If he is going to do this he should have told you ahead of time.  He may be getting too greedy and can't stop accepting reservations.  You may want to warn people on TripAdvisor.  He only has 4 and 5 star reviews: https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g285732-d12419245-Reviews-Cubaguider-Holguin_Holguin_Province_Cuba.html  It's time to have a 3 star or less review for him!

 

What I don't like about Yuri / cubaguider is his pricing for cruise passengers: 

His Santiago de Cuba tour for 4 people for non cruise passengers is 180 cuc package deal for 4 people:

http://cubaguider.com/package/santiago-de-cuba-city-tour-2/

Duration: +/- 8 hours
Location: Santiago de Cuba
Price: 180 CUC / PACKAGE DEAL
From his FAQ:

HOW MANY PASSENGERS CAN FIT INTO A PACKAGE DEAL?

All prices cover the cost for a car load of 4 passengers but i can accommodate larger groups too.

For cruise passengers with pick up from the port for the same Santiago de Cuba tour but less time:

http://cubaguider.com/package/santiago-de-cuba-city-tour-cruiseships/

Duration: +- 5 hours/day
Location: Santiago de Cuba city
Price: 60 CUC EACH
For 4 people cruise passengers get to pay 240 CUC and have 3 less hours of touring!!!  😖

 

It may cost him more to rent his cars during cruise days and that's why he is charging more?  I appreciate that he is trying to make a living and try to get as much as the market would bear.  However I don't think charging more because we are taking a tour from a a cruise stop is right!  

 

Another concern I have is he is based in Holguin.  He must travel long distance to each of the ports.  He must be tired driving long distances overnight to meet up on the next port.  He was trying to promote going with him for all our Cuba ports. 

 

Laurence

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 10/21/2018 at 3:43 PM, Go-Bucks! said:

We were extremely happy with our private customized tour of the Cienfuegos area through Fernando Mora.  Guide Beatriz was incredible. Our 50's car was in good shape.

 

Not as happy with Yuri in Santiago ... And the 50's cars he used were broken down and junky.

 

Sadly I just saw another post on CC Roll Call referencing bad Classic Cars used by Yuri:

"We also used Cubaguider. I have a suggestion for you if you decide to use Yuri. The cars that we had that took us to Trinidad were very old and one of them had air conditioning and the water leaked all over us. I would contact him and ask if he can get newer cars for you. We would have paid more to have better cars."

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We are leaving on Saturday on Azamara Journey on a Cuba Intensive itinerary.  We have booked Yoennis with Out of the Box for Santiago.  I have been so impressed with how organized and detail oriented he is.  I will try to report back when we get home about the actual tour but so far his communication is about the best that I have had from any private tour that I have arranged anywhere.  

 

We are supposed to tour with Yuri to Trinidad from Cienfuegos.  There is a group of 8 of us from our roll call.  I hope it will work out just fine. 

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1 hour ago, aimee0715 said:

We are leaving on Saturday on Azamara Journey on a Cuba Intensive itinerary.  We have booked Yoennis with Out of the Box for Santiago.  I have been so impressed with how organized and detail oriented he is.  I will try to report back when we get home about the actual tour but so far his communication is about the best that I have had from any private tour that I have arranged anywhere.  

 

We are supposed to tour with Yuri to Trinidad from Cienfuegos.  There is a group of 8 of us from our roll call.  I hope it will work out just fine. 

Eager to hear your report per Out of the Box! I also have a private tour booked with them for Santiago, DH and I plus 3 others from our roll call. We are on the Cuba intensive Azamara Journey late January. Like you, I have been very pleased with the communication with Yoennis. Prompt replies, easy to understand, and catered exactly to my requests.

 

Hope you have a great cruise!

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7 hours ago, aimee0715 said:

We are leaving on Saturday on Azamara Journey on a Cuba Intensive itinerary.  We have booked Yoennis with Out of the Box for Santiago.  I have been so impressed with how organized and detail oriented he is.  I will try to report back when we get home about the actual tour but so far his communication is about the best that I have had from any private tour that I have arranged anywhere.  

 

We are supposed to tour with Yuri to Trinidad from Cienfuegos.  There is a group of 8 of us from our roll call.  I hope it will work out just fine. 

 

Have a great cruise. Best of luck with your private excursions.  Hopefully the Yuri's bad vehicle practices was just a glitch due to overbooking.   Yoennis's Out of the box was recommended by FerTours (friends?).  He has a pretty slick website and only a small blemish so far with reviews on TripAdvisor.  Are you doing full day tours for both ports?  Looking forward to seeing your reviews.

 

I think Azamara always do their Azamazing Evening in Santiago - it should be a fantastic show.  You probably don't need a walking tour to the musical streets in Santiago.  For your Cienfuegos overnight if you are interested in musical venues after dinner I just posted a list of the best ones close to the port with a map in the Cienfuegos thread.  

 

 

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9 hours ago, ebslcc said:

 

Have a great cruise. Best of luck with your private excursions.  Hopefully the Yuri's bad vehicle practices was just a glitch due to overbooking.   Yoennis's Out of the box was recommended by FerTours (friends?).  He has a pretty slick website and only a small blemish so far with reviews on TripAdvisor.  Are you doing full day tours for both ports?  Looking forward to seeing your reviews.

 

I think Azamara always do their Azamazing Evening in Santiago - it should be a fantastic show.  You probably don't need a walking tour to the musical streets in Santiago.  For your Cienfuegos overnight if you are interested in musical venues after dinner I just posted a list of the best ones close to the port with a map in the Cienfuegos thread.  

Yes, we are doing full day tours in all the ports.  In Havana, we have booked with I Love Cuba Guided Photo Tours. I am impressed with them as well so far.  They want to be paid in USD, so that will save some hassle.  Yoennis gave me a price in CUC ($84) and a USD price ($92) as well.  I came across your post last night about Netflix and Cuba.  I watched Cuba and the Cameraman. It was excellent!  Very interesting to see the ups and downs of Cuba in the past 40 years.  I will check out the Cienfuegos thread. Thanks!

 

 

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13 hours ago, aimee0715 said:

Yes, we are doing full day tours in all the ports.  In Havana, we have booked with I Love Cuba Guided Photo Tours. I am impressed with them as well so far.  They want to be paid in USD, so that will save some hassle.  Yoennis gave me a price in CUC ($84) and a USD price ($92) as well.  I came across your post last night about Netflix and Cuba.  I watched Cuba and the Cameraman. It was excellent!  Very interesting to see the ups and downs of Cuba in the past 40 years.  I will check out the Cienfuegos thread. Thanks!

 

Yoennis has a very nice exchange rate. It's very thoughtful of him!  I Love Cuba Photo Tours is top rated on TripAdvisor https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g147271-d8066875-Reviews-I_Love_Cuba_Guided_Photo_Tours-Havana_Ciudad_de_la_Habana_Province_Cuba.html 700+ reviews, mostly Excellent!  I just saw another good review of Yuri in the other thread.  Hopefully he will earn an excellent rating for your trip.  Trinidad is very scenic.  I am sure you will have lots of opportunities to take many great photos!

 

Re: "Cuba and the Cameraman" I am glad you liked it.  It is a great documentary.  It's good to see it before a trip to Cuba https://www.netflix.com/title/80126449  It is very interesting how things have changed with the stories about the people through the years, the farmers, the little girl, the black market dealer and Fidel.  I am sure the private tour guides will tell us some good stories also.  We will see more facades of Cuba that cruise excursions won't show us.  I am looking forward to going "out engaging Cubans" with the private guides and the tours to satisfy the "Support the Cuban People" OFAC category :classic_biggrin:.  See this Miami Herald article: https://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/world/americas/cuba/article217395610.html

 

Enjoy your cruise!!!

 

Laurence

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Aimee, we are on the 10 day Intensive Azamara Journey trip leaving 11/24.  Will eagerly await your reports. We have also booked Out of the Box in Santiago, but Blexie in Havana. Just had Azamara cancel our excursion in Havana to the Red Room, so will see if Blexie can helps us find a spot to go for great music.  

 

There has been talk on other lines about a pier concern in Santiago that could mean tendering needed and a possible problem with the Azamazing evening there.  Hope all goes well for you. 

 

Have a great time. ¡Buen viaje!

 

 

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8 hours ago, DiamondDiva said:

Aimee, we are on the 10 day Intensive Azamara Journey trip leaving 11/24.  Will eagerly await your reports. We have also booked Out of the Box in Santiago, but Blexie in Havana. Just had Azamara cancel our excursion in Havana to the Red Room, so will see if Blexie can helps us find a spot to go for great music.  

 

There has been talk on other lines about a pier concern in Santiago that could mean tendering needed and a possible problem with the Azamazing evening there.  Hope all goes well for you. 

 

Have a great time. ¡Buen viaje!

 

 

DiamondDiva.....FYI: We are on 24th cruise as well and just confirmed Azamazing Evening has been changed to Havana on 26th: Lizt Alfonso Dance Cuba Company at Grand Theater.  Still going to Santiago de Cuba but no Azamazing Evening there.

 

Art

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  • 2 weeks later...

 

 

For our upcoming overnight cruise stop in Santiago de Cuba we are doing a combination of Cruise excursion “Colonial Santiago” with a great itinerary to Castillo de San Pedro de la Roca (El Morro Castle),  a Guruwalk free walking tour and a next day private tour to Helechos Garden.  We will still have plenty of free time. I did extensive investigation on Santiago de Cuba and what’s around the port using TripAdvisor, YouTube Lonely Planet and a lot of Googling.  I find Santiago de Cuba to be a very walkable historical core. The major sights are within very short walking distance from the port. We can easily feel the vibe of Santiago and see many of the major sights roaming around the streets.  This should be a easy port to DIY. However having private tours or cruise excursions can add color to seeing the city’s sights that we won’t get by just walking around ourselves.

 

Below ideas on what to see and do walking or taking a pedi-taxi.  They should be useful as background preview of the sights around port and the city center. What I have mapped out will be a checklist for us of what we want to see and what we may be going back to after our guided tours.  I have included routes and provided links to the Google maps below. I hope this is helpful to those of you who wants to explore Santiago core by yourselves to replace or supplement private or cruise excursions.

 

What’s around the port

As you walk out from the passenger terminal Parque Alameda and La Alameda waterfront is on your right.

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https://www.santiagodecubacity.org/en/parks-streets/the-alameda.html There is a clock towel and the giant yellow CUBA sign is located somewhere on the waterfront. https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g147273-d11914521-Reviews-La_Alameda-Santiago_de_Cuba_Santiago_de_Cuba_Province_Cuba.html There are a couple places for Cuban Coffee or drink. Club Náutico is only a few minutes from the cruise passenger terminal.

https://*****.com/y8leh4k7.  

 

Routes to Parque Céspedes

Parque Céspedes is heart of the historical center of Santiago de Cuba https://www.santiagodecubacity.org/en/parks-streets/cespedes-park.html.

There are several routes to the park from the port:

  1. You can do a direct 10 minutes walk to via Avenida Jesus Menendez to Francisco Vicente Aguilera the to the park  https://goo.gl/maps/35UC4Mbfbvz
  2. A little more interesting is to walk a little further up on Avenida Jesus Menendez to Calle José A Saco turn right and walk straight up to the center. It is a 12 minutes half a mile walk to Parque Céspedes.  Calle José A Saco is a pedestrian-only street.  The street is also known as Enramada.  https://www.santiagodecubacity.org/en/parks-streets/enramada-street.html Many streets in Cuba have multiple names. This is the best direct downhill route to take back to the ship from the center of town. Map: https://goo.gl/maps/LLLK94iL5J22
  3. A historical walking route passing by museums and historical sights: Museo de La Lucha Clandestina, Escalinata de Padre Pico (Pico steps), Velázquez balcony to the park (see next post).

Alternatively there are many pedi-taxi available just outside the port.  You should be able to negotiate for a ride to the park for about 2 to 3 CUC.

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Historical walking route to Parque Céspedes

Map: https://goo.gl/maps/nzj4pk6C3Gk

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  1. From the Cruise Passenger Terminal walk on Avenida Jesus Menendez then down across the street and turn left on Joaquín Castillo Duany (Santa Lucia).  

  2. Go 3 long blocks up the hill and you will reach Callejon de Santiago turn right then onto Santa Rita. You will see the yellow building Museo de La Lucha Clandestina.  This is a small revolutionary museum. It is a good photo stop  Exhibits are in Spanish. Entry fee 1 CUC. Across the street is the house where Fidel Castro lived Antigua Casa de Fidel Castro (it is not open for visitors).
    https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g147273-d8512574-Reviews-Museo_de_la_Lucha_Clandestina-Santiago_de_Cuba_Santiago_de_Cuba_Province_Cuba.html

  3. Walk a block down on Diego Palacios (Santa Rita) and you will see the Padre Pico Steps (Scalinata di Padre Pico) This is Santiago’s version of Spanish steps in Rome.  It is a staircase build into the hillside between Santa Rita and Joaquín Castillo Duany (Santa Lucia).  Go down the stairs’ 52 steps then go one more block down on Padre Pico (Hospital) then turn right on Calle Bartolomé Masó.  One block over on the left is the next stop Balcón de Velázquez See https://www.santiagodecubacity.org/en/parks-streets/padre-pico-street.html https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gVwtTXzrjtY
    https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g147273-d3752917-Reviews-Scalinata_di_Padre_Pico-Santiago_de_Cuba_Santiago_de_Cuba_Province_Cuba.html Openstreet map has a more accurate map vs. Google’s showing the museum, Castro’s Casa and the Pico Steps. https://www.openstreetmap.org/?mlat=20.01922&mlon=-75.83244#map=19/20.01922/-75.83244&layers=N

  4. One block over on Calle Bartolomé Masó to the left is the next stop Balcón de Velázquez. This is the site of an old fort.  The balcony has a very nice view overlooking the tile roofs in the El Tivolí neighborhood.  Tivoli is Santiago's old French quarter with it’s famous for its red-tiled roofs and hidden patios. A historian may give you a history of the city as you visit Balcón de Velázquez.  A Tip is expected. https://www.360cities.net/image/balcon-de-velazquez-santiago-de-cuba

  5. Continue one block up on Calle Bartolomé Masó turn left then another block and you will be at Parque Céspedes.

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Buildings around Parque Céspedes

 

This is a good 360 degrees photo of the main square. https://www.360cities.net/image/cuba-santiago-de-cuba-catedral-de-nuestra-senora-de-la-asuncion Parque Céspedes is said to be the “heart and soul” of Santiago. This article in La Habana has a very good set of descriptions of the buildings around Parque Céspedes http://www.lahabana.com/content/parque-cespedes-heart-and-soul-of-santiago-de-cuba/

https://www.santiagodecubacity.org/en/parks-streets/cespedes-park.html  

 

Ayuntamiento or City Hall of Santiago de Cuba is on the northern side of the square.  https://www.santiagodecubacity.org/en/architecture/city-hall.html, It was from its central balcony that Fidel Castro had his first speech addressed the people of Santiago on January 1, 1959 following Batista’s flight from Cuba.

 

The former San Carlos Club on the square’s eastern side has been home to several institutions, becoming the Municipal Culture House and the Esteban Salas Concert Hall in the 1980s. It is now opened for viewing the upper level.  Admission price is unknown. https://holidayplace.co.uk/blogs/posts/118456/santiago-de-cuba-whats-new-in-cubas-second-city

 

On the west side of the park is the 16th-century Casa de Diego Velázquez This is the oldest house still standing in Cuba.

https://www.santiagodecubacity.org/en/architecture/museum-diego-velazquez.html

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g147273-d207867-Reviews-Diego_Velazquez_Museum-Santiago_de_Cuba_Santiago_de_Cuba_Province_Cuba.html

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g147273-d4155478-Reviews-Casa_Velasquez-Santiago_de_Cuba_Santiago_de_Cuba_Province_Cuba.html

Reviews are good. It may be a nice museum to visit. Guided tour is available. Entrance and guide prices are unknown.

 

The Cathedral at the main square Catedral de Nuestra Señora de la Asunción

https://www.santiagodecubacity.org/en/architecture/cathedral-asuncion.html

has the distinction of being the building which was reconstructed and remodeled the most in the city. Images: https://*****.com/y9rotoqg https://www.lonelyplanet.com/cuba/santiago-de-cuba/attractions/catedral-de-nuestra-senora-de-la-asuncion/a/poi-sig/425921/358013

 

The Casa Granda Hotel is at one corner of the main square.  It has a nice rooftop terrace bar with an excellent view of the city. “one of the best people-watching locations in Cuba” https://www.360cities.net/image/cuba-santiago-de-cuba-view-from-the-top-of-the-hotel-casa-granda-1   https://www.360cities.net/image/cuba-santiago-de-cuba-view-from-the-top-of-the-hotel-casa-granda-2

https://www.360cities.net/image/cuba-santiago-de-cuba-view-from-the-top-of-the-hotel-casa-granda-3

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Parque Céspedes to Musical and Shopping Streets

 

Map: https://goo.gl/maps/sTbunEtx2aG2

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One side of Casa Granda Hotel is José María Heredia (Catedral). See https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g147273-d10087894-Reviews-Calle_Heredia-Santiago_de_Cuba_Santiago_de_Cuba_Province_Cuba.html Next to Casa Granda are a few of the famous musical clubs in Santiago (info from local guide Stoycho who we are taking the free walking tour + private tour with): a/ Casa de Queso (a good looking rustic pub). Performing ‘Sol and Son’, a good sextet (guitar, tres, violin, maracas, bongo), starting 8:00 pm. Entrance fee 1 cuc, a beer (good one, better than Bud) 1.25, a cocktail – 2.50
b/ Casa de Coro Madrigalista (100 meters from Casa de Queso). Starting 8:30, no strict program. Yesterday there was a really good septet of veterans (guitar, tres, bass, maracas, bongo, clave). Entrance fee 1 cuc, mojito – 2 cuc
c/ Casa de la Trova (next to Casa de Queso). Performing Buena Fe, quite famous but quite noise septet. Starting 10 p.m. Entrance fee – 5 cuc, a beer – 1.25, cocktail – 3 cuc
Music spills into the street which you can experience without going into the clubs.

 

There’s always surprises walking down Heredia: street music performance, dancers… One block over is Museo del Carnaval (Carnival Museum).  This is a small museum with costumes and history of the annual Carnaval in Santiago de Cuba. At 4 PM there is an Folkloric dance show. Images: https://*****.com/ya7jk89z There is an entrance fee + camera fee.

 

There is another musical venue ½ a block down the street from the Carnival Museum on Heredia: El Patio Artex.  The bar has live music daily 11am, 5pm and 9pm.  

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g147273-d3405377-Reviews-Patio_de_Artex-Santiago_de_Cuba_Santiago_de_Cuba_Province_Cuba.html

 

A block up on Pío Rosado (Carnicería) from Heredia is an impressive looking Rum museum Escalinata Museo Emilio Bacardí https://www.santiagodecubacity.org/en/architecture/museum-emilio-bacardi.html Entrance fee is 2 CUC.  Information labels are all written in Spanisch.  Review: https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g147273-d1977159-Reviews-Emilio_Bacardi_Moreau_Museum-Santiago_de_Cuba_Santiago_de_Cuba_Province_Cuba.html.

https://www.360cities.net/image/cuba-santiago-de-cuba-museum-emilio-bacardi

 

Continue north on Pío Rosado for one more block is Parque Serrano where you can see locals play chess and domino. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lw0JkGXCF18

There may also be some local musicians especially on port days

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZVNNyyti4GQ  

 

Parque Serrano straddles between the shopping street José Antonio Saco (Enramadas) and the pedestrian alley Tamayo Fleites (Callejon del Carmen), It is 4 blocks long between Pío Rosado and Félix Pena (Santo Tomás) where you will find crafts and souvenirs stalls.

 

At Félix Pena (Santo Tomás) and Tamayo Fleites you can walk down one block to José Antonio Saco (Enramada).  At the corner is Parque del Ajedrez (Chess Park) It is a small park with a very unique architecture.  You can read more about it here: http://www.cubanocuba.com/parque-del-ajedrez-or-chess-park/.

 

From here you can choose to walk back to the ship (less than 20 minutes) directly down to the port on José Antonio Saco or continue up to see more shops. Up and down this main artery you will experience seeing the local shops, musical street performers, street food vendors (churros). Going up you can go see a couple more plazas Plaza de Dolores Plaza de Marte and then Moncada Barracks one of the main tourist attractions in Santiago.   

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Moncada Barracks back to José Antonio Saco

Map: https://goo.gl/maps/hviVGzHgTQu

9JuA83KQINjozUEy2yZjpW9xUBmPOVJb91Zg8_3iywhedsEGOpxfRwypS7SC6g1_0mmBvldbnRdXjmwrfJRetWzVgsHl_t7h9f9pxxxFGZE12DEhKjjehGHI7c--1W8VApXhD1vV

 

If you are into Cuban history the Cuartel Moncada (Moncada Barracks) in Santiago may be a must see. This is where the first shots of the Cuban revolution were fired. You can see the bullet holes on the walls. This a one time military barracks now a small museum and school.  The museum’s name is Museo de Historia 26 de Julio (History Museum). The Barracks is a little far from the port. It is around 25 minutes walk from Parque Céspedes. If you have interest visiting this you may want to take a pedi-taxi here and then walk back into the center of town.

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g147273-d3445888-Reviews-Moncada_Barracks-Santiago_de_Cuba_Santiago_de_Cuba_Province_Cuba.html Photos: https://*****.com/y98u58bk

https://www.360cities.net/image/cuba-santiago-de-cuba-caserne-moncada-the-marks-of-the-revolution

 

Parque Histórico Abel Santamaría another historical site. It is a former Saturnino Lora Civil Hospital.  It was here that Fidel Castro made his famous History will Absolve Me speech. There ia an interesting cubic fountain onsite: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hDp6GiVDDyw. If you are going to visit the area it may make sense to start here then walk a few blocks over to Cuartel Moncada.

via Gral. Portuondo (Trinidad).

 

After visiting Cuartel Moncada you can walk over to the famous Coppelia La Arboleda ice cream shop at Avenida Victoriano Garzón.  This is suppose to be the best ice-cream place in town with revolution history!  The ice cream is just average according to TripAdvisor reviews: https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g147273-d11677771-Reviews-Coppelia_La_Arboleda-Santiago_de_Cuba_Santiago_de_Cuba_Province_Cuba.html

 

On the way back to the center you may want to stop by Plaza de Marte https://www.santiagodecubacity.org/en/parks-streets/plaza-de-marte.html https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pDGMbJ7gm0Q and Plaza de Dolores https://www.360cities.net/image/cuba-santiago-de-cuba-plaza-de-dolors https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Plaza+de+Dolores+santiago+de+cuba where you can see more of how Cubans play.

 

References:

https://cubaholidays.co.uk/blogs/posts/118042/25-amazing-sites-to-discover-in-sizzling-santiago-de-cuba

https://www.lonelyplanet.com/cuba/santiago-de-cuba/in-location/self-guided-tours/a/nar/05ec0d84-fe0b-4db8-83f4-ca2e7ca31537/358013

http://onedayitinerary.com/one-day-in-santiago-de-cuba-itinerary/

 

For Cienfuegos please see this thread: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2593423-private-excursion-findings-cienfuegos-trinidad-cuba/

 

I will add my Havana findings here (it may take a while).  It’s a good thread for Private Tours Havana: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2422847-private-cuba-tours/

 

Good videos to watch before you go to Cuba: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2596744-netflix-cuba/

 

If these threads are helpful to you please post your experience on your return and give the threads some “Love” (click the Love icons) :).  Thanks

 

Laurence

Edited by ebslcc
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I was very pleased with Out of the Box tours in Santiago.  Our guide was Henry.  We met Yoennis but he had another couple he was touring with.  There was another female guide with another couple.  We all met up at lunch and again at the end of the tour at the mojito bar.  Henry spoke flawless English.  In fact, he has worked as a translator.  We got a late start because we had to tender due to the dock being damaged by one of the recent  hurricanes (Michael?).   In Santiago, there are a LOT of people between you and the CUBA sign that is the meet up spot who will want to offer you a tour.  Just follow the directions from Yoennis and you'll be fine.  Henry was there with a sign with my name on it even though we were nearly an hour late.  We did their all day city tour but added the Che Guevara memorial (Bosque de los Heroes) as well.  

 

In Cienfuegos, we went with Yuri of Cubaguiders.  We went to Trinidad and then a tour of Cienfuegos.  I was satisfied with the tour.  We had a group of 8.  I know most were not pleased with the classic car (we had one new car with AC and one classic car) or with the fact that the driver of the classic car did not speak english, but I was not bothered by it. I was not expecting the old cars to be cherry.  The old car was a diesel (most of the classic cars I saw had been converted to diesel) and it was not air conditioned.  So, you could smell the diesel fumes.  It didn't bother me but it definitely bothered the other people in our group.  4 of us rode to Trinidad in the classic car and then returned in the new car and the other 4 did the opposite.  So everyone had an opportunity to have questions answered by Yuri or landmarks pointed out. Honestly, there is not a lot to see (landmark wise) between Cienfuegos and Trinidad.  I really enjoyed seeing the countryside and the people riding horseback and the road crews cutting the grass with machetes :classic_ohmy:  and the donkey carts. There is a craft area in Trinidad that had some neat things that were reasonably priced.  The ladies sell embroidered items and I kind of regret not buying something like that.  The vendors are not pushy.  

 

In Havana, we had a two day tour with I Love Cuba Guided Photo Tours.  This was so great!  Both of tour guides were great but they were very different. On day one we had Reneil (sp?) and on day two we had Rey.  They were both excellent photographers.  Reneil took us to the traditional tourist places in Havana, mostly walking but we also took a cab to Fusterland. Rey took us on more of a local flavor kind of tour.  We walked through central Havana to see how people actually live.  He took us to some interesting places to see local art.  He is more of a street photographer where Reneil is more of a traditional photographer.  Reneil took around 180 pictures and he told us that Rey would probably take 800--and he nearly did!  I am so happy to have pictures with both my husband and I in them.  I learned from Rey that they use purified water for the ice that is used for tourists.  I wish I had known this prior to the last day of our last stop in Cuba!  I had several hot drinks because I was avoiding ice lol!

 

I found that all the guides we had in all 3 ports were open to answering whatever questions we had about life in Cuba.  

 

Havana was our last stop and it was absolutely astonishing how different it was from Santiago and Cienfuegos.  Many on our ship said that they didn't understand why the ship even stops anywhere but Havana.  But I disagree with that sentiment.  I am thrilled that I got to see so much of Cuba and I don't think you get a full taste of Cuba just going to Havana.  I was also astonished to see the stores in Havana for the tourists.  For example, I saw a Montblanc store in one of the five star hotels down near the capitol building. 

 

We are going back to Cuba in 2020 with Virgin Voyages (assuming the ship is ready on time).  I am so excited that we're going back!

Edited by aimee0715
typo
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14 hours ago, aimee0715 said:

I was very pleased with Out of the Box tours in Santiago.  Our guide was Henry.  We met Yoennis but he had another couple he was touring with.  There was another female guide with another couple.  We all met up at lunch and again at the end of the tour at the mojito bar.  Henry spoke flawless English.  In fact, he has worked as a translator.  We got a late start because we had to tender due to the dock being damaged by one of the recent  hurricanes (Michael?).   In Santiago, there are a LOT of people between you and the CUBA sign that is the meet up spot who will want to offer you a tour.  Just follow the directions from Yoennis and you'll be fine.  Henry was there with a sign with my name on it even though we were nearly an hour late.  We did their all day city tour but added the Che Guevara memorial (Bosque de los Heroes) as well.  

 

In Cienfuegos, we went with Yuri of Cubaguiders.  We went to Trinidad and then a tour of Cienfuegos.  I was satisfied with the tour.  We had a group of 8.  I know most were not pleased with the classic car (we had one new car with AC and one classic car) or with the fact that the driver of the classic car did not speak english, but I was not bothered by it. I was not expecting the old cars to be cherry.  The old car was a diesel (most of the classic cars I saw had been converted to diesel) and it was not air conditioned.  So, you could smell the diesel fumes.  It didn't bother me but it definitely bothered the other people in our group.  4 of us rode to Trinidad in the classic car and then returned in the new car and the other 4 did the opposite.  So everyone had an opportunity to have questions answered by Yuri or landmarks pointed out. Honestly, there is not a lot to see (landmark wise) between Cienfuegos and Trinidad.  I really enjoyed seeing the countryside and the people riding horseback and the road crews cutting the grass with machetes :classic_ohmy:  and the donkey carts. There is a craft area in Trinidad that had some neat things that were reasonably priced.  The ladies sell embroidered items and I kind of regret not buying something like that.  The vendors are not pushy.  

 

In Havana, we had a two day tour with I Love Cuba Guided Photo Tours.  This was so great!  Both of tour guides were great but they were very different. On day one we had Reneil (sp?) and on day two we had Rey.  They were both excellent photographers.  Reneil took us to the traditional tourist places in Havana, mostly walking but we also took a cab to Fusterland. Rey took us on more of a local flavor kind of tour.  We walked through central Havana to see how people actually live.  He took us to some interesting places to see local art.  He is more of a street photographer where Reneil is more of a traditional photographer.  Reneil took around 180 pictures and he told us that Rey would probably take 800--and he nearly did!  I am so happy to have pictures with both my husband and I in them.  I learned from Rey that they use purified water for the ice that is used for tourists.  I wish I had known this prior to the last day of our last stop in Cuba!  I had several hot drinks because I was avoiding ice lol!

 

I found that all the guides we had in all 3 ports were open to answering whatever questions we had about life in Cuba.  

 

Havana was our last stop and it was absolutely astonishing how different it was from Santiago and Cienfuegos.  Many on our ship said that they didn't understand why the ship even stops anywhere but Havana.  But I disagree with that sentiment.  I am thrilled that I got to see so much of Cuba and I don't think you get a full taste of Cuba just going to Havana.  I was also astonished to see the stores in Havana for the tourists.  For example, I saw a Montblanc store in one of the five star hotels down near the capitol building. 

 

We are going back to Cuba in 2020 with Virgin Voyages (assuming the ship is ready on time).  I am so excited that we're going back!

 

Thank you so much for your reviews!!! It's great to know that Yoennis Out of the Box has good guides!  As I mentioned before Yoennis is a friend of Fernando at FerTours and probably shares some of the best practices. 

 

It's good to know there are many people offering tours around the port.  It is a good option for people who didn't pre-book or just walk around town first then come back for a tour to more outside of center places.  It may be toss of the dice if you get a good guide or not negotiating for a tour at the port.  On the positive side you may get a good price especially later in the day when no one is around. 

 

It's too bad Santiago damaged dock is not fixed yet.  Looks like we will still be tendering when we are there. What did the all day city tour cover?  Was it a combination of driving and walking tour?  Did you go to El Morro?  What time did you start?  Did you end an hour later than originally planned since you started an hour later?  Yoennis' tour includes lunch and bar at the end.  Did you go to San Francisco restaurant also?  How did you like the food.  It is supposed to be one of the better paladar's in Santiago.  It is interesting that he has multiple tours going with separate guides (IMHO the way it should be vs. Yuri's caravan!) and you all meet up for lunch and then drinks at the end.  I assume the quality of the vehicles were good.  Were they old Classic Cars with AC?  Better condition than Yuri's right?

 

Good to have another confirmation re: Yuri's old cars for Trinidad / Cienfuegos.  I will add more comments in the Cienfuegos thead.  

 

Thanks for your details on your I Love Cuba Guided Photo Tours.  We will see if we can add Central Havana to our to see list for our upcoming 7 hours tour.  I am more interested in the authentic aspects of Cuba.  It is sad to hear about having a Montblanc store there!  I guess the U.S. embargo is preventing McDonalds and Starbucks to be in Cuba.  We are going there at a good time to still see Santiago, Cienfuegos, Trinidad before it changes to be more like Havana!!!  It will be interesting for you to see what changes between now and when you are on the Virgin cruise in 2020!

 

Thanks again for your reviews!!!

 

Laurence

 

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