17 July 2025

Cuba

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Curtain goes up in Cuba

Whatever next? The locals are allowed in hotels and can even own mobile phones, as Peter Stephens found out in Havana

Cuba - Timewarp: Our trusty 1955 Pontiac Chieftain

Cuba - A private Paladar in a leafy garden

1 Timewarp: Our trusty 1955 Pontiac Chieftain 2 A colorful local walcomes us in 3 A private Paladar in a leafy garden

DO YOU WANT ME to come back to your hotel?’ asked the attractive girl sipping a mojito at the bar in Havana.

Things are changing quickly in Cuba and that’s something you definitely wouldn’t have heard a year ago.

There have always been beautiful women offering their services here but until recently locals were not allowed inside hotels in case they were led astray, politically, by foreigners.

So strictly was the rule enforced that a friend who married a Cuban had to obtain a ministerial dispensation for her to stay with him at a hotel.

That’s what you got with Communism. But Fidel has handed over power to brother Raul and concessions are starting to be made in this country where a bus driver earns the same as a brain surgeon.

The locals are no longer banned from hotels and if they can afford it they are now allowed to own mobile phones.

It still feels like the place that time forgot. A living motor museum of old Buicks, Chevvies and Dodges all dating back to the 1959 revolution when the iron curtain clanged shut. Many are held together by memory.

But a surprising number have been kept in immaculate condition. ‘I can only afford to take it out at weekends,’ the owner of a shining 1953 Chevrolet convertible told me. ‘It does just 15k to the gallon!’ Havana is a time warp.

However, its crumbling art deco and art nouveau buildings are now being restored after four square kilometres of the old town was listed as a World Heritage Site. Reminders of the revolution are everywhere.

Still feels like the place that time forgot

But from the covers on books at the open air stalls in the leafy squares, you’d think only three men figured in Cuba’s past. Revolutionaries Fidel Castro and Che Guevara ran the evil dictator

Batista out of town while Ernest Hemingway simply ran around town chasing wine and women. And that was on days when he wasn’t out hunting for marlin.

Soon after the revolution Hemingway realised life in a Communist state was going to be very different and promptly departed for Key West. But he’s still a hero in a country short of non-military superheroes.

His favourite hotel, Ambos Mundos, is filled with pictures and Hemingway memorabilia. His room is preserved almost as he left it.

We went to El Floridita, his favourite hangout on the busy Calle Obispo, but it was packed with tourists on a day’s sightseeing from Varadero so we bought Daiquiris at a little bar just along the street instead.

We stayed at the Saratoga, Havana’s best hotel, with its rooftop pool and stunning 180 degree views over the Old Quarter, situated across from the old Congress building modelled on Washington DC.

Food in Cuba is generally dire. You don’t go there for a culinary experience but those in the know seek out the paladares, small private restaurants in people’s homes. This was Castro’s big regret.

When Russia turned away from Communism and switched off the cash which propped up the regime Castro realised they needed tourist dollars and allowed locals to set up these private eating places.

Everyone was friendly and helpful

Entrepreneurial spirit is always lurking just below the surface in any Communist country and these mini restaurants flourished.

Angry at himself, Castro tried to tax them out of existence and official guides are banned from mentioning them but there is still a secretive network offering visitors their best dining experience.

The first paladar we found was Dona Carmela. Our taxi took us to a discreet door on a suburban street near the old fortress and we found ourselves in a leafy walled garden with several tables.

There we dined on octopus in tomato sauce, red snapper in garlic accompanied by egg plant, black beans, fried yucca, rice and salad – accompanied by a bottle of Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon and all for for about £35.

At 9pm we heard the cannon go off in the fort, a ritual left over from the short British occupation in 1762 which used to signal the nightly closing of the city gates.

At another paladar, Guarido, we were dropped off by our taxi at the decaying entrance of a very ancient building – but the food was worth trudging up six storeys for.

Paladares are meant to have no more than 12 places, with everyone employed being a family member.

But at La Fortuna, a ten-minute ride into the suburb of Miramar, I counted more than 40 seats among the fountains in the leafy yard – with an extensive wine list and a printed menu with items such as grilled octopus with pesto and red snapper in seven-year-old rum.

In Cuba it’s a case of who you know. There’s plenty to see in Havana and no trip is complete without a visit to the cigar factory where hundreds sit in Dickensian conditions rolling up the tobacco leaves.

It was time to head for Trinidad, a 360km drive south west. Cars for rent are in short supply and I was told that few visitors are crazy enough to want to drive in Cuba. Half an hour after getting the keys I understood why.

There are no road signs and the map didn’t seem to correspond with anything. Just trying to find our way out of Havana we had, in a short time, visited the docks and other less than salubrious areas of the city.

We’d probably still be there now had it not been for the Cuban national judo team coach who happened to be passing and stopped to help. He jumped in and took us to a major intersection. ‘Perhaps one day you’ll find me lost in your country,’ he said.

Once out on the main highway it was more straightforward but we had to navigate several towns and ask our way many times.

Everyone was friendly and helpful. Tourists are still something of a novelty and it feels very safe as the Castro brothers take a dim view of anyone who endangers the flow of tourist income.

The roads are quiet. On one stretch, over 10 minutes, we counted a motorbike with sidecar, a horse and cart, a tractor and a fifties Oldsmobile.

The newest being the horse and cart. There are plenty of hitchhikers and if you see one with a white coat it’s usually a doctor or dentist en route to their next patient. Trinidad is a picturesque Mexican-style town in the foothills of the Escambray Mountains and 14km from the coast.

Change is definitely in the air

Less frenetic than Havana it comes alive at night. We sipped mojitos at the Casa de la Trova and Casa de la Musica where bands rotate on an hourly basis. These tend to come alive after 10pm.

We tracked down a couple of paladares, one indicated by a carved sun sign above a doorway.

These were less sophisticated than in Havana and dinner for two with a bottle of local wine was just £12. We also drove to the tourist resort of Varadero which has 27km of white sandy beach and almost 70 All Inclusive hotels.

It reminded me of Cancun and is good value. Change is definitely in the air as new ideas and increased exposure to Western lifestyles take effect.

With its fabulous beaches, rich history and colourful mix of South American and West Indian culture this island could one day be the Caribbean’s big player.

And what happened to the attractive girl sipping the mojito at the bar in Havana? My wife appeared and she suddenly lost interest very quickly.

0330·100·2220i 0330 calls are included within inclusive minutes package on mobiles, otherwise standard rates apply. X 0330 calls are included within inclusive minutes package on mobiles, otherwise standard rates apply. X