Frommer's^? Cuba, 3rd Edition

by Eliot Greenspan; Neil E. Schlecht

• ISBN13: 9780471945598
• ISBN10: 0471945595
• Edition: 3rd
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2007-01-01
• Publisher: Frommers

Summary

You'll never fall into the tourist traps when you travel with Frommer's. It's like having a friend show you around, taking you to the places locals like best. Our expert authors have already gone everywhere you might go-they've done the legwork for you, and they're not afraid to tell it like it is, saving you time and money. No other series offers candid reviews of so many hotels and restaurants in all price ranges. Every Frommer's Travel Guide is up-to-date, with exact prices for everything, dozens of color maps, and exciting coverage of sports, shopping, and nightlife. You'd be lost without us! Frommer's Cuba provides frank information for American travelers, covering: The charms of Havana's Spanish colonial architecture and sizzling nightlife Cuba's sugar-white beaches, including Varadero, the largest resort in the Caribbean The best shopping bargains, with tips on where to find the world's finest cigars and rum Favorite Cuban festivals and events, including Santiago's Carnaval and the international jazz and film festivals and much more...

Author Biography

Eliot Greenspan is a poet, journalist, and travel writer who took his backpack and typewriter the length of Mesoamerica before settling in Costa Rica in 1992. Since then, he has worked steadily for the Tico Times and other local media. He is also the author of Frommer’s Costa Rica and Frommer’s Belize, as well as the chapter on Venezuela in Frommer’s South America.

Neil E. Schlecht is the author and co-author of a dozen travel guides (including Spain For Dummies, Frommer’s South America, and Frommer’s Peru), as well as articles on art and culture and art catalogue essays, and is also a photographer. He now resides in northwestern Connecticut.

Table of Contents

List of Maps	vi
What's New in Cuba	1	(3)
The Best of Cuba	4	(11)
Eliot Greenspan
Neil E. Schlecht
The Best Cuban Travel Experiences	4	(1)
The Best Historical Sights	5	(2)
The Best of Natural Cuba	7	(1)
The Best Outdoor Adventures	7	(1)
The Best Beaches	8	(1)
The Best Resort Hotels	9	(1)
The Best Hotels	10	(1)
The Best Casas Particulares	11	(1)
The Best Restaurants & Paladares	12	(1)
The Best of Cuban Nightlife	13	(1)
The Best of Cuba Online	14	(1)
Planning Your Trip to Cuba	15	(48)
Eliot Greenspan
The Regions in Brief	15	(3)
Visitor Information	18	(2)
Destination Cuba: Red Alert Checklist	19	(1)
Entry Requirements & Customs	20	(4)
Gifts & Other Assistance	22	(2)
Money	24	(2)
When to Go	26	(3)
Calendar of Events	27	(2)
Travel Insurance	29	(2)
Health & Safety	31	(2)
Specialized Travel Resources	33	(2)
Race Relations in Cuba	34	(1)
Planning Your Trip Online	35	(3)
Frommers.com: The Complete Travel Resource	37	(1)
The 21st-Century Traveler	38	(2)
Online Traveler's Toolbox	40	(1)
Getting There	40	(4)
Package Deals, Escorted Tours & Special-Interest Vacations	44	(3)
The Active Vacation Planner	47	(2)
Getting Around	49	(2)
Tips on Accommodations	51	(1)
Tips on Dining	52	(2)
Recommended Books, Film & Music	54	(9)
Fast Facts: Cuba	56	(7)
Suggested Cuba Itineraries	63	(10)
Cuba in 1 Week	63	(2)
Cuba in 2 Weeks	65	(2)
Cuba for Families	67	(1)
Colonial Treasures Highlights Tour	68	(3)
Havana in 3 Days	71	(2)
Havana	73	(53)
Eliot Greenspan
Orientation	74	(6)
Neighborhoods in Brief	78	(2)
Getting Around	80	(5)
Fast Facts: Havana	83	(2)
Where to Stay	85	(13)
Where to Dine	98	(8)
What to See & Do	106	(9)
A Quick Key to Havana's Parks & Plazas	108	(2)
Luis Posada Carriles	110	(2)
Frommer's Favorite Havana Experiences	112	(3)
Outdoor Pursuits	115	(2)
Shopping	117	(4)
Havana After Dark	121	(4)
Side Trips from Havana	125	(1)
Vinales & Western Cuba	126	(24)
Eliot Greenspan
Pinar del Rio	126	(4)
Smoke `Em If You Got `Em	129	(1)
Vinales	130	(6)
Sierra del Rosario Biosphere Reserve & San Diego de los Banos	136	(4)
Cayo Levisa	140	(1)
Maria la Gorda	141	(2)
Isla de la Juventud	143	(4)
Cayo Largo del Sur	147	(3)
Varadero & Matanzas Province	150	(21)
Eliot Greenspan
Matanzas	150	(3)
Varadero	153	(13)
The Zapata Peninsula & Playa Giron	166	(5)
The Bay of Pigs	168	(3)
Trinidad & Central Cuba	171	(34)
Eliot Greenspan
Neil E. Schlecht
Santa Clara	171	(8)
Che Guevara	174	(5)
Cienfuegos	179	(7)
Beny More	183	(3)
Trinidad	186	(12)
Sancti Spiritus	198	(7)
Camaguey & the Northeastern Coast	205	(21)
Eliot Greenspan
Neil E. Schlecht
Cayo Coco & Cayo Guillermo	205	(9)
A Bridge So Far	206	(3)
Papa & the Cayos	209	(2)
A Stopover in Moron	211	(3)
Camaguey	214	(12)
El Oriente	226	(30)
Eliot Greenspan
Neil E. Schlecht
Guardalavaca	226	(12)
Bayamo & the Sierra Maestra	238	(10)
Dear Granma	243	(4)
Goin' (or Not) to Gitmo	247	(1)
Baracoa	248	(8)
Santiago de Cuba	256	(25)
Eliot Greenspan
Neil E. Schlecht
Orientation	256	(5)
Santiago, City of Struggle & Rebellion	260	(1)
Getting Around	261	(2)
Fast Facts: Santiago de Cuba	262	(1)
What to See & Do	263	(4)
Where to Stay	267	(3)
Where to Dine	270	(3)
Shopping	273	(1)
Santiago de Cuba After Dark	274	(3)
Carnival & Other Santiago Festivals	275	(2)
Side Trips from Santiago de Cuba	277	(4)
Appendix A: Cuba in Depth	281	(17)
Eliot Greenspan
Neil E. Schlecht
History 101	281	(5)
Cuba Today	286	(4)
Cuban Culture	290	(8)
Afro-Cuban Percussion Instruments	294	(3)
The Major Orishas	297	(1)
Appendix B: Useful Spanish Terms & Pharases	298	(4)
Basic Words & Phrases	298	(2)
More Useful Phrases	300	(1)
Some Typically Cuban Words & Phrases	301	(1)
Index	302