CENTRAL HOLIDAYS - LATIN AMERICA & CUBA

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DAY 1 I CIENFUEGOS This morning depart on your flight to
Cienfuegos, Cuba. Upon arrival, you will be met and transferred to your
Casa Particular. This afternoon, after lunch, there is a walking tour of
Cienfuegos where you will have the opportunity to meet with
community residents as well as small business owners. Tonight, a
flavorful dinner awaits at Los Laureles, featuring authentic Cuban
dishes. (L,D)
DAY 2 I CIENFUEGOS Start your day with breakfast, then embark on a
full-day excursion to the colonial city of Trinidad. Your first stop is at the
Cienfuegos Botanical Gardens, teeming with towering palm trees,
bamboo plants, flowers and lush tropical greenery. Next, an urban
planner from the Office of the City Historian leads you on an insightful
walking tour of colorful Trinidad, a well-preserved UNESCO World
Heritage Site founded in 1514. The day’s activities and experiences
continue with lunch at Sol Ananda Paladar, a locally owned restaurant
serving homemade Cuban fare. Later, visit the Canchanchara Bar
where you can relax in wooden armchairs and listen to live music while
sipping a mojito or the bar’s namesake cocktail served in a small
earthenware bowl and made with rum, lime, and honey. Return to
Cienfuegos for dinner at your hotel this evening and the opportunity to
take in the Trazos Libres art project in Cienfuegos featuring murals on
the neighborhood homes surrounding the community center. (B,L,D)
DAY 3 I CIENFUEGOS I HAVANA After breakfast your adventure
continues with a visit to the Benny More Art School where you will have
a chance to interact with the students and teachers. Next you will join
the members of the small Jewish community of Cienfuegos for lunch
and an in-depth discussion about Jewish life in Cuba. (There are fewer
than 1,500 Jews in Cuba, 85 percent of who live in Havana. At its
peak, there were 15,000 Jews, and Havana boasted five synagogues
and six or seven Jewish day schools.) After the introduction, depart for
Havana and check in to your Casa Particular. Authentic Cuban dishes
are on the menu for dinner this evening at the local paladar La
Moraleja. (B,L,D)
DAY 4 I HAVANA After a buffet breakfast at your hotel, embark on a
guided walking tour of the pedestrian streets of Old Havana, a
UNESCO World Heritage Site. See the area’s famous four plazas,
engage with artists at the Graphic Arts Workshop, and enjoy the
insights of a local architect as he discusses Old Havana’s preservation
and continuous restoration processes. Next, visit the Maqueta Vieja
Habana Museum that houses the scale model of the City of Havana.
Then it’s on to the Orthodox Adath Israel Synagogue, the only
synagogue that houses a mikvah in Cuba, before venturing along to
Cuba’s only kosher butcher shop. Next, it’s time to take a break and
sample some typical Jewish-Cuban cuisine for lunch in the Garden of
Eden restaurant at the Hotel Raquel. Take note, the hotel’s interior
poignantly references Jewish culture through its biblically themed
paintings by contemporary Cuban artists. After, you will continue the
walking tour of Old Havana. The evening is yours to enjoy as you wish,
whether it’s discovering the local culture at a paladar or at a bar, club
or foot-tapping live jazz performance or the world-famous Tropicana
cabaret. (B,L)
DAY 5 I HAVANA Have breakfast at your hotel and then it’s off to
explore! Your morning adventure takes you to experience the area’s
local talent with a visit to a working cigar factory to see firsthand how
they grow, dry and prepare the tobacco before hand-rolling the famous
Cuban cigars. Today you will also discover the Sephardic Community
Center and Synagogue where you will participate in a cultural
exchange with members of the Sephardic community. Then, it’s lunch
at La Guarida, a local paladar, before a moving visit to the Jewish
Cemetery and Holocaust Memorial to the east of Havana. This evening
you will attend Friday night services at Temple Beth Shalom and take
part in a Friday night Kiddush and Shabbat dinner with members of
the local Jewish community. (B,L,D)
DAY 6 I HAVANA After breakfast, head off on a tour of the magnificent
Fine Arts Museum. As the day continues, you will visit the Hemingway
Museum which was Ernest Hemingway’s winter home from 1939 to
1960. You will see the authors 9,000 volume library as well as his
yacht, Pilar and the actual typewriter on which he wrote some of his
greatest works. We then savor lunch at Il Divino Paladar. After is a visit
to Finca Yoandra to take part in a cultural and educational exchange
about their sustainable agriculture outreach project. Late afternoon
return to your hotel and get ready for an evening of excitement and
entertainment featuring dinner and a Buena Vista Social Club show at
Habana Café. (B,L,D)
DAY 7 I HAVANA Following a buffet breakfast at the hotel, you will be
guided through El Patronato Jewish Community Center (Temple Beth
Shalom). Here you will have the opportunity to meet with the center’s
president, Adele Dworin, the Hadassah leadership and other
members. Take part in a tour of the library, pharmacy and Sunday
school (Cuban Jewish kids are as lively as Americans and Sunday
morning is a very active time at the Center). You will then enjoy lunch
at the colorfully decorated California Paladar and meet members of
their community project. Take your time to discover the unique finds
at Almacenes de San Jose, an open-air artisans’ crafts market. You
will have time for a quick rest at the hotel before our memorable
farewell dinner at Café Del Oriente. (B,L,D)
DAY 8 I HAVANA TO USA After breakfast, say “hasta pronto,” or “until
soon,” to Cuba before departing on your flight back home with a
lifetime of memories to share of your L’Chaim Cuba cultural travel
experience. (B)
(B) Breakfast, (L) Lunch, (Dinner)
Se8uence of itinerary may change depending on your day of arrival.
The
donations are gladly welcome: clothes, toys and crayons, etc. for the children,
supplies for the
INCLUDED FEATURES
• U.S. Department of the Treasury authorization under a “General
Support for the Cuban People License”
• Accommodations in Cuba in a Casa Particular (Upscale Private
Home-see images on our website)
• Round trip transfers from the airport to your Casa Particular
• Full Support for the Cuban People Cultural Exchange Program
• Fresh Bottled Water while touring
• 20 included meals consisting of: Breakfast daily, 7 lunches and 6
dinners with a cocktail and wine
• Professional English-speaking Cuban Guide
Not Included: Round trip airfare to Cuba, Visa for Cuba ($55 per
person), meals other than those mentioned in the itinerary, porterage,
tips and other items of a purely personal nature
*From Price is per person based on double occupancy in a Casa
Particular (Upscale Private Home)
For 5 to 7 people traveling together Prices from $1,889
FOR GROUP TRAVEL
We can offer this escorted program for larger groups under the
“People-to-People Program” License using the following hotel
accommodations. Call for details.
ACCOMMODATIONS (or similar)
City Nights Hotel
Cienfuegos 2 Jagua
Havana 5 Melia Cohiba