PEDESTRIAN.TV has partnered with CommBank to help you beautiful people DreamFar. To do this, CommBank flew three people and their mates O/S to live out their most ambitious travel plans. One winner dreamt of learning the art of salsa in Cuba, so we made it happen. Keep reading to find out Cuba’s best bits for your own plans, before heading HERE to learn how CommBank’s helping Aussies Dreamfar.
Cuba‘s one of those ~enigmatic~ countries high on all of our travel bucket lists. Why? Well, aside from Bey ‘n Jay Z‘s venture to the nation pre-Lemonade in 2013 (further cementing its “this is the coolest place in the world” status), Cuba’s pretty much been untouched by time.
Photo: Beyonce / Tumblr.
Being untouched by time is, y’know, not too shabby in our opinion.
P.TV‘s Senior Projects Manager Lucy Curtin visited the locale to help Anne-Marie and mate Maddison – lucky winners of CommBank‘s DreamFar competition – fulfil their dream of learning how to salsa like a pro. Using Instagram, Anne-Marie uploaded her pic using the DreamFar hashtag and its creative approach caught the eye of CommBank. Watch the video below to get a glimpse of what all three winners got up to across the world:
Keep your eyes peeled over the next few weeks to see more of each winner’s global experiences.
Before we get stuck into what to see / do / eat, here’s what you need to know:
Internet access is VERY limited. Typically, you can only have a gander at your socials through old school, cable-to-computer access. To even do that, you’ll need to go to Etecsa (a service provider) and buy an internet card. Each card will get you one hour’s worth of cyberstalking time.
You’ll be able to get some connection on your phone in major cities, but usually only from your hotel / a park with a strong connection. It ain’t strange to see clumps of people in parks waving their phones in the sky to try and cop some service (as Lucy had to get the below ‘Gram up while there).
Lastly, if you’re planning on rubbing your awesome sauce trip in your friends’ faces, then we’re sorry to tell you Snapchat legit doesn’t exist in Cuba. #Devo.
HAVANA
Photo: Nikada / Getty.
Havana is a must. It’s Cuba’s capital and one of the oldest cities in the world. It’s so full of culture and history, and literally like walking into a time-warp.
There’s a grand piano in most bars with a legit master pianist taking requests (‘Clair de Lune’, don’t mind if we do) and there’s music everywhere. It’s so ingrained in Cuban culture, you can’t walk into a bar without there being salsa musicians and singers.
WHERE TO EAT ‘N DRINK
BAR / CLUB – FLORIDITA
MORE INFO: HERE.
Floridita was Ernest Hemingway‘s hangout in Cuba and the daiquiris here are off the chain. The bar is packed with people every hour that it’s open. Pull up a seat at the bar, order some croquettes, a plate of cured meats and you are literally in Havana heaven.
RESTAURANT – PRADO Y NEPTUNO
MORE INFO: HERE.
Photo: Prado Y Neptuno.
RESTAURANT – LA GUARIDA
MORE INFO: HERE.
Photo: La Guarida.
RESTAURANT – CAFE PARIS
MORE INFO: HERE.
Photo: Cafe Paris.
WHAT TO DO ‘N SEE
CULTURAL DISTRICT – OLD HAVANA
MORE INFO: HERE.
Photo: Anadolu Agency / Getty.
Old Havana is full of treasures. To get the best experience, it’s worth getting in touch with Raul and Abel at Suite Cuba (HERE) who can hook you up with accommodation, cars and walking tours.
It’s a must to ride in a 50’s car while you’re there and it’s so, so easy to do. Literally walk outside Hotel Plaza in Old Havana and you’ll have 50 people mob you to try and get you a taxi. It’s also worth having a ride in a Coconut – the local taxi that, well, looks like a coconut.
SALSA CLASSES – LA CASA DEL SON
MORE INFO: HERE.
YOU MUST DO SALSA IN CUBA, and you must do it properly with lessons at La Casa Del Son. Situated in Old Havana, La Casa Del Son has some of the best salsa teachers on that side of the sun. It’s packed with people every day trying their best to look good while actually looking like a fool (in comparison to the real Cuban salsa masters, who’re insane).
Head in there and talk to Ray. He’ll hook you up with either a group lesson or a private if you want to splash the cash (it’s $25 for 2 hours so we reckon your wallet can handle it). If you’re lucky you’ll get to learn with Michel or Joseline, world-famous salsa instructors and awesome people.
CULTURAL DISTRICT – FABRICA DE ARTE CUBANO
MORE INFO: HERE.
Photo: TripAdvisor.
If you’re missing your home comforts and are in the market for something that’s pretty progressive (for Old Cuba’s standards, at least) then head to Fabrica de Arte Cubano. This is an old, convereted warehouse space that’s a mix of bars, art galleries, movie theatres, dance floors and the best looking people in town. Seriously, too many knock-outs to function.
WHERE TO REST YO’ HEAD
HOTEL – HOTEL NACIONAL
MORE INFO: HERE.
Photo: Roberto Machado Noa / Getty.
HOMESTAY – AIRBNB
MORE INFO: HERE.
People in Cuba literally rent out rooms to holiday-makers as a side hustle. Being a communist country, you’ll notice that people are willing to help foreigners with anything as long as they be making that paper. This is good and bad – good ’cause you can stay in someone’s house, bad ’cause sometimes you might want those hotel comforts. That being said, hotels are very expensive in Cuba and homestays give you more of an authentic experience.
HOTEL – HOTEL FLORIDA
MORE INFO: HERE.
Photo: Nigel Hunt / Hotel Florida.
TRINIDAD
Photo: Manoa / Getty.
Trinidad is on the other side of the island and well worth the journey. Grab a driver in an old school car and make your way across the island to this heritage-listed town that couldn’t disappoint you if it tried. Try and take a bad photo here… you actually can’t.
If you do head there, you need to get in touch with Maria Munoz. She’s the town planner and an architect by trade, but also runs TrinidadRent which can help you with everything you need – where to stay, eat, listen to music, etc – she is your lady.
You can check out TrinidadRent by heading HERE.
Trinidad is Cuba’s best looking city by far. Full of colour and light, it’s a heritage listed town so nothing has been changed since the 18th century. At night, everyone gathers near Plaza Mayor to sit at the steps, listen to local music and enjoy local food and drinks.
WHERE TO EAT ‘N DRINK
RESTAURANT – SOL Y SON
MORE INFO: HERE.
Photo: TripAdvisor.
“If you want to meet some great local musicians, head to Sol y Son. It’s THE spot for food and music.”
RESTAURANT – CAFE TUTTI
MORE INFO: HERE.
YOU MUST GO TO CAFE TUTTI. It’s one of the best bars we’ve ever been too, and if we could replicate it in Sydney then we would in a heartbeat. You can get simple food and some very nice drinks – they’ll even let you plug your iPhone in to charge as you slide up to the bar order a mojito. You can also get real, fresh-rolled Cuban cigars there, so there’s that too.
WHERE TO REST YO’ HEAD
As you can see, y’all should strongly consider Cuba for your next O/S adventure. We reckon London and Canada are worth venturing to as well, having just visited ’em with some lucky competition winners.
In an effort to get you guys to DreamFar, we partnered with our pals at CommBank to help three people (+ their mates) live out their travel dreams. Keep your eyes peeled over the next few weeks to see what they got up to.
Trailer Music: ‘Side Step’ / The Sticks.
Photo: Michal Krakowiak / Getty.
