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Hi Elaine,
Thanks for the questions. I have some answers for you.
- As for seafood, I recently gave a pretty good answer at this link (https://bestcubaguide.com/forums/topic/questions-about-havana/#post-14970). Basically, seafood is expensive in Havana, and Cuba in general. It’s because, despite being an island surrounded by tons of fish, there is no real supply chain to get the seafood from the water into restaurants. Most of the fisherman are independent and just fish by casting lines off the Havana seawall. Large fishing boats are not legal. Basically, if you want fresh fish, you have to know a fisherman. But there are some restaurants, as outlined in the above link which have contracts with local fishermen and get fish and lobsters daily. But as mentioned before, they are expensive. If you are staying in Playas del Este, there are more fisherman in that area and many casa owners can organize to cook you a lobster dinner for about 12cuc per person. But you would have to directly ask the casa owners. Also, sometimes if you are just walking around Playas del este, you will be approached by people offering to cook you a lobster dinner (if you look like a tourist). It will always be about 12cuc per person, but generally the meals are good. In a nutshell, for good seafood, either you go to a good restaurant and pay up, or you get lucky and your casa owner or a local just offer to make you some lobster… and you pay up. Honestly, i don’t think you will have problems finding seafood. If you tell a casa owner that you want seafood, they will get the word out and bring you some offers.
- A few of the best dance/music places are: Club 1830. It is very popular and located on the Malecon. They have salsa nights where you can dance outside just beside the ocean. It’s a bit upscale and you will find tourists there. But it’s popular with locals too. Also, the most popular place for live music is currently Club El Diablo Tun Tun. Go to it on a Thursday at about 6pm and the place will be packed with people and there will be live music. It’s a locals place but tourists have learned about it. The most popular day is Thursday and the shows start at about 6pm. Another great place is Casa de la Musica. They have live shows there. There are usually matinees starting at 5pm and late shows starting at 10pm. You would have to pass in front and check the marquee for details.
- For the Hershey train, I have some more info at this link : https://bestcubaguide.com/how-to-take-the-electric-hershey-train-in-havana-cuba/ I will be honest, and I mentioned this in the book. The train is a mess. Some days it does not come at all. And once you are in the town of Hershey, there is no guarantee that it will come back as scheduled to pick you up. Always have a bit of cash on you in case you have to use a taxi to get back to Havana. As long as you intend to use the train for fun, and have an open mind, it will be a fun adventure. If you wanted to use the train for actual travel and hope to get to a place and back on a schedule, it would be a disaster. In the post I linked to above, I show a photo of the train schedule the last time I was at the station. Here is the image again…
As you can see the schedule is just hand written. They change it sometimes. According to this schedule, it is as you say…. “it shows the 12.20pm dep from Havana arrives at the Hershey stop at 1.55pm. The departures from Hershey show at 1.55pm or at 6.10pm which would mean either staying for no time at all or waiting for 4 hours.” You are not missing anything… That’s just how the train is. In fact, that’s how Cuba is in general. haha. And remember.. that’s if the train actually comes.. Anyway, perhaps now the schedule is different. Perhaps somebody has improved the schedule so that it can actually be useful. But i doubt it. And if you want to know “what can i do in Hershey for 4 hours?” well… there is not a whole lot to do. It’s a cute little town and it’s off the beaten track. And if you have the stamina to walk around and explore then it will be fun. It’s a farm town and the people are very nice. But 4 hours is a lot of time, especially on a very hot day. Last time I was there, there was road work on the highway and traffic was being diverted through the town. It was a zoo. I am not sure if this has changed since. Apparently they are repairing a bridge in the area and it is a long term project.
Anyway, as long as you keep an open mind, Cuba will be a fun adventure. I am sure you will have a great time. If you have more questions, just ask me.
take care,
Mario
If it was me, I would choose plan A.
If I understand, you are from NYC or near NYC. Or at the very least, you are American. You probably know what a big city looks like. Havana is a big city. There are no skyscrapers and large parts of the city are in ruins, but nevertheless, there is a big city atmosphere. The locals are rougher and blunter than people in small cities. Walking down Obispo street in Old Havana (the main tourist shopping and browsing street in Havana) you might be reminded of walking down Canal Street in NYC. Havana has a lot of culture and it certainly is a fun place, especially if you are willing to get away from the tourist areas and get out of your comfort zone. But will you really do that? With limited time it will be harder.
With plan A, you have a much more relaxed experience. You breathe fresh air. You meet down to earth locals. You can go horseback riding in Trinidad. Bathe in clean lakes. Hike up the mountains. Playa Ancon is pretty good and the water should be warm enough even in October. To be honest, Trinidad is not really a city I like so much because it is filled with many tourists and the prices have shot up a lot. But still, it is a perfect place to walk around and see a mostly authentic Cuban lifestyle. And the town is big enough that you can walk away from the center, less then half a mile, and you won’t find another tourist in sight.
Also to consider, a small but popular town like Trinidad will be changing a lot faster than a big city like Havana. In a few years, Trinidad will be an even bigger tourist mecca and will have transformed a lot. A city like Havana is already a tourist hot spot, and although it will change in the future, I don’t think you will miss much by not seeing it on this trip.
In the end, whichever itinerary you choose, you will most likely want to come back to Cuba in the near future. It’s not like this is your first and last trip so you have to see everything.
Also, you asked about possibly getting a bus from Havana to Santa Clara. The main bus line in Cuba is called Viazul and their website is Viazul.com. I have attached below the schedule for the Havana to Santa Clara route. It might not be ideal, given your departure time. Either route on the left hand side would get you to Santa Clara, but the times are not so great. For example, the first bus leaves Havana at 9:30am and arrives in Santa Clara at 2pm. It’s 4.5 hours, vs only 3 hours by taxi. You will have just enough time to get to the airport for your departure flight. There is also the 6:30am bus. That is a bit quicker since it leaves before rush hour. But it requires waking up very early. You have to arrive at the bus station 30 minutes before departure to confirm your travel and check your luggage.
The bus takes a lot longer because it is generally slower and makes many stops along the way at each little town. A taxi is far more expensive, but is faster. If you plan on taking the bus, then you should reserve ahead of time. These buses get packed up fast. You can try reserving on Vaizul.com. I am not sure if Americans can use the website. If not, then you should go to the bus station and make the required reservations directly, as soon as you arrive in Cuba.
