Entertainment in Caribbean Islands
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A
Café Literario del 'G'
If Havana has a proverbial Left Bank, this is it: a laid-back student hangout full of arty wall scribblings and coffee-quaffing intellectuals discussing the merits of Guillén over Lorca. Relax in the airy front patio among the green plants and dusty books and magazines (available to read, lend and buy), and keep an ear out for one of the regular trova (traditional music), jazz and poetry presentations.
reviewed
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B
Disco Ayala
It might not be the first time you've gone jiving in a cave, but this surreal place up by the Ermita Popa church beats all others for atmosphere. While it's mainly a place to go dancing in the semi-darkness after as many mojitos as you care to sink, this disco also puts on a decent cabaret show. To get there follow Calle Simón Bolívar from Plaza Mayor up to the Ermita de Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria de la Popa. The disco is 100m further along on your left.
reviewed
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C
La Bodeguita del Medio
Made famous thanks to the rum-swilling exploits of Ernest Hemingway (who by association instantly sends the prices soaring), this is Havana's most celebrated bar. A visit here has become de rigueur for tourists who haven't yet cottoned on to the fact that the mojitos are better and (far) cheaper elsewhere. Past visitors have included Salvador Allende, Fidel Castro, Nicolás Guillén, Harry Belafonte and Nat King Cole, all of whom have left their autographs on La Bodeguita's wall – along with thousands of others (save for the big names, the walls are repainted every few months). These days the clientele is less luminous, with package tourists from Varadero outnumbering…
reviewed
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D
El Floridita
Promoting itself as the 'cradle of the daiquirí,' El Floridita was a favorite of expat Americans long before Ernest Hemingway dropped by in the 1930s (hence the name, which means 'little Florida'). A bartender named Constante Ribalaigua invented the daiquirí soon after WWI, but it was Hemingway who popularized it, and ultimately the bar christened a drink in his honor: the Papa Hemingway Special (basically, a daiquirí made with grapefruit juice). His record – legend has it – was 13 doubles in one sitting. Any attempt to equal it at the current prices (CUC$7 and up for a shot) will cost you a small fortune – and a huge hangover.
reviewed
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E
Museo del Chocolate
Chocolate addicts beware, this quirky place in the heart of Habana Vieja is a lethal dose of chocolate, truffles and yet more chocolate (all made on the premises). Situated – with no irony intended – in Calle Amargura (literally: Bitterness Street), the sweet-toothed establishment is more a cafe than a museum, with a small cluster of marble tables set amid a sugary mélange of chocolate paraphernalia. Not surprisingly, everything on the menu contains one all-pervading ingredient: have it hot, cold, white, dark, rich or smooth – the stuff is divine, whichever way you choose.
reviewed
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F
Tropicana Nightclub
A city institution since it opened in 1939, the world-famous Tropicana was one of the few bastions of Havana's Las Vegas-style nightlife to survive the clampdowns of the puritanical Castro Revolution. Immortalized in Graham Greene's 1958 classic Our Man in Havana, this open-air cabaret show is little changed since its '50s heyday, featuring a bevy of scantily clad señoritas who climb nightly down from the palm trees to dance Latin salsa amid colorful flashing lights on stage. Tickets go for a slightly less than socialistic CUC$70.
reviewed
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G
Club Mejunje
Set in the ruins of a roofless building given over to sprouting greenery, Club Mejunje is Havana-hip and more. Among its plethora of nighttime attractions is Cuba's only official drag show every Saturday night – a must-see! Other items on an eclectic entertainment menu include regular trova, bolero and son concerts, children's theater and disco nights. If you've only got one night, this is the place. On weekday afternoons there is some form of dancing, usually salsa.
reviewed
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H
Casa de la Trova
Nearly 40 years after its initial incarnation, Santiago's shrine to the power of traditional music is still going strong and continuing to attract big names such as Buena Vista Social Club singer Eliades Ochoa. Warming up on the ground floor in the late afternoon, the action slowly gravitates upstairs where, come 10pm, everything starts to get a shade more caliente. Arrive with a good pair of shoes and prepare to be – quite literally – whisked off your feet.
reviewed
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I
Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville
This corporate franchise has turned getting drunk into big business. As with its counterparts in Montego Bay and Negril, the music is too loud and the drinks are too expensive, but some people find the orchestrated good-time vibe to be irresistible. The menu aims for the lowest common denominator with selections including the artery-clogging ‘Cheeseburger in Paradise’ and Caesar salads, pizzas and sandwiches.
reviewed
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J
La Casa de la Música Centro Habana
One of Cuba's best and most popular (check the queues) nightclubs and live-music venues. All the big names play here, from Bamboleo to Los Van Van – and you'll pay peanuts to see them. Of the city's two Casas de la Música, this Centro Habana version is a little edgier than its Miramar counterpart (some have complained it's too edgy), with big salsa bands and little space. Price varies depending on the band.
reviewed
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Caribbean Coffee & Tea
Tucked into Plaza Andalucia, a small strip mall, this café is popular with a young upscale crowd from the surrounding Los Angeles–like neighborhood. While there’s nothing to see other than a busy intersection, sitting at one of the outdoor tables sipping a cappuccino (US$2) or tea (US$1.50) is a pleasant way to while away an afternoon. Wraps (US$10), paninis (US$7) and salads (US$6) are also available.
reviewed
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K
Café de las Infusiones
Wedged into Calle Mercaderes, this recently restored Habaguanex coffee house is a caffeine addict's heaven; it boasts a wonderful resident pianist, too. It's fancier than your average Cuban coffee bar and more comprehensive than the Escorial. You can order more than a dozen different cuppas here, including Irish coffee, punch coffee, mocha and cappuccino.
reviewed
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L
Club Mambo
Cuba's 1950s mambo craze lives on at this quality live music venue – arguably one of Varadero's hippest and best. Situated next to Club Amigo Varadero in the eastern part of town, the CUC$10 entry includes all your drinks. A DJ spins when the band takes a break, but this place is all about live music. There's a pool table if you don't feel like dancing.
reviewed
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M
Estadio de Béisbol Guillermón Moncada
This stadium is on the northeastern side of town within walking distance of the main hotels. During the baseball season, from October to April, there are games at 7:30pm Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday, and 1:30pm Sunday (one peso). The Avispas (Wasps) are the main rivals of Havana's Industriales with National Series victories in 2005, 2007 and 2008. Cubanacán runs trips to Avispa games with a visit to the dressing room afterwards to meet the players.
reviewed
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N
Casa de las Tradiciones
The most discovered 'undiscovered' spot in Santiago still retains its smoke-filled, foot-stomping, front-room feel. Hidden in the gentile Tivolí district, some of Santiago de Cuba's most exciting ensembles, singers and soloists take turns improvising. Friday nights are reserved for straight-up, classic trova, à la Ñico Saquito and the like.
reviewed
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O
Cabaret Las Vegas
Don't get duped into thinking this is another Tropicana. On the contrary, Cabaret Las Vegas is a rough and seedy local music dive (with a midnight show) where a little rum and a lot of No moleste, por favor will help you withstand the overzealous entreaties of the hordes of haranguing jineteras.
reviewed
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P
Estadio José R Cepero
October to April, baseball games take place to the northwest of the center. Ciego's Tigres (Tigers) aren't as fierce as their name suggests and rarely qualify for the play-offs.
reviewed
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Q
Patio ARTex
Art lines the walls of this shop-and-club combo that hosts live music both day and night in a quaint inner courtyard; a good bet if the Casa de la Trova is full, or too frenetic.
reviewed
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R
Casa de la Música
Aping its two popular Havana namesakes, this place has some quality live acts and a definitive Cuban feel. It's in town and attracts a local crowd who pay in pesos.
reviewed
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S
El Chevere
One of Habana’s most popular discos, this alfresco place in a lush park gets local tongues wagging, and hosts a good mix of Cubans and tourists.
reviewed
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T
Casa de la Música
Similar to the venues in Havana, this Casa de la Música features a mix of live salsa and taped disco and is usually a cracking night out.
reviewed
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U
Teatro Nacional de Cuba
One of the twin pillars of Havana's cultural life, the Teatro Nacional de Cuba on Plaza de la Revolución is the modern rival to the Gran Teatro in Centro Habana. Built in the 1950s as part of Jean Forestier's grand city expansion, the complex hosts landmark concerts, foreign theater troupes, La Colmenita children's company and the Ballet Nacional de Cuba. The main hall, Sala Avellaneda, stages big events such as musical concerts or plays by Shakespeare, while the smaller Sala Covarrubias along the back side puts on a more daring program (the seating capacity of the two salas combined is 3300). The 9th floor is a rehearsal and performance space where the newest, most…
reviewed
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V
Calypso Tropical Café
Wall-to-wall suntans, svelte girls in bikini tops, bare-chested blokes nursing cold beers, and syncopated reggae music drifting out beneath the sun-dappled palm trees; the Calypso is everything you’d expect a beachside surfers’ bar to be – and perhaps a little more. All that’s missing is a prepsychedelic-era Brian Wilson propping up the jukebox (then again, Brian never could surf). On the ocean side of the leafy road to the lighthouse, Calypso hosts the oldest pub scene in Rincón and regularly books live bands to cover rock, reggae and calypso classics. Not surprisingly, it’s a microcosm of the region at large and the place to go to find out about surf gossip,…
reviewed
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W
Wet & Liquid
Here they are, the beautiful people, perched on zebra-striped stools or lounging on strategically positioned sofas, martinis in hand. The buffed body-builders, the fashionistas, the 20-something wannabe actresses corseted into tight black dresses. Popularly considered to be two of San Juan’s most esteemed watering holes, Wet and Liquid comprise two separate bars situated in Isla Verde’s Water & Beach Club. Liquid dominates the ground floor, Wet inhabits the roof. Interconnected by a space-age elevator that is decorated rather surreally with its own water feature, this is where San Juan’s well-heeled and the well-endowed come to swap email addresses. The real glitterati…
reviewed
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X
Patio de María
Rather unique in Cuba for a number of reasons, the Patio de María, near the Teatro Nacional de Cuba, is a nexus point for Havana’s burgeoning counterculture hosting everything from rock music to poetry readings. Run by María Gattorno, the venue has received heavy media coverage in Cuba and abroad, partly due to Gattorno’s AIDS and drug-prevention educational work. You can catch all kinds of entertainment here from videos and debates to workshops and theater, but the real deal are the rock nights (to canned music) that take off most weekends. Check the cartelera posted at the door or head to Parque de los Rockeros (Calles 23 and G) to find out what’s happening.
reviewed