Things to do in Caribbean Islands
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Plaza Honorato
Formerly known as Plaza de Jesús, this tiny square was where the Spanish authorities once conducted grisly public hangings. Later on, it hosted a produce market, and scruffy peso stalls still line the small connecting lane to the east. The north side of the square is now occupied by the boutique hotel, Hostal del Rijo.
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Plaza la Vigía
Bar with food or restaurant with bar? It's hard to tell with this place but who cares when there's more ambience here than in most of the city center's food stops put together? The ornate interior is reminiscent of a Vienna coffeehouse: with its stained glass and intriguing old pictures of Matanzas together with its buzzing, plaza-fronting terrace, the ambience will absorb you far more than the hamburgers on offer. Cocktails aren't bad though and European beers are sometimes served. What next: coffee machines and table service?
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Portales a la Plaza
On the opposite side of the Plaza to El Louvre, this restaurant is sequestered in a colonial courtyard, which lends atmosphere as you tuck in to staples of the pork, banana and rice variety. Pay in pesos.
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Restaurante Café Cienfuegos
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Restaurante Criollo
Out near the hospital, this is an atmospheric restaurant with standard pork and chicken dishes in above-par surrounds. It abuts a vast patio which transforms into another top cabaret venue aftern the sun goes down.
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Restaurante el Curujey
If you're Cayo-bound from Remedios, this rustic ARTex place 3km out on the Caibarién road is a good bet. It's signposted 'Finca la Cabana' from the highway.
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Restaurante España
Readjust your Cuban food preconceptions before you walk into España, one of three new Moneda Nacional eating houses on the same street that specializes in seafood cooked with panache and – on occasion – fresh herbs. Try the lobster or tangy prawns, but bypass the Cuban wine which is almost undrinkable.
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Restaurante Hostal del Rijo
You could come here on a first date, so alluring is the quiet colonial ambience in this hotel's impressive central courtyard. Service is equally good, and there is a fine selection of desserts and coffee.
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Restaurante Mallorca
This is a fine, intimate venue renowned for its tasty paella. It's surprisingly spacious inside, with a well-stocked bar (a good South American wine selection) and generous servings/service.
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Restaurante Matamoros
Some interesting wall art, a couple of bolero-singing muchachas and a decent menu (if you're happy with chicken and pork) have breathed new life into this once-dingy joint on Plaza Dolores that celebrates the life and career of Cuba's greatest son exponents, the Trio Matamoros.
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Restaurante Río
Head here for fresh river and sea fish (one of the few places in Cuba where you can eat both). It's where the locals gather for good grub. You'll pay in pesos whether you opt for the langosta (lobster) or the signature paella dish. It has an outside terrace with a stereo blasting out the latest Cuban pop and an air-conditioned interior.
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Rumayor
The best food in Pinar del Río is probably found here at Rumayor, located 2km north of the town center, off the Carretera a Viñales. Justly famous for its succulent pollo ahumado (smoked chicken), you'll pay a little extra here (around CUC$10), but it is definitely worth it. This is one of Pinar's premier cabaret spots in the evening.
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San Cristóbal Agencia de Viajes
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Santiago Café
This is the Hotel Meliá Santiago de Cuba's slightly less spectacular version of the Tropicana, though the setting is appropriately upscale. Cabarets take place on Saturdays with a disco afterwards. It's on the hotel's 1st floor. Head up to the 15th floor for the exciting Bello Bar.
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Sculptures
Popularly called the 'city of sculptures' , Las Tunas' alfresco art is dotted around the city. In Plaza Martiana, opened in 1995 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of José Martí's death, you'll see an inventive bronze statue of the apostle by Rita Longa that also acts as a solar clock. Other notables include the Monumento al Trabajo,commemorating Cuban workers, and the pencil-like Monumento a Alfabetización, marking the act passed in Las Tunas on November 16, 1961 to stamp out illiteracy. You'll have to get out to Motel el Cornito to see the emblematic Janus-inspired Cacique Maniabo y Jibacoa, a two-headed Taíno chief looking in opposite directions. Back in town the…
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Sociedad Espeleológica de Cuba
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Sports Museum
South of the Moré statue, this little museum is largely devoted to local boxing hero, Julio González Valladores, who brought back a gold medal from the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.
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Statue of Benny Moré
Before you hit the Malecón, at the intersection of Av 54 and the Paseo del Prado, you can pay your respects to this life-sized likeness of the musician.
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Sucu Sucu
A joint with live music and theatre: there's a board out front with upcoming events. When nothing else is on, it serves as an intimate drinking spot.
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Taberna de Dolores
Atmospheric two-level, tavern-like restaurant on Plaza Dolores that trumps all local opposition with slick service, table-side troubadours and no-pretension Cuban food.
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Teatro Sauto
Across Plaza de la Vigía, Teatro Sauto is a national landmark and one of Cuba's premier theaters. Performances have been held here since 1863 and you might catch the Ballet Nacional de Cuba or the Conjunto Folklórico Nacional de Cuba. Performances are at 8:30pm with Sunday matinees at 3pm.
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Teatro Tomás Terry
As important as any of the above live-music venues is the versatile music program in the atmospheric courtyard of the theater. The theater building itself is worth a visit in its own right, but you'll really get to appreciate this architectural showpiece if you come for a concert or play; the box office is open 11am to 3pm daily and 90 minutes before show time.
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Tienda la Primada
Get in line for the good selection of groceries here.
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Tienda Terry
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Tivolí
Santiago's old French quarter was first settled by colonists from Haiti in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Set on a south-facing hillside overlooking the shimmering harbor, its red-tiled roofs and hidden patios are a tranquil haven these days, with old men pushing around dominoes and ebullient kids playing stickball amid pink splashes of bougainvillea. The century-old Padre Pico steps, cut into the steepest part of Calle Padre Pico, stand at the neighborhood's gateway.
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