The Rough Guide to Cuba, 1st Edition (Rough Guides) [Paperback]

Fiona McAuslan (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 2000 | Series: Rough Guides

Providing coverage of Cuba's major urban centres, this guide presents lively accounts of destinations both on and off the beaten track and how to get there. Useful and unusual tips on Cuban slang, local customs and first-hand advice from a Cuban as well as tourist perspective are also included.

Editorial Reviews

Review

The freshest guide on the market. -- Anthony Sattin, Sunday Times, London, UK

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Where to go

No trip to Cuba would be complete without a visit to the potent capital city, Havana. A unique and personable mini-metropolis, characterized by a small-town atmosphere, its time-warped colonial core, Habana Vieja, is crammed with architectural splendours, some laced with Moorish traces and dating as far back as the sixteenth century. Elsewhere in the city there are handsome streets unspoilt by tawdry multinational chain stores and restaurants: with relatively little development since the revolution, the city retains many of its colonial mansions and numerous 1950s hallmarks.

The provinces to the immediate east and west of Havana, together with the capital itself, are where tourist attractions are most densely concentrated. Visited frequently by day-trippers from Havana, Pinar del R'o, the centre of nature tourism in Cuba, offers more than enough to sustain a longer stay. The most accessible resorts for walking are Las Terrazas and Soroa, focused around the subtropical, smooth-topped mountain ranges of the Sierra del Rosario and Sierra de los Organos, but it's the peculiar mogote hills of prehistoric Vi ales valley that attract most attention. Beyond, out of sight of the mountains, on a gnarled rod of land pointing out towards Mexico, there's unparalleled seclusion and outstanding scuba diving at Mar'a la Gorda.

There are beach resorts the length and breadth of the country but none is more complete than Varadero, the country's long-time premier holiday destination, two hours' drive east from Havana, in Matanzas province. Based on a highway of dazzling white sand, stretching almost the entire length of the 25-kilometre Pen'nsula de Hicacos, this is where most tourists come for the classic package- holiday experience. For the tried-and-tested combination of disco-nightlife, watersports, sunbathing and relaxing in all-inclusive hotels, there is nowhere better in Cuba. On the opposite side of the province, the Pen'nsula de Zapata, with its diversity of wildlife, organized excursions and mixture of hotels, offers a mlange of different possibilities. Across the eastern border from Matanzas into next-door Cienfuegos province, tourist attractions begin to appear less frequently. Travelling east of here, either on the autopista or the island-long Carretera Central, public transport links become weaker and worn-out yet picturesque towns take over from brochure- friendly tourist hot spots. There is, however, a concentration of tourist activity around the historically precious Trinidad, a small colonial city brimming with symbols of Cuba's past, which attracts coach parties and backpackers in equal numbers. If you're intending to spend more than a few days in the centre of the island, this is by far the best base, within short taxi rides of a small but well equipped beach resort, the Pen'nsula de Anc--n, and the Topes de Collantes hiking centre in the Sierra del Escambray. Slightly further afield are a few larger cities: sociable Santa Clara with its convivial main square and thronging crowds of students is the liveliest of the lot, whilst laid-back Cienfuegos, next to the placid waters of a sweeping bay, is sprinkled with colourful architecture, including a splendid nineteenth-century theatre. Further east, the workaday cities of Sancti Sp'ritus and Ciego de vila, both capitals of their namesake provinces, provide excellent stop-offs on a journey along the Carretera Central. Two of the most popular destinations in this part of the country are off the north coast of Ciego de vila province. With their reams of creamy white beaches and tranquil countryside, the luxurious resorts of Cayo Coco and Cayo Guillermo, on the secluded cays of the same name, are growing month by month.

Continuing eastwards into Camagey province, the smaller, rather remote resort of Santa Luc'a is a much promoted though less well equipped option for sun- seekers, while there's an excellent alternative north of here in tiny Cayo Sabinal, with long empty beaches and romantically rustic facilities. Back on the Carretera Central, the romantic and ramshackle city of Camagey, the most populous city in the central part of the island, is a sightseer's delight, with numerous churches and intriguing buildings, as well as a lively nightlife, while the amiable city of Holgu'n is the threshold to a province containing the biggest concentration of pre-Columbian sites in the country. Guardalavaca, on the northern coast of Holgu'n province, is one of the liveliest and most attractive resorts in the country, spread along a long and shady beach with ample opportunities for watersports.

While Guantnamo province, forming the far eastern tip of the island, is best known for its infamous US naval base, it is the jaunty seaside town of Baracoa that is the region's most enchanting spot. Isolated from the rest of the country by a high rib of mountains, the quirky town freckled with colonial houses and populated by friendly and hospitable locals is an unrivalled retreat, popular with long-term travellers.

With a sparkling coastline fretted with golden-sand beaches such as Chivirico, the undulating emerald mountains of the Sierra Maestra, made for trekking, and Santiago, the country's most vibrant and energetic city after Havana, Santiago de Cuba province, on the island's southeast coast, could make a holiday in itself. Host to the country's most exuberant carnival every July, when a deluge of loud, sweet and passionate sounds surge through the streets, it is testimony to the city's musical heritage that you can hear some of the best Cuban musicians here all year round. Trekkers and revolution enthusiasts will want to follow the Sierra Maestra as it snakes west of here along the south coast into Granma province, offering various revolutionary landmarks and nature trails.

Lying off the southwest coast of Havana province, the Isla de la Juventud is often overlooked despite its immense though low-key charms. Easily explored over a weekend, the island promises leisurely walks, some of the best diving in the country and a personable capital town in Nueva Gerona. In the same archipelago is luxurious and anodyne Cayo Largo, the only sizeable beach resort off the southern coastline of Cuba.

Product Details

• Paperback: 512 pages
• Publisher: Rough Guides; 1 edition (June 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1858285208
• ISBN-13: 978-1858285207
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,239,748 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars This is a VERY GOOD, and informative guide., March 20, 2001

By 

Allan M. Gathercoal "fdoamerica" (Norcross, GA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Rough Guide to Cuba, 1st Edition (Rough Guides) (Paperback)

This guide runs a very close second to Christopher Baker's Cuba: Moon Travel Handbook. It is extremely informative and the basic information section is one of the best.

The central part of the guide (accommodations, restaurants and sights) is one of the most accurate on the market (though McAuslan's comments are very terse). The maps were easy to use and above the average found in most other Cuban guides. This guide has one of the best bibliographies on Cuba found in a guide book today, but sadly lacks any mention of notable films that can be viewed to gain an appreciation of this country.

On the downside, the index DID NOT list hotels or restaurants and this required that you flip through the section until you find the listing you wanted (especially a hassle in Havana). There were NO email or Internet addresses to speak of (especially useful for the hotels) even though the published date is 2000. That is disappointing considering that almost every hotel listed in this book is, and have been using cyberspace for the past few years.

The strength of this guide, as with most Rough Guides, is its first hand knowledge that is geared for the budgeted adventure traveler. The selections that list accommodations and restaurants, included budget hostels and eateries that are often disregarded in other guides. A trademark to Rough Guides is the placement of the history, culture, people, etc. at the end of the guide instead of at the beginning.

Over all this is a VERY GOOD, and informative guide, that I strongly recommend. Only slightly better is "Cuba" by Christopher Baker's (Moon Travel Guides, [see review]) and just a notch behind is "Cuba" by David Stanley (Lonely Planet [see review]). Regardless, you will not go wrong with any of these three guides. Recommended

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Roughing it Caribbean style, October 9, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Rough Guide to Cuba, 1st Edition (Rough Guides) (Paperback)

Anyone who's travelled anywhere on a budget is no doubt familiar with the Rough Guide series, the definitive answer to what's hot and what's not in your destination of choice. This book is no exception. With carefully researched short pieces on Cuban history, music and culture in general, they provide an insight into what makes the place the diverse experience it is. Minus points awarded for organisation in the chapter on Havana, and one restaurant highly recommended did not, on personal experience, measure up. In general though the book made getting around easier and gave a good introduction to the place and the people. Reviews are kept to the point and accomodation listings usefully gave an indication of price and facilities. Worth the asking price..

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars getting old;check the web site, February 7, 2003

By 

Mary Bricker-Jenkins "mbj" (Philadelphia, PA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Rough Guide to Cuba, 1st Edition (Rough Guides) (Paperback)

I liked: size, weight, respectful attitude toward Cuban people & history.
Had problems with: incomplete & outdated info. Check their website before you go.