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Tim Pile

The Good
Cuba is the largest island in the Caribbean. It’s also the least expensive. Besides low-cost living, tourists are drawn by perfect winter weather and more than 300 white sandy beaches lapped by turquoise seas.
Highlights include the dramatic karst landscapes of Viñales Valley, Spanish colonial towns such as Trinidad and the capital city itself. Havana belongs in another era, with its vintage American cars, art deco architecture and lack of violent crime.

Publisher Lonely Planet compares levels of personal safety in Cuba favourably with other parts of the Caribbean: “There is almost no gun crime, violent robbery, organised gang culture, teenage delin­quency, drugs or dangerous no-go zones.” If a local comes at you holding a machete, he’s probably about to split open a coconut for you.
Forget the Hemingway trail – dine like locals at Havana’s hidden gems
Finding somewhere to stay is straightforward enough. Casas particulares are B&B-style private homestays that offer tourists an authentic experience and provide locals with much-needed income – Cuba was Airbnb’s fastest growing market in 2016.

Four million people visited the country in the first nine months of 2017, making tourism the largest source of foreign currency after sugar. (The island was once the world’s leading producer of the sweet stuff and kept the Soviet block supplied throughout the cold war.) Premium hand-rolled cigars are another lucrative export; so much so that president John F. Kennedy bought 1,200 of Cuba’s finest just before he authorised the United States trade embargo, in 1962.
When he wasn’t daring the American president to blink during the Bay of Pigs invasion and the Cuban missile crisis, revolutionary leader Fidel Castro enjoyed listening to the Beatles. In fact, the former prime minister was such a fan that he commissioned a bronze statue of John Lennon.

It’s located in a city park named after the singer-songwriter. A 10-minute taxi ride away is El Barrio Chino, Havana’s Chinatown, where Lunar New Year is celebrated with parades and dragon dances. Cuba is also famous for dancing of a different kind – the island is the birthplace of the bolero, mambo and cha cha cha. Classes rarely cost more than US$10.
Cuba’s first five-star hotel opens in the heart of old Havana
At sunset, head along to El Malecón, the promenade and sea wall where locals and tourists congregate, then stroll over to La Bodeguita del Medio for a mojito – the cocktails served at the iconic bar were good enough for former resident Ernest Hemingway. The great American author kept a fishing boat in nearby Cojimar, the village being the inspiration for his novel The Old Man and the Sea (1952).

Hemingway wrote Castro favourite For Whom the Bell Tolls (1940) while living at the Hotel Ambos Mundos, in Havana. Room 511 is now a museum dedicated to the writer.
What makes a Havana mojito so special, and how Hong Kong’s best mojitos compare
Cuba takes schooling and health care seriously. Accord­ing to the World Bank, the communist nation boasts the highest investment in education worldwide, with a much-envied 99.8 per cent literacy rate. The island also has one of the highest doctor-to-patient ratios worldwide and even exports medical personnel to countries such as Venezuela, as part of the Oil for Doctors programme.
The Bad
After a short-lived period of relative accessibility in 2016, Cuba is once again difficult to enter for individual US tourists. Presi­dent Barack Obama’s easing of travel restrictions was recently rolled back and visits must now be part of an organised tour. And in a nod to the Cuban émigré community in Florida, the Trump admini­stration has tightened the economic embar­go by banning Americans from certain hotels and businesses with ties to the military.
Omi­nously, the current US president was recently quoted as saying, “We’ll get Cuba straightened out.”
Mind you, he also said, “They support me very strongly,” so who knows what to believe.

For non-Americans, unhindered by the restrictions, January and February are good months to visit, weather wise. Just don’t expect things to function as efficiently as they do in Hong Kong. Drinking tap water is something of a lottery – there have been outbreaks of cholera in recent years. And that laid-back Caribbean approach to life that we all yearn to emulate is a lot less attractive when you’re waiting (and waiting) beside the baggage carousel at Havana’s José Martí International Airport.
Before it's too late: Hong Kong author documents Chinese in Cuba
Like much of the cash-strapped capital, buildings in the Chinatown district have a faded, mildewing appearance. Pastel paint peels back to crumbling brickwork, lop­sided balconies sag precariously and some­thing is definitely missing. As one under­whelmed TripAdvisor reviewer noted, “Must be the only Chinatown in the world with no Chinese inhabitants.” Most fled when Castro nation­al­ised businesses in 1959 but, if you scour the backstreets, you’ll find one or two Chinese restaurants, although menus are likely to feature Cuban or Italian dishes, too.

Disappointed visitors wanting to post disparaging online comments should wait until they get home as internet access is patchy and connection speeds can be painfully slow.
Violent crime is indeed rare but petty crime is discouragingly common. Pick­pocket­ing and bag snatching are on the increase and currency scams arise because there are two forms of legal tender, valued at significantly different rates to the US dollar. Familiarise yourself with the bank­notes and check carefully when exchanging money, paying a bill or collecting change. There’s no choice but to carry plenty of cash – credit cards aren’t widely accepted.

Cuba’s health care system is excellent but it needs to be. More than 80 per cent of food is imported and although calorie intake is high, diets are nutritionally poor. Obesity and diabetes are the fastest-grow­ing causes of visits to clinics and hospitals.
Sample a mojito at La Bodeguita del Medio but be careful if you order a rum and coke with lime, which is known as a “Cuba Libre” just about everywhere except … Cuba. And the mixer is unlikely to be Coca-Cola – Cuba is one of only two countries (along with North Korea) where the sugary soft drink cannot be legally bought or sold.


The Ugly
Adding to the nation’s woes, Hurricane Irma roared ashore in September causing flooding, power outages and shortages of cooking gas and drinking water. Crops and livestock were decimated and thousands of homes were severely damaged, including many in Hemingway’s former seaside bolt-hole, Cojimar.


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The good, bad and ugly sides to Cuba for tourists

Low-cost living, stunning scenery and a Chinatown – albeit devoid of one key ingredient – are among the attractions that reward visitors to the largest island in the Caribbean

A weather-beaten house front on the Malecon in Havana. Picture: Alamy

DYNB2B Fog rolling over rural valley, Vinales, Pinar del Rio, Cuba

HEW6H6 An elderly woman works on traditional manufacture of cigars at the cuban tobacco factory, Cuba

BX6JGM Ernest Hemingway's room, Hotel Ambos Mundos, Habana Vieja (Old Town), UNESCO World Heritage Site, Havana, Cuba, West Indies

HWGNDJ Cuba, Cojimar, young people seated in the seaside promenade in front of a colonial fort, in this village once frequented by Hemingway

K7AW61 A man throws debris from the ruins of his house in the town of Cojimar, in Havana, Cuba, almost a week after passage of Hurricane Irma, on 15 September 2017. More than 26,000 Cubans out of the 1.7 million evacuated during Hurricane Irma on the island last weekend have not yet been able to return to their homes and remain in shelters or in homes of relatives, officials said. EFE/Alejandro Ernesto

EYY691 Aerial view of Havana cityscape, Havana, Cuba

KJ08RC Chinatown, Havana, Cuba

KJ82NR La Bodeguita Del Medio famous bar in Old Havana, Cuba

Young boys and girls walking by the wall of El Malecon in the Cuban capital, Havana.

What makes a Havana mojito so special, and how Hong Kong’s best mojitos compare 

Grand Hyatt's Champagne Bar manager James Sandberg makes a Mojito Royale. Photos: Jonathan Wong

Grand Hyatt's Champagne Bar manager James Sandberg making a Mojito Royale. 06APR16 [FOOD SECTION] SCMP/Jonathan Wong

August 1993, Havana, Cuba --- La Bodeguita del Medio bar in Havana. --- Image by © Stephane Frances/Sygma/Corbis [DRINKS COLUMN]

24 Nov 2006, Havana, Cuba --- Ernest Hemingway signature in frame, La Bodeguita del Medio, Calle Empedrado, Havana, La Habana, Cuba --- Image by © Melvyn Longhurst/Corbis [DRINKS COLUMN]

Grand Hyatt's Champagne Bar manager James Sandberg's passion fruit mojito. 06APR16 [FOOD SECTION] SCMP/Jonathan Wong

Before it's too late: Hong Kong author documents Chinese in Cuba

A vintage car parked outside the Beijing Bar in Havana's Chinatown. Photo: Reuters

 Chinese in Havana dressed in traditional opera costumes for Lunar New Year celebrations.

Louie (left) and friends stand in front of a vintage taxi in Havana. 

Louie has learned Spanish and fallen in love with Cuba during his research.

Louie's father, Julio Luis (right), and grandfather José Luis.

A store in Havana where Cubans can buy basic goods using ration books. 

Havana's international airport. Change is likely to come to the island with the relaxation of US trade restrictions. Photo:  Reuters

Waitresses outside a restaurant in Havana's Chinatown. Photo: Reuters

Cuba’s first five-star hotel opens in the heart of old Havana

Tourists walk near the Manzana Kempinski Hotel, the first luxury five star plus tourist facility in Cuba. Photo: AFP

Cubans visit the shops in the Manzana Kempinski Hotel, the first luxury five star plus tourist facility in Cuba, on May 22, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / YAMIL LAGE

A purse shop window in the Manzana Kempinski Hotel, the first luxury five star plus tourist facility in Cuba, on May 22, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / YAMIL LAGE

Forget the Hemingway trail – dine like locals at Havana’s hidden gems

Food rationing persists in Cuba’s capital, and most places can’t offer exceptional cuisine, but adventurous visitors can find plenty to write home about, including shrimp, pork and rice dishes to keep Hongkongers happy

Restaurant sign at Mimosa in Havana's Chinatown. Photo : Chris DWYER [FEATURE] 06FEB16

Exterior of El Dandy restaurant Havana. Photo : Chris DWYER [FEATURE] 06FEB16

Malanga Taro fritters at La Makina Restaurant Havana. Photo : Chris DWYER [FEATURE] 06FEB16

Ropa Vieja, national dish of shredded pork at La Makina Restaurant Havana. Photo : Chris DWYER [FEATURE] 06FEB16

El Loco Loco restaurant prawns and moros y cristianos in Havana. Photo : Chris DWYER [FEATURE] 06FEB16

Interior of Casa Miglis restaurant Havana. Photo : Chris DWYER [FEATURE] 06FEB16

Restaurant sign of Casa Miglis, Havana. Photo : Chris DWYER [FEATURE] 06FEB16

Interior of state run supermarket in Havana. Photo : Chris DWYER [FEATURE] 06FEB16

Havana’s Paseo de Marti is one many cinematic boulevard’s in the Cuban capital. Photo: Chris Dwyer

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Low-cost living, stunning scenery and a Chinatown – albeit devoid of one key ingredient – are among the attractions that reward visitors to the largest island in the Caribbean


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