CUBA
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Experience Havana and its surrounds on an engaging, private journey, with full days spent making meaningful people-to-people connections that reveal the spirit of this culture-rich island nation and those who embody its vibrant spirit.
A&K Advantages
A&K Advantages
- Experience Cuba with family and friends during a private, people-to-people departure with expert insight from a local guide and a dedicated A&K Program Director
- Immerse yourself in Cuban culture, exploring its architecture, agriculture, music and dining during intimate, one-on-one experiences with residents
- Engage in a stimulating discussion of the history of U.S.-Cuba relations with a former Cuban Foreign Services Scholar in Havana
- Join a local architect for an educational walk through Havana, discussing its historic styles, ongoing restoration efforts and their impact on the community
- Private journey
Days: 7 | From: $10,795
Itinerary
Day 1: Arrive Miami, Florida
Arrive at Miami International Airport, where you are met and transferred to your hotel. Meet your accompanying Abercrombie & Kent Program Director at a briefing this evening.
Hyatt Regency Coral Gables
Day 2: Havana, Cuba
Experiencing a PaladarTransfer to the Miami International Airport and check in with VIP assistance for your short charter flight to Cuba. Upon arrival at José Martí International Airport in Havana, complete immigration and customs formalities and meet your guide. Ride Like a Local when you embark on a short, panoramic tour of Havana, seeing Revolution Square and the José Martí Memorial in a Coco Taxi. Stop briefly at the historic Hotel Nacional for a mojito and narrative on its fascinating past. Considered a national monument, the hotel was built in 1930 and overlooks the Malecon (seaside promenade) and Havana Harbor. Have lunch at a private paladar(family-run restaurant) — a unique, welcoming Cuban enterprise — before checking into your hotel. After taking some time to unwind, enjoy dinner at the hotel at leisure.
Meliá Habana | Meals: B L D
Day 3: Havana
Hemingway ConnectionBegin the day with a visit to a local daycare center, where you meet with teachers, interact with children and gain insight into daily life. Pause for a cooking demonstration, followed by lunch at an organic farm. Continue to Finca La Vigia, Ernest Hemingway’s former home, where The Old Man and the Sea and For Whom the Bell Tolls were penned. As you look through the windows and open doors of this remarkably preserved home, visualize the author’s life during the more than 20 years he lived there. Have dinner on your own this evening.
Meliá Habana | Meals: B L
Day 4: Las Terrazas
Art & NatureThis morning, drive to the verdant, pioneering eco-village of Las Terrazas, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve just 45 minutes outside of Havana. It is the site of the earliest surviving coffee plantation in Cuba. After a family-style lunch in a campesino(farmhouse), explore the Jaimanitas neighborhood, stopping at the whimsical studio of José Fuster, a renowned Cuban painter and ceramicist. Take part in a discussion about the artist’s work and the role the arts play in contemporary Cuba. Return to your hotel, and have dinner on your own.
Meliá Habana | Meals: B L
Day 5: Havana
U.S. & Cuban RelationsToday’s introduction to historic Havana begins with a brief discussion exclusively for A&K Guests, by a former Cuban Foreign Services Scholar; during it, you are immersed in the history of Cuba-U.S. relations, from the colonial era to the present day. Take part in a thought-provoking question and answer session. Then, visit the neo-classical-style Museo de Artes Decorativas, an arts museum in the former residence of the María Luisa Gómez-Mena, Countess of Revilla de Camargo. Then, attend a cigar-rolling demonstration and rum sampling. After lunch, visit the Muraleando Neighborhood Community Project, meeting members and seeing firsthand the art projects and significant restorations that are underway. Later, meet a local salsa instructor to talk about the history of this native rhythm and the importance of dance in Cuban life, followed by a refreshing mojito and lesson under your instructor’s attentive eye. This evening, attend a Tropicana show, an energetic Cuban cabaret.
Meliá Habana | Meals: B L
Day 6: Havana
Architecture & the ArtsThis morning, stroll through Old Havana with a local architect, discussing the challenges and successes of city reconstruction projects, all the while absorbing the vibrant, extraordinary architecture that surrounds you. After lunch, witness storied Colon Cemetery. Founded in 1876, it is the site of more than 800,000 graves and one million interments. Under the guidance of a local specialist, gain insight into the cemetery’s history and its significance to the local community and pilgrims. Then, discover bustling Almacenes San José, Havana´s largest craft market. Early this evening, take a drive in iconic “Yank tanks” (vintage cars) along the Malecon to your farewell dinner, absorbing impressive view of the city en route.
Meliá Habana | Meals: B L D
Day 7: Depart Havana
Transfer to the airport, where you have access to the VIP Lounge before departure. Board your return flight to Miami.
Meals: B
SPECIAL PROGRAM NOTES: PEOPLE-TO-PEOPLE
Please note that this special, people-to-people program will be different from other programs on which you may have previously participated. Abercrombie & Kent USA, LLC operates the people-to-people program to Cuba under a general license issued by the U.S. Department of the Treasury, Office of Foreign Assets Control and, as dictated by U.S. law, all participants are required to adhere to a full-time schedule of activities designed to inform, educate and promote meaningful interaction with the people of Cuba. Deviation from this itinerary, even in part, is not permitted. Per the general license requirements, this is a full-time program with many inclusions and there will be little to no free time on most days of the program.
Day 1: Arrive Miami, Florida
Arrive at Miami International Airport, where you are met and transferred to your hotel. Meet your accompanying Abercrombie & Kent Program Director at a briefing this evening.
Hyatt Regency Coral Gables
Day 2: Havana, Cuba
Experiencing a PaladarTransfer to the Miami International Airport and check in with VIP assistance for your short charter flight to Cuba. Upon arrival at José Martí International Airport in Havana, complete immigration and customs formalities and meet your guide. Ride Like a Local when you embark on a short, panoramic tour of Havana, seeing Revolution Square and the José Martí Memorial in a Coco Taxi. Stop briefly at the historic Hotel Nacional for a mojito and narrative on its fascinating past. Considered a national monument, the hotel was built in 1930 and overlooks the Malecon (seaside promenade) and Havana Harbor. Have lunch at a private paladar(family-run restaurant) — a unique, welcoming Cuban enterprise — before checking into your hotel. After taking some time to unwind, enjoy dinner at the hotel at leisure.
Meliá Habana | Meals: B L D
Day 3: Havana
Hemingway ConnectionBegin the day with a visit to a local daycare center, where you meet with teachers, interact with children and gain insight into daily life. Pause for a cooking demonstration, followed by lunch at an organic farm. Continue to Finca La Vigia, Ernest Hemingway’s former home, where The Old Man and the Sea and For Whom the Bell Tolls were penned. As you look through the windows and open doors of this remarkably preserved home, visualize the author’s life during the more than 20 years he lived there. Have dinner on your own this evening.
Meliá Habana | Meals: B L
Day 4: Las Terrazas
Art & NatureThis morning, drive to the verdant, pioneering eco-village of Las Terrazas, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve just 45 minutes outside of Havana. It is the site of the earliest surviving coffee plantation in Cuba. After a family-style lunch in a campesino(farmhouse), explore the Jaimanitas neighborhood, stopping at the whimsical studio of José Fuster, a renowned Cuban painter and ceramicist. Take part in a discussion about the artist’s work and the role the arts play in contemporary Cuba. Return to your hotel, and have dinner on your own.
Meliá Habana | Meals: B L
Day 5: Havana
U.S. & Cuban RelationsToday’s introduction to historic Havana begins with a brief discussion exclusively for A&K Guests, by a former Cuban Foreign Services Scholar; during it, you are immersed in the history of Cuba-U.S. relations, from the colonial era to the present day. Take part in a thought-provoking question and answer session. Then, visit the neo-classical-style Museo de Artes Decorativas, an arts museum in the former residence of the María Luisa Gómez-Mena, Countess of Revilla de Camargo. Then, attend a cigar-rolling demonstration and rum sampling. After lunch, visit the Muraleando Neighborhood Community Project, meeting members and seeing firsthand the art projects and significant restorations that are underway. Later, meet a local salsa instructor to talk about the history of this native rhythm and the importance of dance in Cuban life, followed by a refreshing mojito and lesson under your instructor’s attentive eye. This evening, attend a Tropicana show, an energetic Cuban cabaret.
Meliá Habana | Meals: B L
Day 6: Havana
Architecture & the ArtsThis morning, stroll through Old Havana with a local architect, discussing the challenges and successes of city reconstruction projects, all the while absorbing the vibrant, extraordinary architecture that surrounds you. After lunch, witness storied Colon Cemetery. Founded in 1876, it is the site of more than 800,000 graves and one million interments. Under the guidance of a local specialist, gain insight into the cemetery’s history and its significance to the local community and pilgrims. Then, discover bustling Almacenes San José, Havana´s largest craft market. Early this evening, take a drive in iconic “Yank tanks” (vintage cars) along the Malecon to your farewell dinner, absorbing impressive view of the city en route.
Meliá Habana | Meals: B L D
Day 7: Depart Havana
Transfer to the airport, where you have access to the VIP Lounge before departure. Board your return flight to Miami.
Meals: B
SPECIAL PROGRAM NOTES: PEOPLE-TO-PEOPLE
Please note that this special, people-to-people program will be different from other programs on which you may have previously participated. Abercrombie & Kent USA, LLC operates the people-to-people program to Cuba under a general license issued by the U.S. Department of the Treasury, Office of Foreign Assets Control and, as dictated by U.S. law, all participants are required to adhere to a full-time schedule of activities designed to inform, educate and promote meaningful interaction with the people of Cuba. Deviation from this itinerary, even in part, is not permitted. Per the general license requirements, this is a full-time program with many inclusions and there will be little to no free time on most days of the program.