Elite Traveler July-August 2017

EXPLORE HAVANA GUIDE TO HAVANA

With hundreds of beautiful candy-colored 1950s Dodge and DeSoto finned sedans circling the architecturally stunning heart of the city, Havana is otherworldly. It feels as though you’ve been dropped into a movie set about an alternate time — one where nothing was built after 1959 and credit cards were never invented. Havana’s dreamy time-warp quality won’t last forever, but Cuba is in no rush to do anything, let alone restyle itself as the next Miami. The US government relaxed the travel ban in 2015, and there is only a sprinkling of new developments, such as the June 2017 opening of the island’s first five-star hotel since the 1950s.

by Charles Runnette

In the know

PLACES TO HAVE…

As with any emerging travel destination, the best way to arrange everything for your trip is well in advance, with the help of someone knowledgeable on the ground — it’s the only way you’ll eat well (not the easiest task in Havana) and have the sort of memorable cultural experiences that are impossible to stumble upon on your own. We highly recommend contacting the endlessly helpful, delightful Celia Mendoza of Concierge Habana (info@conciergehabana.com) . She’s Cuban but grew up partly in the US, so she perfectly understands the needs of the well-heeled American visitors — especially after creating bespoke trips for the likes of Usher and Francis Ford Coppola. She can arrange vintage car rentals (again, not an easy task to attempt on your own), private villas, private tours of cigar factories, exclusive art tours with local artists, tickets to a baseball game and even a private dinner party at a prominent local’s house. As with all memorable travel experiences, who you meet in Cuba will provide the crucial difference between a trip to just gawk at the beautiful buildings of Havana and an authentic, intimate experience with Cubans that you won’t soon forget.

A light meal alfresco MAR ADENTRO Opened in May 2017, this modern

menu using produce from local organic farms. The outdoor bar in the garden has the best mojitos you’ll have in Cuba. +53 72 038 315, otramaneralahabana.com Dinner in the Centro MAS HABANA The city is getting so chic with gringos that the paladars popularized by the visits of Beyoncé and President Obama are now overrun, and the food at many of the most famous has suffered. Try at your own peril or opt for delicious fresh fare in a modern setting near the heart of the old city. Private chef Renier Perez — who sometime caters for Pamela Ruiz (see To Do) — and his wife have just opened up this restaurant that has everything from a delicious steamed fish with the sauce of your choice to spaghetti with light Cuban sauces, to a perfectly cooked filet mignon and even teriyaki samosas. It’s an antidote to heavy Cuban food that you may need after a day or so. +53 78 643 227

Mediterranean restaurant has a breezy, sexy Miami feel to it (in the best sense), with an open front area where you can hear the crashing waves in the distance. The Cubans will tell you to get the meat dishes, but fish is the way to go, particularly the shrimp and lobster. The delicious chicken salad in a parmesan bowl is unlike anything else you’ll find in Cuba. +53 78 332 060 Best mojito and organic meal OTRAMANERA Spanish-Cuban couple, Álvaro Díez and Amy Torralbas created a beautiful, sophisticated restaurant and bar compound that’s one of the jewels of Havana. Álvaro, a sommelier at three-Michelin-starred Catalan restaurant elBulli, and Amy, a Cuban artist, combined their tastes to make the most tempting paladar in the city, with a Cuban-Spanish

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