Cuba - Lonely Planet [122]
Salón Rosado Benny Moré (El Tropical; 206-1281; cnr Avs 41 & 46, Kohly; admission 10 pesos-CUC$10; 9pm-late) For something completely different, check out the very caliente action at this outdoor venue. The Rosado (aka El Tropical) packs in hot, sexy Cuban youths dancing madly to Los Van Van, Pupi y Su Son Son or Habana Abierta. It’s a fierce scene and female travelers should expect aggressive come-ons. Friday to Sunday is best. Some travelers pay pesos, others dollars – more of that Cuban randomness for you.
Circo Trompoloco (cnr Av 5 & Calle 112, Playa; admission CUC$10; 7pm Thu-Sun) Havana’s permanent ‘Big Top’ with a weekend matinee.
Estadio Pedro Marrero (cnr Av 41 & Calle 46, Kohly) You can see soccer matches on weekends at 3pm at this 15,000-seat stadium.
LA LISA
Sala de Fiesta Macumba Habana ( 273-0568; cnr Calle 222 & Av 37; admission CUC$10-20; 10pm) Cocooned in a residential neighborhood southwest of Cubanacán is Macumba, one of Havana’s biggest venues for live salsa. The outdoor setting is refreshing and the sets long, so you’ll get a lot of dancing in. You can also dine at La Giradilla in the same complex. This is a great place to catch jazz-salsa combos and timba music, a modern extension of salsa mixed with jazz and rap and championed by NG La Banda (who perform here regularly).
Shopping
La Casa del Habano (cnr Av 5 & Calle 16, Miramar; 10am-6pm Mon-Sat, 10am-1pm Sun) Smokers and souvenir seekers will like La Casa, arguably Havana’s top cigar store. There’s a comfy smoking lounge and a decent restaurant here as well.
La Maison (Calle 16 No 701, Miramar) The Cuban fashion fascination is in high gear at this place, with a large boutique selling designer clothing, shoes, handbags, jewelry, cosmetics and souvenirs.
For CDs head to Egrem Tienda de Música (Calle 18 No 103, Miramar; 9am-6pm Mon-Sat), which has a great selection, or visit the Casa de la Música (cnr Av 35 & Calle 20, Miramar; 10am-10pm). The Miramar Trade Center (Av 3 btwn Calles 76 & 80) is Cuba’s largest and most modern shopping and business center with myriad stores.
Getting There & Away
The best way to get to Playa from Havana is on the Havana Bus Tour (Click here), which plies most of the neighborhoods’ highlights all the way to Marina Hemingway. Coming from Habana Vieja or Centro Habana, you’ll need to change buses at Plaza de la Revolución. Plenty of metro buses make the trip, though they often ply the more residential neighborhoods (Click here).
Getting Around
Havanautos ( 203-9104; 3rd fl, Sierra Maestra Bldg, cnr Av 1 & Calle 0) can rent out cars for around CUC$70 per day including insurance.
Cubacar ( 204-1707) has offices at the Chateau Miramar and the Meliá Habana hotels.
Vía Rent a Car ( 204-3606; cnr Avs 47 & 36, Kohly) has an office opposite the Hotel El Bosque.
There are Servi-Cupet gas stations at Av 31 between Calles 18 and 20 in Miramar, on the corner of Calle 72 and Av 41 in Marianao (near the Tropicana), as well as on the traffic circle at Av 5 and Calle 112 in Cubanacán. The Oro Negro gas station is at Av 5 and Calle 120 in Cubanacán. All are open 24 hours.
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PARQUE LENIN AREA
Parque Lenin, off the Calzada de Bejucal in Arroyo Naranjo, 20km south of central Havana, is the city’s largest recreational area. Constructed between 1969 and 1972 on the orders of Celia Sánchez, it is one of the few developments in Havana from this era. The 670 hectares of green parkland and beautiful old trees surround an artificial lake, the Embalse Paso Sequito, just west of the much larger Embalse Ejército Rebelde, which was formed by damming the Río Almendares.
Although the park itself is attractive enough, the mishmash of facilities inside has fallen on hard times since the onset of the Special Period. Taxi drivers will wax nostalgic about when ‘Lenin’ was an idyllic weekend getaway for scores of pleasure-seeking Havana families, though these days the place retains more