Cuba - Lonely Planet [156]
Ladas today serve multiple purposes in Cuba’s hard-to-fathom car economy. Some work industriously as taxis, while others find themselves broken down into their component parts and used to power anything from washing machines to 1951 Plymouths.
The greatest of all Ladas – the classic ‘Stretch’ – is a peculiarly Cuban invention concocted by hard-up taxi drivers during the 1990s. Armed with blow torches, metal bashers and exceedingly lucid imaginations, these deft DIY kings set out to successfully create one of the world’s greatest motoring oxymorons – the Lada limo. Now, that’s creativity!
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Sleeping
IN TOWN
Casas Particulares
Martí 51 – Laura González Valdés ( 75-22-64; Martí Este No 51 Altos btwn Colón & Isabel Rubio; r CUC$20-25; ) In a house stuffed with more books than Pinar’s main library you won’t be stuck for things to read. This lovely senior couple has created a veritable heritage home in this 1928 house with floor-to-ceiling bookshelves and even a small museum with artifacts collected from around the world by the owner’s late father. There are two well-appointed rooms, one of which has a huge corner balcony overlooking the full sweep of Calle Martí.
Gladys Cruz Hernández ( 77-96-98; Av Comandante Pinares Sur No 15 btwn Martí & Máximo Gómez; r CUC$20; ) A splendid house with tasteful colonial furnishings situated near the train station; there are two rooms with baths, fridges, a TV and a big patio.
Casa Colonial – José Antonio Mesa ( 75-31-73; Gerardo Medina Norte No 67 btwn Adela Azcuy & Isidro de Armas; r CUC$20; ) Loads of space and an improvised Jacuzzi in the backyard. Pinch yourself, this is Pinar del Río! Not surprisingly José’s a Pinar stalwart and his two rooms and lovely communal living spaces are perennially popular.
Hotels
Hotel Pinar del Río (Islazul; 75-50-70; cnr Gonzales Alcorta & Autopista; s/d CUC$29/38; ) One of the first buildings you hit as you slip off the Autopista Nacional and, frankly, not the best intro to the city. Cold, uninviting and badly-lit, you’d think twice about staying here if it wasn’t one of only two hotels in town. There are 136 generic rooms and the usual noise-trap of a swimming pool (with or without water, depending on the season). The disco is popular with locals, but a nightmare for those trying to catch a bit of sleep.
Hotel Vueltabajo (Islazul; 75-93-81; cnr Martí & Rafael Morales; s/d CUC$45/62; ) A rare newcomer in Cuba’s stable of midrange hotels this fabulous hotel is as delightful as the Hotel Pinar del Río is drab. Stylishly colonial with high ceilings, and striped Parisian window awnings, the rooms here are so spacious you almost think they must have run out of furniture. Old-fashioned shutters give out onto the street and downstairs there’s an OK bar-restaurant; a reasonable breakfast is included in the price.
OUTSIDE TOWN
Villa Aguas Claras (Cubamar; 77-84-27; s/d incl breakfast CUC$22/36; ) The plushest of all Cuba’s 85-plus campismos lies 8km north of town on the Carretera a Viñales and has the facilities of a midrange hotel. The 50 bungalows with hot showers sleep two (10 have air-con). The rooms are adequate, the landscaping lush and the staff congenial, making this a better overall choice than Hotel Pinar del Río. The Villa Aguas Claras also offers horseback riding and day trips. Insect repellent is essential here. Aguas Claras is accessible from Pinar del Río by bus several times a day.
Eating
PALADARES
Paladar El Mesón (Martí Este No 205; noon-10pm Mon-Sat) This long-standing paladar opposite the Museo de Ciencias Naturales serves chicken, pork and fish in a pleasant colonial atmosphere. Main plates start at CUC$5 with side dishes extra; the service is efficient and friendly.
RESTAURANTS
Coppelia (Gerardo Medina Norte No 33; noon-midnight Tue-Sun) You’ll require the patience of a saint, but the two peso a scoop ice cream (when there is ice cream) is cheap and the atmosphere is usually cheerful.
Heladería (cnr Martí & Rafael Morales; 9am-9pm) Guaranteed to make