Cuba - Lonely Planet [228]
Eating
Driver’s Bar (José A Peña No 61; 8am-10pm) Way down the desperation stakes, this place serves peso meals on one side and is a no-nonsense saloon on the other.
Las Arcadas (Parque Martí) If you’re staying in the Mascotte, you’ll probably end up eating here, as it’s the only visible restaurant in town that sells anything resembling a square meal. If you’re staying in a casa particular, you’ll know better.
El Louvre ( 39-56-39; Máximo Gómez No 122) Acting with a gravitational pull on Remedios’ small scattering of tourists, El Louvre has cleaned its act up in recent years to fulfill the expectations of its more demanding clientele. Locals will tell you it’s the oldest bar in the country in continuous service (since 1866) but, longevity awards aside, the fried-chicken-and-sandwiches menu still can’t quite match up to the quaint parkside location. If you’re looking for a room/paladar/taxi, park yourself here, have a drink and wait for the offers.
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ASK A LOCAL
Remedios is famous for Las Parrandas, but there are plenty of other festivals here. In May and June we have a Semana de la Cultura (Week of Culture) in the main square. In June it’s the Fiesta de San Juan to commemorate the founding of Remedios with theater put on in the evenings. Then in early December (around the 15th or 16th) there is a special parrandas for children with activities and – of course – fireworks.
Richard, Remedios
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Entertainment
Dancers should head to Bar Juvenil (Adel Río No 47; 9pm-1am Sat & Sun), a courtyard disco near Máximo Gómez (enter via park), with palms, pillars and Moorish tiles. During the day there’s table tennis and dominoes; at night it’s an alcohol-free party. El Güije ( 20-09-54; cnr Independencia & Maceo; 2pm-2am) is another newer nexus; bank on open-air shows at night and ask about dancing classes during the day.
Next door to El Louvre is Centro Cultural Las Leyendas (Máximo Gómez btwn Margali & Independencia), an ARTex cultural center with music till 1am Wednesday to Saturday. A block east of the park is the elegant old Teatro Rubén M Villena (Cienfuegos No 30), with dance performances, plays and Theater Guiñol for kids. The schedule is posted in the window and tickets are in pesos. Additional cultural activities can be found in the Casa de Cultura Agustín J Crespo (José A Peña No 67), opposite the Parroquia, Uneac (Maceo No 25), and – in the city that invented Las Parrandas – outside in the parks and squares.
Getting There & Away
The bus station is on the southern side of town at the beginning of the 45km road to Santa Clara. There are half a dozen daily buses to Santa Clara (one hour), three daily services to Caibarién (20 minutes) and two departures Monday, Wednesday and Friday to Zulueta (30 minutes). Fares are negligible. Remedios is not on the Víazul network; the closest you can get is Santa Clara.
There are three daily trains to Caibarién and two to Santa Clara. The bus and train services aren’t always 100% reliable.
A state taxi from the bus station to Caibarién will cost CUC$5(ish) one way, and CUC$25 to Santa Clara. A bici-taxi from the bus station to Parque Martí is two pesos.
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CAIBARIÉN
pop 40,798
This once-busy shipping port situated on Cuba’s Atlantic coast 9km east of Remedios has slipped into deep stupor since the provincial sugar mills closed down and the old piers fell crumbling into the sea. These days the main commercial activity is fishing, though the colorful seafront retains a quaint, ramshackle feel despite the dilapidated architecture.
Open-minded travelers can get eye to eye with the real Cuba in Caibarién where serendipitous treats include a restored Malecón seawall, a local cangrejo (crab) dinner and December parrandas,