Cuba - Lonely Planet [292]
DANCE CLUBS
Disco Cristal (Map; 42-58-55; 3rd fl, Edificio Pico de Cristal, Manduley No 199; admission CUC$2; 9pm-2am Tue-Thu) A nexus for Holguín’s dexterous dancers (most of whom are young, cool and determined to have a good time), this place is insanely popular at weekends when you’ll find lots of inspiration for the salsa/
rap/reggaetón (Cuban hip-hop) repertoire.
Disco Havana Club (Map; 48-10-11; Hotel Pernik, cnr Avs Jorge Dimitrov & XX Aniversario; guests/
nonguests CUC$2/4; 10pm-2am Tue-Sun) Holguín’s premier disco. If you’re staying at Hotel Pernik the music will visit you – in your room! – like it or not, until 1am.
Cabaret Nuevo Nocturno (off Map; 42-51-85; admission CUC$10; 10pm-2am) There’s always one. This is a Tropicana-style cabaret club beyond the Servi-Cupet gas station 3km out on the road to Las Tunas. Rather like a cricket match, there’s no show if it’s raining.
CINEMAS
Cine Martí (Map; Frexes No 204; 1-2 pesos) For big-screen movies, head to this cinema on Parque Calixto García.
SPORT
Holguín is one of the best places on the island to view Cuba’s two national sports: baseball and boxing.
Estadio General Calixto García (Map; admission 1 peso) The excitement (disbelief?) has died down somewhat since Holguín’s feisty Perros came out of nowhere to snatch the national baseball championship from under the noses of the ‘big two’ in 2002. But they’re still a team to be watched. Mosey on down to this stadium, just off Av de los Libertadores, near the Hotel Pernik to see the giant-killers confidently swing their bats at pitchers from across the island. The stadium also houses a small but interesting sport museum.
Cominado Deportivo Henry García Suárez (Map; Maceo; admission 1 peso; 8pm Wed, 2pm Sat) You can catch boxing matches at this spit-and-sawdust gym on the western side of Parque Peralta, where three Olympic medalists have trained. You can also pluck up the courage to ask about some (noncontact) training sessions. They’re very friendly.
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ASK A LOCAL
My favorite resort in Guardalavaca is Las Brisas. We get sent there on worker reward programs once a year so I’ve visited quite a few of the resort’s hotels in my time – Atlántico, Guardalavaca, Don Lino, Villas Cabañas – but Brisas remains my favorite for its huge rooms and excellent food.
Rafael, Holguín
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Shopping
The much vaunted shopper’s paradise of Plaza de la Marqueta has yet to take off (Click here). At the time of writing the square was a virtual ruin except for the Casa del Tabaco (Map; cnr Callejón de Mercado I & Mártires) and the lackluster Centro Cultural Mona Lisa (Map; cnr Callejón de Mercado II & Mártires). If ambitious plans are ever realized, this place could be a stunner.
Fondo de Bienes Culturales (Map; 42-37-82; Frexes No 196) This shop on Parque Calixto García has one of the best selections of Cuban handicrafts.
Photo Service (Map; Frexes btwn Máximo Gomez & Mártires) Can cater for all your camera needs.
Getting There & Away
AIR
There are 16 international flights a week into Holguín’s well-organized Frank País Airport (airport code HOG; off Map; 42-52-71), 13km south of the city, including from Amsterdam, Düsseldorf, London, Montreal and Toronto. Almost all arrivals get bussed directly off to Guardalavaca and see little of Holguín city.
Domestic destinations are served by Cubana (Map; 46-81-11; Edificio Pico de Cristal, cnr Manduley & Martí), which flies daily to Havana (CUC$103 one-way, one hour 20 minutes).
BUS
The Interprovincial Bus Station (Map; 46-10-36; cnr Carretera Central & Independencia), west of the center near Hospital Lenin, has air-conditioned Víazul (www.viazul.com) buses leaving daily; see the table on the next page.
You can take the Havana bus as far as Las Tunas (CUC$6), Camagüey (CUC$11), Ciego de Ávila (CUC$17), Sancti Spíritus (CUC$21) or Santa Clara (CUC$26). The Santiago departure also stops