Adventures in Luxury Travel

Mimi Lichtenstein 0:01
If you're a traveler that believes luxury and adventure are not mutually exclusive, then you're in the right place. Every week, I take you to a new destination with one of my partners, sharing the hidden gems over the top experiences and active adventures to inspire your next family vacation. I'm Mimi Lichtenstein, an experienced Travel Advisor who has also traveled with my three teenagers and my husband around the world. Let's get started. Welcome to Episode 39 of adventures and luxury travel. Just a reminder, you can see the photos we talked about on the show and a full video on Tuesday travel.com. Today, David and I talk about Cuba, Cuba has the reputation of being more complicated to visit than other Caribbean islands. But it's easily done with the right support. Today we dive into the culture, our food, music, Hemingway's favorite places, and the activities hiking, biking, dancing, fishing, even baseball, boxing, and golf. Cuba is an ideal blend of a cultural trip and a tropical destination visit true a travel.com/ 39 for a video of today's show and additional resources. Today on adventures and luxury travel, I am delighted to have David Lee here with me, not only because he is a expert on Cuba, but also because he and I went to the same business school. So he's the first person I'm getting to interview on the show that shares an alma mater with me. So David, welcome.

David Lee 1:34
Thank you very much. It's really nice to be here.

Mimi Lichtenstein 1:38
Well, I'm super excited you and I have a lot of fun preparing for today. And I'm very, you know, a lot of people are I think mystified a little bit by Cuba. And can I go can I not go and rules and all that. So today we're going to not only talk about all the amazing experiences, but also the fact that Americans can go to Cuba and David's going to talk to us about how you do that. You have a you have an interesting background in terms of your first trip to Cuba and what got you so interested in the country? Tell us a little bit about that.

David Lee 2:07
Yes, yes, that's true. And I know we got a lot to cover in a short amount of time. And when I sometimes I start going down that path and talk about it for quite a while. But beyond just the fact that yes, we went to the same business school, I've been an entrepreneur for a long time, I ended up living in Central and Eastern Europe and build a telecom company there and was fortunate enough to, to sell it and move back to the US. And it was kind of like a situation of what's next for me. And I really wanted to I was in a position where I wanted to do something that was more, let's call it passion over profit. And it was literally just a lucky situation. I was invited on a humanitarian trip to Cuba, and with a group of doctors who were bringing pharmaceutical products and such, and this was about 11 years ago. And I Cuba was on my list of places to go. But like many Americans even today, I looked at it like forbidden fruit. I didn't know that you could go there. Certainly not legally, I didn't know what the situation was exactly. I knew quite a bit about let's say that the history, more recent history, right, since the revolution and the politics and that sort of thing. And I was just not prepared for you know, we flew literally on an American Airlines charter plane from Miami that was eye opening for me to because I thought we have to go from another country. It was a completely legal trip and then landed in Cuba and I was just blown away first, first of all, you're you're you're hit by the the city of Havana itself. I mean, this is a major European city, it does look like it's quite dilapidated, because of what's kind of gone on in the last 50 years. But other than that, I mean, this is European architecture, a massive city, nothing like you would see anywhere else, you know, in the Caribbean. Yeah. And then you meet the people. And I call it the land of highly educated, incredibly warm, magically, artistically talented people. That's the fastest way for me to sum it up. That's a good sign. I knew I wanted to come back again. That's what I knew. Did I think this would become a business? No, I just knew I wanted to come back again, bring family and friends show people this amazing place. And you know, I was I just scratched the surface and wanted to go deeper. And basically what happened was, I could not find a company that could deliver Cuba to me in the way I wanted it, which was private, custom, more off the beaten path, deeper dive more cultural, not your cookie cutter, big bus tour, where you're just traveling around to the typical guidebooks sites and, and that sort of thing. And so I started doing my own trips. And we are lucky for me to explain it.

Mimi Lichtenstein 4:46
We're lucky today. So I'm going to keep going because we want to learn all about all this knowledge that you have in your head. So first we just have up a map as we always do. Cuba everyone knows is in the Caribbean tell Let's just give us kind of the highlights of the cities that you will go to Havana is a no brainer. But outside of Havana, where else might somebody want to go?

David Lee 5:07
Well, well, first of all, I'll also touch on just the size because it's, you know, I think people can realize it's large. And again, if you were, if we could zoom out which we can here, and you'd saw the other islands juxtaposed against it, I mean, it's a massive, massive Island, it's the it's basically the length of California from end to end, not the width, but certainly the length that would take you know, from from all the way from, let's say, the west side, they're going all the way to the to the full eastern coast, and you don't see the cities listed there. But I know people have heard the name of Guantanamo, for example, where we still have a base that's all the way on the far eastern side. And then there's Santiago to Cuba there also, which doesn't listed, but that would take about a 14 hour drive, just just to put things in perspective. And right now, there are only flights to and from Havana when you're going, you know, to the United States. So this also kind of informs kind of what you you know, what you will see and do and how much time it would take. Because if you literally wanted to circumvent this, you know, this whole island and go all the way from Urbana all the way to Santiago, like I said, it's, you know, you're going to need about 10 to 10 to 12 days minimum. So what we usually do, and I would say 70% of our trips are very much Havana base trips. So you see Havana they're easy access, we're talking to, you know, let well 45 minute flight honestly from from Miami or Fort Lauderdale, or Tampa many spinny places many of the cities in Florida have nonstops and maybe a two and a half to three hour nonstop from from New York there. There are multiple cities in the US, by the way that have nonstop flights to Havana. So I know a lot. Many people don't realize that. So Havana base trips, four or five nights Havana is definitely as you mentioned, the place you need to see especially if you've never been before it's the seat of culture, the best accommodations the best food the most to see and do and experience and you can easily spend four or five nights there never been bored a moment. If you have and by the way, our Havana trips we always do a day trip. And then you see places on there like vinyasa was Valley is marked on the map there on the west side. That's the famous tobacco country. Where are the wonderful, you know, cigars begin and it's a beautiful area whether you're into cigars or not doesn't isn't the point. It's an absolute beautiful area. And you can visit it as a day trip. Also, there are the lovely you know, famous beaches Varadero which are to the west, the Northwest, there, if you kind of look up just directly above sea and Lagos that that's a day trip, two hour drive. Yeah, right where you're pointing. Yeah. And then if again, if people have, let's say, six, seven days, or seven nights, we love to add in, see and play ghosts in Trinidad, which you see there. Trinidad itself is a UNESCO world heritage city, it's, you know, I can't say enough about it, we'll probably talk more about it, we have to have a few photos to show. But that's kind of a perfect seven night tour where you would go from Havana and travel through sea and play, go spend a couple of nights in Trinidad and then head back again.

Mimi Lichtenstein 8:07
Okay. And so some people who have probably looked into going to Cuba before might have heard of this phrase, people to people, connections with the local people in Cuba. Tell us a little bit about that and what it is, and then give us a few examples like the picture of this adorable little girl at a school in Cuba.

David Lee 8:26
Okay, well, first of all, I just just just a minor correction, it is true that a few years ago, people to people with something you heard a lot that would that was one of this quote unquote, licenses for Americans to travel to Cuba that by the way is gone, does not exist anymore. We are what's called a support for the Cuban people company. And that that is what we've done since our inception. It goes beyond what the US requirements are. For us. It's literally our mission statement. So let me just explain this. This, you know, quickly, because there's, you know, if you were to a lot of people think oh, it's complicated going to Cuba, I don't know there's restrictions, and we have to go on some kind of a license. And we really like to blow that whole thing. It's a misnomer in many ways. And so we hate that word restriction. We almost never even talk about it. Because literally, I would say there are none. To put it succinctly. There really are not everything that you want to experience, see and do when you're in Cuba. It's not restricted. It's wide open. And because all we do are custom private travel, I can tell you there's nothing that appears in anyone's itinerary that we would say you literally cannot do because of some kind of legal restriction. And I think even people, which is literally the legal title, right?

Mimi Lichtenstein 9:43
Yeah, I think the difference is it's not the same type of a Caribbean vacation, for example, as the other islands and for example, a European might just go to Cuba and sit on the beach. You know, and luxuriate for the week. And that's not really the reason that Americans go to Cuba. So there's a little bit of a difference.

David Lee 10:00
As I would say, just sitting on the beach, if you were to go to Cuba just for that purpose, and for non Americans, it has been sort of that thought of as very much a beach destination. But I will tell you this because especially for you, your audience, and who we cater to more on the, you know, the higher end, luxury beach resorts sort of situation, while the beaches are absolutely gorgeous. They're pretty much just all inclusive hotels of let's call them a three and a half star variety. And so for people coming from from us from the UK, and other parts of Europe, from Canada and other exams, you know, they think of it as a sort of an inexpensive, all inclusive kind of beach destination. Yes, for Americans not so much, you're not really traveling yet, but you can visit the beach and we definitely send clients to the beach for one, you know, for a day trip, or maybe even an overnight that sort of thing. It says it's not true that you can't go but right now, until there are a little bit nicer resorts and that sort of thing. Let's just say I wouldn't consider it as that's the, that's the reason to go. It is definitely like you're talking about much more of a cultural, active type of experience, not just sit around drinking cocktails at the beach. But my point is, um, the whole idea of this, you know, how do you go there legally support for the Cuban people from the standpoint of the US government, what they're really saying, and I'm going to shortcut like 12 pages of legalese on the government's website, what they really want to kind of drive home is that they want to make sure that the vast majority of money any American spends on trips to Cuba, go to the Cuban people, and not the government. That's it. It's that it's really quite that simple. And you know, what, doesn't matter about your political, you know, stance, red, blue, green, everything in between, that's something I think everybody can get behind, we take it to a whole nother level support for the Cuban people. That's our entire mission statement. So from you know, when you travel with us, almost all of the money spent goes to the Cuban people. And the idea for us is we do not utilize the government's travel agency for anything, we have our own guides, drivers, vehicles, our you know, our own staff entirely. And then beyond that, even the margins go back to the Cuban people, which is that picture that you just had on the screen, for example, we we support a couple of you know, community projects, and we will do more as the business grows. This one is a basically it's like a headstart preschool. It's a preschool for disadvantaged youth in old Havana prior to them entering the Cuban kindergarten, it gives them a safe, healthy place to go during the day where they receive nutritious meals they're taught to read before they even go to kindergarten. Of course, it's just like any preschool, private preschool would be in the United States. But it's it's absolutely free of charge, and something that we fully support. The other one is a dance school, a professional dance school and a professional dance company called the valid compass dance apps. I can't say enough about them. And I think we'll talk about them again a little bit later, as well. But this is something that where children can enter this is after they finished their regular school, they come to the dance school children ages seven to 16, at 16. They graduated from the dance school and they can try out to be part of the professional, professional company. So something unique, and this is how right now we're giving back to the Cuban people. And but it's a highlight I'll tell you this, it's not the it's not let's say it's not the the nothing is mandatory on our itineraries. But we always talk about this with all clients before they go. And almost everyone wants to see where the where the money's going and often stop at the pre school visit to the dance school becomes one of the highlights of their trip after special.

Mimi Lichtenstein 13:53
And I think you and I another thing we have in common is the human connections that you have with people when traveling are the things that are often most impactful. And so to have the opportunity, not only in these two examples, but many others that we're going to talk about with the artists and the people of Cuba and the fishermen and the chefs. That's what makes Cuba come alive and be so vibrant and colorful. And all of these pictures you and I had so much fun saying okay, well, you know, what are we going to clewd include? There's so many beautiful ones. There's so much color. There's so much music, it's just such a lively, beautiful place. And of course, everybody knows about the retro cars. So we have quite a few pictures of retro cars.

David Lee 14:35
And you know, you can consider it some people might say, oh, yeah, the car thing. It's kind of touristy Well, yeah, it is, but it really isn't. It's fine. It'll hit you from the moment you leave the airport. I mean, these gorgeous cars are everywhere. Not all of them. So gorgeous. I'll be honest, but the point is, you know, they stopped importing American vehicles after the revolution. And, you know, aside from some Russian cars that came in and then you'll see some other types of cars that come in diplomatically and that sort of thing. They had to keep these cars running for the last 60 years. It's incredible. It's a feat of engineering. I mean, some of them are held together with duct tape and rubber bands. But like these Cuban mechanics, you can't say enough about them to keep this going. Because parts for these cards, as you can imagine, are very hard to come by. Yeah, so some of them are immaculate like this. And we have our own fleet of these, you know, beautiful cards, but you'll see them everywhere, all over the streets, and all, you know, conditions and that sort of thing. But the point is still running, and it's everywhere. So it's literally part of the environment.

Mimi Lichtenstein 15:38
And our clients don't drive around, and the ones that are duct taped and rubber bands together, just so everybody

David Lee 15:44
know, that's my point. We literally have our own fleet for a reason, you know, we not only, you know, I call them retro modified because we put in air conditioning and seatbelts, which was not standard, you know, in the 50s. But yes, yes. It's part of the experience. Everyone loves it. And they should, you know, yeah, you can't say so.

Mimi Lichtenstein 16:05
100% Well, what am I, one of my favorite things to particularly for families, but for anyone, is unconventional transportation and unconventional accommodation. And so driving around, right, and like a 57 Chevy convertible, it's definitely unconventional for Americans these days, so and we, we both know that dancing and salsa and music is a big part of the culture down there. This photo happens to look like these people are just having some impromptu, you know, salsa lesson next to their, their antique car, and we'll talk we'll talk a little bit about salsa later. But I think again, it just shows the vibe, and the fun of being here, right? Like, it's not just

David Lee 16:43
it's, I mean, it's a very spontaneous culture, you know, and there's, there's, there's reasons for that there's nuances to everything. But I mean, historically, the Cuban people have always placed extremely high value on the arts. So it's music, fine art, dance, especially all of that is something that you know, Cuban family, you know, the type of pride they would take, if they haven't, you know, a parent has a child who excels in music, dance or art. It's like we might look at, you know, someone who's a famous doctor or something like that. Not that they don't also take pride in that. But the point is, it's that kind of vibrant. And they're just that type of culture. It's about living for it. Really, they exude that. So music is pouring out of the streets, people will dance impromptu, so you get this feel when you're walking around Havana. Mm hmm. And then coffee and ice coffee. Obviously, coffee is a big part of the culture as well. Delicious Cuban coffee, no question.

Mimi Lichtenstein 17:40
And more music and dancing. And so these particular ones, you know, obviously, it's a warm weather climate. So there's a lot of opportunities for music out at outdoor venues, which personally I love. I live in New Hampshire where it was minus 30 Windchill the other day, so something like this is super appealing when you're going to go see the music. Some of it, I think you said it's just sort of on the streets, right? You have street performers who are just out there playing music, and then there's more established places.

David Lee 18:07
Exactly, exactly. It's it's a combination. So you'll certainly have you know, have street music music in in bars and restaurants during the middle of the day outside, like you said, but you know, and then of course, the nightlife. So nightlife is also a big part of any any experience of going to Cuba, from jazz to, to salsa to even, you know, kind of newer forms of music that have kind of evolved like reggae, Tom, that sort of thing. Very, very popular. And it's that type of culture almost any night of the week. I mean, certainly Thursday through, let's say, Sunday, there's going to be more going on. And again, more opportunities for live music in bigger cities, like Havana, but it's it's almost constant. There's always opportunities.

Mimi Lichtenstein 18:56
And like you said, tobacco farms and cigars are obviously a big part of the culture. I love this photo, because this is a woman smoking a cigar with her, I don't know, two inch long nails. But this is just a street scene that you might see walking down the street.

David Lee 19:10
Correct? Correct. It is a lot of colorful people, especially in certain certain sections of Old Havana, you'll see more of that. But yeah, cigars are such a big part of the culture. It's not relegated, you know, just to just to men, but by far and I you know, I know that even in the US. I mean, there are certainly a certain number of females who smoke cigars, but it's it's much more rare, I think. I don't know, there's there's never been a poll taken that I'm aware of. But I mean, in Cuba, you'll see more of that. For sure. And when we have clients go even if you're not a cigar smoker, you know, we encourage you to at least you can try it you can take a puff. I mean, the thing about cigars are you don't inhale them. I'm not going to pretend that a cigar is health food by any means. But you're there it's it's it's kind of like whatever I mean, you know, if you're going to the Champagne region of France and you want to you know whether you're drinking Mai Tais Is to taste a little champagne, it's a nice idea to just hold a cigar, learn about it understand what goes into the making of a cigar there are over, I think, what do they say over 100 individual people, and you know, hundreds and hundreds of man hours that go into every single stick every single cigar that is handmade from seed to stem, as we call it. And yeah, it's it's a long, long history in Havana and these factories, but I think we touch on that even more, you got more photos, you know, I've been around for over 100 years.

Mimi Lichtenstein 20:32
It's one example of there's so much to learn there, right. So even if you don't want to smoke a cigar, just learning about the production and seeing the, you know, tobacco farms and all of that it's interesting, you know, conversation about agriculture. And then there's, you know, we'll talk about a few of different interesting people you can meet. And here's an example of photographer for people who are photographers, Cuba is an amazing destination, because it's so colorful, and there's performers everywhere and colorful art in the streets and the architecture. So tell us a little bit about this guy.

David Lee 21:06
It's, first of all, it's a photographer's dream destination. And you don't have to be a pro to take, you know, incredible shots, it's everywhere you turn, whether it's in a beautifully restored, renovated building, or square or something that is more dilapidated, as you know, sometimes those are those make some of the most interesting photos. And then, of course, the colorful people. So it's that kind of thing. Like I said, Every street corner everywhere you turn, and look, there's another photo waiting, waiting to happen. And you don't have to be a pro, you know, just your iPhone. And these days, as we know, our smartphone, you know, they're taking fate, the quality of the photos that you can take the guy that was in that picture, his name is Nelson Ramirez, he's one he's one of the most famous Cuban photographers, good friend of ours. And what we do is, for those who are more interested in photography, first of all, we're happy to anyone can come will have a private studio visit to see his studio, his work has been displayed all over the world and all the top galleries in the United States as well. But you can also do a private photo safari with him. And he'll take you to some off the beaten path neighborhoods, and just show you things you wouldn't normally see and then help you construct amazing photographs of the very, very popular things. Yeah, I have some clients, and he's just a fascinating individual just talking to him is interesting, right? So it's

Mimi Lichtenstein 22:23
the fun of taking the pictures, but then you're also hearing about his story and all of that. So and I love that he's helping you maybe set up your shot. So for those of us who maybe aren't those, you know, professional photographers, he could probably help us improve, just for example of the art and architecture, the color. This is just watching. Like I said,

David Lee 22:41
you'll see this, you'll see this everywhere. And again, it what's so interesting is the juxtaposition. So you'll see a square like this one, and this is a renovated square. And if you could zoom in which I don't think you can, but what's interesting, like in a lot of these renovated squares, there's a whole department in Cuba, it's and a lot of time and a lot of money has gone into it that is dedicated to architectural and renovation and done in the proper way to preserve, you know, preservation is so important. And so you'll see like, you know, building but the taller building on the left and the little corner there, there's a picture and it's pretty big if you're down on the square, where they show you that before and almost every building in the square has one of those. So as you walk around, yeah, exactly. You found it. So as you walk around, they'll be this before photo also. And so the there's these renovated squares and then literally, if you walk half a block any direction from there, you'll see some you'll see buildings and squares where it's not renovated. You can see how gorgeous these buildings would be. And some of them all that standing is the front facade, nothing behind it. But it's part of the experience. And that's what makes this so unique. It's really unlike almost anywhere else in the world are you see this sort of thing. Okay, now, now we've jumped to Yeah, so yes, very famous. So this is actually the inside of one of the, I think the living room of Ernest Hemingway's home, just outside of Havana. And it's really only about a 20 minute drive outside of Havana. But those of you many of you probably know this that Hemingway lived for decades in Havana. It was certainly his most favorite residence. He wrote several of his most famous books. They're one of the most prominent as old man in the sea, which literally the whole setting takes place. You know, just, you know, a few miles away from where this home is. And you know, Hemingway is quintessential Cuba, because, you know, the things that he was so passionate about, in addition to the writing was just you know, people and life and the vibrancy of it. Also, to be quite honest, alcohol was a big part of his life. And you know, so they, you know, the Daiquiri, the Mojito, these are beverages that were invented in Cuba. And you can't escape Hemingway when you go there. So whether you're you know, whether for people who are really into it, we do very specific kind of Hemingway based you know, we'll do a whole day just based on Hemingway. But no matter what you're out there drinking, we go to some of his most famous bars, you know, literally like the bar where the, the Daiquiri was invented in the bar where the mojito was invented. And there's like a bust of Hemingway where he used to sit. So you know, it's, it's an interesting, interesting part of the culture, for sure.

Mimi Lichtenstein 25:28
And for those people who are, you know, having my fans or, you know, writers or English literature, it's a really interesting place to just go and sit where he sat right. And surrounded by the inspiration, yeah, more colorful, vibrant art performance.

David Lee 25:46
This is this is actually the dance company at their headquarters. This is where the school is, okay. And I had mentioned earlier, and you know, one of the things that's so unique about them, or just to touch on a little bit more, they are a few back up there. So they are a fusion of traditional Latin dance, rumba, salsa, even flamenco and Afro Cuban rhythm. And Afro Cuban rhythm is the heart of that is the What's something called the baton drum, which those color for drum was right in the center back of the bat picture. And percussion. Percussion is such a key part of everything. So what's unique is they fused the traditional Latin with the Afro Cuban rhythms, and they taught all of the dancers how to play percussion. So they literally leave sea drumsticks in their hands. And those chairs are traditional, they're called like fisherman's chairs. The one the guy who is one of the principal principal choreographers of the group is also an artist, he painted all the murals that are back there in the back of the studio, he builds these chairs himself and paints on the chairs. And while they're dancing, and I can't explain it really well you have to see the video we have videos on our website, I'm sure you're gonna mean you're gonna have some links to these videos of them performing it is so high energy you can't help it but you know, be moved by this type of presentation. They're just they're fascinating.

Mimi Lichtenstein 27:09
I actually wanted to start this whole show with some live Cuban music just to get us in the mood but I did it but we will.

David Lee 27:17
Maybe we can end it with that.

Mimi Lichtenstein 27:20
We're all gonna want to go to Cuba. Okay, so boxing boxing

David Lee 27:25
a big big part of the culture so many Olympic champions have come out of Cuba and again look at this I mean, the picture says it all I mean this is a famous historic boxing gym it's outside it's basically got a you know, sheet metal roof over the over the main you know, boxing ring and we love taking people to see it, we'll have them participate with some of the boxers if they would like and do do a session you know, for an hour or two. It's again a big part of the culture fascinating to see and this this particular gym is right in the middle of you know, one of the neighborhoods in old Havana

Mimi Lichtenstein 28:02
and that's what's so great is that it's just super you know, out so outside informal walk by you can check it out. I happen to have two teenage daughters who took boxing class when we lived in Madrid so we're there when we when we go Okay

David Lee 28:16
perfect. Okay and this is actually a rum tasting that is going on in this in this photograph and it's not just people sitting around smoking and drinking but the so again rum and we already talked about cigars it's a huge part of the culture as is wrong it this is the island of rum, rum and cigars go together if there's a symbiotic relationship there and I can talk about this also for an hour on its own the same same locations that grow the sugarcane also grow the best tobacco it's you know, and so literally, you know, there's nothing better I know a lot of people that smoke cigars tend to think oh, I'm going to drink a bourbon or have a have a Scotch or something with my cigar. Let me tell you, fine, fine. We're not talking about rum that you make a you know, Roman coke with or a daiquiri that has its place also, we're talking about these fine aged rooms, some of them some of these Havana Club rooms, for example, that are in the picture age 25 to 50 years, these are sipping rooms, Nothing goes better with a cigar than that. So we love we have the head one of the one of the directors of vana club that will come in and join with our groups and whether it's to it doesn't matter if there's a group could be two people can be a group of friends. And we'll do a private rum tasting often in a in a tasting room that's not open to the public at the Havana Club facility itself. Or we'll have him come out and come to a restaurant and do it like that, like it puts pictured here. lovin something most almost everyone really loves.

Mimi Lichtenstein 29:48
I think what's so great about Cuba is it's so easy because the whole purpose of the trip is so cultural, it's so easy to sort of blend into the culture while you're there and have these experiences that It next table to you are a group of friends who are Cuban, you know, doing something similar, maybe not a tasting, but they're hanging out together for their evening outside listening to great music. And you know, you're all just out there enjoying enjoying life. Yeah, yeah. Okay, this is a little bit further removed, but I think it's a UNESCO heritage site, right?

David Lee 30:20
Yes, it is. This is a place called last Colossus, which is, this is something that we do as a day trip. So I think I mentioned that even if you're there for, let's say, a four or five night trip that where you're based in Havana, we always want to, you know, get the clients out into the countryside to see what it's all about. And this is one that's very popular, it's only about an hour and a half just north west of Havana on the way to vinyasas Valley. And it's, it's, it's a fascinating place it was it's like basically the site of where there were some former like coffee plantations, they're not there anymore. And the area was was a key agricultural area, the land was falling into disrepair, there wasn't much going on. And actually some people from the from the Cuban government came in. And what they did is they said, We if you they got all the farmers together to form sort of this community type environment, and they said, if you guys come together and build a joint terrorist farming environment and fix all of this land, we will build a self contained community for you with your own schools, hospitals, that sort of thing. And you know, you take care of the the agriculture will take care of the rest. And it worked. So to this day, let's flash forward 50 years, this community is one of those where it is so popular. If you're fortunate enough to live there. You have to be born in or you have to marry someone to get into this community. Wow. No one leaves and now it's really an artist's community also. And so it's a fascinating place to go. They there's always live music going on and you enter and you travel around and there's delicious coffee and it's also kind of a great place for birding. So it's a nice place really nice place for a good like, let's say, you know, half day

Mimi Lichtenstein 32:02
well, it sounds like it's definitely worth you know, worth extending a little bit from from just a Havana trip. question before we move on to culinary stuff. The one thing we didn't bring up baseball, so Cuba loves baseball.

David Lee 32:14
Oh, yeah. Yeah, yeah, I got another you know, I think a lot of people already know that. You know, if you look at if you look at our major league, there's a tremendous percentage of Cuban baseball players. Baseball is literally their national sport and they excel at it. Every kid grows up with a you know, playing baseball, a lot of it is just street baseball. You know, again, this is a very poor country, but baseball you see everywhere, and it's very popular for people to want to go to a professional Cuban baseball game. There's an interesting old old stadium in Havana. So will often go to games take people to games there. And people like you know, we do this a lot. You know, people we have families or groups of people and just bring them in and they can play a game pickup game of baseball with some of the Little League players. It's a true win win. You know, the kids love it absolutely. Didn't happen to have our guests bring bring knits and balls and things like that with them. That's like gold. Yeah, bringing a brand new mitt to a kid in Cuba is definitely like handing and bold. You know,

Mimi Lichtenstein 33:21
we played baseball, we my son who at the time, many times we went to the Dominican Republic, and he would play with a team there. And I was so amazed. I'm curious if Cuba is the same way. There was one main coach, there's probably about 50 Kids and the older ones down to the little ones, you know, probably like five years old to 18 years old. They got there. They didn't even have to do any ask any questions. They knew exactly what to do. The older kids were out there starting the drills with the younger kids and they just were on it from moment one and my son just blended right in. And it was a highlight of the trip for him. So I think for anybody who has kids or young teens, it would be so fun. Okay, that's about it. We're going to show and listen to just a really short portion of a video that will also link to in the comments because David and I both love food and food is also a big part of Cuba and he wanted to specifically share this part with you guys. So

Unknown Speaker 34:18
today, chances are nesto took the time to prepare a delicious and generous portion of speech with the use of fresh lime juice for grains and purple onion, also adding dried fruits altogether resulting in the flavor blast only rivaled by the sight of a real lapse through smoke and charcoal and settlement medicine vegetables and ice

Mimi Lichtenstein 34:53
watch that entire video but that would take us another five minutes so we will have yeah

David Lee 34:57
and listen you like you said you're gonna you have a link, I think that you're going to share to go to that because I really do encourage people to watch it. I mean, five minutes isn't that long. I can't say enough about the cuisine. And this is an interesting thing. Because again, I think it's, you know, for people who maybe have have gone to Cuba and haven't been there, let's say in the last five years or so you might say, Oh, well, you don't go to Cuba for the food. Let me tell you, that couldn't be further from the truth. The cuisine is phenomenal. And what's happened is they've created this thing called the paladar so uniquely Cuban and unique, you know, Cuban invention that basically started as a table in in someone's home. And it was a way for the Cuban government to start this idea, this concept, which they're expanding quite a bit now of allowing a certain amount of entrepreneurism to exist. And so they allowed it as like just a few tables in your home, and then it slowly started to expand. paladar is now are quite simply, you know, where the best food is served. And these are again, private restaurants not owned by the government, the peep to be appalled, are you do have to live in the restaurant somewhere. So what will happen is, you'll see a beautiful old mansion, often, you know, and one of the suburbs of Havana, and it looks like a house, you you go in the first floor is completely converted into a restaurant, and the family lives upstairs, or some of them are even in apartment buildings. But every single meal that you go to, in these pilot hours will be an adventure in itself, a lot of them are there, they're there, they're only limited, let's say by their cube was also unique in that way there there aren't these amazing markets to go to where you know, a chef in the US or France or, you know, any more developed country would go to this amazing market and pick out their cuisine, you know, the the ingredients are much more limited in Cuba. And as such, what's also interesting is the very best of these polymers are completely organic. So all of there to be a successful pilot Are you have to either own your own or have a great relationship with a small organic farm that brings you the fresh vegetables, fruits produce every single day. You have a fisherman, for example, that either is in your family, or someone that you contract with, who take who brings you his fresh catch of the day. And that's what you're serving. So the menus change every single day. I can't say enough about it. They are they have chefs that are coming in from outside to consult. So this isn't limited to just the you know, the knowledge of the local Cuban chefs. And it is like I said it's every single meal while you're there will be will be an adventure and and experience in itself. Love that.

Mimi Lichtenstein 37:31
And I think you know, so many people go places because they want to experience local people. And that's exactly what you're doing. When you're eating at a paladar. And I'm going to briefly go through some of these just to make sure that we have time to get through everything. There are some also famous restaurants that you can go to when you're in Cuba, including Florida. Why is Florida so famous?

David Lee 37:52
Well, I'm not restaurant, let's call it bar, I use a restaurant as well. But because the restaurant is government owned, the food is just okay. We would never go there as a restaurant. But this is the famous place the food the Daiquiri was invented. There, one of the big, you know, haunts of Ernest Hemingway. And literally, it's celebrated just last year, its 500th anniversary. It's one of the oldest running bars, you know, in the world. So it's a very cool place to go. And basically, you go, you go there and have a daiquiri, there's no, you don't order anything else. Pretty much what you do there,

Mimi Lichtenstein 38:25
okay. It's not a restaurant.

David Lee 38:28
It is a restaurant, there's a restaurant in the back. My point is no need to go there and have the food and they always have live music to write in the front as you enter. It's just a wonderful vibe and a great place and this one is actually the inside of the Bodeguita del media which is the place where the Mojito is said to have been invented another famous Hemingway haunt. He has a quote where he says my my daiquiris at Floridita, my Mojito that Botha Gita that's like of Hemingway quote, it's right on the wall of this particular bar. And you can see those guys lining up these mosquitoes and by the way, because I know he does a very popular drink in the US as well. You will not the difference in a mojito in Cuba. You will taste it immediately. It is a different type of mint that grows there so the whole flavor of the drink is different. And you know you'll see the minute the minute you taste it and that's it really like okay, you'll never have a Mojito is good again.

Mimi Lichtenstein 39:28
And it's also obviously local rum. So Mojito. They're They're one of my favorite drinks. However, I like to adapt them and have them be I love regular Mojito is fine, but also passion fruit Mojito those are they Mojito purists in Cuba, or do they do other flavored types of mojito?

David Lee 39:44
No, there's so many, especially some of these pologize and these new bars that have popped up, you know, they've they've got your cocktail specialists who are they're coming up with amazing, you know, versions of everything. So and the key is fresh. So when they start Doing new versions whether it's Mojito or daiquiris, it's always fresh fruit. Yeah, absolutely delicious.

Mimi Lichtenstein 40:06
And this is, so the night scene in Cuba, what I love about working with you on trips to Cuba. We'll talk about this a little bit at the end. But you know, you're gonna have a guide with you all the time. And then nighttime, your guide is sort of your like nighttime entertainment concierge. So he'll tell you all the good places to go and take you to them. And that includes Yeah,

David Lee 40:27
exactly. So you will have a full time private dedicated guide who like you said, he's he's out there touring you around during the day at night while you're having dinner, his hat changes to be your private nightlife concierge, as you said, and this is the thing, Cuba is a place it's very raw, it's very spontaneous. You don't have a timeout guide where you can go and search for oh, where's Where should we go for salsa tonight, or, or jazz or that sort of thing. The guide is key, he is calling around finding out, you know, let's just say you're interested in salsa, or you're interested in some jazz or something, he's out there finding out where the best bands are playing, what location getting you a table reserved, if that's necessary. And that's what happens. And then after dinner, you're whisked off to your next location. And this for example is this is the scene of one of the bars inside of a place called the fabrica that art fac is those letters that you see in the middle there that stands for fabric of the art art factory want now becoming and it's listed on like all these lists, New York Times everybody like one of the top nightclub bar facilities that you should be on a must see list in the world. It's that famous now and it just opened up a few years ago by a famous artist and a musician, they came together and took over this old cooking oil factory. And it's this mixed use space with a with an art exhibit that changes every month. Multiple bars performance are live bands can't say enough about is an amazing place to go.

Mimi Lichtenstein 41:53
Okay, if there were a timeout guide, it would be the number one place to go. So everybody. Yeah, okay. So translating a little bit more into activities, how to be active when you're in Cuba, dancing is an easy one, whether it be you just find a partner as you're walking down the street, or it takes some salsa lessons with your partner or a professional. I think that's super fun. A lot of people it would probably be a little bit outside of their comfort zone to just go start dancing with a, you know, a teacher or another partner but so fun, right? When the music get started? Absolutely,

David Lee 42:26
absolutely. You know, here's the thing. I mean, again, none of our none of our trips are like I said, pre pre preordained pre cookie cutter or anything. So everyone chooses what it is they want to do. And we build out an itinerary. Private salsa dancing lessons is one of those things. The key difference here is this is not a professional salsa instructor that's standing in front of a room and you're just out there following them and dancing, every single person has their own dancer assigned to them. And these are very warm, it's just like, this is the thing about the Cuban people, you're not going to feel intimidated. Usually, if you will, will schedule the salsa dancing after the rum tasting perhaps or after a visit to the you know the the Bodeguita del medio, or you can have a couple of mojitos. But the point is, it's it's just fun and relaxed and no one judges you that's just the way the culture is, when you're in a salsa bar, strangers will pick will ask you to dance pull you out of the table. They don't care if you know how to salsa. And you know, you don't have to do it. But it's that kind of atmosphere. They're just like that they're warm, and they're like, I'll teach you you know, don't worry about it. Shake your hips move side to side, no one cares. Just have fun. That's I've done

Mimi Lichtenstein 43:34
that be spontaneous. I've done that in a bar in the Dominican Republic. And it was a little intimidating. But it was so fun. So you just got to say yes, that's what life's about. So

David Lee 43:42
but in general, since you mentioned active I mean, the point is, all of our trips are active Cuba is a living museum. It's not a place even though we talk about this as a cultural destination, which of course it is. That doesn't mean unless you really want to that you ever have to set foot inside an actual museum and they're they're wonderful museums, like the fine art. The actually contemporary art museum is amazing. But the point is, it's all about being active and out and about no matter what, whether you're literally seeking some kind of super active kind of activity like we do city bike trips, we have E bikes and regular bikes. To do that. We have day trips out into the countryside. Like I said, we can go on hikes to beautiful locations like this for waterfalls. This one actually is near Trinidad. It's a really special place to visit that is a is the only 18 hole golf course in Cuba, beautiful location, many of the holes are right on the ocean on the Caribbean Sea. And that's that's actually in there a Darrow and it's something we can do as a day trip.

Mimi Lichtenstein 44:43
Mm hmm. I have a lot of clients who play golf and it wouldn't have occurred to me to play golf in Cuba. So I love knowing that that's an option because sort of like Alaska or Africa, like you're going there for a different purpose, but why not do something you love while you're there?

David Lee 44:59
Right, and what's cool about that particular course of location, it's right next to this famous place, which was a former, it's called the former DuPont mansion of the DuPont family who had several successful presentations there. And the house is still remaining, it's now been converted into a restaurant. And then there's a beautiful beach, just off to the right of that. So if you go with, let's say, you know, couples or family or whatever, and some people don't want to golf, while someone's golfing, they can be at the restaurant, or they can be hanging out the

Mimi Lichtenstein 45:30
beach club. So fun. And we've touched the inside

David Lee 45:33
of one of the one of the art galleries art is also like I said, a big, big part of Cuban culture, it's really having its day now, you know, this is not the so there's a combination in Cuba of well known well established artists with our, again exhibiting all over the world, emerging artists, but the differences when you go to Cuba, this is not gallery focused, you're actually going to their home studios, you're meeting the artists themselves, you're seeing their works, sitting down having a drink or a coffee with them learning more about their lives. That's what the art scene is all about. So even for people who are not, you know, we have a lot of trips for like art collectors, and they want to spend, you know, a day or more just going around to galleries, but even for those that aren't, it's always a nice experience to at least visit one gallery. And these are just the artists studios.

Mimi Lichtenstein 46:21
Some examples of you know, we talked about all the interesting people to meet, I know you have your friends, but you know, former diplomats and architecture, professors, all sorts of historians. So whatever someone's interest is, you know, we find them people to talk to that would be interesting for them to learn from

David Lee 46:39
it's again, a big, big part of the of the journey and the experience. So you have your guide, who was a fascinating person themselves and before in English, and they're highly educated and fun. Every day, you're going to be meeting, you know, Cuban people from different walks of life, who will spend time with you.

Mimi Lichtenstein 46:56
Yeah. And so regarding accommodations, we're not going to do what we usually do and say, here are our favorite luxury hotels, it's more about I'm going to show a few photos. So for people who are listening, you can always go and see what they look like, you know, staying in these you know, there are two options as David likes to tell me these are the locally owned homes that people are staying in still beautiful and then there's also some more luxurious places.

David Lee 47:21
Correct Correct. Accommodations run the gamut from your full like beautiful, true luxurious five star hotels like that one with a rooftop pool. And then there's these boutique calm boutique hotel boutique hotels, which are very boutique be like a fully renovated mansion, every room is unique and different. But even the biggest of those has like eight to 10 rooms. So sometimes we'll do a buyout depending on you know, if it's if it's a large family or big group, we'll do a buyout of those places. But I love this photo choice. This

Mimi Lichtenstein 47:50
choice is yours. This is one of my favorite photos because it's a picture of at least three convertible, you know, antique cars with people all raising their hands on the highway together, right? Super happy and kind of like it's

David Lee 48:04
actually you know, some some of our clients and one of the things we do we have our own in house photographer and so we will have her you can choose and we'll have her often like either follow up follow us like your private paparazzi during the day on a day tour, or actually have her in a chase vehicle and while they're touring around, I'm like this is on mmamoloko and and convertibles and she'll be photographed there. They're priceless photos.

Mimi Lichtenstein 48:30
Yeah, absolutely. Well, let's just touch on a couple things before we wrap up one is money. Tell us a little bit about how money works. There's no like ATMs where you just go get cash out right?

David Lee 48:42
That's correct. So that's one of the nuances certainly have traveled to Cuba This isn't yet a location where you can simply you know book a hotel and get on an airplane and go and not just because of the quote unquote us kind of restrictions one of the big ones is they do not accept credit cards us credit based credit cards and Cuba there's no ATM machines you can pull money out of so of course you book when you book this you know through meanie and we put this whole thing together you're definitely taking care of 90% of all your expenses safely using a credit card here in the United States but that's the point is that you you aren't you know able to to just simply go around with with cash not not anymore and it used to be this thing where they have this convertible currency and you had to get get a hold of that. The good news is that's gone now and there's one currency it's called the Cuban peso. But when you're actually traveling in Cuba and whatever you haven't prepaid in advance the places that we take you to these beautiful restaurants and polish ours for example, they'll accept US dollars. So it's so from that standpoint, it's actually quite easy to separate nothing for anyone to be concerned about.

Mimi Lichtenstein 49:48
And what about cell phone service? I had a client who asked me what about using my cell phone in Cuba?

David Lee 49:54
No problem you will connect to Cuba cell is the name of the local cell phone company. In almost all, especially when you're in the city, you'll have no cell phone service is great. Of course, as you go further out into the countryside, there might be areas where it's spotty, but in general, every single day, you'll be able to receive and make phone calls from your cell phone. And while we're on that, let's touch on internet also, because I know that in the past, there was very, it's very hard to come by, not so much anymore. Any hotel you stay in, when you travel with us, in your accommodations, you will have Wi Fi with very fine streaming speeds, you'll be able to check emails here and there, you know, the good and the bad, I would say about that the good thing is no, virtually no internet when you're out and about touring, and I think that's a good thing. We all need to disconnect and the present. And you know, if you're at, let's say, families with their children, you know, it's it's like they have to be off of their phones, they're not going to be able to use them when they're out. And about, we lock it back to the hotel. Nope. Yeah. And when they get back to the hotel, no problem, you have internet.

Mimi Lichtenstein 50:54
Okay, so and then another unique feature is we talked a little bit about how you have a guide. Other places, you might not have the same guide with you the whole time, you might need an architecture guide, you might go meet a chef one day, but in Cuba, you have your own personal guide, when we plan it, that's with you the entire time. And then we might bring in other people depending upon your interest, but you will have that person with you that whole time. So it's a very,

David Lee 51:20
that's how we do it. Right? Yeah. So when they when they contact me, me and you work with us, that's how we do it, you will have your own private guide full time. And even if you travel to other locations, your guide is going to go with you. This won't be oh, well, you know, you're going to show up and now in Trinidad, and a new guide is going to meet you and you're starting a new relationship all over. So yes. Private guide.

Mimi Lichtenstein 51:41
Yeah, I love that. And I think for a lot of people who are going to a place where maybe they don't speak the language, or it just seems like it's a little bit more of a hurdle to get to than some of the other places the comfort of knowing that you're with somebody who is 100% trusted, and who's there for any question you have, or any concern or a nightclub, or you know, some dance place that you want to go to at night, he's jack of all trades or sheets.

David Lee 52:03
Exactly. And let me be clear, too on this that that because some people who haven't done this kind of travel might be a little bit like intimidated or think they'd be smothered by them. The concept of our guiding is this is like travel with a local friend, a very connected, educated, warm, friendly, obviously fluent in English local friend who just kind of wants to bring you into their world and show you around. That's the concept of our guiding. This is not a professorial person who's sitting there pointing out statues and dates all you know, in nonstop talking as you drive around. It's not that kind of thing at all.

Mimi Lichtenstein 52:35
So David, I have a client who I'm often finding those types of guides for wherever she goes. And I've decided to sort of tournament a lifestyle guide. So it's, it is telling you about the history and the culture, but it's all about like, where's the cool coffee shop? And where's the best place to go to for dinner tonight and have a cocktail and go out for music. And, you know, it's just more about the experiencing the actual authentic Cuba while you're there. And they're there to show you all around. Right? Yeah, exactly. Okay, awesome. Well, thank you wealth of information. This was so fun. When are you going again? Do you have your next trip there?

David Lee 53:14
I just I just returned a week and a half ago. It is truly my second home. So I'm there, let's say about seven to 10 days out of every month. So I'll be back again. I think in another week.

Mimi Lichtenstein 53:26
I'm envious.

David Lee 53:28
Well, we'll get you there soon.

Mimi Lichtenstein 53:30
I'll get bored. Well, thank you so much. It's so helpful. I hope that everybody learned something I know I did. We thank you so much for sharing your expertise. And you I know you and I will be in touch.

David Lee 53:42
Okay, great. Thank you for being here with everyone.

Mimi Lichtenstein 53:45
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