The Hotel Nacional de Cuba is one of the hotels that will allow its countrymen to stay there now.

Some big news on the Cuban tourism front today: Cubans can now stay in hotels that were typically reserved for foreign tourists.

Cubans will be allowed to stay in the hotels beginning at midnight Monday, said employees at several Havana hotels. Word of the change came from Tourism Ministry officials, the employees said.

Sadly, this initiative is largely symbolic as many Cubans can't afford the hotel room prices which range from $60 to more than $200 a night. The average income in the country is $20 a month.

For years under Fidel Castro's rules, Cubans could not stay in their own

Fidel Castro's successor Raul Castro has lifted the ban on Cubans staying at foreigner-only hotels. As of midnight tonight, Cubans can stay in hotels across the island just like any other guest. However, the typical nightly cost of a Havana hotel room will no doubt steer most locals away — "they will be charged in hard currency worth 24 times the Cuban pesos state employees are paid in." Non-guests who are Cuban citizens will also be able to pay separately to use hotel services like gyms. On Friday, Cuban authorities broke previous bans forbidding Cuban citizens from buying mobile phones; as with the hotel ban, "many Cubans are too poor to benefit the lifting of restrictions" like those on cell phones. [MSNBC]

Cuban authorities have blocked access to one of the country's most popular blogs, "Generacion Y." Yoani Sanchez, the blogger behind it, could no longer visit her website, which garnered 1.2 million hits last month, as of Monday of this week. Sanchez, a 32-year-old philology graduate, has continued to blog about her daily life in Cuba and its economic hardships and political constraints on the blog via alternative portholes, saying "there is no censorship that can stop people who are determined to access the Internet." [ZD Net]

We wish, but we’re not holding our breath.

Thanks to its crumbling beauty, historical intrigue and off-limits status, Havana retains a mystique in the United States that few capital cities enjoy. Now it’s the subject of a new book, Havana: Autobiography of a City, by Alfred Jos� Estrada. The author covers a wide range of topics related to the city, including former inhabitants Che Guevara and Ernest Hemingway. 

Visitors to Cuba have been exploring the religion of Santeria for years, but Reuters just published an interesting little story about the financial rewards for some Santeria priests. “Whereas a Cuban would pay with a fistful of pesos, a foreigner might spend $20 to meet a priest and $50 on good-luck charms like gravel-filled gourds or plastic bead bracelets,” reports the news agency. As a result, in a nation where most people struggle to live comfortably, priests can do quite well. Business can be competitive. In the neighborhood of Regla, Santeria priests gather by the dock when tourists step off ferry boats. At least one Cuban—a Santeria expert and anthropologist—is nonplussed by the practice. She told Reuters: “Santeria is not a commercial thing. Everyone has to pay to be cleansed, but priests shouldn’t pester people for business.”

Photo by jon crel via Flickr (Creative Commons).

Since we just discussed Cuban highlights of Miami, why not do the same for Havana? Though Cubans love their coffee at any hour of the day, you'll see Havana bars and cafes crowded with locals downing mojitos and daiquiris in equal measure to the redoubtable cafe con leche. Cuban rum is another major national export, and it's consumed in-country with equal gusto. The best time for a plunge into Havana cafe culture is the early evening, as the city cools and residents come out to stroll and stop for a beverage. Get over your touristic self-loathing and indulge in a cube libre, or do as the Cubans do and sip at a canchanchara (lime, honey, and white rum). After the jump, a few suggestions for Havana cafe cruising.

Bar Galería: The bar at the Hotel Nacional is one of the more rewarding places to relax, mojito in hand, and watch the sun set. There are six bars in the hotel's compound; we're referring here to the open-air rooftop bar, but there's also a lovely bar in the hotel's back garden that's perfect for cigar smoking.

Café O'Reilly: On the second floor of Café O'Reilly, you'll find a true Cuban scene. The energetic crowd and delicious drinks on the small open veranda make it a perfect afternoon or early-evening stop. The food isn't bueno, so stick with the drinks and coffee.

Café del Oriente: This five-star restaurant serves excellent cocktails in a classic 1950s setting, complete with old paintings and luxurious drapery. The bar sits on Plaza de San Francisco in the heart of colonial Havana. Their mojitos and pina coladas are especially good.

Castillo de Farnes: One of the older bar-restaurants in Havana, Castillo de Farnes puts on a Spanish theme with Iberian dishes. Needless to say, the place has a colonial air; though it's often crowded, it's a great place to stop for a drink and a snack.

El Floridita: Set on the busy Obispo, El Floridita is a popular bar specializing in daiquiris. It was one of Hemingway's favorite spots during his Cuba days, and in the 1950s, it was named one of the world's best bars by Esquire. Though long past its prime, El Floridita's still a favorite for a cold drink on a hot afternoon.

La Mina: Here the locals sit outside on the sidewalk terrace to enjoy cool drinks, hot coffee, and the skillful street musicians. Also on the Obispo, it's a prime roost for people-watching.

Mirador de la Bahia: The cocktails and coffees are decent, but the real draw is the great Havana vantage. Located on a rooftop in Plaza de Armas, the Mirador hosts sweeping views of all of the old city and La Fuerza.

Pasteleria Francesa: If it's strictly coffee you're after, Pasteleria Francesa makes an excellent café con leche. They also have homemade cakes and delicious gelato.

La Rampa: Strangely enough, this cute café located in the lobby of La Rampa movie theater makes some of the city's best coffee. They serve in a variety of ways, from classic café cubano and café con leche to Irish or Jamaican coffee mixed with various rums or liquors.

La Torre: Another great rooftop bar, La Torre sits perched atop the Fosca Building. The bar area commands great views and is the perfect place for a classy drink. It's where locals bring visitors they want to impress.

-- Amanda Kludt

[Photo: marcomarella]

There’s a free-roving “World Bests” meme on the loose this week. Thus far it’s attached itself to subway systems, waterfront cities, and cab rides in international destinations. Find all the detailed info below, if you crave to know where you can hail a ride from a 1950’s convertible with tailfins, which city’s main square “reaches out like an octopus, drawing people toward it—both from the city streets and from the waterborne routes of the bay” (says the Project for Public Spaces), and what city has a metro system that includes a monorail.

– World’s Best Taxi Rides (Forbes)
– Great Waterfronts of the World (Project for Public Spaces)
– Top 11 Underground Transit Systems (Virgin Vacations)

– Tagged: Subway
– Tagged: Taxis
– Tagged: Harbor

Rumors are swirling today that Fidel Castro is no longer on death's door and could even return to lead Cuba.

Is it a coincidence that Castro's alleged phoenix like radio appearance coincides with the 9th Habano Cigar Festival, taking place in the Havana Convention Centre from February 26 to March 2? Doubt it.

Raul Castro, the current number one in Cuba, is rumored to dislike cigars--the horror.

This year's festival will launch a new line of cigars for the island's signature Cohiba brand known as Maduro 5 or Mature 5, which are finished with a wrapper leaf that has been aged five years. Wrapper leaves represent the final stage of cigar-making and are essential to how well a cigar burns.

Participants include Havana cigar smokers from Russia, Belgium, Netherlands, Switzerland, Sweden, Japan, China and England who are scheduled to visit tobacco plantations and cigar factories in the island, but there are no known celebrity attendees to generate cigar buzz.  Luckily, it looks like Fidel will handle the buzz generation all on his own, thank you very much.

Related Stories:
· Havana International Convention Center [Google Maps]
· 9th Habano Cigar Festival [GoCuba]
· Hotels in Havana [HotelChatter]

Victor Vazquez and David Margolis “invented nonexistent religious organizations to apply for federal government licenses that allow U.S. residents to travel to Cuba,” according to the AP. Since April, thousands of travelers got permission to travel to Cuba through the alleged scheme. The U.S. government charged the two men with conspiring to violate Cuba-related travel regulations and lying on applications for religious travel licenses. U.S. law allows travelers to visit Cuba only for certain religious, humanitarian and research reasons, though a move to further open travel to the country appears to be gaining momentum.

Related on World Hum:
* New Hope for Legal Travel to Cuba?