Cuba

Havana Eating

• Don Eutimia - make a reservation.  Home cooked type Cuban in a quaint little square
• Palador Los Mercaderes - definitely the best meal we had on the trip in a beautiful converted apartment.  Must go!
• Jama: Cuban Mexican Asian fusion!

Havana Drinking:

• Hotel Raquel rooftop drinks
• El Dandy
• Madrigal Bar Cafe
• La Floridita - just worth a peek, the Hemingway bar
• Bar Monserrate: near Plaza del Cristo, local vibe and live music
• The best bar we found didn't seem to have a name and I don't remember where it was - my point is, just walk around and pop into places, there are plenty of great ones around.

Havana Activities:

• Plaza de Armas
• Plaza del Cristo - good people watching, plenty of bars and cafes around
• Cabaret!  Silly fun evening at the cabaret at Cabaret Parisien.  Other option is the OG Tropicana but it is more expensive and farther away from city center.  We got front row table, dinner and drinks.
• Walk around Havana!  
• El prado
• Esquina caliente
• Plaza vieja
• El bulevar
• Parque de la fraternidad - see a lot of classic cars around this park
• Calle galiano
• Calle Obispo
• Callejon de Hamel  (tourist trap)
• Paseo del Prado
• El Malecon - beautiful street by the sea
• El Barrio Chino - their Chinatown

Vinales:

• Horseback riding - the best day we had.   A guy Raul associated with our AirBnB (which was amazing by the way, stay there!)  picked us up in the morning and we got right on the horses. Went up the mountain, with stops for mojitos and pina coladas at local houses.  A stop at a tobacco farm and a cave.  It was a long intense but beautiful day!
• The town is cute and we ate twice at Tres Jotas (ridic Cuban sandwiches and large drinks on the porch)

Other:

• You cannot use American credit or debit cards - make sure to bring enough cash!
• You can easily get cabs far distances for pretty cheap - 3 hour ride can be only $80
• Our AirBnBs in Havana were unreal.  Def look up their availability!  Here and here. 
• If you want a quick beach trip between Havana and Vinales, we stayed in Cayo Levisa for the night.   It is an island with one resort.  2-3 ferries go there a day and most people leave at night, so the beaches are NOT crowded and very lovely :)