President of Voyage Culture Cuba (VCC) walks you through the area of the jazz festival
«I have been to Havana dozens of times over the last several years. However, even though it has always been for business and not pleasure, Havana is like many other major capitals of the world like London or Paris: one never becomes tires of it. On the contrary it grows on you. Havana!
This capital of culture and music not only of Cuba, but also increasingly of Latin America. With the growing international popularity of all forms of Cuban music from the jazz of Chucho Valdés and his compatriots to Buena Vista Social Club to son and salsa, Havana is also becoming a capital of popular music for all of North America and Europe. Cuban culture and music have captured the minds and hearts of a vast international audience.
The 21st International Jazz Festival Plaza is an occasion for veteran visitors to Cuba and first-timers to renew acquaintance with Cuba or to discover it for the first time through its own jazz and the jazz musicians that it attracts like a magnet from all over the world, including the United States, Canada and Europe.
Of all the areas in Havana, the one I know best is the Vedado neighborhood, where all the Jazz Fest activities take place and where the hotels are located. I am familiar with this part of Havana almost like the palm of my hands to the extent some of my friends jokingly say that I know my way around almost as I do my hometown of Montreal.
We would like to share this familiarity with all those who want to go to the Jazz Fest with VCC. I will be at the airport in Havana to meet you upon your arrival. The Cuban English-speaking guide and myself will together accompany you to the hotel of your choice. The next day we will go to procure the credentials and badges for the jazz festival which is included in the VCC special package, providing daily entry and transport for all main concerts during the five-day event.
In order to assist you in making a decision with regards to the hotel, and to get a feeling of the area so that when you arrive, you will have a good idea of the jazz site, I would like to walk you through the area. Print out the map of Vedado area on our web site.
We can use two main poles to locate ourselves, based on the hotels we are offering as part of the package. Towards the west, on the Malecon, or ocean front wall, you will notice the Riviera Hotel. The other pole is the area around the Nacional Hotel, to the east, on the right of the map, also not far from the Malecon.
The Riviera Hotel is our first suggestion for accommodation as it is the headquarters of the Jazz Festival.
Even though the transportation to the main concerts are included in the VCC package, most of the concerts (all included), and jazz clubs where the jam sessions take place, are very close to the Riviera hotel. In fact, in the Riviera hotel where most of the international jazz star guests are lodged, there are jam sessions in the Elegante Bar, to be found right in the Riviera.
The Jazz Café is about two blocks away from the Riviera, on Paseo and 1st. Club Imagines, located on Calzada and C, isseven blocks away, east of the hotel. Just two blocks from this Club is located one of the main venues of the concerts Teatro Amadeo Roldan. Teatro Mella, another concert hall, is seven blocks from the Riviera and two blocks from the Teatro Amadeo Roldan.
The famous Casa de la Cultura Plaza where it also started in 1978, is the scene of some concerts as well as jam sessions. It is located about seven blocks from the Riviera, south west of the hotel, on Calzada and 8th. Many of the jam sessions, such as at the Casa or the Elegante Bar begin at about 10 P.M. and finish in the wee hours of the morning, so it is convenient to be close by or at the hotel itself.
In addition to the Riviera, we also offer the Hotel Nacional (five star), a class in itself and one of the world-famous hotels. This constitutes the second pole. The budget Vedado and Colina hotels (two/three star) are within five blocks of each other. Look at the eastern edge of the map to locate these hotels which are about twenty blocks from the Riviera.
The other main theatre and jazz club are closer to these hotels in the eastern part of the Vedado district, or equidistant between the Riviera and the Nacional. However, one has to keep in mind that the daily transport to the main concerts are included in the VCC package, so people opting for any of these three hotels will be well-served in any case.
The main opening and closing concerts as well as others during the week are held at the modern Teatro Nacional, overlooking the Plaza de la Revolucion. It is almost equidistant between the Riviera on the one hand, and on the other hand the eastern edge of the Vedado district where these three hotels are located. One of the most famous of all Havana jazz clubs, the Zorro y Cuervo is located two blocks from the Nacional, one block from the Vedado Hotel and four blocks from the Colina Hotel.
If one want to break away from the collective transport and do your own thing, then a taxi from one end of Vedado to the other is only about 2.50 $ US per taxi. If you leave the jam sessions late at night and prefer not to walk back to the hotel, then you are located only at a maximum of about a 2.50 $ US taxi drive away from your hotel room.
There are many other things to see and do in terms of the cultural and musical heritage of Havana, as well as interesting family and state restaurants. These are found both in Vedado, in Old Havana and Habana Centro. Old Havana is about 2-3 $ US from the Vedado district.
Let us leave the information on these optional activities for later. We will be in touch with all our clients to provide further information, as we get closer to the departure time. For those prolonging their stay or taking a day off from the jazz festival, there are lots of interesting places to visit such as Pinar del Rio, the neighboring province in order to get a feel of the Cuban countryside. The Havana east beaches are only about twenty minutes by taxi from Havana.
If you have any further questions, please inquire.
Hope to see you in Havana!»
Arnold August
President
Voyage Culture Cuba