Trader Vic's/Polinesio, Havana, Cuba (restaurant) - Locating Tiki

N'' nui 'umi 'umi Tiki Socialite La Mirada Atoll Joined: Feb 21, 2011 Posts: 2718	N'' nui 'umi 'umi Posted posted on Fri, Nov 13, 2015 12:45 AM Mike, our recent trip to Cuba was organized by Kkjz radio out of Cal-State Long Beach here in California.Our tour was a jazz music appreciation visit. Hotels,Visa’s, Itinary all taken care of by the station and Havana Tours (offices in L A and Miami). We already had passports which you of course gotta have. Flying to CanCun and then to Havana will save you a ton of moolah. Staying at private residences you’ll pay as little as 25 bucks a night as opposed to several hundred a night at for example the Hotel National. The govt. run Hotel National is the “flagship “ in Havana. There was a minor water leak in our room the first night and we were forced (upgraded) from a basic room to a luxury suite. I checked the rate chart and the basic room goes for about 200 dollars-The suite is upwards of 400 a night. It was a true suite and so big that we never used the separate sitting room. THe hotel has several bars (lotsa rum) and dining rooms and chock full of history. Plus you are only a couple of blocks from Polinesio in the Havana Libre Hotel, formerly The Havana Hilton. Polinesio is a must-see. If you can , Pack a couple of your duplicate mugs as gift’s for Osvaldo the manager/barkeep at Polinesio. He’s a gent and a tiki frteak. Small flashlights with extra batteries,nail polish etc. are much appreciated by the hardworking Cuban people.You’ll get a wonderful warm feeling when you slip these little gift’s in their hands. Don’t worry you will know exactly when and who to give em to. Not a big selection but absolutely the best prices on rum and cigars at the duty free shop at Havana’s Jos’e Marti Airport.They put it in a tamper proof bag and you take it on the plane in your carryall. If you have a connecting flight in the U S you’ll have to move the rum to your under the plane baggage. Caution though, some friends returning from Cuba Via Mexico had their rum and cigars confiscated by a custom agent who told them he was unclear on the rules so he was taking them just in case. We had no problem in Miami although the agent was puzzled why "anyone would want to go to Cuba”. Good luck and please keep us posted. Btw, feel free to P M me with any questions. [ Edited by: nui 'umi 'umi 2015-11-13 00:46 ]

Mike, our recent trip to Cuba was organized by Kkjz radio out of Cal-State Long Beach here in California.Our tour was a jazz music appreciation visit. Hotels,Visa’s, Itinary all taken care of by the station and Havana Tours (offices in L A and Miami). We already had passports which you of course gotta have.
Flying to CanCun and then to Havana will save you a ton of moolah. Staying at private residences you’ll pay as little as 25 bucks a night as opposed to several hundred a night at for example the Hotel National. The govt. run Hotel National is the “flagship “ in Havana. There was a minor water leak in our room the first night and we were forced (upgraded) from a basic room to a luxury suite. I checked the rate chart and the basic room goes for about 200 dollars-The suite is upwards of 400 a night. It was a true suite and so big that we never used the separate sitting room. THe hotel has several bars (lotsa rum) and dining rooms and chock full of history. Plus you are only a couple of blocks from Polinesio in the Havana Libre Hotel, formerly The Havana Hilton. Polinesio is a must-see. If you can , Pack a couple of your duplicate mugs as gift’s for Osvaldo the manager/barkeep at Polinesio. He’s a gent and a tiki frteak. Small flashlights with extra batteries,nail polish etc. are much appreciated by the hardworking Cuban people.You’ll get a wonderful warm feeling when you slip these little gift’s in their hands.
Don’t worry you will know exactly when and who to give em to.
Not a big selection but absolutely the best prices on rum and cigars at the duty free shop at Havana’s Jos’e Marti Airport.They put it in a tamper proof bag and you take it on the plane in your carryall. If you have a connecting flight in the U S you’ll have to move the rum to your under the plane baggage. Caution though, some friends returning from Cuba Via Mexico had their rum and cigars confiscated by a custom agent who told them he was unclear on the rules so he was taking them just in case. We had no problem in Miami although the agent was puzzled why "anyone would want to go to Cuba”.
Good luck and please keep us posted.
Btw, feel free to P M me with any questions.

[ Edited by: nui 'umi 'umi 2015-11-13 00:46 ]

Post #753928 by nui 'umi 'umi on Fri, Nov 13, 2015 12:45 AM