Highlights of Havana

[Ryan]

Highlights

1. Getting to meet Prez, Des, Greg(Ian, Sean?), Nino, Toby, Frida, Hamlet, Jose, Yaima, Reinaldo. All these guys surpassed any expectations I might have had. Really great times.

2. Private tour of El Laguito on the first Saturday morning and getting to sample some of the new Behikes.

3. Hanging out with the Foxes.

4. Meeting Hamlet at R&J and having a cigar and a drink with him in the back room. Really nice guy.

5. Gato Tuerto, I tried to swap my 20 year old citizen for one free drink from Tamara our waitress but she was having none of it. They’ve been spoiled in that place!

6. The music. Everywhere.

7. Meeting Simon, David, Jemma and the guys from Hunters again.

8. Watching Wales nearly come back to beat France with the Foxes and David Lewis (I know but you’d have to have been there)

9. Last few mojitos at Jose Marti with Ameeta Seth.

Lowlights

1. Not having enough time to spend with everyone I wanted to see. I was going on 3-4 hours sleep a night and still not enough.

2. As others have said, plugged custom rolls, though I did have a few very good ones.

3. Opening night was a bit of a let down, though the place itself was very impressive. Ashtrays were all gone within 30 minutes. One of the guys had his bag stolen with his passport/tourist visa in it.

4. Not so much our flight being cancelled for 2 days, I will never complain about 2 free days in Havana, just having to listen to Peter whinge about it. The 4 hour wait at the Air France office with no information wasn’t fun though.

5. Being put up in the Hotel Copacabana when our Cubana flight was delayed 9 hours, restaurant smelled like cat-sick, though good to know not to stay there.

6. Ryanair flight to Dublin from Gatwick.

I have to say, I’ll do whatever I can to get back there next year. I had a great time.

[Colt45]

With some of the negative sentiments about parts of the festival, I wonder - have any of you considered a get together in Havana at a different

time, or is the festival a "must attend"?

[PoohBore]

Wonder if you can get cigars there, but if you have a nice watch nothing is impossible in the drinks sector ........

Seriously now, El Gato Tuerto ( the one eyed cat ) is a great live music place across from the Hotel Nacional, head out the driveway of the Nacional, turn right, walk down 100 yards, it's in a house on your left, can't miss it.

Nino,

Thankyou for the info.

Do you have a recommendations for great places to get interesting / LE cigars from in Havana / varadero ?

[sfordham]

I was in Havana a week before the festival; well stayed in Santa Cruz del Norte and went to both Havana and Varadero. Best selection that we came across was the Partagas Factory. The Plaza Americana Mall in Varadero had a decent selection with some older boxes.

[Nino]

Nino,

Thankyou for the info.

Do you have a recommendations for great places to get interesting / LE cigars from in Havana / varadero ?

Well,

the usual digs, I'd say, no secrets here.

The Casas at 5-ta y 16, Melia Habana ( Roller: Juanita), Melia Cohiba ( Roller: Yolanda), Partagas factory, Hostal Conde de Villanueva (Reynaldo), go to La Cabana fortress to see Cueto, at RyJ factory you will see Hamlet.

Guess that would supply you with enough quality cigars for the time you need to choose your own favourite places

Varadero I am not familiar with.

Enjoy !