What is your Day One Havana Ritual?

[El Presidente]

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For those that have been a few times....When you first land in Havana.....get to your hotel or Casa.....

what is the first thing that you do ....and what is your first full day routine.

We are mostly creatures of habit and have a little ritual.

Fill us in on yours

[straizor]

go to the casa. unload the suitcases. head over to the hotel riviera and say hello to juanita and get a behike 56 to smoke.

other customs are added after the talk for the rest of the day.

[Guest rob]

I have only been there once, but am hoping that when I return this year it goes something like this.

Arrival:

- arrive at Jose Marti and light a Mag46 with my good buddy, celebrating a 'safe' touchdown

- arrive at Casa and big hugs for Jose and Ingrid

- crack some Buccanero and light a custom cigar

- chill out with friends and enjoy the sounds of the city, as nighttime arrives, watching the blackouts cutting in and out

- head off to a paladar and enjoy a meal with friends

- return home

- wash, rinse, repeat (minus the first couple of points )

[Ryan]

I really do have a ritual when I land.

I usually land about 6 pm. I have the driver stop on the way to my casa so I can get Rum, beer and water.

Meet the landlord, unpack, shower and change and walk around to the Nacional.

Into the Salon de Historia bar there for a Upmann No.2 with a mojito (the mojito in that bar is still the best I've had in Cuba, with aged rum and Angostura bitters). I love lighting up that cigar, from the same box every time, watching my mojito being made.

It takes me about 24 hours door to door to get to Cuba and it's that moment I finally feel I've arrived.

Then out to the terrace to see who's around, usually a ham and cheese sandwich, then off into Habana Vieja until midnight, usually Bar Monserrate. At midnight back into the Gato Tuerto until 4ish and then see what happens after that, sometimes down to the Malecon with a bottle of rum with some locals for a nightcap.

My first full day is usually spent running around the shops/hotels/casas/factories to meet up with the usuals, Hamlet, Jose etc. and whoever else has already arrived from abroad. With an itinerary given to the driver the night before. Usually first lunch is El Aljibe, it's like Cuban McDonalds in that you always know what you're going to get.

I'm lucky I have a regular driver now, not the cheapest but very reliable car that doesn't asphyxiate the occupants, really nice guy and most importantly, now knows the directions to everywhere I need to go so I can take naps between locations.

[Diamondog]

Getting in at night, Prado 309 rooftop grill for dinner, drinks, cigars, end up where the night takes...first full day, lucky if I can make it out of Conde de Villanueva...

[Puros Y Vino]

From the two times I've gone. It's drop off the bags in the room at the Hotel Nacional then bring some cigars to smoke out on their back deck with a double espresso followed by a Mojito.

[MPS]

My friend picks my wife and I up from the airport around 6pm and hands me fresh Monsdales. I proceed to smoke one inside the lada that is so packed with luggage and usually some sort of large appliance or TV that I can't even see my wife who is right next to me. We head straight to Club Havana to see old friends. Rummage through the locker and fill up my bag with smokes for a couple of days. After that dump the luggage at the casa and have a snack then shower. First night is usually with the whole family at El Aljibe. Plenty of food for them with leftovers to take back. Back to the casa to smoke and relax. I stopped going to other shops for a while now. I spend my time on the beach and pool at Club Havana during the days. I'm still exploring at night though. Still haven't found my spot yet.

[Blackham]

1. grab an ice cold can of Pinita

2. A cone of peanuts from the street

3. Have a short smoke at the Villanueva

4. Start my cigar shopping rotation: libre, nacional, melia habana, commodoro etc.

5. Octopus for dinner

[dvickery]

day one is pretty sedate ... arrival time (from edmonton) is usually around 6 or 7 in the morning .

breakfast and sleep til 12 or 1 ... comodoro to visit my extended family at the smokeshop ... drink espresso and smoke alex's coronas until they close ... pizza at "terazzas de roma" and off to bed .

derrek

[Lant63]

As I have only been to Cuba once, my first night with a fellow Fraternity Brother was the following:

-Land at 830 pm and not have guide show up until 9

-Get to Hotel O'farrill at 10 eat and be entertained

-Buy Fake Cuban Cigars from Bell Boy (I have learned to bring cigars if arriving late the first night)

-Get super drunk on a fifth of the cheapest Cuban Rum you can buy

-Buy as many of the "Black German Beer" as we could find.

-Get scammed by some locals on a $40 cab ride when we were two blocks from the hotel.

Lessons learned haha!

[dowjr1]

1. grab an ice cold can of Pinita

2. A cone of peanuts from the street

3. Have a short smoke at the Villanueva

4. Start my cigar shopping rotation: libre, nacional, melia habana, commodoro etc.

5. Octopus for dinner

Man that sounds awesome!

[Strada]

Land in Varadero

Buy 3 beers for the transfer to Havana

Check in (usually late like 23h ish)

Nacional terrasse for a mojito and a cigar I brought for that occasion. Usually something big or old.

Smile

Relax

wash, rinse repeat for 7 days

[LLC]

After checking into the Hotel National, it's off to the back of the hotels to sit on the comfy couches with friends and start the cigars and mojito's. Then normally the cigar searching from place to place begins.

[Rushman]

Go to Casa. Meet my hosts. Drop off bags. Head to lcdh 5ta y 16. Say hey to carlitos and spark up a cigar. Day two and just about day 2-x late morning or early afternoon is head to Pan de Paris for a great lunch of jamon y queso sandwich.

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[liuzzi]

I usually arrive around 5 PM, get a taxi from the airport to the casa, shower, dinner and drinks in the casa, walk to Nacional, drink mojitos and smoke the whole evening, next morning do my usual round trip of cigar shops.

[NJP]

Just the thought of having a Havana Ritual blows my mind.

[El Presidente]

I really do have a ritual when I land.

I usually land about 6 pm. I have the driver stop on the way to my casa so I can get Rum, beer and water.

Meet the landlord, unpack, shower and change and walk around to the Nacional.

Into the Salon de Historia bar there for a Upmann No.2 with a mojito (the mojito in that bar is still the best I've had in Cuba, with aged rum and Angostura bitters).

Carlos (El Moro) at the Salon de Historia makes the best Mojito and Pina Colada in Havana

[Cohiba Stevie]

When i arrived in havana at the parque central it was a quick walk to a local store to stock up on beer and water for the room while the girlfriend showered.

Squeezed in a siglo 1 at the bar while waiting.

Then when she was drying her hair and dolling herself up for the night i i showered and had a quick shave.

Then went down to the restaurant for champange, canadian steaks followed by a monte 2 up on the rooftop terrace.

I remember like it was yesterday... Smoking that monte while the music played. Looking out over that strangely gorgeous city while sipping a cold beer.

My heart literally aches to go back.

Hope to do so next year.

Hopefully

[habanolover]

;{...Maaan, I've GOTTA up my game...