Individual Salsa dance holiday Havana
with Cuban salsa teacher

8 days, can be started every day of the year

Havana, the capital

Havana, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is one of the oldest, grandest, safest and loviest cities in the Americas. It’s well known for the colored colonial buildings, numerous old cars, the high concentration of museums and galleries, the stunning vibrancy of Cuban music and salsa dance, and the charismatic habaneros. Surrounding the picturesque squares (plazas) are beautiful restored colonial buildings with grand facades, and striking churches that form a magnificent setting for the late afternoon chess and domino games and salsa music. Add to this the tropical climate and you have a perfect cocktail for a holiday.

Havana with the best authentic Cuban salsa

• The salsa holiday in Havana is the best of the best. Havana is the perfect place to learn or improve Cuba’s national dance ? Salsa. The programme includes daily salsa lessons, a Havana city tour, an excursion to the beach, several optional excursions to e.g., a traditional cigar factory, museums, and local beautiful spots, matinees and salsa party’s .
• The programme includes 9 days with 7 nights with accommodation in a hotel or casa particulares (breakfast included). Our authentic Cuban style salsa classes are facilitated by top dance instructors. All of them are certified. Each participant is offered a local Cuban dance partner who will always be there to mentor each person’s progress and ensure a high quality of learning experience. You will dance the salsa on your own level, whether you are beginner, intermediate, advanced, or master class. This holiday can be booked by singles, as well as partners, or friends. Whether you are travelling by yourself or come with a partner ? each person will get their personal Cuban dance partner for the whole course, making it a far more intensive and rewarding learning experience. It is our experience that you will improve your salsa dance level with 1-2 years of taking lessons once a week in your own country.

Hotel or casa particulares (Bed & Breakfast)

You can stay in the *** Deauville Hotel. Hotel Deauville is perfectly located across from the Havana Malecon, and with an excellent view to the sea and the castillo de los Tres Reyes del Morro at the entrance of the Bay. From the hotel, you can quickly get to Havana’s old and modern sections. All comfortable rooms of this *** star hotel have terraces with a view to the sea or to Old Havana. The hotel has also a rooftop pool. The hotel is at walking distance of the most important spots where you can dance, like Casa de Musica with daily concerts. You can book a double or single room. The standard of hotel room might be different compared to what you are used to. See also: http://www.southtravels.com/america/cuba/hoteldeauville/index.html

A "casa particulares" is a bed and breakfast in a private home in Cuba. Private citizens are allowed (meeting certain conditions and paying the required tax) to rent out rooms to tourists. They can offer both lodging and meals. The "casa particulares" offer an nice way to see Cuba and provide you a quality service while allowing you to get in close contact with the Cuban people. Most casas are English spoken. Most casas have airconditioning, private bath/douche, and breakfast is included. The casa particulares are close and in walking distance of the hotel.

Flights to Havana/Varadero

Our holiday package is flight-exclusive. This allows you to choose your flight when and with the company you prefer. There are several (charter) companies flying to Havana. Also check out the offers of travel agents specialized in Cuba. When traveling to Havana, a flight to José Martí International Airport in Havana or a flight to Juan Gualberto Gómez airport in Varadero is recommended. José Martí International Airport is an international airport serving Havana, Cuba. The airport is situated 9 miles (15km) southwest of downtown Havana. José Martí airport handles flights from over 25 international airlines serving more than 60 worldwide destinations, mainly in Europe, North, Central and South America and over 3 national airlines serving 16 domestic destinations. Juan Gualberto Gómez (airport code VRA) International Airport is about 1o hours from Havana (about 2 hours or 3 hours by bus).

Flight book service of Dance4two

To find a plane ticket, Dance4two can help you. We offer the “flight book service”. There are many airlines with flight to Havana, Varadero, etc. To find a cheap plane ticket, we'll discover 2-3 attractive plane travel solutions that will fits to your wishes. Our main goal is to help our visitors finding the lowest airfares possible.
How does it work?

• You send us preferred day and place of departure and arrival. You send us your passport name and number.
• Based on the available airlines, we select 2-3 plane travel options.
• You make your choice and you pay the exact price of the ticket.
• We book the flight and send you the e-ticket.
• Cost for this service is ?35. The cost of the flight ticket is not included.

Transfer from airport to Hotel / casa particulares v.v.

Airport pick-up and drop-off are available for an additional cost and should be
reserved in advance.

• Havana: pick-up Havana airport or drop-off Havana airport costs is ?22 one way for 1 person, and ?18 per person for two people or more.
• Varadero: pick-up Varadero airport or drop-off Varadero airport costs is ?40 one way for 1 person, and ?30 per person (2 people or more).

What is included / what is not included?

Services included:

• 7 nights in Hotel/casa particulares including breakfast
• Welcome and briefing with our local representative
• Multilingual speaking tour guide (English spoken)
• 6 days of dancing course (2 hours) with a personal qualified dancing partner (small break in between)
• Guided tour
• Transfers to Playa del Este
• Entrance fees on excursions, including El Chevere, Jardines 1830, and Casa de la Musica,

Services Not Included:

• Flights (see flight book service)
• Transfers from and to airport (can be booked)
• Additional drinks and meals
• Optional excursions
• Departure Tax 25 CUC (when leaving the country)
• Travel insurance

Havana: day to day

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Day 9

General Information Cuba holiday

The Cuban factor

When you think of Cuba, you probably imagine the passionate rhythms of old soneros and the big heavy Cadillac´s rushing through the streets of Havana´s old city. However, Cuba is not only about nostalgia, tobacco and rum. It is a fascinating country that also stands for passion, temperament, endless joie de vivre and sincere, warm hospitality. You easily get in contact with the Cuban people. They might ask you to have a drink or to pay diner for them. It is up to you whether or not you will do that. European people, both women and men, are very attractive to Cuban people. They like to dance closely and in a romantic way. Normally, this is a nice experience. In case you don´t like it, feel free to regret with a glance. The culture of Cuba is a complex mixture of different, often contrasting, factors. You easily make friends in Cuba, their hospitality is great. However, Cuba is the country where not everything goes according to plan. Go with the flow, and accept cultural differences. The programme might be different or changed because of the Cuban factor. In case of change, smile and think of the Cuban factor.

Passport and entry requirements

Citizens must have a passport valid for at least six months, a tourist card (tarjeta de turista) and an onward ticket. Tourist cards are valid for thirty days and although you can buy one from Cuban consulates you can also will get one from your tour operator or travel agent.

Money

Cuba's national unit of currency is the Cuban peso (CUP), or peso cubano in Spanish; it's referred to also as the national peso, and it's divided into 100 centavos. Banknotes are issued in denominations of 50, 20, 10, 5, 3 and 1. Whilst Cuban citizens are paid in national pesos, the currency used by the vast majority of foreign visitors is the convertible peso (CUC), or in Spanish the peso convertible. Credit cards – Visa and MasterCard – are accepted at some places, especially around the large tourist resorts. In most small to medium-sized towns plastic is absolutely useless as a method of payment. You will also incur an extra 11% charge on top of your card issuer's charges. ATM machines in Havana don´t accept foreign credit and debit cards, very few take anything other than Visa, and  none accept cards issued by American banks. The best way is to take cash money with you. The Banco Financiero Internacional is one of the most efficient and experienced at dealing with foreign currency transactions. Also generally reliable is the Banco de Crédito y Comercio, which has a larger number and wider spread of branches. Most of the larger hotels have cambios where you can exchange money, with more flexible hours than the banks. Commission for changing foreign cash to convertible pesos ranges from 2 to 4 percent. You can easily change money in Hotel Deauville.

Costs

What are the likely costs when I´m out there? The amount of money you'll actually spend on holiday, that you'll have to bring along with you, depends on your spending pattern. This can vary depending on taste and comfort. We suggest that at least you'll spend about €25 per person, per day for food, and drinks. In general, prices in restaurants are lower than in Europe. Taxis are a little bit cheaper and internet is expensive at 6CUC per hour. Museum entrance fees range from 2 - 5CUC.

How to tip people?

People will want tips for every small service, it is just the way it is in Cuba. People rely heavily upon tourists in order to gain access to the convertible peso as they are paid in moneda nacional and 24 = 1 CUC. Prepare to spend a few CUC´s a day in tips including at live music venues for the musicians.

Insurance

Since 2011, the government announced that all travellers to Cuba need to show a valid travel insurance policy which is valid in Cuba and covers them for medical expenses upon their arrival. You must purchase a policy in your own country and ensure that it covers the cost of repatriation back to your country in the unlikely event that it is necessary. Medical supplies are scarce in Cuba and hospital stays are expensive and although healthcare in Havana is good, evacuation by air may be necessary and the Cuban government will not allow you to enter the country without proof that you are covered for this. Ask your insurance company to provide you with an English document to show you authorities on arrival. It is your responsibility to provide adequate insurance to cover health so you must thoroughly check that Cuba is included and exactly what is covered.

Internet

Internet is available at most hotels and many principal Etecsa offices internet cafes, including hotel Deauville. Skype is not allowed, internet connections can be very slow and costs about 6 CUC per hour. You can buy cards at the reception.

Phone

You can use your mobile phone (dual band), however it can be expensive. SMS is much cheaper. Phonecards for both internal and external calls are readily available from shops and kiosks.

Vaccinations

By a journey to Cuba on less than 1 month recommend protection against the following infections: Diphtheria, Hepatitis A (infectious hepatitis), Tetanus, and Yellow fever – transit. Contact your local organization.

Electricity

Although the power supply in Cuba is mainly 110 volts, most of the modern hotels have dual voltage with all the sockets in the room being 220 volts. A flat 2 pin is used. You might need a converter to reduce the voltage down from 220 volts to 110 volts. Most computers and digital cameras chargers these days will work on both voltages. Check your charger and if it says: Input: AC 110V-240V~50Hz/60Hz it will be OK to plug into the 220 volt socket.

Clothes

In this sub-tropical climate, lightweight natural fabrics such as linen and cotton work well, although Jeans and T-shirts also work. In wintertime, the island is cooled by the trade winds so pack a lightweight jacket or shawl for the cooler evenings. For your own safety, leave your expensive jewelry at home.

Tipping

Tipping is very welcomed as salaries in the service industry are small. A 10% tip is appreciated in restaurants and by taxi drivers. Small amounts are appreciated by all service staff.

Safety

Cuba has the lowest crime rate in the area. You will be surprised by the visible police presence in Cuba. They are there specifically to protect and help tourists.
Foreign currency and/or convertible pesos (CUC) are vital to their economy, they bend over backwards to make sure everyone has a safe and pleasant stay.

Can a woman travel alone?

Yes, no problem. As everywhere, don't go down dark streets at night, the same streets you wouldn't go in in your own hometown. In general, all cities, even the bigger ones are safe at night for female travelers, you can just walk home.

Gifts

Cuban people will always appreciate gifts. There is shortages in Cuba of everything. Cubans are not embarrassed by gifts. They like things like shampoo, conditioner, cleansing creams, panadol, aspirin, toothpaste and toothbrushes. Children´s clothes are also appreciated.

Water

Drinking bottled water is recommended because unfamiliar bacteria can cause diarrhea and other stomach problems for travelers. Eating salads in restaurants and brushing your teeth at the sink does not normally present a health concern, but each person will need to decide how careful they should be based on their own sensitivity. You might consider taking ORS (Oral Rehydration Salt) or Immodium with you in case of diarrhea.

Language

Will anybody speak English? Most Cubans are very well educated and in the cities you will find many friendly and helpful English speaking people. In the more rural areas however there is less English spoken. We recommend taking a phrasebook. You can always fall back on universal body language too!

Embassy

If you are looking for detailed information about requesting a visa, how to extend your stay in Cuba, etc., please contact the Cuban embassy or consulate in your country or the official authorities in Cuba:

• Cuban Embassies listed by the Foreign Ministry of Cuba: embacu.cubaminrex.cu
• List of Cuba embassies and consulates: cu.embassyinformation.com

Weather

Cuba generally has a hot and sunny tropical climate. While the average annual temperature is 24°C (75°F), temperatures can drop to 15° (59°F) or lower in January and February (considered winter), especially at night and in the mountains. These months fall in the dry season, which runs roughly from November to April. May to October is considered the wet season, when you can expect it to rain at least a couple of days during a two-week holiday. Downpours don't usually last long, however, and are quickly followed by sunshine. September and October are the most threatening months of the annual hurricane season that runs from June to November.