Cuba is the Caribbean’s forbidden fruit
Posted August 21, 2009 , add a comment- Worst performance for tourism
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Aug 21, 2009
U.S. Legislation is pending in Congress that would lift the ban on U.S. citizens traveling to Cuba. Travel industry officials estimate that as many as 1 million Americans might visit the island each year.
The question is whether Cuba is ready for a huge jump in foreign visitors.
The island nation has much to offer.
The lack of development under communist rule has left parts of the country resembling a land from a time warp to the 1950s — a welcome change of pace for many foreign tourists.
Cuba is close — Havana is only as far from Miami as Boston is from New York. And the country has beaches, mountains and a rich history.
Attractions Abound
The central Cuban city of Camaguey offers travelers labyrinth-like streets, which were laid out in the 1500s to be intentionally confusing to attacking pirates.
Tourists can go snorkeling in the Bay of Pigs, or lounge on the white sand beaches along the north coast that was favored by Ernest Hemingway.
In the city of Remedios on Cuba’s northern coast, the main church was built in the 16th century. Estaban Augustin Granda Fernandez, 87, used to play the organ at the church. Now, he is the caretaker and shows visitors around the sanctuary.
He points out the timbers in the ceiling, the original Spanish tiles in the floor and the statue of the Virgin Mary, who appears to be dancing the flamenco.
Granda also points out that the statue has a bulge in her belly. It is the only image of a pregnant Virgin Mary in Cuba, he says, slapping his own stomach.
EnlargeJason Beaubien/NPR
This 16th-century church in Remedios, on Cuba’s north coast, is one attraction in the town. Although the island has no shortage of tourist attractions, some worry it lacks the necessary infrastructure to accommodate a large influx of visitors.
Roberto Maseo, who works in a dive shop in the beach town of Santa Lucia, says Cuba’s main tourist market is Canada, because of its proximity. Flying time from Toronto to Santa Lucia, or from Montreal to Camaguey, is about three hours, Maseo says.
Santa Lucia has a series of two- and three-star resorts that sell all-inclusive package vacations. Maseo calls it a value resort. Scuba-diving excursions — all equipment and transportation included — cost about $35.
Maseo is currently preparing for a shark show. “We feed the sharks. No protection. Shark is actually swimming over you, over your heads. People can actually touch them. No problem,” he says with a laugh.
Economic Benefits Of Expanded Tourism
In 2008, tourism was Cuba’s second leading source of income after nickel exports. It’s a growing source of revenue that the communist regime wants to expand.
There are plans to open 30 new hotels across the island in the next five years.
While Cuban officials say they’re not banking on Washington lifting the travel ban, hundreds of thousands of additional visitors from across the Florida Straits could pump much-needed cash into Cuba’s flagging economy.
EnlargeJavier Galeano/AP
Musicians perform for tourists at the Hotel Nacional in Havana. The historic hotel was built in 1930 and modeled after the Breakers Hotel in Palm Beach, Fla.
“For us, the American market is a big opportunity,” says Dario Fernandez, general manager of Hotel Melia Havana, a Spanish-run luxury hotel in the capital city.
The hotel has 400 rooms, seven restaurants and the biggest pool in Havana. It is jointly owned by the Cuban government and a group of foreign investors, and is managed by the Spanish resort chain Sol Melia.
Fernandez says about 3 percent of his guests are from the United States, but he estimates that number could rise to 50 percent without the travel ban. Last year, the hotel had an average occupancy rate of 82 percent — considered good in the business.
But there are challenges to running a five-star hotel in a communist country where ordinary citizens earn just $20 a month. For instance, the reason Melia Havana has seven restaurants is that few dining options outside the hotel meet foreign tourists’ standards. The Melia runs its own fleet of buses for its employees because the city’s transportation system is so unreliable.
American Tourists’ Historical Connection
The Hotel Nacional in Havana abounds with shared history. The Nacional was built in 1930 and modeled after the Breakers Hotel in Palm Beach, Fla.
EnlargeJason Beaubien/NPR
Frank Sinatra and Ava Gardner stayed at the Hotel Nacional on their honeymoon.
In 1946, American mobster Charles “Lucky” Luciano held a convention at the Nacional of American gangsters plotting to turn Havana into a second Las Vegas. In 1951, Hollywood stars Frank Sinatra and Ava Gardner stayed there on their honeymoon.
After Fidel Castro came to power in 1959, he shut down the hotel’s casino and installed Soviet anti-aircraft guns along the front lawn — under which a bomb shelter, built during the Cuban missile crisis of 1962, still remains.
But if guests don’t want to think about the moment the world was pushed to the brink of nuclear war, mafia gambling rackets or the clash between capitalism and communism, they can sip mojitos at an outdoor restaurant, looking north across the water toward Florida.
Jesus Noguera Ravelo, a tour guide, says Cuba’s infrastructure is not ready for a huge influx of American visitors. He notes there aren’t enough buses, rental cars, quality restaurants or hotel rooms.
“But if you ask me about the will of the Cuban people, I would say, yes, we are ready. We would like to have more exchange with the American people coming from the U.S. to Cuba,” he says.
Noguera says the American visitors who do come have much more interest in Cuban history than other tourists — in part because the two countries have such a long, intertwined relationship. He says if he tries to give Canadians or Europeans a one-hour talk about the Cuban revolution, their eyes start to roll back in their heads. But Americans, he’s found, are eager to hear about it.
“That is telling you that we have a lot in common. And we have to know each other a lot more,” Noguera says.
Review of Hotel Indigo in Sarasota, Florida
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The front desk at Hotel Indigo Sarasota shows off the chain
Guest Post by Leigh Caldwell of ThemeParkMom.
Comfy, casual
Not your daddy’s biz hotel
It’s not stuffy here
So that’s my haiku tribute to the Intercontinental Hotels Group boutique hotel chain, Hotel Indigo.
On a recent stay at the Hotel Indigo Sarasota, I expected to see the color blue (indigo, actually) and the logo’s iconic seashell everywhere, but I was surprised to find a hotel filled with poetry (haiku, actually).
The three-liners are everywhere - on the brochures, in the fitness center and even on the room’s plastic laundry bag. Hotel Indigo says the haiku are designed to surprise, refresh and provide tranquility.
One of the sweetest surprises of my Hotel Indigo stay was a personalized haiku left in my room the evening of my stay, along with a bottle of water and a snack. The front desk staff told me they enjoy writing haiku for the guests, and they often try to base the personalized poems on the industry in which the traveler works.
Location
Hotel Indigo Sarasota sits on Tamiami Trail, across the street from Sarasota
Hotel Indigo Sarasota is just a few minutes’ drive from Sarasota’s downtown and just 10 minutes south of Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport. It is within walking distance of many of the attractions on Sarasota’s Bayfront and would be the perfect place to stay when visiting the city to attend a performance at Sarasota’ Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall. The city’s Rosemary District, an area undergoing an urban renewal, is also within walking distance and features locally-owned restaurants and unusual shops for browsing.
If you plan on sticking your toes in the sand on your Sarasota trip, Lido Beach is 10 minutes away. And Dr. Beach’s second best beach in the world, Siesta Beach, is just a 15-20 minute drive.
My travel companions and I had a delightful dinner at the Broadway Bar, three blocks north of the hotel. Though not revealed in the restaurant’s name, this is a true red-sauce Italian mom-and-pop joint, complete with the red-and-white checked tablecloths.
Guest rooms
Guest rooms have laminate wood floors and a comfy casual decor.
The guest rooms at Hotel Indigo Sarasota are not the typical cookie-cutter business hotel. They are spacious, with hardwood floors, comfy beds with a sea of white linens and bold, graphic wall murals.
I stayed in a king suite, which was a large, single room that included a sitting area in addition to the bed. The couch in the sitting area has a pull-out bed for extra guests or children.
an efficient workspace and another graphic wall mural
The workspace was furnished with a comfortable desk, lamp and desk chair with wheels. Free wireless Internet also makes it possible to work in the sitting area or on the bed.
The tranquil feeling continued in the bathroom, which had a huge, tiled walk-in shower with glass walls.
The only thing I found missing in my Hotel Indigo Sarasota room was a closet. There is a wardrobe with hanging space, but on short stays such as this one, I prefer not to unpack much of my clothing, opting to set up my suitcase on a luggage rack in the closet. There was a luggage rack in the room, where I was able to put my suitcase in an unused corner, but I generally prefer to conceal it from view.
Public spaces
The lobby stretches into a casual wine bar/lounge/eatery that I found refreshing after eating in many stuffy hotel dining rooms. The hotel’s kitchen serves a small menu, but it provided plenty of variety in my opinion, with a few appetizer choices, sandwiches and entree salads. There is also a counter to buy potato chips, bakery goods and other snack items to consume in the lounge, your room or the pool area. Room service is also available for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
A hot tub and cold tub replace the traditional hotel pool at Hotel Indigo Sarasota.
There is not a large pool area at the Hotel Indigo Sarasota. A pleasant space outdoors offers a rectangular hot tub and a cold pool. But the pool is the same size at the hot tub and not made for swimming, only for a dip. I did spend some time in the pool area and found comfortable chairs and shaded tables, as well as a great signal for the hotel’s free wireless Internet. I do not swim frequently on my business travels, and I don’t know any other business traveler who does, but you should know this in advance if you are planning a vacation stay.
The hotel also offers a fitness center just off the pool, equipped with treadmills, ellipticals and weight-lifting equipment.
I am definitely adding Hotel Indigo to my list of preferred brands when traveling. The more casual vibe of this hotel really fits my lifestyle and personality, and I encourage weary road warriors to give it a try.
All photos by the author.
W Hotel South Beach Offers Limited Time Entourage Bungalow
Posted , add a commentThe main characters on HBO’s hit show Entourage are known for living the high life when they travel. Now in a contrived case of life imitates art, HBO has partnered with W Hotels to offer a special bungalow promotion at the chain’s newest property in Miami.
W South Beach Hotel
From now until September 27, 2009, the W South Beach has a special Entourage bungalow promotion for fans of the show.
Want to vacation like Vincent Chase and Co.? For around $5,000 a night (which comes to $5,650 after tax), you get to stay in a two-bedroom poolside bungalow that’s decked out with a poster of the show’s cast, a TV channel that plays the show 24/7, the latest in Playstation gaming equipment, an outdoor plunge pool and a video camera in one of the bedrooms (what you do with it, is completely up to you).
The package also includes:
* Limousine transportation to/from airport
* A day in a WOW Cabana at WET, the hotel’s main pool, including beverage and food
* Complimentary dinner at Sole?, the hotel’s Spanish-influenced fine dining restaurant
* VIP access and bottle service at WALL, the W’s nightclub
* Courtside Coronas and a reservation at Swoosh, W South Beach’s basketball court
* A Bliss bag of goodies
* Private yacht cruise with full crew, lunch and limo to arrive in style
* Use of 2 Entourage-branded Jet Skis
* A foursome reservation at Diplomat Golf Course
There is a two-night minimum stay, so if you can round up 3 buds to share the suite, that only comes out to $1,412.50 per person, per night, to live the high life as seen on TV.
Not in South Beach? The other W Hotels are also participating in the promotion for the show’s new sixth season with a special package that includes a suite upgrade, a bottle of champagne on arrival and an Entourage DVD set.
The W South Beach opened to the public on July 2, 2009. Guest rooms start at $369 a night.
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W South Beach
2201 Collins Ave
Miami Beach, Florida 33139
305-938-3000
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[Photo courtesy Starwood Hotels]
Tropicana Las Vegas to get South Beach, Miami makeover
Posted August 7, 2009 , add a comment- American Eagle Airlines expands flight schedule
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- Miami-Dade tourism agency slashes salaries
- Bollywood movie seen as a ‘powerful postcard' for Miami
By
eTN Staff Writer |
Aug 07, 2009
With more than 50 years of staying power on the corner of Tropicana Avenue and Las Vegas Boulevard, the property once coined “The Tiffany on the Strip” has stood virtually unchanged since the last major renovation in 1985.
Today, the Tropicana Las Vegas unveiled its energetic new logo to kick off the comprehensive revitalization and rebranding of the legendary Las Vegas strip property. The vibrant, almost free-form logo replaces the previous diamond visual that has been used for more than two decades.
“The new company logo will serve as a roadmap for our entire transformation,” said company chairman and CEO Alex Yemenidjian. “From the Havana-inspired font to the lively color palette and unique arrangement, this image was designed to represent our vision of excitement, sensuality, rhythm, and style.”
“The unveiling of this new company logo marks the beginning of a complete renovation and rebranding of the property with an energizing South Beach, Miami feel,” said Yemenidjian. “The new Tropicana Las Vegas will have a hot Havana-like vibe with pulsating music, live salsa dancers, bright tropical colors and a sizzling nightlife scene.”
Recently acquired by the Onex Corporation and led by Yemenidjian, the Tropicana will undergo a long-awaited physical and cultural transformation. Tropicana Las Vegas’ planned US$125-million renovation includes the redesign of every hotel room, the casino, and world-famous pool area among others. There will also be several new restaurants, bars, a new poker room, and nightclub.
In addition to the physical renovations taking place, the new Tropicana and its team will exceed customer service standards, improve overall atmosphere and guest experience, and maintain the highest level of quality property wide.
10 Backpacker Stereotypes You’ll Meet on the Road
Posted July 22, 2009 , add a comment10 Backpacker Stereotypes You’ll Meet on the Road
There is no doubt that having an open mind and a level of tolerance for differences in cultures is essential for any backpacker during their travels overseas. I also believe that there is no such thing as a ‘typical’ traveler, that not all backpackers from the same country necessarily bear resemblance to each other, and that where in the world an individual comes from should not affect how they are perceived and treated when traveling.
However, in the spirit of poking fun, and with a hint of political incorrectness, below is a list of the top ten backpacker region stereotypes (including my own!) that you may have encountered during your world travels…
1 - The American Backpacker
You will hear this backpacker immediately upon entering the hostel. Loud, enthusiastic and friendly, the American Backpacker either travels in large groups of young college girls or guys, or, if a little bit older, travels hans solo. The delightful college girl American Backpacker wears pajamas during the day and tight bright clothing at night, and is never without numerous layers of make up and hairspray, and the college boy American Backpacker has usually found their way to Central or South America on a cheap flight from Miami and are ready for a week of drinking and partying.
In contrast, the older single American Backpackers are usually travel bloggers, photographers, or hippies that are trying to find the deeper meaning in their travel experiences. All American backpackers give themselves massive kudos for being one of the 20-30% of American citizens that own passports and like to brag about anything remotely ‘foreign’ they have done on their travels. Depending on the type, great for partying the night away or discussing the meaning of life.
2 - The European Backpacker
Usually travels in pairs, stays in the private rooms, and spends much of the time speaking to only each other in their native language. The European Backpacker is ridiculously good looking but very quiet and reserved, until copious amounts of red wine are consumed.
Usually has way more money than the rest of the hostel combined and can tell smug stories of expensive trips and activities which others could only dream of. Great for when you want to pretend you are not a grimy backpacker and go to a nice restaurant or bar for once.
3 - The Canadian Backpacker
Can spot these a mile away due to the prevalence of Canadian flags sewn on to their backpack and the ‘ey’ at the end of every sentence (“Canada, ey”).
Always friendly and impeccably polite (unless you mistake them for their louder cousin, American backpacker). Often stoned. If you hit them, they will apologize. Great for switching rooms to get away from the snorer.
4 - The Israeli Backpacker
The Israeli backpacker tends to travel in large packs after doing their time in the army. Easy to find as they will be the ones haggling at every spot. Friendly and always speak impeccable English, but are slightly scary and a little smelly. Great for when you want the best deal at the local kebab shop.
5 - The Asian Backpacker
Very rare breed of backpacker. Quiet and courteous (until they have a beer), the Asian Backpacker usually travels in small packs with large cameras and a multitude of electrical equipment in a Hello Kitty backpack. Great for when you need that s150 charger you left at home.
6 - The English Backpacker
The English Backpacker travels in a massive group with other suntanned/burnt/fake-tan orange English Backpackers. Friendly but often spends time whinging on a hostel balcony.
Usually has enough money to find English booze and fried food thanks to the pound. Usually on a Gap Year. Always up for hostel drinking games, and able to drink nearly as much as the Australian Backpacker (and often goes home with one). Great for having a laugh at the pub.
7 - The South African Backpacker
Another rare breed. Usually men. Very arrogant and most have the crazy eyes, but they come complete with a divine accent and amazing abs. Can handle a shotgun. Great for when you need a handyman to fix the hostel bunk, someone to protect you in a dangerous part of town, or when you have a hankering for a backpacker fling.
8 - The Australian Backpacker
Friendly, adventurous and laid back, but can be annoyingly loud and is the centre of every party once drunk. Always the one that does the stupid dares.
Can be found traveling in packs, pairs or alone, but if alone will often have run into a cousin/friend/acquaintance at every stop, however remote (“maaaaate, didn’t realise you were over here in the middle of the amazon jungle. lets go for a drink.”).
Great for when you want to start drinking at 9am and have a skinny dip in a public fountain.
9 - The New Zealand Backpacker
Often confused with its Australian cousin; can be distinguished by their questionable fashion sense and hilarious pronunciation of the phrases “fish and chips” and “six, please”. Very friendly but usually a little reserved in large groups. Well experienced in camping and ‘tramping’ (hiking) and is at home in cold and mud and snow.
Extremely loose on the booze and has the ability to do even crazier things than the Australian Backpacker when provoked, especially if from Dunedin. Great for a laugh when ordering six beers, or for borrowing clothes when the weather is chilly.
10 - The Irish Backpacker
Not to be confused with the English Backpacker, the Irish Backpacker is usually a little older and travels in pairs or by themselves. Like a homing pigeon, this gem of a backpacker always manages to find the best deals on a pint at any time of the day and is friendly and inclusive of all other travelers.
Loses the ability to speak English after a few alcoholic beverages but good at miming their usually hilarious drinking stories. Great for a friendly face if traveling alone.
Photo credits:
Americans by greggoconnell on Flickr, Canadian by wisely on Flickr, Irish by Barnacles Hostels on Flickr, English and Drinking by Happy Little Nomad on Flickr