Las Americas Avenue & General Cebreco St., Santiago de Cuba, Santiago de Cuba Province ,
Santiago de Cuba, Cuba
(+53) 22642011
yes
About
Las Americas
Built in 1975, and located a few minutes walk from the city’s historic center, this is the best hotel value in the city. Hotel Las Americas facilities include a large swimming pool, disco, two restaurants and a bar.
Calle Bartolomé Masó (San Basilio) y Calle Corona, Santiago de Cuba
Balcón de Velázquez
This ceramic-tiled terrace is all that remains of a fort once used by authorities to monitor boat traffic. It's a great place to linger while taking in views of both the city and the bay. Music shows and other events are often held here, particularly on weekend evenings.
Calle Heredia No.303, Santiago de Cuba
Museo del Carnaval
The spirit of one of the Caribbean's most vibrant street parties, Santiago's annual July carnival, is recalled in photos and newspaper clippings, floats, costumes, and musical instruments. Late afternoons here give a better sense of what carnival is like; stop by at 4 pm Tuesday through Saturday for a performance by music and dance troupes. The short spectacle of colorful costume, Afro-Cuban rhythms, and stirring song might have you planning your next trip to coincide with the main event.
Padre Pico, Santiago de Cuba
Museum of the Clandestine Struggle
The museum of the Clandestine Struggle is located Padre Pico steps up. This excellent museum, in one of the city’s finest colonial houses, focuses on the activities of the resistance movement under local martyr Frank País. Residents of Santiago were instrumental in supporting the Revolution, as were peasants in the Sierra Maestra. From the museum’s balcony, there are tremendous views of Santiago and the bay.
Calle Heredia No. 260, Santiago de Cuba
Casa Natal de José María Heredia
This Spanish-colonial mansion was the birthplace of poet José María Heredia, who, because of his pro-independence writings, is considered Cuba's first national poet. Heredia died in 1839 at age 36 while exiled in Mexico. The house, now just a fraction of its original size, displays period furniture and some of the poet's works and belongings. The home's traditional interior patio is planted with trees and plants—including orange, myrtle, palm, and jasmine—associated with Heredia's verse. A marble plaque on the house's Calle Heredia facade excerpts one of the poet's most famous works, "Niágara".