Trinidad (Cuba)

...to put us up in Trinidad and Pedro took us straight to his house on the edge of Trinidad’s quaint and colourful colonial old town, taking short cuts down narrow alleyways while we tried to remember landmarks. We were hungry, tired and somewhat taken aback by all the hustle and bustle going on around us. Pedro seemed to know everyone in Trinidad and shook hands with the men he met and pointed out things of interest along the short walk up the hill ...
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Trinidad has few big tourist hotels, the few there are in the area are mainly situated on the beach a few miles away at Playa Ancon and so locals have been given more or less free reign in letting out their spare rooms. The quality varies from bare to modest luxury but they are always clean and comfortable and the hosts are always friendly and charming. At Pedro’s and Carmen’s place we made our way up to our room via a narrow staircase in ... more

Sadly my first impressions of this wonderful town were through the frosted window of a coach toilet. The previous evening I had had more than my fair share of rum and paid dearly for my excesses. A two hour journey over bumpy roads was surely not what the doctor would have prescribed. Not only that but our coach had been three hours late leaving Cienfuegos which did not do anything to alleviate my suffering.

We arrived to see a throng of locals waiting for the arrival of the coach service from Havana, via several other towns, some holding pieces of paper aloft bearing the names of tourists they were expecting, others with battered old photographs of the houses in which they had rooms to let. Luckily our host, Pedro, was waiting for us, proudly holding up his enormous piece of paper and waving frantically when we acknowledged him. A previous host back in Havana had kindly made arrangements for a friend of his, another casa particular owner, to put us up in Trinidad and Pedro took us straight to his house on the edge of Trinidad’s quaint and colourful colonial old town, taking short cuts down narrow alleyways while we tried to remember landmarks. We were hungry, tired and somewhat taken aback by all the hustle and bustle going on around us. Pedro seemed to know everyone in Trinidad and shook hands with the men he met and pointed out things of interest along the short walk up the hill to the house he shares with his wife, Carmen.

Trinidad has few big tourist hotels, the few there are in the area are mainly situated on the beach a few miles away at Playa Ancon and so locals have been given more or less free reign in letting out their spare rooms. The quality varies from bare to modest luxury but they are always clean and comfortable and the hosts are always friendly and charming. At Pedro’s and Carmen’s place we made our way up to our room via a narrow staircase in the living room and our room was large and airy with an en suite bathroom and outside a wonderful large terrace with beautiful views one way over the red roof tops of the old town and the other way up to the edge of the Sierra del Escambray mountains. A couple of roofs away a group of teenage lads had set up their own makeshift gym, using things other people had discarded to make their reasonably authentic equipment, each evening when it became a little cooler they would gather together to work out, each encouraging the others in their travails. For this wonderful view, a comfortable bed and a shower with hot water all day long we paid only 20 Convertible Pesos (see Cuba: General Review).

We had planned to stay three nights in Trinidad but soon realized we would not be leaving so quickly. For such a small town Trinidad has everything you could want for a holiday. The old town with its delightful colonial treasures is now a UNECSO protected World Heritage site and attracts hoardes of tourists from the beach resorts such as Varadero in the north and Cayo Coco in the north east of the island. They arrive mainly in coach groups and start descending on the town around mid-morning; after a few hours sight-seeing and a buffet they’re heading back to their resorts and the town becomes quiet again. The tourists are here mainly to wander the colonial streets, look around the market and perhaps visit a museum or two. There are lots of museums to choose from in Trinidad but they have unusual opening hours and all have at least a couple of days during the week when they do not open. Usually on any given day the museums you are most interested in are the ones which are closed. Several of the museums focus on Trinidad’s history and are housed in old colonial mansions; they have displays on the sugar plantations which made the area wealthy and rooms decorated and furnished in the colonial styles. There are also a couple of museums which center on the revolution; one focuses on the revolution itself with displays on how the rebels hid in the Sierra del Escambray and were helped by locals and the other centers on the counter-revolutionary movement the area in the early 1960s when those loyal to the deposed government tried to turn the tables – sadly both of these have very limited opening hours. There is a small cigar factory but only one room is open to the public (unlike the bigger factories in Havana which are more worthwhile to visit) and a ceramics factory with a rather good factory shop.

Entry to most of Trinidad’s museums costs around three Convertible Pesos but they are pretty small and limited in scope so you could easily do a couple in a day (so long as the ones you want to see are open!). However it costs nothing at all simply to stroll the streets taking in the beauty of the brightly painted houses with their wrought ironwork grilles in front of the windows, watching men take a wheelbarrow of squealing piglets to be sold or waving to the lively children as they march in file through the streets on their way home from school.

For a more leisurely way to pass the day Playa Ancon is the place to head. There is a service bus to Playa Ancon from the centre of town but it is slow and taxis are just as cheap if you can fill a car. If you take a car from outside the Cubatur office in the center of town you will easily find other tourists to share with you if you don’t have a carful and you’ll meet new friends into the bargain. Fares should be around two Convertible Pesos per person for four sharing a taxi. Alternatively you could go by the colourful little “coco” taxis but these are slower and cost about a Peso more.

The road to the beach cuts through a wonderful nature reserve and mangroves with plenty to see as you travel like majestic birds swooping down to the water and an old abandoned ship emerging ominously from the lagoon behind the beach. The taxis will take to up to the hotels and you can cut through onto the beach where you are faced with an amazing sweep of brilliant white sand in both directions. There is plenty of room for everyone here but even at weekends when the locals hit the beach it never gets crowded. The three hotels are well spaced out so you can position yourself away from the noise or you can take advantage of the hotels facilities by renting a bed for the day. At just a Cuban Peso each its good value and it means the staff will come and bring you drinks so you don’t have to leave the beach – just remember to have some small change – they never have any! There are hawkers at Playa Ancon but they are friendly and do not persist if you refuse them. Food is limited but you can get a reasonable pizza – only cheese and tomato – for one Cuban Peso which are OK to keep you going and there are coconuts and pineapples too. You may be approached by locals asking if you want to eat lobster in a Cuban house, this is likely to be one of the best meals you eat in Cuba. These are unlikely to be officially licensed paladars (see Review on Cuba:General) but so long as you are discreet you will not be ripped off.

The sea here remains shallow quite a way out making this a good spot for families or those who do not want particularly to swim but prefer just to cool off. As you swim fish swim around beneath you making this a snorkeler’s dream. If you wish to go further a field there are two companies on the beach who offer boat trips out for snorkeling off nearby reefs.

If you're the type of person who prefers life inland to the beach then there's plenty on offer. There are opportunities to go horse-riding in the foothills of the mountains and if you stay in a casa particular your host will no doubt no someone who can take you. Be aware, though, that you will probably not be provided with riding hats and the people taking you will not be insured. Otherwise why not arrange a taxi to take you up to the waterfalls in the mountains. Fill a car to make it cheaper and you will be driven up to the beginning of one of the well-marked trails where the driver will wait or come back in a few hours. After a trek up the mountain you'll welcome a dip in the cooling pool at the base of the waterfall.

Back in Trinidad you'll find plenty of places to eat but as all over Cuba you'd do best to avoid the state run restaurants. There are several excellent paladars - in particular Sol y Son with its outdoor dining area is exceptional but your host in the casa will be heartbroken if you do not eat at least once at the house. We were given far more than two people could eat with a starter, salad, a main course (usually fish, lobster or shrimps) and two desserts costing around 8 Convertible Pesos. For snacks there are plenty of peso pizza stalls or try a delicious roast pork sandwich from a street vendor. One of my favourite moments in Trinidad was buying a couple of lovely crisp meringues from a street vendor for only 1 Cuban Peso (that's one-twentyfifth of a Dollar!) -they were delicious - lovely and crunchy on the outside and just a little sticky in the middle!

If yoiu can't quite get shopping out of your system you'll be glad to know that there is plenty of opportunity to spend in Trinidad although most of the goods are strictly for the tourists. Straw hats, handmade lace and embroidered goods and folk art, however, are all well priced and great bargains can be had by good hagglers.

In the evenings Trinidad is fairly quite despite the numbers of younger tourists who stay in the town. There are few dedicated bars in the town but its possible to have a drink at the bar in some of the restuarants even if you do not plan to eat there. Your best bet is to go along to one of the music venues like the Casa de la Trova - essentially a social club where you can sit in the open air llistening to folk musicians playing while you enjoy a long, cool mojito.

Most people, however, head for the steps near the main square in the old town. Bands play at the foot of the stairs and the audience sit on the steps. There are a couple of bars along the sides although most Cubans bring their own bottles of rum with them since it's so much cheaper than buying by the glass. There's room to dance in front of the band and there are always plenty of young Cuban men eager to be a dance partner to a willing European lady.

The young men of Trinidad whilst undeniably charming and handsome should be regarded with caution though. Many are blatantly looking for a European girlfriend who can help him leave the country but many of them have girlfriends from several countries trying to work for his freedom. We were lucky enough to meet a young woman from Switzerland, Claudia, who travels to Cuba for several months each year and has become good friends with many people in Trinidad. She introduced us to some young Cuban men who have decided it is easier to spend their time romancing European tourists than to work officially despite the fact that the know of many men for whom marriage to a foreigner has not worked. Aware that if they leave they cannot return for several years if the marriage fails, they prefer to have nice meals and stylish designer clothes bought for them by lonely foreign women. This is particularly common in Trinidad where the beach vibe and the predominance of younger travellers is appealing to these young men known in Cuban as "jineteros".

There are the usual annoyances in Trinidad; everyone knows someone who works in the cigar factory and everyone wants to cook you lobster in their home but really this is harmless touting for a decent service and not just shameless begging.

There really isn't anything to let Trinidad down. I defy anyone to visit this town and not be enchanted by the picturesque houses, the friendly locals who do there best to make you enjoy your stay, the white beaches and the majestic mountains which guard over the town. To really enjoy Trinidad to the full you need to spend some time there. You have to see it both when it's bustling with tourists and also later in the evenings when the local ladies sit in their dooorways to get some air as they diligently prepare more embroidery to sell in the market. It's easy to fit in with the relaxed pace and to feel very quickly like you belong in Trinidad. I can certainly understand why Claudia returns year after year!

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If you would like to stay with Pedro & Carmen in their wonderful Casa Particular, please contact me for their details.

 

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