Experience La Habana of the 1950’s in Cuba
February 13th - 20th, 2014
In the film Lost City, Andy Garcia’s character, Fico Fellove says, ‘Habana is very much like a rose. It has petals and it has thorns, so it depends on how you grab it. But in the end, it will always grab you.’
Habana is one of the world’s most extraordinary cities. Like a great film, it is complicated, riveting, and filled with twists and turns to its plot. It has many clever contradictions, like its 1950’s American cars powered by Russian Lada engines. Its people are the starring cast who require no rehearsal. They readily display unconditional love and passion for their worn and weathered country and its rich culture that embodies all that is Habana. Let ICS take you behind the scenes to experience Habana in its purest form.
Just imagine...
Being picked up from your hotel in a vintage American car and taken for a tour of Old Habana. From the moment you step into the vehicle, you’ll think you’re in a time machine as you navigate through this remarkable city, which like the car itself, has remained mostly unchanged since the 1950’s. The cobblestone roads of Old Havana lead you through an eclectic scenery of pre-revolution colonial and baroque architecture, and post-revolution modernism. It is indeed one of the most architecturally diverse cities in the world. The sounds of Cuban jazz, salsa and rumba fill the air as does the scent of Cuban cigars. As you look around, there are sights everywhere that bring you back to the revolution, and even further back to the days when the mafia reigned.
You’ll visit El Floridita Bar. There, you learn the art behind the Daquiri, one of Cuba’s national drinks, and savour them as Ernest Hemingway did from his legendary seat at the bar, where he penned his famous novels.
Tobacco & Cigars
Visit Pinar del Río, where Cuba’s world-famous tobacco is grown. For one day, you’ll shift away from Habana, as we take you to Pinar del Río, where the majority of the tobacco for Cuba’s famous cigars is produced. You’ll visit a tobacco farm, and learn how the world’s most famous tobacco is grown and harvested.
Back in Habana, you visit the Cohiba cigar factory, where you learn how the world’s most renowned cigars are made, why they are so famous, and how to appreciate them. Of course, the main course comes when you sample one, if you desire, and are seduced by its remarkable and unmistakable flavour.
Havana Club Rum
During your stay, you’ll visit the Museo del Ron Havana Club, and learn about the history of this world renowned spirit, how it is made, and how to appreciate its heavenly qualities. Truly, the only way to enhance the enjoyment of a Cuban cigar is to pair it with a glass of fine Cuban rum.
Mafia Legend
Meyer Lansky and Lucky Luciano began the mafia reign in Cuba in 1933. Over a period of over 20 years, until the revolution, the Cosa Nostra in Cuba made millions with gambling, hotels, casinos, cabarets, speakeasies, horse races and drug trafficking. Although over 50 years have passed, remnants of the mafia legend in Cuba can be found throughout Havana, for those who are intrigued by it.
Tropicana
Imagine ending a night with a live cabaret at the world renowned Tropicana, once the largest and most beautiful nightclub in the world, made famous by notorious 1950’s mobsters Meyer Lansky, Al Capone, and Lucky Luciano. As you experience the live show while enjoying a Havana Club and Cuban cigar, you can’t help but feel like it’s 1950 all over again.
Nacional Hotel While in Havana, you’ll be staying at the famous Nacional Hotel, Al Capone’s headquarters in the days before the revolution when he ruled Havana with Meyer Lansky. It is also where legendary jazz musician and Buena Vista Social Club icon, Compay Segundo, regularly performed. You’ll be entranced by live Cuban jazz, rumba and mambo, performed by some of the country’s most renowned musicians. There is nothing quite like the sound of raw Cuban music in Habana. It is quite simply hypnotic, and electrifying as the performers routinely mingle and engage their audience in the performance.
Dining Habanero Style
Experience dining Habanero style, which means savouring one of the hundreds of Paladares in Habana. Paladares are privately-owned restaurants, mostly run by families out of their very homes, so eating at a Paladar is as close to eating in the home of a local Habanero as a tourist will ever come. Habana’s Paladares comprise a wide variety of exquisite culinary offerings, from local Cuban, to Italian, Greek, and even Chinese.
ICS will treat you to an experience that will leave you enriched and so immersed in the Cuban culture, you’ll feel like Habana is your new heaven away from home.
What's included
Allow us to inspire you with:
- Accommodations at the 5-star Hotel Nacional de Cuba located in the middle of Vedado, the center of Havana, on a hill just a few meters from the sea. It offers a great view of the Havana Harbor; the seawall and the city. All guestrooms have air conditioning. A gym, tennis courts and swimming pool are all on site. Also, you will receive a tour of the hotel where you’ll learn its incredible history and those who have stayed at the hotel including Nat King Cole, Compay Segundo, Ava Gardner, Frank Sinatra, Fred Astaire, Rita Hayworth, Winston Churchill, Ernest Hemingway, Meyer Lansky and other famed mobsters of that era.
- Rooms can be booked individually, as couples or for friends to share.
- Three meals per day prepared in international and/or Cuban style. An experience dining in a local paladar.
- Spa services available upon request (additional).
- A guided tour of Old Havana in a vintage automobile. A Hemingway classic drink awaits you on your visit to El Floridita and La Bodeguita del Medio where the daquiri and mojito were first discovered. Tour includes visit to the cathedral and Central Park; the fort and cultural sites; the 1908 Stock Exchange of Havana built by the famous US company Purdy and Henderson in a record 16-months time; Obispo Street where there is a chocolate factory, perfumery shop and other souvenir shops.
- Admission to the Tropicana Club.
- Experience the Cuban way with Cabaret Parisien Show "Cubano, Cubano". A fusion of Indoamerican, Hispanic and African cultures combined to create the Cuban culture. You’ll have the opportunity to learn to dance too!
- Return transportation to Pinar del Rio, a UNESCO designated world heritage site.
- Visit to El Cristo de La Habana look out point with a panoramic view of Havana from the other side of the bay.
- Transportation and admission to cigar factory tour.
- Transportation and admission to the Rum Museum for a tour of the rum distillery process. Tour includes rum tasting, including Silver Dry, Añejo 3 years, Añejo Reserve, Añejo 7 years, or Añejo 15 years and the Solera San Cristóbal de La Habana. Also, The Havana Club bar offers a selection of Cuban cocktails accompanied by some fine local music. Souvenirs and fine rum can be purchased from the Foundation's shop. Enjoy the contemporary art gallery.
- For those who want to sip a national cocktail by a pool and experience the combination of ballet, dance and synchronized swimming at its best, explore a unique art, Cuban water ballet.
- Transport in an air-conditioned mini-coach or van.
Pricing - 8 day retreat
| Occupancy | Super Early Bird (Book before Dec 1st, 2013) |
Early Bird (Book before Dec 31st, 2013) |
Regular Rate (Deadline Jan 15th, 2014) |
| Single | $1,995.00 | $2,095.00 | $2,295.00 |
| Double | $1,695.00 | $1,795.00 | $1,995.00 |
**Retreat pricing is for the entire length of program and includes all activities and accommodations. Pricing is per person without international airfare. Fees are in Canadian Dollars. Payment methods include VISA, Mastercard, American Express, certified cheque, money order, bank draft, or direct deposit. Details subject to change and to be confirmed in complete itinerary to follow.
We recommend confirming your attendance as soon as possible as space is EXTREMELY limited!! Book before December 1, 2013 and get $300 off, or before December 31, 2013 for $200 off at an early bird rate! Check our website for ways to help fund your retreat. Feel free to contact us should you have any questions at all and we look forward to seeing you in La Habana in 2014!
Referral Discount
Share your experience with your partner and/or friend! Refer a friend and receive an additional $75.00 off per person!
Group Discounts
You may have a special reason to go away with family/friends or you may want to enjoy this experience with colleagues, customers or your students. Whatever your reason, don't hesitate to ask about our Group Discounts where you'll enjoy the benefits and possibly go for free!! Don't wait for others to call…be the first!!
To submit payment, please call 905.272.8687 and have your credit card on hand.
We accept Visa and Mastercard.
