The
most exotic city of Cuba, lots of different etnic groups have
settled themselves in this city.
The second biggest city, after Havana. Santiago
de Cuba, a city full with history of the revolution, the fight
against dictator Batista
The Capital of Santiago de Cuba Province, which has
one of the first seven settlements that the Europeans founded
in Cuba early in the 16th century, is one of the most pitoresque
on the island.
The founding fathers made the most of its stunning setting a
coastal terrace bordering and impressive purse-like bayand
used the wood from the tall forest on the nearby mountain
range to raise the first buildings of what would, for several
years, be Cuba's first capital.
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That excellent site close by
the Caribbean sea, with a backdrop of mountains and terrain
which determined that none of the city's street would be absolutely
level is the setting of one of the most beautiful and joyous
of Cuba's cities, filled with a mixture of architectural styles
which run from the baroque to the neoclassical.
July is carnival time in Santiago de Cuba, and its carnivals
are the most spectacular ones in the country just as it rum
is the most popular. |
Santiago de Cuba has many things
of which to be proud. For example, it is the cradle of nearly
all the music genres of Cuba, a country in which music expresses
its soul and essence. However, it is the people of Santiago
de Cuba who constitute is most unmistacable aspect. These
joyous, proverbially hospitable people are self-willed, are
capable of carrying out the greatest feats and embody great
virtues.
They are proud to live in the
only city in Cuba which has been officially declared to be
heroic a title bestowed on it in recognation of the extraordinary
contributions that its sons and daughters made to Cuba's Wars
of independence.
This is why we recommend
that you get to know Santiago de Cuba trough its people lives.
Explore its narrow, winding
streets, that are filled with both history and music streets
bordered by large windows and crowded balconies overflowing
with flowers. This is a place where you have to get within
touching distance and where you won't feel let down if you
follow the golden rule that every minute of a vacation should
have a surprise, something to admire or a goodplace to explore.
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Santiago de Cuba has first-class
hotels, not only in the city but also at its beaches and well-conserved
natural settings.
Its hotel facilities
provide a solid base
for large-scale tourism, with many possibilities for developing
specialized tourism of the most demanding kind.
Santiago
de Cuba Hotels |
Antonio Maceo International
Airport, which can handle large planes used for long flights,
is one of the best-equipped airports in the Caribbean, and
the cruise ship terminal, on the bay, has excellent conditions
for cruise ship tourism.
The provincial capital
and the territory as a whole have experienced considerable
socioenomic and cultural developement, which provides them
with high levels of health and education.
Moreover, Santiago de
Cuba city with the greatest Caribbean flavor and Cartagena,
Colombia, are the only Latin American cities to have recieved
the Golden Apple Award presented by the International Federation
of Travel Writers and Journalists (FIJET) in recognation of
their exceptionally high quality and excellent conditions
as tourist destination.
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The city has buildings in
a wide architectual styles, and visitors are always given
a warm welcome here. The water at its beaches remains at a
pleasant temperature all year round, and theocean bed hosts
a fascinating world of marine flora and fauna. Moreover, the
scenery in the Sierra Maestra Mountains is truly Impressive.
In addition to all this, Santiago de Cuba contains some places
that are unique in Cuba. |
Two of them are the fortress
of San Pedro de la Roca del Morro and the Ruins of French
coffee plantations in the mountains east of the city both
of which UNESCO has declared to be a part of world cultural
heritage.
Others include Troubadours'
House; the Rum Museum; Santa Ifigenia Cementery where Jose
Marti, Cuba's national hero, is burried and the Basilica of
El Cobre Sanctuary of Our Lady of Charity, the patron saint
of Cuba, whom Pope John Paul II crowned during his visit to
Cuba in January 1998.
But there are other actractions
too: the shady parcs, which are always filled with people;
the winding roads that go up and down; streets with steps
cut in them; and the museums, theatres and other cultural
institutions.
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You really haven't seen Santiago
de Cuba if you haven't visit Tivoli, a neighborhood of French-Haitian
origins where the quadrille evolved into the danzon, whose
popularity then swept all over the world; the San Juan Hill
Historic-Military Park, scene of the last battles in the Spanish-Cuban-American
War of 1898; and the former Moncada Garrison, which the young
Fidel Castro and his comrades attacked on July 26, 1953, as
the first action in the Revolution that brought Cuba complete
independence on January 1, 1959. |
Ideal for vacations filled
with surprises, Santiago de Cuba offers visitors a complete
infrastructure of facilities and services. Here, you will
find not only comfort but also adventure and warm hospitality.
Unquestionably, this province is one of the most interesting
tourist destinations in Cuba.
Health and Life Style
This city has a large health infrastructure that
embraces medical services and the most modern diagnostic and
therapeutic technologies.
A modern International Clinic
providing 24 hour emergency service is available togetter
with day-time services in nursing, pharmacy, dentisy, clynical
laboratory, x-rays, ambulance and optical surgical consulations
provided in close co-operation with prestigious hospitals
in the region. There is primary health care provision in all
hotels, which is accompanied by pharmaceutical services in
most cases.
The hotel Carrousel El Salton
specializes in anti stress programs, and there are similar
services in the following hotels; Club Amigo, Carisol-Los
Corales, Melia Santiago de Cuba, Sierra Maestra and Brisas
Sierr amar Galeones.
International Drug Disability
and Alcohol Clinic, on the El Indio Estate in an incomparably
beautiful natural setting with privacy ensured offers specialized
treatment for combating drug addiction and alcoholism.
In addition, there are other
services for improving the quality of life, complementing
the benefits to be derived from the mild climate, health giving
natural setting and high level of health care.
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Salsa Lessons in Santiago de Cuba |
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CubanRhythm is based in Santiago,
the very heart of Cuban dancing and music. Our teachers are
local professionals who take pride in introducing visitors
to their culture. As the organisation was set up by a Dutch
woman living in Cuba, we are in the unique position of understanding
what visitors to Cuba wish to get out of their holiday. Let
us introduce you to the beat of Cuban life for a truly unforgettable
holiday.
CubaRhythm |
December 5 2009
Name: Lankino
Country: New Zealand
Doing music in El Cobre, Santiago de Cuba
I was in STGO from 1 - 13 Oct and had the awesome privilege of working with Caribbean's best urban music producer Kiki Pro from Trespeso Music. The short, eventful and memorable stay was life-changing to say the least and dream-like if I were to engage in hyperbole.
Walking in the quaint streets of STGO in the Caribbean sun with the beautiful people - whom I now consider to be close to my heart - and working with many a talented musicians was probably the single most momentous event in my life so far. I am well and truly in love with this very proud city. Her charms are here to stay with me.
I recorded a 12-track album of Latin urban music lyrics consiting both Spanish and English. I am currently performing and promoting this album which I see as a unique collaboration of Cuba and New Zealand, here in Auckland where I am currently based. I was born in Sri Lanka which shares a parallel and excitingly similar colonial history, culture and spirit with Cuba, and grew up with a feeling of familial affinity with Latin America in general, Brasil and Cuba in particular.
Shooting the music video for my song "Somos de la calle" around El Cobre neighborhoods and the cathedral of Nuestra Senora had to be the highlight of my stay in Cuba. Climbing the El Cimarron - the monument to the escaped slave - and capturing footage in that empty water tank on top of the hill in 40 degrees midday heat, nearly passing out a few times along with friendly people who provided us lunch, ... that whole day was straight out of a movie screen.
The cathedral is beautiful. I do not consider myself to be religious in any way but, for the first time in many years, I found myself muttering a prayer in front of the gold-clad La Virgen de la caridad.
You must visit STGO. And you must visit El Cobre.
Please feel free to contact me and share your experiences. I will be delighted to share more. Thank you.
Lankino
www.trespeso.com
www.myspace.com/lankino
August 5 2008
Name: Gio
Country: Italy
Plaza Céspedes
The very center of the city is Plaza Céspedes, where is the cathedral of Nuestra Señora de la Asunción. In front of the church is the Parque Céspedes a nice square with gardens where it's easy to meet new people. It is also the best place to start a tour of the city. |
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