A Hospitable Pinar del Rio
For a long stay in Cuba's westernmost province, nothing compared to the Pinar del Rio Hotel. This lodging has 136 rooms and a baker's dozen cabanas, all air-conditioned and equipped with bathrooms, radio sets, cable TV, in-room VCR projection, phone service, hot-and-cold water supply, plus three restaurants, a pizzeria, a cafeteria, four bars, a swimming pool, a game arcade, a disco club and stores. In addition, the hotel provides services of laundry, telegraph, central safety box, cabs, car rental, parking lot and other optional conveniences.
If you prefer to stay away from the city, the Aguas Claras Villa, little more than 4 miles from the downtown area, is the right place for you. Its 50 double rooms (ten of them are air-conditioned) feature private bathrooms. The facility has a restaurant, a bar, a pool, medical outpost, a disco club and central safety box. Guests may rent horseback rides, picnic-and-ride strolls, swims in the river and countryside meals.
Guasch Palace Visiting the Guasch Palace and watching the glow of eclecticism in Vueltabajo is really a heart-wrenching experience. The palace was built by the hands and devotion of Francisco Guasch Ferrer, a versatile man who graduated from medicine school and became self-taught in veterinary, geology, natural sciences and architecture. He spoke seven languages, was an enthusiast pigeon breeder, a writer and publicist who became one of Pinar del Rio's most renounced physicians.
The construction of the palace started in 1909. No master builder or work crew was hired. Mr. Guasch himself built the mansion. Nidia Saavedra had this to say about the original architecture of the place:
“(…) It's impossible to label the construction to one specific stylistic trend other than Guasch-style eclecticism in which he took, interpreted and used those elements at his own free will. A blend of elements he knew about and mixed from the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, the Gothic, Roman, Islamic, Egyptian, Byzantine and Muslim arts. At the same time, he resorted to the Art Nouveau and Moorish Spain, a reason why the Guasch style was later recognized as a tendency in Pinar del Rio's architecture.”
Today, the palace houses the Museum of Natural History, shedding light on the intricacies of the magnificent nature of western Cuba, culled with mastery in its halls that a long time ago became a challenge for its builder and now is the pride of the new generations.
Jose Jacinto Milanes Theater Construction of the Jose Jacinto Milanes Theater, built under the late neoclassic style, began in 1845. It was first named the Lopez de Vega Theater. Its stage witnessed the performances of great companies from around the world. In 1880, the theater was sold to Dionisio Feliz del Pino Diaz, who ordered an all-out, wood-to-brick remodeling. As Spanish troops pulled out of the city in 1898 at the end of the Independence War, the theater dropped the name of the Spanish playwright and took the moniker of the Matanzas-born poet. In 1967, the theater underwent the largest refurbishment of its history. Eight years of hard work later, this palace of the performing arts reopened on October 3, 1975.
Provincial Museum of History Next to this building, the past of the province is written in the Provincial Museum of History, located in the former headquarters of the local authorities. Built in 1874, this gem of the neoclassic architecture features an immense porch propped up by huge pillars and hedged with a splendid sidewalk wall. The interiors contain large halls and corridors that border a majestic square patio that harbors sparrows (Fringillidae) that flutter in and out of their dwellings at daybreak and sunset. As poetess Dulce Maria Loynaz wrote following her last trip to Vueltabajo, “the city's sweetest melody hides here.”
Loynaz Bros. Literary Promotion & Development Center Since 1990, Pinar del Rio pays tribute to Dulce Maria Loznaz, winner of the Miguel de Cervantes y Saavedra Award and author of a superb anthology entitled Garden. Thanks to the patient and toilsome efforts of Pinar del Rio-born Aldo Martinez Malo –who won the trust and fondness of Cuba's greatest romantic poetess of all time- the works and personal library of Mrs. Loynaz were deposited in his home. Now, the Center treasures and protects a considerable chunk of Loznaz's literary and spiritual heritage. This neoclassic mansion is a shrine to Mrs. Loynaz's life and works. The daily going of local writers and authors is deployed at its best behind the walls of this museum. The pinnacle of this endeavor comes around every other year during an event organized by the city's residents.
Independence Park The former Arms Square and downtown area of the city during the 19th century is now the Independence Park, chiefly surrounded by houses built over the past two hundred years. The southeast corner is dominated by the mansion of Don Pedro Angelis, former head of the local government, where he lived in 1844. The house, an unsung witness of the city's colonial architecture, is outfitted with a magnificent porch and a simple wood-and-iron hand rail that borders the traditional veranda. The floor stretches out like a carpet of red earthenware tiles, running all the way to stalwart Tuscany columns. Today, the mansion houses the Provincial Center of Visual Arts.
On the other side of the park, down Marti Street, the fantastic Spanish Colony Building stands tall, opened on July 25, 1909 and then called Society of Instruction and Recreation of the Spanish Colony. Today, its walls harbor the Provincial Youngsters' Club of Computers and Electronics.
Maceo Street It was contained on the 1826 blueprint outlined by Mariano Casadeval as Carcel (Jail) Street, for it was close to the local penitentiary, now housing the Habano House, across from what used to be the New Jailhouse –currently the Francisco Donatien cigar factory. Construction of this neoclassic building, featuring tall pillars and roomy arches, teed off in 1850 and came to a close on May 8, 1859.
Nowadays, the tradition of making hand-rolled cigar is still alive. The generational experience has turned this practice into an art in which both women and men flaunt their roots. It only takes the skillful hands of Pinar's hand-rollers to twist the leaves into Vegueros stogies, a brand highly coveted by international connoisseurs.
From the veranda, visitors may make out the park, built by the local City all on February 20, 1909, and the monumental building known as the Pinar del Rio Hearing House, concluded on May 17, 1911 and whose ribbon-cutting ceremony took place on July 21 in that same year.
Walking past the courthouse, a couple of blocks down the street, the Cathedral of San Rosendo of Pinar del Rio. This extraordinary example of ecclesiastical architecture was officially opened on March 23, 1883 and anointed to Monsignor Manuel Ruiz on December 11, 1914. The interiors are presided over by San Rosendo, the patron saint of Pinar del Rio. The blessed San Rosendo was born on Valdesalas, Galicia, on November 26, 907 (10th century), and was declared saint by Pope Celestinus III. The date of his passing was officially declared the patron saint's day.
A Beverage Brewed with Ground Fruits With the natural flair and traditions that Spaniards have for the good gourmet, a Basque migrant named Lucio Garay Zavala opened a distillery business in 1892, the foundations of what eventually turned out to be the exclusive factory of Guayabita del Pinar, the flagship beverage of this neck of the woods. Years later after the factory was completed, it took the name of La Occidental. Its licorice was immortalized in a song played by the Original de Manzanillo Orchestra. The lyrics go, “if there ain't beer, then let's drink Guayabita del Pinar.”
The beverage is brewed out of the guayabita del pinar (Psidium guayabita), exclusively found in the western part of Pinar del Rio and on the Isle of Youth. It's a blooming shrub of white flowers that bears a somewhat sweet fruit the size of an olive and similar to the guava.
Its manufacture was entirely made by hand a few centuries ago, from the selection of the fruits all the way to the fermenting process in big oak barrels. Even the bottling and stashing in cellars of the Guayabita del Pinar has remained faithful to the traditions of yesteryear.
In 1906, the Guayabita won the Marketing Prize and grabbed the Grand Prize of the Havana Fair in 1911. Thirteen years later, in 1924, it nabbed the Medal of the Rome Exposition.
A Dream Setting Pinareños, be brave, the toilsome battle yields the fruit of victory, The consciousness of the people has accrued, And will rise victorious to glory. Pinar del Rio, Pinar del Rio, Pinar del Rio41
The capital of Pinar del Rio not only shows off great architecture. The surroundings are marked by highly esthetic sightseeing spots. Up to the north, less than 2 miles from the city, the Botanical Garden cherishes the best floral of this territory. Six miles later, we find the Hoyos de Guama. As you get there, you happen to see what the mountain range –running alongside the northern shoreline and stands halfway between the capital and Viñales- has to hide. A ground depression surrounded by slate heights and metamorphic rocks come out as small round-top hills. A total of 64 caves have been studied there. Some of them have produced major geological evidence of the first islanders. Those primitive inhabitants used to grow tobacco, were self-sufficient in root vegetable supply and were good pig breeders. Down to the south, a community hedged with isolated thatch-roofed huts meets the eye.
The northwestern tip, nearly a mile upriver, reveals Los Pozos, the mouth of the Guama River, in a point known as Vuelta de la O, right down a fault. The buckets of the river run near this place. Over the metamorphic rocks, for little more than a hundred yards, the waters roll down the hillsides, falling over a 45-degree slope into a two-yard-deep natural pool. This is quite an invitation to take a swim and enjoy the ride of your dreams.
La Guabina Farm lies right at the base of the mountain, some 10 miles from the city, driving to the northwest. The history of the estate harks back to the 19th century. In 1879, D. Joaquin Gomez de Molina was the owner of the place and made his facility produce on the basis of slavery. In the early 20th century, Mr. Lamar's heirs –a Spanish family that had settled down in the country- took over the ownership of the property. In 1951, Antonio Ferro, a well-to-do owner based in the city where he ran several businesses and stores, bought the lands. He also owned nearly 300 head of Zebu cattle and over forty pigs.
In 1958, the two-story Sunday chalet was built –now a lodging. The bottom floor is occupied by a living room, a dining room, a kitchen, while the upper floor features four air-conditioned bedrooms and panoramic views through huge window panes. In addition, there are bathrooms with hot and cold water and surrounded by a long hand-railed corridor that provides a pretty view of the Guama dam, whose waters hedge such a bucolic place.
Today, the facility is breeding grounds of thoroughbreds, especially aimed at the preservation of the Cuban pinto, the quarter horse and the Appaloosa. Horseback rides around the place will take you all the way to the Guama Hole. An exclusive five-day exploration to scour Viñales as you pull leather from the top of a saddle. Great chefs guarantee guests their dish of choice, but the favorite plate is white beans a la Maria Antonia.
Turtles Have a Paradise of Their Own Sailing off from la Coloma makes you feel like a modern Christopher Columbus on his second voyage to the archipelago, when his caravels set out from the deep blue Caribbean Sea to the Cortes Cove.
The trip, under the sweltering sun of the Caribbean, will let you make the journey comfortably laid back atop the deck of your boat as you read a good book. The San Felipe Keys, run by the National Enterprise of Wildlife Protection & Conservation, are divided in six islets blessed with beautiful beaches, lovely flowers and once-and-only wildlife, reasons that prompted the Wildlife Haven category.
These keys are part of the insular platform and lie off the south shore of the Pinar del Rio province, within the Canarreos Archipelago, only 23 miles from La Coloma seaport. The keys offer white sandy beaches on Juan Garcia, Real, Siju and El Coco islets, birdwatching posts, lavish vegetation along the sandy coast and tropical lush woodlands on Real Key. In these places, wildlife is plentiful. Some of the finest animals to feast eyes on are the alligators (Crocodylus acutus), iguanas (Cyclura nubila), hawksbill turtles (Eretmochelys imbricata), sea turtles (Caretta caretta), white-capped quails (Columba leucocephala) and dwarf jutias (Capromys san felipensis), a unique and endangered species of these keys. But bold travelers don't count only on these living marvels to make their trip a fun-packed experience. The sea bottoms are equally wonderful, especially around the Los Indios Key, with over fifty scuba diving sites, some of them ranking among the very best on the island nation. For a number of years, this location was the venue of choice for the PHOTOSUB events, attended by some of the best divers from around the world.
On the other hand, the sightseeing site offers the once-in-a-lifetime chance of taking a firsthand look at the toilsome labor of local fishermen, people who day after day go to great lengths to catch lobsters, sea breams (Lutjanus analis) and Cuban stone basses (Epinephelus striatus) and the yellow-tail snapper. All of them have their own catching seasons around the Gulf of Batanabano.
Besides, the Los Congris coral reef –a wildlife reserve- will set the stage for a perfect snorkeling session along little more than a mile of gorgeous sea bottoms, or maybe a stop on Real Key will make your day when you cross an exclusive path called From Coast to Coast, where you may scout the north and south shores, watch crocodiles in their natural habitat, make daylight tours to spot and preserve turtle nests, and embark on a nightly adventure to watch as these turtles lay their eggs in holes they dig out in the sand. This practice is commonplace along Cuba's northern keys and in most of Central America. Another experience to remember for forever more is the possibility of getting the hang of iguana counting and having the chance of counting some of them yourself.
Watching a subset from the distance, along the shoreline, is the closing act of a thrilling day in which there's no room for boredom.
Beautiful region of the west Where the Lord would love to leave The wonder of his brushes Splayed on ground, land, women and sea Viñales Valley, Mariel, San Diego Soroa, lovely flowers and smell, the smooth lyre All the charm, full grace that's what you are, Viñales
How many mysteries are trapped among the mountains of the Sierra de los Organos: San Andres de Caiguanabo, Pico Chico, Sierra de Guacamaya, Cabezas, Sumidero, Gramales, San Carlos. But no other site matches the splendor of Viñales, the perfect place to unravel part of the puzzle among vertical walls that hem in the fertile valley.
The touch of the artist's brush paints the ideal vision of the scenery. The poet makes the place a source of inspiration and dedicates monumental phrases to it. Women sigh when they see it and men can't hide their sensitivity. All get fascinated and stunned by the valley, ready to be accomplices beyond any reasonable scope.
Within the absolute quietness of a man's daily work, a rustic way of living stands out and goes hand in hand in perfect harmony with the beauty of these people, the hard work of the farmers, the chirp of the birds, the smell of the hills, the stories of old men, the hoedowns, the growing of family gardens where female hicks cultivate the most beautiful roses of all Vueltabajo, the Sunday morning horse races and rooster fights. They all keep former traditions alive and kicking in today's countryside life.
Visitors are welcomed by the Viñales Valley. Someone once said this is “a coral garden on earth.” Indeed and regardless of how illustrative this phrase might sound, this is just a matchless place too hard to be described. Pedro Garcia Valdez tried to put those feelings across into words and maybe that's the best review ever written to date:
“Motley pictures unfold in the valley, revealing something that only sensitive spirits can understand, capable of rendering the whole thing in vernacular tongue: happiness and sadness, desires and anxieties that its beautiful and lavish landscapes inspire.”
“There the round-top hills stand tall, taking after sentinels that take care of the valley, giving watchers the idea that Cyclops' hands grabbed those huge rocks and laid them with quite an artistic flair on the right spot to pay the kind of tribute that beauty and esthetics call for. Its sierras, featuring cocky peaks, are the tall walls that surround that environment with the green mountains serving as backdrop and the blue sky as baldachin.”
Back in the 1930s, landscape painter Domingo Ramos Enriquez used to climb every morning to Los Jazmines watchtower riding on the back of a mule, carrying his easel, canvasses and brushes, leaving the sun on the setting side to discover the whole day with its many hues and shades in the Viñales Valley. His works were exposed years later in New York City under the title A Century of Progress. In 1999, UNESCO listed the valley in the World Cultural Landscape category. By decree signed in the year 2001, Cuba's Council of State declared Viñales a National Park, run by the Ecovida Group attached to CITMA.
Hotels and Watchtowers Over the heights around the valley, down to the south, there are two watchtowers with different panoramic views. Both are perched on the surroundings of two hotels, a couple of essential sites for any happy stay.
Los Jazmines Hotel opened on May 20, 1960. It's divided in four areas: a main building for the desk, the lobby bar, restaurant on the upper floor and overlooking the valley, and the travel bureau. Next to the lobby, sixteen cabanas with their views of the valley. In the middle, a store with a viewpoint and another bar hanging over the landscape. To top it all off, there's a three-story building clustering the rooms and a VIP Hall. Right in the middle of all these facilities, the swimming pool waits for you.
Its 62 air-conditioned rooms have private bathrooms, hot water, national and international calling system, pay-TV, medical services, massage, currency exchange, parking lot and cabs.
The second watchtower is at La Ermita Hotel, also opened in 1960. This horseshoe-shaped lodging features separate buildings for the rooms on both sides that overlook the valley. In the middle, the lobby, the keepsake store, a main terrace with a pool and a viewpoint of its own, plus a barbecue area and a snack bar. Finally, across from this area, the terraced bar & restaurant. Accommodations here are similar to the hotel described above.
House of the Tobacco Planter Right at the entrance of the Viñales town, almost touching the heights of the valley, the House of the Tobacco Planter stands tall. The ARTEX group praises the work of the province's tobacco growers and harvesters. El Niño (The Boy), with a Quixote-like figure tanned by the relentless sun and wearing a half-unbuttoned khaki shirt clammy with sweat, reflects the years of hard work the field has put on his back. However, that doesn't stop him from smiling all the time as he keeps a cigar butt clenched between his lips, a token of roguishness that marks Cuban rural rednecks. He welcomes his visitors with a broad smile, willing to exchange views on the art of cultivating tobacco leaves. El Niño is an endless source of knowledge, a man who likes talking about his passion for this crop as he sips a cup of piping-hot coffee or during a succulent Cuban meal.
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