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Nueva Gerona is the capital of Isla de la Juventud (before the Révolucion : Isla de Pinos or Isle of Pines and numerous other names) in the Archipielago de los Canarreos. Cubans call it simply "La Isla". In a few words, huge spaces, lots to see and do, no crowds and very affordable casa lodging.
The American colonists of the Fifties had projects to build enormous all-inclusive US-suburbia type resorts dotted with bungalows... Renamed in the 60's to sustain international relations with youth from Latin America and Africa, it once boasted 50 schools and colleges. Pretty beaches, fantastic scuba diving (from the Colony Hotel and off Punta Francés), a couple of marble mines, trekking spots, natural parks and miraculous thermal waters. And almost no one comes here.
POPULATION • Demajagua, 3 250 • Santa Fe, 15 600 • Nueva Gerona, 71 000 DISTANCES • Cayo Piedra (Cienaga de Lanier), 36 • Cocodrilo, 70 • Hotel Colony/Ensenada de la Siguanea, 46 • La Demajagua (Santa Barbara), 21 • La Reforma, 32 • La Victoria, 29 • Punta del Este, 59 • Punta Francés, Punta Piedra, 110 • Santa Fe, 18 • La Habana, (bus + ferry), 170 • Cayo Largo, 115 km east, over the water : for tourists, only through La Habana by plane; from here, only for Cuban workers; there are packages for diving here for tourists from Cayo Largo. GOTTA TRY THIS • Aguas medicinales La Cotorra, just before Santa Fe (Discovered in 1853; before the revolucion was called Balneario Santa Rita : Erroll Flynn was a patient) : art deco building recently renovated with Chinese funds : clinic, massage, acupuncture, magnetotherapy, etc, and three basins filled with radioactive water (bicarbonate, calcium, magnesium) with "miraculous powers : can cure over 300 ailments" : Centro de Rehabilitacion y Aguas Thermales, calle 11, e/16 y 18, Santa Fe despacho @ahao.ijv.cu Dir. Sra. Anairis Lourba; Basin manager : Sr. Wiltse Peña Tel. (46) 39-79-61 PLAYAS • Paraiso (7km), with an upstairs bar on the dock : meals served, mojitos 1,50cuc. • Bibijagua (black sand, at 8 km), nice, in the shade of its royal palms. Small bar (mojitos 1,50cuc, cocos, 50c) • Playa Roja (46km) in Ensenada de la Siguanea. • Punta Francés (43km) scuba paradiso, quite popular : get there by 8cuc barca ride from the marina of Hotel Colony (Tel. (46) 39-82-82. The only food in Punta Francés : a 12cuc buffet, drinks extra. Dive centre is called Centro de Buceo Tel. (46) 39-81-81 Rates are 50-70cuc per dive. You can use Keka's vast diving experience at Punta Francés. See his casa data (Alexis Gonzalez Chirino) down on this page. • Other beaches : Larga, Punta de Piedra, Playa Pescador, Punta del Este (often closed), Guayabo, Buena Vista. RESTAURANTS Cafeteria La Cocinita, El Abra (with mirador and bar), El Cochi, Hotel Gaviota and its swimming pool (3 km), La Vajilla, Tienda Imagene. By the central park, the usual Coppelia (ice cream parlour). SERVICES Cubana 32-25-31 ou 32-23-00, Cubataxi 32-22-22 ou 32-37-62), Havanautos 32-44-32, Inter 30-12-45, Medical 32-27-20, Radio Caribe 1270AM, Transautos 33-52-12, Turistaxi 39-82-81 Transtur 32-66-66 (car rentals ; scooters 20-23 cuc/day : ask for Miguel) Ecotur calle Marti (El Boulevard), e/ 24 y 26 Tel 32-71-01 Open 8h-17h, closed Sundays ecoturpineroij @yahoo.es EVENINGS Baseball : Estadio Cristobal Labra, Cabaret El Patio, Casa de la Cultura, Cinema Caribe, Disco Reina Amalia, El Dragon, Discoteca de Rumbos GETTING THERE BY SEA • BY AIR From La Habana, by a bus-ferry package, 40 minutes by road to depressing Surgidero de Batabano (50 km), on the south coast. By sea, a two-hour and 120 km ordeal on the very fully booked (and only means of sea travel for now) Iris carrying 100 : super-freezing aircon and super-loud music videos. No sense in complaining to staff : they're deaf (and probably dumb too). Daily at 10 and 3 pm, Fare was 11cuc, now 50cuc! Reservations : Agencia Viajero at terminal Astro in La Habana (7) 878-1841 or NCC (7) 860-8330. In Nueva Gerona, the Iris goes up the river a wee bit and docks downtown on Calle Marti Tel. (46) 32-44-36 By air in 40 minutes, 3 daily flights from La Habana Terminal 1 (domestic) on small, sweaty, sardine-packed commuter cuckoos, clean barf bags included. About 32cuc. Schedule here. Nueva Gerona airport (46) 32-26-90 There are also 3 weekly flights by Aerotaxi (Antonov 2) from Pinar del Rio. From Siguanea airport near the Colony in the south, there are charters/packages to Cayo Largo (140km east) reserved for scuba divers and hotel employees. |
CULTURE IN NUEVA GERONA • Casa de la Cultura and Taller de Cerámica Artística Calle 37 esq. a 24 • Galeria de Arte Gerona • Galería de Arte Marta Machado, Calle 39 esq. a 26 • Finca Museo El Abra (farm where José Marti lived for 10 years with the Zarda family) Carretera Siguanea, km 1 • Museo de Ciencias Naturales Calle 41 # 4625 esq. a 54 • Museo de la Lucha Clandestina (Casa Natal de Jesús Montané Oropesa) Calle 24 e/ 43 y 45 • Museo Municipal de Nueva Gerona Calle 30 e/ 37 y Martí • Museo Presidio Modelo (5km) Prison (museum since 1973) where Fidel and his compañeros were transferred after the failed attack on the Moncada garnison (Santiago) in 1953. |
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| EXCURSIONS • Presa (dam-lake) El Abra (5 km) with eco walks, horseback riding • Sierra de Las Casas (trekking) 70 km south • Jungla de John (13km) Half a century ago, John Jones, tree-lover working with US Agriculture service established this natural reserve including a 100-year old bamboo cathedral; now includes El Bosque Martiana part of reserve dedicated to José Marti; John's widow Hellen Jarry died in her house fire (ruin now covered by plants) in Feb. 1960; a bit before Santa Fe. Rundown, needs funds for enthusiastic but poor couple, Jarixa and spouse Tomas who run it • Parque Cienaga de Lanier, by way of Santa Fe and Criadero de Cocodrilo. Theme is Viaje a Los Origenes through Ecotur; office in town (see Services below) • Hotel Colony and Punta Francés (110km) Our page here : take an excursion (8h30-17h) including snorkel and lunch for 25cuc (+15cuc with a tank for scuba diving). Or just the return tour bus ride (and boat) to Punta Francés for the day (7am-5pm) for 13cuc. Through Ecotur; office in town (see Services below). Or budget-style, join the staff commuting to the Colony who take the 7am daily bus leaving from the corner of 41 and 18. 3cuc one-way. NATURE ON LA ISLA • Parque Nacional Punta Francés (and beach) Our page here - Punta Pedernales (accessible via Hotel Colony, by barca) • Parque Nacional Los Indios - San Felipe • Cerro de los Murciélagos - Monumento Carretera Cantera Santa Isabel • Cueva de Finlay - Cave exploring Ensenada de Caleta Grande in Punta del Este • Cueva del Indio - Monument Camino Cocodrilo, Punta Francés • Cave exploring and monument in Punta del Este GETTING AROUND Car rentals are very expensive, close to 90cuc or more per day. Roads are very few, safe and deserted. Rent a motorcycle (best value for bucks or cucs). If not, share a chauffeured taxi for the day. Some hustle in front of the church in the park. Don't expect the driver to know a whole lot or to speak Ingles, my fren. Plan the itinerary with a map or guidebook beforehand with the driver. Should he sub-hire a "translator", make sure you negotiate his own rate and test his language skills. Don't pay more than 25-35 for car, 10-15cuc for translator. Drive a hard bargain. |
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 HEED THE HINTS IN THIS FINE PRINT ::: Make sure that in your first email or phone call you specify that you want to book a room in that particular casa and that you will reconfirm your booking on arrival in Cuba. Unless you only want a room in any house which may be of the same quality, not the specific casa you booked through photos on these websites ::: So as to not abandon expecting owners with empty rooms, reconfirm (or call ahead to cancel) your booking by phone as soon as you can after arriving in Cuba ::: Please write or phone a casa owner to cancel a booking. As late as it may seem, it allows them a chance to rebook. ::: Children under the age of 16 may share a bedroom with adults for free. Specify the child's age when booking. ::: Since October 2010, maximum bedroom capacity is not limited to two adults ::: Also, large casas are not limited to renting only two bedrooms per night. ::: At the end of the casa name, the V signals the casa was suggested by travelers or owners but not verified by the website staff. If you try it and like it, write us about it. ::: Unless otherwise mentioned, the average room rates and service prices are : 20-25cuc per bedroom per night [up to 40+ for 4 in a room]; breakfasts 3-5cuc, dinners 7-10cuc. ::: Note : monthly taxes have increased 15-50% for owners; this may be reflected on the aforementioned rates. ::: Any casa particular anywhere in Cuba must have a hot water shower, otherwise it cannot have a permit to rent. ::: On certain occasions in the past year, overbooking may have inadvertently hurt some travellers, some casa owners and some webmasters more than would appear and this prompted this webmaster to overreact by generalizing about individual realities; having hurt most casa owners, this webmaestro's self-righteous attitude [all action, no talk] was uncalled for. Lo siento mucho I am truly sorry and apologies given, Marcos 070112 ::: Please share your Complaints, comments & suggestions webmaster [@]cubacasas.net |
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 BOOK BY EMAIL : Click on logo to open a message addressed to that casa in your email application; or right-click to copy address showing at bottom of browser window. Spanish vocabulary here. Google translate here.  BOOK BY PHONE • From Canada and the USA : 011 53 (add phone # preceded by the island's area code, 46) • From Europe, Great Britain, Scandinavia and Mexico : 00 53 (add phone # preceded by the island's area code, 46) HOW TO DIAL A CUBAN PHONE NUMBER HERE |
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| Click photos to see each casa's page and description. Locate most casas on this map of the city here. |
See casas in sequence
 Click logo to move on to next |
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ELDA CEPERO HERRERA Calle 43 # 2004 entre 20 et 22, two blocks from « boulevard » the pedestrian street (calle 39 or Marti) Tel. (46) 32 27 74  |
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MAYDELIN MENDEZ LASSERRA
Calle 45 #3632 e/36 y 38 Reparto 26 de Julio Tél. (46) 32 64 28  |
GERARDO y ANITA ORTEGA ABREU
Calle 20, # 3518, entre 35 y 37, in centre, near a small amusement park for kids. Tel. (46) 32 65 60  |
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| VILLA MAS Calle 41, #4108, e/ 8 y 10, at the end of calle Jose Marti, behind hospital Heroes del Baire Tél. (46) 32 35 44  |
DON KIKE
Calle 34 e/43 y 45, Reparto 26 de Julio, a few steps from Parque Central. Tel. (46) 32 11 66 or 32 19 83  |
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VILLA CHAVE
Calle 45 e/34 y 36, Reparto 26 de Julio, a couple of steps from Parque Central Tél. (46) 32 42 92  |
BARBARA GARCIA GARCIA
Calle 45 #3606, e/36 y 38, Reparto 26 de Julio Tél. (46) 32 49 03  |
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NIEVES CURBELO LOPEZ
Calle 24 # 5108 entre 51 y 53. Tél. (46) 32 44 37  |
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VILLA MARISOL
Calle 24 # 5107 entre 51 y 53. Tél. (46) 32 25 02  |
VILLA DAILI
Calle 8 # 4932 entre 49 y 53, near the hospital and the bus stop (guaguas) to La Fe and La Demajagua, in Reparto Abel Santamaria Tel. (46) 32 29 72  |
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MARLE y NEGRA
Calle 46 #4708 entre 47 y 49, Reparto 26 de Julio. Tél. (46) 32 31 01  |
VILLA VIVIANA
Calle 32 # 4110 entre 41 y 43. Tel. (46) 32-1255  |
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Content & photos © sogestour  Updated |
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