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... short for San Juan de Los Remedios. Its historic centre, the eight city founded by the Spanish conquistadores on the island (1515), built by the rich settlers who then moved north to found Santa Clara. Remedios was declared a National Monument in 1980. Only town to have two churches in its centre : Nuestra Señora del Buen Viaje and the Parroquia Mayor. It is a really quite a beautiful town, full of cultural events, icons and memories from its rich past. Each December 24 — after the childrens' own fireworks event earlier in the month —, the town explodes in folly during the annual Parrandas, a parade of huge floats from various barrios along with non-stop fireworks during the whole night. Like Rio in the 30's. In 2009, the government refurbished the lovely central plaza and its cultural icons. By the end of the year, the Casa de la Cultura, the Mascotte Hotel and the Ruben Martinez Villena Teatro had all been restored and re-opened. 
POPULATION 45,706 (2007) in regional township (Municipio) RESTAURANTS / BARS / PALADARS Near the Museo del Vapor, towards Caibarien, the Curujey in a farm setting; in town the Louvre (restaured in 2009) now has a more cosmopolitan atmosphere, right on main square; the Taberna de Ave Maria is the new restaurant of the renovated Mascotte; its menu includes El Pollo Parrandero and the Ajiaco Lucumí considered by many as Cuba's national dish. Its new bar La Fonda by a fountain is said to remind of a local tradition during the pirate era when the plunderers came here to quench their thirst; La Fe and Driver's Bar (local, in Cuban pesos); Casa owner Noly of La Estancia now serves lunches and dinners, paladar-style at Camilo Cienfuegos 34; so do Rafael and Iraida at their casa, La Paloma on Balmeseda 4 SERVICES Hotel Mascotte on central plaza was charming, had been modernized, but the chain decided to do it again. Most critics thought the 1st reno job was better. Tel (42) 39-51-44, especially since the rates have skyrocketed ••• By the time the year 2011 ends, the town's newest hotel, the Barselona should be open, right by the Casa de la Cultura. PARRANDAS The exhuberant fiestas involving competitions between barrios with fireworks and costumed parades take place every year all over Villa Clara province, mostly in winter. Here's the list : Taguayabón on the 27th of Nov. (barrio El Gallo vs barrio el Gavilán) then others in December : Crecencio Valdés (El Toro vs el Caballo), Muelas quietas (La Loma vs la Marina), Placetas (Zaza vs Fortun), Carrillo (La Fama vs El Mango), Remedios (El Carmen vs San Salvador), Remate de Ariosa (La Loma vs La Marina), Calabazar de Sagua (Sapos vs Chivos), Sagua la Chica (La Loma y La Marina), Cótica (El Tiburón vs el Manatí), El Santo (Carraguao vs Pavo Real), Caibarién (La Loma vs La Marina) Quemado de Güines (La Puya vs el Perejil) all on the 24th and in Zuluetas on the 31st (Guanijibe vs la Loma). |
 Jose Marti's bust sits in middle of one of the loveliest town plazas in the country : Plaza Isabel II.  The Museo de Musica Alejandro Garcia Caturla, symbol of the town's vast cultural heritage © sogestour •]• Main " sit & enjoy" place in town, El Louvre does not show works of art but snacks and drinks © sogestour  A huge engineering feat, the Pedraplen de la Cayeria Norte or causeway (2cuc per to car to enter, same to leave) is 48 kilometers long of asphalt crossing about 35 bridges over the Cayeria Norte including Las Brujas, Ensenachos and at its end, Cayo Santa Maria and Perla Blanca beach, shadeless and deserted.  Steam train rides are offered from the old Marcelo Salado sugar mill nearby on the way to Caibarien; now a sugar museum ©  Wild and crazy nights during Las Parrandas : if you were not here last December, visit the local museum dedicated to that annual extravaganza © kaloian, flickr.com  The town was the 8th (Octava) town founded in Cuba by the Spanish Conquistadores in 1515, thus the moniker La Octava Villa © sogestour .  Dreamy scenery off one of the cayos of the Cayeria Norte a chain of keys off the coast, the furthest being cayo Santa Maria, 73 km away © sogestour . |
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![Angelic figure in church of San Juan Bautista © sogestour •]• Balerinas between rehearsals in front of Casa de Cultura © sogestour](http://www.particuba.net/villes/remedios/images/BailIgles720.jpg) |
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SEE.KNOW.DO
• Centro Histórico Urbano de la ciudad de Remedios : declared Cuban Monumento Nacional since 1980, the historical center spreads over 45 hectares and numbers some 64 blocks of which 29 have patrimonial value of the first order • Plaza Marti (Plaza Isabel II) is made up of three smaller placetas (Parque de la Libertad with a statue of marble imported from Carrara, Italia, Plaza de las Madres and Plaza de las Actividades). Right by, sits the famous Iglesia Parroquial Mayor de San Juan Bautista : stunning, filled with well-preserved gold icons, it is an absolute must-see. Its local guide (if closed, enter from the back) has been giving visits for at least 50 years. Please make a donation • Museo de Música Alejandro Garcia Caturla (Parque Marti No 5) dedicated to the memory of this extraordinary local persona (google it). Besides having been a great musician, he was a political reformer, criminal expert who was gunned down in 1940. Among his 11 children and numerous grand-childs, two attained music fame : Teresa with the Afro Cuban All Stars, Ibrahim Ferrer, etc and Fabian, bassist with Omara Portuondo and others. SEE.KNOW.DO.MORE • Museo Municipal Francisco Javier Balmaseda (calle Maceo 56) : its 9 show rooms are dedicated to the 480 years of local history from founding fathers to recent heroes • Museo de las Parrandas Remedianas (Maximo Goméz No 71), first museum dedicated to PopArt in Cuba, it tells all about the year-end, annual 185-year old parrandas • Galeria de Arte Carlos Enriquez (Parque Marti No 2) run by the FBC (Fondo de Bienes culturales) on main plaza central : paintings by local artists (Fernando Betancourt, Amaury García, Justo González, etc) and Cuban artists on tour • Iglesia Nuestra Señora del Buen Viaje • Museo del Vapor (halfway to Caibarien) dedicated to, as name says, the venerable steam locomotives; located in tiny village of Reforma where lies the Marcelo Salado sugar mill. One can visit and — with luck and enough passengers — take a short train ride • Artex Boutique, near Hotel Mascotte has music, clothing, souvenirs and — a nice new item available all over the country — shower curtains (7,50cuc) showing enlarged Cuban art work. |
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EVENINGS
• There's almost always something going on in Casa de Cultura Agustin J Crespo corner Peña and Pastora • Built in 1923, the classical Spanish-style three-storey Teatro Ruben Martinez Villena (calle Pastora) can welcome up to 400 spectators for ballet, theater (local groups include Teatro Guiñol Rabindranath Tagore or Grupo Teatro Irrumpe) and classical music concerts on tour • There are Trova shows in the one corner of the main square close to the Estatua de la Libertad • Near the Casa de Cultura on Peña, the chess players room (jugadores de ajedrez) easy to find, open air with a large portrait of Capablanca (left) : challenge a lonely player • Las Leyendas since 2003 has been serving drinks and music • La Casa de la UNEAC holds literary events and readings of historical novels • Founded in 1949 under the name America Nacional, the Ciné-Teatro Remedios does not serve up theater plays anymore but can welcome up to 616 cinema aficionados. |
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EXCURSIONS
• Going North, take the 2-cuc pedraplen (13 km away after Caibarien) and drive over Buena Vista bay and its Cayo Cobos, Cayo Las Brujas, Cayo Borracho, Cayo Ensenachos and the last and largest, Cayo Santa Maria (beaches, all-inclusive hotels and fauna and flora refuges) Map here. • Going West, take the scenic, empty and lovely road called Costalera Norte to Yaguajay, site of the great Museo Camilo Cienfuegos. 80 bucolic km's there and back • Going East, discover, 57k away the nature of Sierra Guamuhaya where thermal waters and health treatments abound at Villa San Jose del Lago, 84 km east of here near Mayajigua — on lovely grounds around a small placid lake from 30 to 63cuc per person per day, with or without meals for the room, "treatments" extra. |
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PLAYAS
On the Cayeria Norte : Megano lies on Cayo Ensenachos, Las Brujas ("The Witches") which some say is the loveliest in Cuba [in slideshow above, seen from the hotel's lookout/bar; also, Perla Blanca (shadeless, at the very end of the pedraplen), Santa Maria (details on that cayo's many beaches here). Best bet (and only choice, really) for enjoying a beach without going through an all-inclusive hotel (charging 25-35 cuc for the day) is to drive to Las Brujas airport on cayo Ensenachos, turn left after the runway, then left at Las Salinas sign at fork and you will find the aforementioned Las Salinas beach. Not nice in winter, really but go past the dock at left and you will be on Playa Las Brujas with the resort's famous tower/restaurant at its 1-km end. Make provisions of snacks at the airport snack bar. photo © sogestour |
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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 PHONE
• From Canada and the USA : 011 53 (add phone # preceded by 42 for Remedios) • From Europe, Great Britain, Scandinavia and Mexico : 00 53 (add phone # preceded by 42 for Remedios) HOW TO DIAL A CUBAN PHONE NUMBER HERE  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.  |
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Click on photos at right to reach each casa's page and description. Locate some casas on this map.
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See all casas in sequence.
 Click above logo to see next. |
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EL CHALET
Two aircon bedrooms with ensuite bathrooms. Calle Brigadier González # 29, entre José A. Peña y Independencia, one block from main square, Plaza Isabel II. Tel. (42) 39-65-38  |
OMARA CARRILLO
Two aircon bedrooms sharing ensuite bathroom Calle José Antonio Peña 50, town center, entre Maceo y Brigadier Gonzalez Tel. (42) 39-52-99  |
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LA CASONA CUETO
Two aircon bedrooms with ensuite bathrooms Alejandro del Rio 72, entre Morales y Maximo Gomez in center behind the statue of Liberty. Tel. (42) 39-53-50  |
LA ESTANCIA
Two aircon bedrooms with ensuite bathrooms Camilo Cienfuegos No 34, town center, by the Villena Teatro. Also a paladar (private restaurant). Tel. (42) 39-55-82  |
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LA PALOMA
Two aircon bedrooms with ensuite bathrooms Balmaseda #4, e/ Ramiro Capablanca y Maximo Gomez, on Plaza Isabel II. Also a paladar (private restaurant). Tel. (42) 39-54-90  |
VILLA COLONIAL
Two aircon bedrooms with ensuite bathrooms Antonio Maceo 43, entre Avenida General Carrillo y Fe del Valle, near the Museo Municipal, 3 blocks from Plaza Isabel II. Tel. (42) 39-62-74  |
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LA BUGANVILIA
Two aircon bedrooms with ensuite bathrooms Calle Andrés del Río #46, e/Pedro Díaz y Gonzalo de Quesada Tel. (42) 39-51-83 Cell (015) 229-1570  |
BUEN VIAJE V
Two aircon bedrooms with ensuite bathrooms Calle Andrés del Rio, No. 20, e/ Enrique Malaret y Maximo Gomez, 150 m from Plaza Isabel II Tel. (42) 39-65-60  |
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PEREZ-RAMOS V
One aircon bedroom with ensuite bathroom Calle Alejandro del Río 78, e/ Máximo Gómez y Enrique Malaret, near Statue of Libertad Tel. (42) 39-54-79  |
LA RUEDA V
One aircon bedroom with ensuite bathroom Calle Independencia No. 35, entre Hermanos García y Antonia Romero Tel. (42) 39-59-15  |
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LAS CHINITAS
Two aircon bedrooms with ensuite bathrooms Calle Independencia 21, entre Brigadier y Maceo, about 150 ft from Parque Marti in centre. Tel. (42) 39-57-84 or 39-53-16  |
CASA YOHN V
Two aircon bedrooms with ensuite bathrooms Calle Independencia 24 entre calles Brigadier González y Gonzalo de Quesada, walking distance to Plaza Isabel II. Tel. (42) 39-52-40  |
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PARAISO COLONIAL
One aircon bedroom with ensuite bathroom Independencia 53, e/ Zayas y Adolfo Ruiz Tél. (42) 39-54-82  |
OCTAVA VILLA
One aircon bedroom with ensuite bathroom Calle Heriberto Duquesne # 9, entre Céspedes y Morales Lemus. Five blocks from centro historico, facing police station. Tel. (42) 39-51-02  |
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LA FRANCIA
Two aircon bedrooms with ensuite bathrooms Calle Independencia #8A, e/Brigadier Gonzalez y Maceo Tel. (42) 39-56-59  |
AMBIENTE NATURAL
One aircon bedroom with ensuite bathroom Calle Independencia No. 54, three blocks from the main square in the centro historico. Open only in high season — winter. Tel. (42) 39-65-05  |
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HAYDEE & JUAN K.
Two aircon bedrooms with ensuite bathrooms José Antonio Peña No75, e/Maceo y La Pastora Tel. (42) 39-50-82  |
LA LUCIA
One aircon bedroom with ensuite bathroom Calle Hermanos Garcia 137, e/José Antonio Peña y Independencia, facing childrens park, Parque Infantil Tel. (42) 39-68-43  |
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CUCA y MOLINA
One aircon bedroom with ensuite bathroom Calle Jesus Crespo No. 18, some 4 blocks from plaza central, entre Placido y Guevara. Open only in high season — winter. Tel. (42) 39-57-89  |
MORETÓN SANCHEZ
Upstairs a/c bedroom, private bathroom & kitchen Calle José Antonio Peña No. 56, entre Maceo y Brigadier Gonzalez Tel. (42) 39-62-45  |
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| LA CAMPIÑA Two aircon bedrooms with ensuite bathrooms Independencia 93 e/ Morales Lemus y Cespedes Tél. (42) 39-67-13  |
LAS TERRAZAS
One aircon bedroom with ensuite bathroom Calle Jesus Crespo 36 e/ Placido y Guevara Cell 05 380-0282 |
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| EL CANEY One aircon bedroom with ensuite bathroom Adolfo Ruiz 93-A, e/Independencia y Pi Y Margali Tél. (42) 39-60-02 |
SAN JUAN DEL PARADERO
Two aircon bedrooms with ensuite bathrooms Calle Maximo Gomez 56A, entre Marti y Guevara. Tél. (42) 39-56-89 |
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Content & photos © sogestour
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