English

Seaside Jewish Community
Mission to Cuba
Led by Reb Lisa Levine
January 24 - February 2, 2020

Tour Rates & Dates:

There are no Departure Dates available for this Package.
*Please note that all rates displayed are based on standard room double occupancy.
All rates above are in US Dollars, and are based on full payment by credit card unless otherwise noted.
If check payment discount is available for this tour, it can be selected after clicking "BOOK" above.
(Deposit can still be paid by credit card). Upgraded room categories may be available to book later in the booking process.
If Land & Air price is displayed, the air portion includes tax and fuel surcharges, which are subject to change until ticketed.

Flight Rates:

From MIA - $452 per person

If you require flight deviations, please contact Anjie at 800-237-1517 x340
or anjie@ayelet.com.

Tour Overview:

Download a PDF version:

This Tour Includes:


5 nights Melia Cohiba Hotel, Havana
4 nights Hotel Jagua, Cienfuegos
All touring and sightseeing in a deluxe air-conditioned vehicle with an expert English-speaking guide
Breakfast daily
4 dinners in Havana, including Shabbat welcome dinner
4 dinners in Cienfuegos, including Shabbat dinner
4 lunches in Havana, including Shabbat lunch with community members & chef-led cooking class
2 lunches in Cienfuegos
Shabbat lunch in Santa Clara with members of the community
Ballet performance at the Gran Teatro de La Havana
Drinks at Hotel Nacional
Classic car ride
Transfer included if arriving and departing with the main group
Entrance fees as per itinerary
Bottled water on bus
Porterage
Cuban emergency medical insurance
Exit tax

NOT INCLUDED:

Roundtrip airfare, departure taxes and fuel surcharges
Cuban travel visa (purchase at https://cubavisaservices.com)
Tips to guide, driver and dining room waiters ( $20 per person, per day; pre-collected)
Meals not listed above
Any items of a personal nature
Additional travel insurance (highly recommended)

Tour Itinerary:

Day 1: Friday, January 24, 2020: WELCOME TO CUBA!

• Depart Miami on our morning flight to Havana.
• We arrive at the Jose Marti Airport and meet Ileana, our wonderful, English-speaking, Jewish heritage specialist guide.
• We enjoy lunch together at Palio Paladar (or similar).
• We continue on a panoramic overview of the city, including the Plaza de la Revolucion, dominated by the José Martí Memorial. This square is where Fidel Castro delivered the majority of his lengthy political addresses.
• Next, we pass by the Rosenberg Memorial, Lennon Park, and Havana University.
• We check into our hotel and are greeted with a welcome cocktail reception.
• We have time to relax and refresh before Kabbalat Shabbat at our hotel.
• This evening, we enjoy a Shabbat welcome dinner together.

Overnight in Havana

Day 2: Saturday, January 25, 2020: SHABBAT SHALOM!

• Breakfast at our hotel.
• This morning, we attend Shabbat services together at Patronato Beth Shalom Congregation.
• Following the service, we enjoy Shabbat lunch at Patronato with community members, sponsored by Seaside Jewish Community.
• This afternoon, we enjoy singing with Reb Lisa and children from Patronato.
• Remainder of the afternoon at leisure.
• Tonight, we join together for dinner in Old Havana at Café Del Oriente, with a Havdalah service at the restaurant.
• After dinner, we enjoy a ballet performance at the Gran Teatro de La Habana or other nighttime social fun.

Overnight in Havana

Day 3: Sunday, January 26, 2020: OLD HAVANA

• Breakfast at our hotel.
• This morning, we set out on a walking tour of Old Havana (Havana Vieja), a UNESCO World Heritage site, to learn about the history of Havana as we visit highlights of the city and the colonial plazas. Along the way, we visit Jewish points of interest such as the Raquel Hotel, a Jewish-themed hotel.
• We also visit Adat Israel, the Orthodox synagogue, where we will meet with Jacob Berezniak to deliver our gifts to the community.
• We continue with a visit to Conde De Villanueva and learn about the history of tobacco and the tradition of cigar rolling in Cuba while interacting with the rollers and locals.
• Lunch on own and time to explore Havana Vieja.
• Next, we have the option to choose one of the following: visit Havana's newly reopened Capitol Building which had been closed for many years for restoration; OR visit the Museum of the Revolution, where we gain an understanding of the momentous change that has occurred in Cuba due to the Revolution over 50 years ago; OR visit Havana University for a lecture.
• We return to our hotel to refresh and relax.
• We enjoy drinks at the famous Hotel Nacional in the early evening, then continue to dinner at El Aljibe.

Overnight in Havana

Day 4: Monday, January 27, 2020: CUBAN ARTS AND HUMANITIES

• Breakfast at our hotel.
• This morning, we visit Finca Vigia, the villa that Hemingway called home for 21 years. His home is now a museum with many of his personal belongings. Learn how Cuba influenced his writing.
• Next, we meet with Adela Dworin, the President of Beth Shalom. We tour the center and learn about the Pharmacy and Sunday school and have time to deliver our gifts to the community.
• We travel to the impressive Fuster house/studio to see this unique mosaic masterpiece and learn about the artist's project to beautify and help the community he lives in. We enjoy lunch together.
• We return to our hotel and enjoy the remainder of the afternoon at leisure.
• This evening, we enjoy a classic car ride to La California paladar, where we enjoy dinner together.

Overnight in Havana

Day 5: Tuesday, January 28, 2020: JEWISH HAVANA

• Breakfast at our hotel.
• This morning, we visit the Sephardic Center, where in 2011, the first exhibit displayed in Cuba about the Holocaust was opened. We meet with Mayra Levy, President of the congregation, who discusses the role of Sephardic Jews in the resurgence of Jewish life in Cuba. We also see the Senior Center and deliver aid to the community.
• We enjoy a short concert with Reb Lisa for the senior community.
• We continue with a visit to the Jewish cemetery in Guanabacoa, including a special moment of memorial at the Holocaust exhibit.
• Next, we participate in a cooking class at Talisman Restaurant, where we participate in a led by a Cuban chef! Following the class, we enjoy the food that we have just prepared for lunch!
• We stop at Almacenes de San Jose market, where we stroll through the stalls of arts and crafts made by the locals.
• Later this afternoon, we return to our hotel to refresh before setting out for dinner on own.
• Evening suggestion: Enjoy the Buena Vista Social Club show adjacent to the Melia Cohiba Hotel, the Tropicana Club show a world-renowned cabaret and club, or take a stroll through old Havana and experience the nightlife.

Overnight in Havana

Day 6: Wednesday, January 29, 2020: SANTA CLARA - CIENFUEGOS

• Breakfast and check out of our hotel.
• This morning, we depart for Santa Clara, an important city founded in the 1600's, where Che Guevara won a significant battle which led to the triumph of the Revolution in 1959.
• We stop at the Che Guevara Memorial with a photo opportunity at the square.
• We enjoy lunch together this afternoon.
• Next, we meet with David Tacher, a leading representative of the Santa Clara Jewish community. We will have a meaningful memorial service at the Holocaust memorial there before continuing to the beautiful port city of Cienfuegos, Cuba's “Pearl of the South".
• We check into our hotel and drop off our bags.
• This evening, we enjoy dinner at Villa Lagarto.

Overnight in Cienfuegos

Day 7: Thursday, January 30, 2020: TOURING TRINIDAD

• Breakfast at our hotel.
• Today, we depart to the beautiful colonial town of Trinidad, a charming city settled in 1514, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1988.
• Upon arrival, we enjoy a walking tour of historic Trinidad, which is a 500-year-old city with Spanish colonial architecture. Only a few square blocks in size, historic Trinidad is famous for its lovely cobblestone streets, pastel houses with wrought iron grills, as well as beautiful palaces and plazas. We will learn about the efforts to preserve the city's heritage.
• Lunch at El Dorado paladar.
• Next, we meet with the famous family Santander, well-known local potters, and visit their workshop and gallery. These artists have been making handmade pottery for over 100 years.
• Time at leisure for shopping.
• We return to Cienfuegos to refresh and relax.
• Tonight, we walk to dinner at Los Laureles.

Overnight in Cienfuegos

Day 8: Friday, January 31, 2020: TOURING CIENFUEGOS

• Breakfast at our hotel.
• This morning, we set out on a tour of Cienfuegos, including Parque Marti and the Thomas Terry Theater while learning about this UNESCO World Heritage Site, founded by French immigrants in 1819.
• We enjoy a performance by Cantores de Cienfuegos at Museo Provincial de Cienfuegos.
• Lunch on own with time at leisure for shopping.
• Later, we meet with Rebecca Langus and learn about the local Jewish community, with time to deliver our gifts.
• We enjoy a short Shabbat sing-along with Reb Lisa.
• We return to our hotel for Shabbat services, followed by Shabbat dinner together.

Overnight in Cienfuegos

Day 9: Saturday, February 1, 2020: SHABBAT SHALOM!

• Breakfast at our hotel.
• Today, we attend Shabbat services at Shir Chadash with David Tacher and community members.
• We enjoy Shabbat lunch with community members, sponsored by the Seaside Jewish Community. We have time to deliver our gifts to the community.
• We return to Cienfuegos for an afternoon at leisure.
• This evening, we enjoy a special farewell dinner and Havdalah at our hotel or a local restaurant.

Overnight in Cienfuegos

Day 10: Sunday, February 2, 2020: ARRIVE HOME

• Breakfast and check out of our hotel.
• We transfer to the airport in Santa Clara for our flight back to Miami.


The Memories Last Forever!!

*PLEASE NOTE: This day-by-day schedule should be used as a guide only. Program elements and restaurants are subject to change.