Salsaville's epic Music & Dance Tour of Cuba - Santiago de Cuba and Havana
We will land in Cuba in the cultural capital of Santiago de Cuba to explore the laid-back provincial city. Santiago has a rich cultural heritage, and is known as the capital of "Son" music, the root of all salsa music (i.e. Buena Vista Social Club.) Then, likely on Monday, January 16th, we will all fly to Havana, Cuba's big city and salsa capital where we will spend the remaining 6 days & nights for a full and intense experience there.
You can leave either on Sunday, January 8th or Thursday, January 12th. If your schedule allows, I do recommend the longer version as you will have a much fuller and relaxed experience in Santiago, and will have significantly more time and exposure to learning Cuban dancing.
Exploring Cuban Music & Dance in Havana and Santiago de Cuba
This trip will be run under a legal people-to-people educational license for travel in Cuba.
The group size will be limited to 14 travelers, but may not be more than 9 people.
Please note that this will be run as a "boutique" tour, meaning that the group size will kept small, each member of the trip will receive individual attention, and the tour can be somewhat customized to your desires & interests. In addition, we are staying in upscale accommodations, but as a home-stay, not in a hotel. The group will be able to move around more efficiently and do more than a larger group could. This way we can all achieve my goal of making sure that each person has an amazing experience.
Included in the package price is:
Basic Travel:
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Flight from Denver to Miami
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Flight from Miami to Santiago de Cuba, Cuba
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One-way domestic flight from Santiago de Cuba to Havana
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Flight from Havana back to Miami
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Flight from Miami to back to Denver
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Cuban tourist visa, departure tax, medical insurance, educational people-to-people license
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All airport transfers - this includes transportation to and from the Denver, Miami, Santiago and Havana airports
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Possible one night stay in a hotel in Miami
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Every night at a fancy B&B in Havana and Santiago with a private room and bathroom
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Full time chauffeur-driven car available for the group everyday & night to take us wherever we need to go. At times we will have a second or third car available to transport the entire group at once.
Music & Dance Activities:
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Welcome dinner & dance parties at our Cuban dance schools - one in Santiago, one in Havana
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Group dance lessons for 2-3 hours per day for 6 days. (For those who are doing the longer 2-week trip, at least 8 days of dance classes.) And each student will have his/her own Cuban professional dance assistant/partner during each class.
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Two private one-hour dance lessons. (With options to take additional private lessons, time permitting, at only a nominal extra cost.)
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Seven nights out dancing in authentic Cuban nightclubs. (9-10 nights for those who are doing the longer 2-week trip.) This includes going out to the best-known clubs of Havana and Santiago to hear and dance to live famous international acts (such as Los Van Van, Havana De Primera, Pupy y Los Que Son Son, Manolito Simonet, Elito Revé, etc.) of Havana, and the most well-known Son/Salsa bands of Santiago. In addition to the 7 nights out as a group, you will have the option to go out on all of the other nights as well by paying your own cover for the events.
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Some nights we will invite some of our teachers and other professional dancers to the clubs, and you will be able to dance with all of them to practice and enjoy dancing all night long.
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Visit to rehearsal of a famous salsa band with a private performance and lecture about music.
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In Santiago, a home-style neighborhood party with a local but internationally known Son/Salsa band. Local specialty food is served for all.
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Dance shows of the various genres of Cuban dance. (Rumba, Afro-Cuban, Son, Salsa (Casino), Rueda de Casino, Cha-cha-cha, Mambo, etc.)
Additional activities:
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At least one afternoon trip to "Playas del Este" -- a 30-minute drive to the most beautiful beaches in the Havana area.
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Guided tour through Havana for two or more afternoons -- one with a professional English-speaking Cuban guide, and the others with Eric.
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Guided tour through Santiago for one morning - with a professional English-speaking Cuban guide.
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Wandering around the streets of Havana and Santiago and encountering live son/salsa bands, and people to speak with.
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Visit to "El Morro" and other famous sites around the area of Santiago de Cuba
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Visit to a couple of Cubans' homes - on both sides of the economic spectrum - and hear them speak on life in Cuba today.
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If you have a special interest, such as seeing a Cuban school/university, baseball game, tobacco or coffee farm, etc., just ask and we will help to arrange this.
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Group dinners every night, including at some of Havana's and Santiago's best restaurants. (Cost of meals to be paid on your own.)
Professional photographer:
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For between 4-8 days & nights of our trip, we will have professional photographer with us capturing photos & videos of our activities - walking around Havana, taking dance lessons, visiting various sites,
etc., plus anything else you request.
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Our photographer is a local documentary filmmaker, who will become a part of our group, and who will always be happy to share his perspective on life in Cuba.
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On our last trip, we ended up with over 800 photos & videos, creating a permanent & special memory of our time there.
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Photos will be distributed on Flickr.com (or on a USB stick) in full resolution upon returning home.
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There will be an additional charge for this service of just $5 per day. We will all have to agree how many days we would like the photographer to be with our group.
The only things that are not included in the package price and you should bring money for are:
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Meals:
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Breakfasts: usually available in your casa/apartment. $5 is the typical price. Can go out for breakfast as well for a similar price.
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Lunches: $2 to $10.
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Dinners: $5 to $20. (We will usually go to fancier places, which will cost $10-$15 without drinks. A couple of nights we can eat for just $5.)
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All above mentioned prices are for Havana. For Santiago, prices are generally about one third less.
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Phone calls, internet use (Internet is $2/hour)
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Drinks at clubs: alcohol, etc.
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Medical care if needed (However, likely any medical care needed will be covered by your included medical insurance.)
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Gifts and souvenirs
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Excess baggage fees for airplane flights: One free checked bag is included on all flights, plus a carry-on. Beyond that, you will pay the airline's standard baggage fees. (For example, American Airlines charges $40 for a second checked bag.)
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Laundry services (However, for $10 you can have a entire load of laundry done along with ironing of the clothes right from your casa.)
Trip cost:
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The cost of the full trip is $3,200 (double occupancy), $3,400 (single occupancy) per person.
This is for leaving Sunday, January 8th and returning Sunday, January 22nd.
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The cost of the shortened trip is $2,850 (double occupancy), $3,000 (single occupancy) per person.
This is for leaving Thursday, January 12th and returning Sunday, January 22nd.
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We have some extra pricing options for deluxe rooms in Havana:
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Room with ocean view: additional cost of $10 per day
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One room in penthouse apartment: additional cost of $20 per day
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One spectacular room in penthouse with king-size bed with total ocean view: additional cost of $40 per day. (On a space available basis.)
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These prices are per room, not per person. So if you are doing double occupancy, then the additional cost is only half that per person.
Payment schedule is as follows:
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$1,000 up front to reserve your spot on the trip.
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$1,000 due on November 1st
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All but $500 due on December 15th
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Final $500 due upon departure for Cuba.
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Late fees are $50 per day for any late payment.
If you need to cancel for whatever reason, I'm afraid none of the payments are refundable, except for a partial refund if we can find a replacement traveler and transfer the plane tickets into their name.
Why travel with Eric "El Cubanito" Freeman?
Eric has been traveling to Cuba since 1995. He has traveled there 17 times, and spent a total of over 20 months there. He has studied dance there extensively and has developed numerous connections over the years. Join him to explore and experience the amazing things Cuba has to offer. The focus of the trip will be dancing and music, but the tour includes exploring Cuba's history, architecture, beaches, and their fascinating people.
APPLICATION FORM:
Please copy & paste the below text into an email to eric@salsaville.com and fill in:
(Please avoid printing out this form and writing in answers by hand.)
1. Which dates are you signing up for:
Option #1: January 8th to January 22nd
or:
Option #2: January 12th to January 22nd
2. Would you like single or double occupancy?
If double occupancy, tell me the name of the person you are sharing a room with:
Note: For Havana, rooms usually have one bed only. For Santiago, rooms usually have two beds.
Let me know if you would like me to attempt to match you with another traveler to share a room.
3. Please indicate your preferred origin and return airports:
For example if you live in Boulder, CO, then normally DIA (Denver) would be the airport for both leaving and returning.
If you want to return to a different airport, or perhaps stay in Miami on your own for a few extra days on the way back, please indicate this.
4. Your email address:
(If you do not check your email at least once every 24 hours, please let me know that.)
5. Your cell phone number with the ability to receive text messages:
(If you do not have a cell phone that you regularly use, please provide an alternate phone number, and let me know that you cannot receive text messages.)
6. Do you have Facebook?
We tend to use Facebook for group communications (mostly before the trip), but this is not at all required.
7. Fill in the info below as it appears on your passport. (Needed to book airline tickets).
First name:
Middle name:
Last Name:
Date of Birth:
Gender:
8. Contact info for any emergency:
Name of person:
Relationship:
Phone number:
9. Your mailing address:
10. Attach a good quality scan of your passport. (You can take a photo with a smartphone camera instead.)
11. Do you have any physical and/or psychological issues that could impede your ability to successfully participate in this trip?
12. Understand that this tour will involve walking at a moderate pace of up to 1-3 miles per day. This will be in, depending on the weather, fairly hot, humid conditions.
In addition, we will be doing (on about 8 days) 2 to 3 hours a day of dance lessons in well-ventilated, but non-airconditioned rooms.
In most evenings we will be going out dancing for 2-3 hours.
All activities are optional. If you are tired at any point, you can always opt-out and go home to relax, rest, etc.
13. You will need to sign a fairly standard liability waiver to sign which will be delivered to you upon accepting of your application.
14. What are your expectations for participating in this trip? (Two sentence minimum here please.)
15. Any dietary restrictions that could be relevant to this trip - like if you don't eat red meat, poultry, fish, dairy, etc.
Eric "El Cubanito" Freeman
Owner, Salsaville Dance Studios
www.Salsaville.com
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