SANTIAGO DE CUBA

SANTIAGO HOLIDAYS

Santiago de Cuba and the east Camagüey is one of the more heavily promoted towns of the island. Its attractions include a number of churches and museums and a thriving and very photogenic peso market. Camagüey lies in the center of a fertile plain, exploited for sugar. The unspoilt Camagüey archipelago is also known as Jardines del Rey. Within the natural park are some 20km of landscaped white-sand beaches, the best known of which are Cayo Coco and Cayo Guillermo, the latter a favorite haunt of Ernest Hemmingway who came to fish here. Bayamo was the birthplace of the 19th-century revolutionary, Manuel de Cépedes, who launched Cuba’s struggle for independence here in 1868-9. Modern Bayamo is a delightful little town with one of the few pedestrianized centers on the island. From here it is possible to explore the nature trails of the Parque Nacional del Granma around the fishing hamlet of Cabo Cruz. Holguín is familiar to most tourists for its airstrip, but the old colonial town is worth a couple of hours at least for its attractive squares and streets. Also falling within the province are the beach resorts of Guarda la Vaca and Esmeralda, both of which are well served with amenities. Santiago de Cuba, 780km (485 miles) from Havana, was the island’s first capital. It owed this distinction to a superb deepwater harbor, the majestic Sierra Maestra Mountains forming a dramatic backdrop. Despite losing its primacy early in the day, Santiago was never eclipsed by Havana thanks to the French plantation owners and their slaves who arrived in the 18th century, turning the region over to coffee and sugar production. Santiago consequently acquired a cosmopolitan flavor that accounts for its cultural importance, especially in music – the Son originated here. In July, the town hosts one of the most spectacular carnivals in the country, which has even spawned its own museum. Highlights of Santiago’s old quarter (around the square, Parque Céspedes) are the cathedral, the Casa de Diego Velázquez, one of Cuba’s oldest colonial mansions, and the Museo Emilio Bacardí, which contains the rum magnate’s collection of antiques and fine art. Adjacent to the square is the Casa Granda Hotel, located adjacent to the square in the area, a favorite haunt of the British author Graham Greene. The Moncada Barracks, where Fidel Castro and his revolutionary insurgents launched an abortive uprising in 1953, is the most visited sight outside the town center. After soaking up Santiago’s heady atmosphere, visitors should venture into the surrounding countryside. Excursions on offer include the Castillo del Morro, once an important fortress and now a museum of piracy with superb vistas of the surrounding countryside. The shrine to the Virgin of Cobre is housed in a magnificent basilica. This important center of pilgrimage was the focus of Pope John Paul II’s visit to Cuba in 1998. Baracoa lies between two bays on Cuba’s eastern tip and is one of the island’s most beautiful towns. Tradition has it that Christopher Columbus planted a wooden cross here after coming ashore in 1492. It was later transferred to the Church of Our Lady of the Assumption where it is still on view. Until the 1960s, when a road connecting it to the mainland was constructed, Cuba’s oldest European settlement was accessible only by boat. The town’s role as a former Spanish outpost is evidenced by its three forts, the Fuerte Matachín (now housing the municipal museum), the Castillo de Seboruco (now a hotel), and the Fuerte de la Punta (which now also houses a restaurant).