WHERE TO DRINK A DELICIOUS COFFEE IN TRINIDAD CUBA

CAFE DON PEPE - TRINIDAD, CUBA

It has become our custom to escape the kitchen sink at least a couple of times during my visits, so we can wonder around the cobbled streets of Trinidad and enjoy this beautiful colonial town (now a firm member of the family I too take part in some of the cooking and cleaning activities when I am in Trinidad).  We like to look our best, so we dress up a little and then we head out, stopping now and then to gossip in the street with other 'Trinitarios'.  We visit one of the museums that Trinidad has to offer and then sit and have a heart to heart.  We always seem to have a lot of catching up to do, no matter how long it has been since we last saw each other.

Over the years we have regularly gone to what is now known as 'our bar', but as we were re-exploring the streets of Trinidad, looking for a new restaurant in town, we came across a place that caught our eye.  Instantly we were enamoured with this beautiful courtyard, curious to know what it was, never having seen it before.

Upon entering the place we were instantly hit by the luscious green garden, with lots of tall trees providing welcome shade, plants and flowers dotted around, tables and chairs inviting you in to take a break, it was like a mini heaven, 'I would love to have a place like this' I sighed.  Then I noticed how tastefully decorated it was, antiques, coffee pots, brewing instruments etc hanging on the walls.  We were both seduced by its gorgeousness and decided not to go to 'our place'; time for a change of scenery. 

We sit down at one of the beautifully carved wooden tables and admire the menu and the gardens simultaneously.  It has an extensive menu, coffee made in a variety of ways, both hot and cold, with or without alcohol.  The coffee is grown locally at a farm in the Sierra de Escambray mountains, it is freshly ground in the bar and the bar even sell bags of the aromatic Cuban coffee for you to take away. 

The service is friendly, the toilets are amazingly clean and the music traditional.  The music, a C.D., plays at a tasteful level, not too loud, so we can hear each other speak and actually it is a relief not to have a live band playing for once, so our ever so important heart to heart is not disturbed by a man with a cap in hand, asking for a 'propina'!

We both choose a cold coffee, with a little rum, ice-cream and cinnamon, and it is divine.  The prices for the coffee drinks, around 2-5 CUC. 

We both enjoyed this new little hideaway by the side of the Plaza, near the Museo Contra los Bandidos.  It is ideally located but it can be easily missed, if you don't know where it is.

EXPERIENCE THE REAL CUBA – SUPPORTING CUBAN BUSINESSES

Experience the Real Cuba offers Casas Particulares in Cuba as well as cultural activities and programs in Cuba supporting local Cuban private businesses.

To find out more about Casas in Cuba and our courses and programs (Spanish lessons, Dance lessons, Music lessons, Photography Experiences, Art & Pottery workshops) check out our website:

www.experiencetherealcuba.com

Café Don Pepe - Trinidad, Cuba

Café Don Pepe Bar - Trinidad, Cuba

Antiques on the wall, Trinidad, Cuba

Luscious Gardens, Café Don Pepe

Enjoying a chat and a coffee

IS CUBA SAFE?

I often get asked this question, especially from the parents of students about to go to Cuba and in my opinion it is the safest country I have ever visited.

Before going to Cuba I had this vision that crime was ubiquitous in Cuba, I’m not sure where I got this idea from, but I have noticed that many people, before knowing Cuba, think the same.

Upon arriving into Cuba for the first time, I felt nervous, but I soon realised that I didn’t need to be.  Walking the streets of Cuba, you obviously feel disorientated, but as soon as you get used to your surroundings, you couldn’t feel safer.  All you have to do is sit down on a park bench, people watch and you will discover how fascinating it is.  If you’re lucky someone will join you on the park bench and before long you are comparing stories and putting the world to rights.

Cubans are not very aggressive; they are generally a happy go lucky bunch, you don’t find gangs of youths with a menacing presence, instead they are listening to music, laughing and joking or paying a compliment (piropo) to whomever walks by.  It’s not a violent country; no-one has access to guns or other lethal weapons.

Saying that, as with any place in the world, you should always be street wise and be aware of your surroundings.  I’m not a woman with many material possessions, but what little I do have, I don’t like to flaunt it.  I often go to Cuba with as little as possible so I can at least try and blend in with the crowd.  

I have heard of other people losing belongings, for example, I met a Dutch girl who lost her mobile phone on the overnight Viazul bus from Santiago de Cuba to Trinidad.  We were all sleeping, it was very dark, but I remember this girl leaving her bag wide open on the floor in the gangway, obviously not a wise thing to do in any country.   

Another guy I met, told me that he was out late at night in Havana, completely pissed, on his own, walking the streets, when he got mugged by a group of youngsters.  For some reason he had all his worldly possessions on him; his mobile phone, his passport, all his travellers’ cheques, cash, credit cards, camera etc.  They weren’t violent but they took advantage of his drunkenness and helped themselves.  He was so pissed he was unable to stop them.  

There is no need to go out at night with all your worldly possessions, leave it in your hotel or casa particular, it is far safer there.  All you need is some cash for the evening and a copy of your passport, why do you need to be bogged down with anything else for a night out on the town!

EXPERIENCE THE REAL CUBA – SUPPORTING CUBAN BUSINESSES

Experience the Real Cuba offers Casas Particulares in Cuba as well as cultural activities and programs in Cuba supporting local Cuban private businesses.

To find out more about Casas in Cuba and our courses and programs (Spanish lessons, Dance lessons, Music lessons, Photography Experiences, Art & Pottery workshops) check out our website:

www.experiencetherealcuba.com