Eastern Cuba Culinary Experience

Join us on an adventurous journey through Baracoa, Holguin and Gibara with the James Beard Awarded Chef and share in the passion that he has for the people and food of Cuba, and breathe in the energy he has devoted to his craft as he hones his talents.

You will recap knowledge and learn from the very finest culinary instructor on the planet or become America’s newest Nuevo Latino cuisine ambassador. You will not just dine as a spectator, but also learn and take part in how chefs integrate these culinary landscapes into their food in compelling ways. Quite simply, D-Rod Culinary Adventures has put together the greatest culinary journeys through Cuba and the expedition of a lifetime.

$2925.00 .00 Per passenger. ( Single room occupancy)

$2875.00 .00 Per passenger. ( Double room occupancy)

• Airport Transfers in Cuba
  
• Cuban Visa
  
• US Government Paperwork & People-to-People General License
  
• Accommodation for 3 nights at Porto Santo Baracoa
• Accommodations for 2 nights at Ordono ( Gibara) TBD

• Breakfast every day at the hotels
  
• 4 lunches
  
• 5 dinners
  
• A great culinary experience provided by Chef Douglas
• Cooking demonstration by Chef Douglas Rodriguez
  
• Museum, Institutional and Organizational visits
• Motorcoach or Van transportation for the entire program (12 hrs per day)
• Cuban Expert & Specialist (Baracoa's Historian Mr. Hartman)
  
• City Tour and Activities as per program
• Translation by professional Cuba-based guides
  
• Tour management in Cuba by US and Cuba-based personnel

• Airfare to Cuba (priced separately)
  
• Airfare from your Home City to Miami
  
• Passports
  
• Transportation to Miami International Airport
  
• After hours activities
  
• Trip Interruption Insurance
  
• Tips for restaurant and hotel staff; guides and drivers
  
• Personal purchases
  
• Anything not listed in “What’s Included” above
  

09:30 AM Depart US Airport to Frank Pais International Airport in Holguin

11:00 AM Arrive in Holguin. Transfer to Baracoa

05:30 PM Check Into Hotel Porto Santos

06:30 PM Baracoa City tour with Hartman

Your group will be joined by Mr. Hartman he is an expert of this very important city in the history of Cuba and the Americans. Baracoa Located, in Guantanamo Province, is the oldest Spanish settlement on the island of Cuba. It was the first of seven villages founded by Spanish Conquistador Diego Velazquez de Cuellar in the early 1510’s. It is believed that the town is located on the exact spot where Christopher Columbus landed in Cuba on his first voyage. Its name stems from the indigenous Arawak language and means “the presence of the sea.” It lies on the Bahia de Miel or Bay of Honey and is surrounded by a wide mountain range, causing the city to be quite isolated but for the road built in the 1960s connecting this remote area to the rest of the province.

07:30 PM Dinner TBD

09:30 PM After Dark on your own

Breakfast at hotel

You will be met by your guide in the lobby after breakfast to begin the day’s program.

10:30 AM Baracoa City tour with Hartman

Morning of activities in Baracoa. Continue to explore the city of Baracoa and its wonders along with its historian Mr. Hartman.

12:30 PM Lunch at Finca Duaba

Country restaurant nestled near Duaba River, 6 km away from Baracoa city. This place is surrounded by cacao plantations and other species of fruit trees of the region. It’s the perfect environment to taste a mouth-watering lunch or dinner with pretty-well assorted gastronomic offer.

02:30 PM Chocolate Tour

This region of Cuba has the ideal climate for cocoa, the magical flower once worshipped by the Aztecs from which the irresistibly guilty pleasure - chocolate- is made. The fertile land gives the impression that it is growing wild in the urban courtyards and surrounding farms where you can savor the cocoa plants that proudly exhibit their fruits almost year round. The area has historically produced 1500 tons of cocoa in one year.

05:00 PM Return to hotel Free time

07:30 PM Dinner TBD

Dinner TBD

09:30 PM Casa de la Trova - Baracoa ( Optional)

Great place to enjoy Live Cuban music

Breakfast at hotel

You will be met by your guide in the lobby after breakfast to begin the day’s program.

10:30 AM Boat Ride on the Toa River

The Toa River is the mightiest and biggest river on the Island of Cuba with 72 tributaries, most of which traverse Baracoa for over 80 miles. This area is a very unique biosphere and one of the only places in Cuba with a genuine rainforest. The biological diversity and variety of landscapes; the peculiarity of the ecosystem and presence of endemic species in flora and fauna make for an exciting boat ride through one of the richest natural regions of Cuba.

12:30 PM Lunch TBD

03:00 PM Performance by El Kiribá y Nengón

Only a visit to Baracoa will allow you to get to know the people that preserve nengón and kiribá every day. At El Güirito rural community you will experience first-hand and enjoy these ancestral rhythms

04:30 PM Continue with the activities in the City

07:30 PM Dinner TBD

Dinner TBD

Breakfast at hotel

You will be met by your guide in the lobby after breakfast to begin the day’s program.

08:30 AM Transfer to Holguin

12:30 PM Lunch at 1910 Restaurant & Bar

Among Cuba's best offerings, count this elegant wood-trimmed colonial in. Guests tuck into thick steaks as if it were their last day on earth. There's also tender grilled octopus with garlic sauce, lovely chocolate torta (cake) and an extensive wine and liquor menu. Courteous service to boot. The restaurant is filled with locals and travelers alike. Come early or reserve.

02:30 PM City Tour Holguin

Holguin, one of the most beautiful cities in Cuba, is famous for its beaches but also for its people and history. It is also known as the city of the parks. The first stop will be at the famous landmark Loma de la Cruz. Loma de la Cruz (hill of the cross) although small it holds great history and folklore. It takes its name out of a wooden cross that exists in its summit, a protective symbol for many people. Stop at Parque Calixto Garcia to visit the Provincial Museum. The monumental neoclassical building, known as La Periquera, is one of the most famous in the city. Its long history is part of the charm of the beautiful Provincial Museum.

04:30 PM Transfer to Gibara

06:00 PM Check Into Hotel

Check into your Hotel

07:30 PM Dinner TBD

09:30 PM After Dark Activities

08:00 AM Breakfast at hotel

You will be met by your guide in the lobby after breakfast to begin the day’s program..

09:00 AM City Tour Gibara

Experience an old colonial-architectural fishermen village next to the sea. One of the first villages ever founded in Cuba and also named The White Village for all the sparkling-white facades of its colonial architecture and completely tiled-ceilings, narrow streets and joint houses where people don’t only share the neighborhood but also their own lives. Hostess of the International Low-Budget Film Festival, it has a beautiful lookout where anyone can appreciate the beauty of the whole city contrasting in colors and forms with the city bay and the skyline. Architectonic old monuments like “El Cuartelón”, “Fuerte Fernando VII” and “San Fulgencio Church” embellish the village matching old with new style. This fishermen village welcomes very friendly all the visitors.

12:30 PM Lunch TBD

02:30 PM Visit to National Monument Park Bariay

The Bariay National Monument Park is a place which has a great historic value for the province of Holguín, since it is the place where Columbus landed on the 28th October 1492.

05:00 PM Return to the Hotel

07:30 PM Dinner TBD

Dinner TBD

09:30 PM After Dark Activities

Breakfast at hotel

You will be met by your guide in the lobby after breakfast to begin the day’s program.

08:00 AM Breakfast at the Hotel

Enjoy a casual but sumptuous tropical feast this and every morning in the Hotel dining room.

09:00 AM Check Out of Hotel

Check out of hotel. Be sure to check with the front desk regarding any charges.

11:00 AM Transfer to Frank Pais International Airport in Holguin

As you may know, I’m a son of Cuban Immigrants, my first visit to Cuba was 2013 I was invited to cook at an Art Festival Biennial. Ten American chefs where paired with Cuban chefs to prepare a dinner, I sincerely can say that this trip changed me. The chefs in Cuba have none of the tools that a chef like us take for granted, limited food resources, limited equipment, no internet access and may other challenges that a Cuban chef can experience on a day to day basis, yet this chef all have a great outlook, I call them true Iron Chefs.

After returning home from this trip I wanted to find a way to help my fellow Cuban chefs and began to organize culinary trips to Cuba. I have been back 13 times since my first trip, meeting culinary Players in Cuba and finally found a way to help my fellow Cuban chefs get some exposures. I have created a culinary exchange event, where we can cook together with a Cuban chefs.

We provide health insurance in Cuba as part of the program cost through the Cuban visitor’s health insurance agency Assistour. Please see the terms of coverage below (Exhibit B). We will also offer each participant the option of choosing Trip Interruption insurance with our travel insurance partner, Access America Allianz Travel Insurance, at an added cost. http://www.allianztravelinsurance.com/ .

Cuba VIP Travel was founded by Peter and Yaima Sanchez Cuban-Americans with long standing relationships with the island’s cultural institutions and artists, and a deeply-rooted love and respect for their Cuban heritage.

We are Cuba specialists working together with a highly specialized group of carefully selected partners on the island.

Cuba VIP Travel is bound by a deep love for our country and it’s people and a deeper knowledge and respect for Cuba’s cultural heritage. We pride ourselves in bringing our collaborators and guests into the fold and sharing Cuba’s warm and loving embrace with them.

Miami, FL. Office

10689N. Kendall Drive

Suite 217

Miami, Fl. 33176

For more information: customerservice@cubaviptravel.com

or call us at 833-CUBA-VIP / 833-283-2847 x2