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Forum Cuba

Many statements in your recent article on Cuba ("Chasing Hemingway in Cuba," April 1998) are conspicuous by their incompleteness or inaccuracy.

You warned of the high prices for liquor, beer, and food. Obviously, you went to the wrong places. The 66smart money" patronizes the myriad paladares (from the word "palate") that have been operating for the past three years or so,
family operated in private homes (although some are in commercial locations). In any one of them, a Heineken costs a dollar, as does Cuba's national beer, Bucanero (formerly the famed Hatuey brand). At one of the most spiffy paladares, I had a rum collins for only $2 ...
less than half the prices you paid. Not a paladar, the Don Cangrejo in Miramar charges about 50 % more for food and drink than do the paladares, but its prices are still well below those in the hotel restaurants or the tourist traps.

It is true that Havana hotels are not cheap. The reason for this is that most are now operated by Spaniards who own the buildings while Fidel owns the land. The Melia Cohiba (no relation to the cigar of the same name, named after an Indian tribe),

the newest hotel in Havana, was built by Spaniards, although it is believed that Miami Cuban expats clandestinely put up some of the money. Since the investors paid all the costs but receive only part of the profits, they're forced to charge high rates.

I no longer stay at a hotel. I rent a guesthouse in Miramar for $25 a day, while my business associate stays in the main house for $15. Breakfast for two is $5.

We use the phone free. Laundry is $10 (high!). Folks who don't have connections like this can get package deals at fairly reasonable prices at the Libre, Riviera, Presidente, or Capri.

Expect to overpay at the Nacional, Cohiba, and Miramar, marina-area hotels where you'll see yachts from Canada, Scandinavia, Central America, and, yes, the United States proudly flying their flags.