Havana, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is one of the oldest, grandest and safest cities in the Americas. It is also one of the loveliest. Its beguiling ice-cream coloured colonial buildings, the high concentration of museums and galleries, the stunning vibrancy of Cuban music and dance and the charismatic habaneros give it a cultural punch well beyond its size and economic status. Add to all this the tropical climate and you have a potent cocktail.
Salsa Dancing Classes
Havana is also the perfect place to learn Cuba’s national dance – Salsa. Our authentic Cuban style Salsa classes are facilitated by a top dance tutor. Each participant has a local Cuban dance partner who will always be there to mentor each person’s progress and ensure a high quality learning experience.
Writing Course
Likewise, the influence Cuban insularity has exerted on its people’s myths, fantasies and national psyche, makes the country a unique place for writers and artists. Great Cuban writers, from José Marti to Alèjo Carpentier and José Lezama Lima, and more famous non-Cuban ones, from Earnest Hemingway to Gabriel Garcia Márquez and from Jean Paul Sartre to Günter Grass, have found in Cuba a source of inspiration. Skyros will honour this tradition and, alongside salsa it will also run a writers’ course.
Cuban History and Culture
Outside course hours, Clem Axel, Skyros’ man in Havana, will help people gain a good understanding of Cuban history and culture.
The day is easy-going. It begins with some gentle yoga followed by a delicious breakfast, the community meeting and then a talk on Cuba. Participants can stroll leisurely through the city, where they can get a glimpse of life without McDonald’s, and enjoy Havana’s rebel nature, which is a crucial part of its allure. The Salsa or Writing courses are held in the afternoon.
Evenings offer balmy weather and a chance to walk the many and varied shopping streets of La Habana Vieja, the Old Havana, visit dazzling nightclubs and shows, and even dance Salsa in the streets!
The programme includes a half day Havana city tour and optional excursions to beaches, a traditional cigar factory and local beauty spots.
The Cubans, even when life comes with plenty of grit, gripes and its share of inequalities, have never lost their passion for partying. The nightlife of their capital is legendary. If you haven’t danced Salsa under a Havana moon, what are you waiting for?
‘Skyros is the perfect place for a proper holiday’. Matthew Collins, The Travel Show. BBC2
Many thanks to Melanie Bass, Michael Frazer and Ron Addelman for their wonderful photos.
Atsitsa Bay
Life Choices
