Casa Particular / B&B Cienfuegos

Elier Cruz
Avenida 54 # 4923
e/ 49 y 51
Cienfuegos
Tel. +53 (43) 51 90 56

Price: 25 CUC in the high-season (July-August, 15. of november - april), 18 CUC in the low-season.
Description: Eliers house is very good located. It's near the city centre and very close to the bus terminal. When you stand in front of the house you will never imagine what's waiting for you inside...
Elier rents two nice and recently renovated and refurbished rooms - both with it's own bathroom - of course with hot and cold shower.
Very nice is the little courtyard of the house. Here you will feel well, while drinking a tasteful cuban coffee, a cold beer or a tasty Cuban Coctail or just reading some pages in a a book. Of course Elier will prepare you breakfast and if you like also other meals. There's also a laundry service for your cloths).

Reservation: by phone or also by e-Mail

Cienfuegos is one of the most cleanest and well-kepted city of Cuba. In this place you can find many houses in the colonial style, many of them has been restaured. The city has a good level of turists, because most of the tourists which are for only a short time in Cuba prefer to see neighbor-city Trinidad. The principal street is named "El Prado" and at the end of it you can find the beautifull Malecon. At the end of the Malecon at Punta Gorda you will find the biggest hotel from Cienfuegos, el hotel "La Jagua". The historical center of the city is located on Plaza Mayor, where you also can found the community house and also the city house of culture.

Suggestions in Cienfuegos

Art gallery (Galería de Arte). At Boulevard of Cienfuegos is located a recomendable Art gallery which shows the work of local artists.
Discoteca Beny More. At the Plaza Martí, in the centre of the city. They play Cuban and Internacional music - the entrance costs about 3 CUC.

UNEAC: In the garden of the local Artist's club you will enjoy often really good concerts at good prices. Located at the Plaza Mayor / Plaza Martí.

To Eat. There are some budget restaurants where you can pay in Cuban Pesos. For exemple the El Mandarin (Creole kitchen - at the corner of 37 and 60), El Pollito (chicken - Street 37 between 56 and 58), and the 1819 (Street 37 between 56 and 58).

Excursions Cienfuegos

Castillo de Jagua. A fortress build by the Spanish with the subject to deny the bay to pirates who had been using it as a refuge. From Cienfuegos you can go to the fortress by the ferry. It leaves at the corner of 23 and 46. The trips cost for tourists fifty CUC cents. There's also a posibility to leave from the Marina Puertosol (Punta Gorda - Street 35 between 10 and 11) but this service is only for tourists and you will pay a lot more!
Playa Rancho Luna. A small and beautifull beach just 8 km far from cienfuegos. For going to the beach you have to get into the hotel Rancho Luna. It cost 5 CUC each person (one CUC for the entrance and 4 CUC for the consumation). A taxi from ciefuegos to the hotel cost 8 CUC. There's also a beach closer to Cienfuegos but this one isn't recommendable.
Hotel Faro Luna. The local centre for diving. From this place leave every day diving excursions, if you don't have the equipment with you, you can hire it at the hotel. You will visit some coral reefs and sunken ships. The taxi from Cienfuegos will cost about 10 CUC.
Jardin Botanico (Botanical Garden). Cienfuegos botanical garden is the most important of Latin America. It is located in a very big area where you can find plan from all the world. It's easing going there by using public transport from the town centre. The entrence cost 3 CUC.
El Nicho. The source of the river Hanabanilla is located in a marvellous landscape of the Sierra Escambray. You have a nice view to the ... of the Hanabanilla and also the province of Santa Clara. You can also take a bath under the waterfalls of Hanabanilla. El Nicho is up to now not touristic so you can find only one restaurant with horrible prices. Because of that it's better to carry food and drinks by yourself.
This place is really worth to do a trip although it's rather dificult going there. By public transport it's not posible to do the trip in one day. When you go by taxi you will have to pay a lot - this only works when there are four paying people in the cab. So I think the best way to go is to rent a "moto". The rent will cost you about 24 CUC a day. You can rent them at the hotel "La Jagua". But be aware, also the street isn´t in the best condition. So, if none of these posibilites was one for you, the last (for me) but the easiest one... Go organized. This will cost you about 30 CUC with transport, guide and meal.
Baño Ciego de Montero. At about 20km from the City of Cienfuegos are the baths (spas (?)) of Ciego de Montero. The entrance is maybe gratis, at least I was told so. If you like an other service like a massage you will pay at least 5 CUC. A taxi to this place will cost you about 12 CUC, you can also go by collectiv taxis.
La Finca Isabela. Some kilometres out of the city. It's an old farm where nowadays are organzied different types of events, for exemple a discotec under the stars. If you go before 23:00 you can enjoy the peace of the place. It's a place where you not only find tourist but also many cuban couples. The entry costs one CUC per couple.
For organised excursions I suggest the local office of Cubatour. The agency is at the street 37 between 54 and 56 (Phone 45 12 42). They not only offers standard excursions which you also can do easiliy by public transport but also recomendable excursions which are difficult to do without hired transport for example to the Nicho - 27 CUC or to sugar factory for have a look to the old railway engines and so on for 20 CUC (Excursion "A Todo Vapor"). You can read all the offerts [pdf] in Spanish.

How to go to Cienfuegos

Viazul (bus) there are two buses daily from Habana, one from Varadero and three from Trinidad. Look at the timetable!

Train Train #67 leaves every second day Habana for it's journey to Cienfeugos. It's a very slow train, but the landscape (a lot of sugargrowing area and citric plantationes) is it worth. If you don´t have to much time or if you are rather a nervous person I think it's better when you go by bus - if you enjoy the train, then I recomend you to bring enough food and beverages with you, because, as I mentioned, it's a long trip...
There are also trains between Santa Clara and Cienfuegos and to local villages like Aguada, Palmira und Cumanayagua, ask at the Station for the timetable.