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We'd like to stay in a "quaint" part of Havana, colonial architecture maybe...which seems to be Habana Vieja...but we'd also like to be within walking distance of some cool music venues (anything that's Cuban and local along the lines of salsa, son, folky,fusion, etc). Is this found more in Vedado?

Can anyone recommend a place to stay within walking distance of great music and nice architecture/cool neighborhood in Havana and for a good price?

There's TONS of musical entertainment in and around Habana Vieja, but the area in general is more touristy, so you can expect prices and the number of ppl trying to hustle you to be higher. It is beautiful tho! Vedado is a bit more removed from that, but still central. Would require more transportation hassle but a good idea if you want less bustle.

They're not really that far apart tho, and cab fare is cheap (public transport is even cheaper). You can also take a long walk between the two districts, if you really like walking, via the Malecon and La Rampa. It's pleasant if it is cool, but not what you'd want to do if you're going to clubs etc.

Personally I'd go for Habana Vieja, esp. if the trip is on the shorter side.

For myself, I preferred Vedado. I stayed in a few nice colonial houses there. Habana Vieja to me seemed like a place for tourists to go, so there will be some music there but Vedado has more of the stuff for Cubans from what I could see.

Aside from the renovated stuff in the core of old Havana, I found Habana Vieja to be quiet rundown and not terribly interesting architecturally compared with Vedado.

Another factor besides transportation (I just walked for the most part) is going to be your Spanish. If you've got the language skills, the stuff for the locals will open up quite a bit. If you don't, you might be better off in the more touristy area where you'll have less risk of disappointment. I found the "locals" entertainment to be somewhat hit or miss but the "tourists" entertainment to be at least consistently good.

Thanks. Hmmm..you two are not making this easy... : )

My wife would like to stay in some "colonial" type area, but we'd rather not be hustled the moment we walk out the door each morning, either. If you, WriterJosh, remember a specific place you stayed in Vedado, let us know.

Otherwise, we just might flip a coin to decide..We will have some days before we leave, so perhaps we'll stay in both places!
Thanks for the help.

quote:

Originally posted by Goldtoes:
Thanks. Hmmm..you two are not making this easy... : )

My wife would like to stay in some "colonial" type area, but we'd rather not be hustled the moment we walk out the door each morning, either. If you, WriterJosh, remember a specific place you stayed in Vedado, let us know.

Otherwise, we just might flip a coin to decide..We will have some days before we leave, so perhaps we'll stay in both places!
Thanks for the help.

Both times in Vedado I went first to Casa Blanca (917 Calle 13 e/8 y 6) but both times they were full and referred me nearby. In general, all three houses were similar. The last, on Calle 17 I believe with an elderly couple, was the most beautiful with big columns out front and a huge verandah from which to watch the massive storm that first night there. Casa Blanca has a site

http://cadr1.tripod.com/about.htm with a few pics on it.

For colonial buildings, Havana is quite blessed. From Havana Vieja to Vedado right out to Miramar, Havana is quite architecturally rich. Havana Vieja has great buildings and tenements in together; Vedado has only a few tenements in its core area but the further west you go you see more of them. My first place (way out west in Vedado) was on a nice block, but most of the vicinity was littered with boring apartment blocks.

Hope that helps!