Cuba Handbook - Softcover

Baker, Christopher P.

3.95

62 ratings by Goodreads

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1566910951 ISBN 13: 9781566910958

Publisher: MOON TRAVEL HANDBOOKS, 1997

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From the facades of Old Havana to Guantanamo, this hot Caribbean destination's regional, cultural, and political character are explored in lively detail. Of particular interest to U.S. travelers is a definitive reference section providing information for navigating the official U.S. boycott of Cuba. 60 photos. 65 illustrations. 75 maps.

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Review:

The thought of Cuba conjures images and associations with Castro politics and contraband cigars, but a visit reveals more: vibrant hummingbirds, corral-colored flamingos, a profusion of insect life, and miles of sugarcane. The Cuba Handbook tells the oft-neglected details of Cuba's history, from slave trading to the U.S. embargo. But like the sidebar on Cuban cigars, the information is merely an aside, for this is a practical book: you'll find out how to gain entrance, where to stay, and what to eat, plus the scoop on all of the beaches, Hemingway memorials, and Revolution museums you could desire. There's sailing and golf, bird watching and scuba diving, and Cuban baseball. There's ballet, cabarets, and the ubiquitous beat of salsa throbbing in the night air. A vivid, engaging Cuba, peopled by Cubans justly renowned for their warmth, awaits.

From Library Journal:

The first of these works is a guidebook?and an excellent one at that. Baker, who has traveled extensively in Cuba and written other guidebooks and magazine articles, gives a general introduction to his subject, with tips on getting to Cuba, hotels, money, and all the usual things one expects from a guide. But his book has a special twist for Americans because of the embargo. After introductory material on history, flora and fauna, the Helms-Burton bill, Castro, and many, many other topics, the book is organized by region, with maps, hotels, tips on getting there, etc. This excellent work is one of the most thorough guidebooks this reviewer has ever seen. Highly recommended. The author of two other works on Latin America, Schwartz has written not a guidebook but a well-researched description of tourism in Cuba, mainly from the Twenties to the Sixties. The emphasis is on American tourists, the most numerous until Castro, and the history is chronological, showing how World Wars I and II affected Cuban industry. Schwartz describes the Mafia influence and the state of tourism since Castro, and she also considers how tourism affects a country, any country, which makes interesting reading. An excellent history that should have broad appeal, this is scholarly but not dull.?George M. Jenks, Bucknell Univ., Lewisburg, PA
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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