Bronnie's Travels: LA ESPERANZA HAVANA 3.5.11

HAVANA 3.5.11 - CLUB HAVANA – PALADAR LA ESPERANZA

A relaxing day as we are collected at 12noon to go to the exclusive club Havana in the city’s west.

Here we can laze by the pool or beach and have lunch.

We arrive and the pool has no water in it!!

Oh well the beach we go. It is blowing but we are able to grab a lounge and sit under a banana made shelter.

The water is blue and warm very relaxing

We have a very light lunch for a change, which cost us 15cud! About 15.00 dollars!

Very few people here and again it is a grand building from pre the revolution in a Spanish style

Picked up at 3.30 and then head back to our pool for a couple of hours before being collected again to go to dinner at La Esperanza.

La Esperanza

Again we have problems with the taxis that was meant to pick us up, one arrives for someone else and after lots of negotiating with the reception who could speak Spanish we head off.

We get there after about 25 mins andt his time we are in the suburbs by the ocean. Now this place has such style, a stunning home, ring the bell and we are let in down the passage and into a room with fireplace and sofas, behind dining tables and the room filled with gorgeous antiques 1950’s ambience and style

. No shabby chic here

First thing we notice there no women and they are all guys and of course all gay! This explains the style and how spotlessly clean it is.

No menu and we are told what is on offer and I might add it is a pretty extensive menu.

There is a group of people in the room adjoining us, a room which has a pink wall covered in old plates. And other stunning antiques

We decide on the menu, Kerrie tomato salad with 4 cheeses me banana with tuna and its like a balsamic vinegar sauce. Grilled lobster and served with black beans and rice! Seems to be the standard.

A guy walks in and sits down on the sofa and waits . The owner Hubert comes out and greets him and places him opposite us. We then start talking acorss the table I then asked him to join us.

He is one of the doctors from the group in the adjoining room! He is friends with the owner and doesn’t know the group is coming here!

So we have great conversation with him, Kerrie has recently been to LA where he lives and talks about galleries etc she has been too. Plus he is a friend of Christine Nixon, they went to Harved together.

I tell him I will be in LA on the 19^th and he lives next door to the Beverley Hills Hotel where Im staying. The only thing he tells me is that all actors are on “mid Term” break !!! That will be right I wont see a movie star, although he says if I am going too Im staying at the right place!! Whewww!!!!!

Bottom line is Im going to call him when Im there!

He specializes in geriatrics at the East West Medical Research Institute in LA

Its ok he is gay too!!!! Im safe!!!

This too was an amazing evening, a totally different experience from the shabby chic of last night, this was 50’s elegance, style and ambience. The food stunning!!

You just feel like you were in someones home which you where!

Forgot to take a photo of the lobster which was probably the best I’ve had.

Remembering you only get what is in season here so hence a changing menu!

Another fabulous evening!

Again it cost us $50.00 a head for entrée, cocktail, main course, glass of wine !

Just love this relaxed style of Havana and could certainly stay here longer or come back. Its relaxing!!! Not too many people, 2.5 million in Havana and 11 million total in Cuba.

Viva Cuba!!!

Trinidad tomorrow!

MICHAEL OUR LOVELY TAXIS DRIVER