Havana (called La Habana in Spanish) is the major port and leading commercial center of Cuba, with a population of over 2.6 million, which easily makes it the second largest city in the Caribbean region (Caracas being the largest).

Havana currently is the forbidden fruit for US citizens, though this seems likely to change soon enough and wishing my fellow cruisers to be ready when restrictions are dropped, I toured Havana recently. Havana is sometimes called the whore of the Caribbean by European and Canadian travellers, due to its huge sex tourism industry. It’s an amazing place to visit, and the men are hot stuff.


King Philip II of Spain granted Havana the title of city in 1592, although the Spaniards had begun building fortifications there in 1553. Havana was a key trans-shipment point between the New World and Spain, and as a result became the most heavily fortified city in the Americas. By the turn of the 20th century Havana vied with Buenos Aires to be the grandest and most important city in Latin America, producing huge numbers of buildings from the international styles of Art Nouveau and Art Deco. In the 1940’s and 50’s Havana, like Las Vegas, developed by marketing itself as a destination for gambling and holidays in the sun, and became a haven for criminals and gangsters. The Cuban Revolution took place January 1, 1959 when the regime of Fulgencio Batista was overthrown by Communist revolutionaries led by Fidel Castro. With the support of the Soviet Union, Castro set up a Communist sate that continues to this day, now under the guidance of his brother Raul, and with the financial support of Venezuela’s Chavez government.

As a left-leaning Canadian I went to Cuba with a very sympathetic outlook towards the revolutionary government. Unfortunately I have to report that Cuba actually is the hideous police state that right-wingers say it is. There is a soldier and a policeman on every corner keeping an eye on the population. The poverty is palpable. There is no malnutrition because of rationing, but people are hungry. There are shortages of everything from public transportation to housing. Everything is dilapidated; buildings are actually falling down regularly. There is a huge underground economy, and everyone has a business on the side. Since the informal economy is officially illegal, it is wrapped around harassment, bribes, and bureaucracy. The average wages range from $20-$25 per month for official jobs, and that is Doctors making the top $25 per month. Pretty much everyone we met wanted to leave the country, but that is not allowed. Shortages also include condoms, so bring your own from home.

Officially Cubans are not supposed to fraternize with tourists. We could not walk down the street with Cuban friends because they could be arrested for that. We were careless one night coming out of a restaurant, and the Cuban guy with us ended up spending the night in jail. At night on the sea wall where gays gather, we witnessed numerous guys being arrested and taken away for not having the correct ID to be in Havana. Like any country, young gay guys want to migrate to the big city, but in Cuba there are travel and residency controls. Police are constantly checking for ID and arresting anyone who is not where he is supposed to be.

That all said, Cuba is also a vibrant, fun, and exotic place to visit. The only things not rationed are music, rum, and sex, and Cubans indulge enthusiastically in all three. The compelling warm-hearted Cubans relish a passion for pleasure despite (or perhaps because of) the hardships of life here. Salsa and irresistible rumbas pulse through the streets, and throngs of people congregate at night clubs and cabarets. Since the 1959 revolution religion has been suppressed so there are no conservative religious-based morals being drummed into people. As well due to the police presence, Havana is a totally safe place; you can walk anywhere day or night and feel safe. Also, though I hate to put it this way, hard work and low calories produces a population of men that are uniformly lean, fit, and six-packed.

Cuba is the most sensual and sexually open nation in the Caribbean and it certainly has its gay side. Cuba’s greatest, most enigmatic appeal, however, is that while travelling through it you sense you are living inside an unfolding drama. Cuba is still intoxicating, still laced with the sharp edges and sinister shadows that made Ernest Hemingway want “to stay here forever.” No other Western nation offers such uniquely sensual and surreal sensations, made more poignant by Cuba’s romantic caught-in-a-time-warp setting. Walking Havana’s streets you sense you are living inside a romantic thriller. Before the Revolution, Cuba had a reputation as a place of intrigue and tawdry romance. The whiff of conspiracy, the intimation of liaison, is still in the air. For foreign visitors, it is heady stuff.
The “real” Cuba isn’t easy to fathom, however. In this twilight land, everything appears twice: once as the government likes to present it, and once as it really is. An open-minded visitor is torn two ways; Cuba is both disheartening and uplifting. You’ll most probably fall madly in love with the country, while being thankful you don’t have to live in it.

I’ve got four recommendations for tourist attractions to visit. The Fortress of San Carlos de la Cabana at the entrance to the harbour is the biggest Spanish fortification in the New World, and you can climb all over and through it. The UNESCO restored sections of Old Havana are beautiful and impressive, especially around Cathedral Square. The Museum of the Revolution is worth visiting because it shows you just how tired and dilapidated the revolution has become. I happened to be there at the right time to go to the ballet which was very good with some stunning dancers and a very gay crowd too. If ballet is something you enjoy, I’d suggest you take that in, too.

I stayed at Casa Ray, in Central Havana, run by a couple of gay guys. Private casas are only allowed two guest rooms, so Ray has organized at referral network to more gay accommodation, if he does not have space for you. Casa Ray is well located in Centro, and you can walk to the old city, the sea is 4 blocks, and the Capital building gay area is 4 or 5 blocks. The rooms are $25 per night with a shared bath. The place is an old 2nd floor apartment restored to its former glory, with huge chandeliers in each room of the house. A great breakfast is available for $3 a day. Food is challenging to find in Havana, so a good breakfast with coffee is really worth signing up for. Accessing the gay scene is difficult in Cuba; so staying gay can help point you in the right directions. Also at Casa Ray you can bring guys home with you. Another gay place to stay is Casa Aleido.

There are no gay newspapers or magazines to give you the names and addresses of gay places, so it’s either word of mouth from locals, or advance research. I can guarantee that nowhere will you find more up to date information than here.

There is a movie theatre called The Yara at the corner of Calle 23 and Calle L that is sort of the rendezvous place to hang out and meet people. In the area outside and around the theatre, groups of men assemble nightly to hang out and socialize. But it can be challenging to meet people because everyone is mixed up; partying teenagers, tourist, the gay locals and half the city as Calle 23 and Calle L is the meeting point for everyone because it is the center of the bar zone. On weekends guys gather here to organize going out to the weekend parties.

Meeting a local is the way of getting invited to a fiesta de diez pesos – a large private party that costs $10, and will be held away from the city center. The tradition is that for providing you with the info about the party you will take a taxi full of Cubans with you to the party and likely buy their drinks all night. That’s not a bad deal when a bottle of rum is about $10, and you can choose a collection of cute guys to take. These parties run late, and are your best bet for connecting with guys who are not hustlers (but will still probably expect you to pay for everything).

In addition to the private parties there are two cruisy bars full of hustlers, and three public places where gays meet and cruise, plus beaches with gay sections. As well just walking down the street you can pick up guys with ease (and $10).

My favourite place to hang out and meet guys is the Malecon (the sea wall). There is a stretch of the Malecon where gays congregate. If you go to the intersection of Calle 23 and the Malecon road just below the luxurious Hotel Nacional, and look a few hundred feet to the right you’ll see a crowd of gay locals and tourists gathered. It starts coming together around 11 pm, and on a weekend can be hundreds of guys socializing till dawn. The Malecon is considered a public space where loitering is legal. Across on the city side of the street there are a number of restaurants, small stores, and a gas station, all of which sell rum by the bottle and beer by the can. The drill is to buy a bottle of rum, some plastic glasses and some soda and enjoy them on the sea wall (possibly with new friends). There is a constant parade of hot boys, drag queens, hustlers and tourists mingling through the party. Musicians come and offer to play for you for a couple of dollars, and this is a great way to become the center of the party. It will be a big help if you speak some Spanish, as lots of guys don’t speak English. If you meet a guy here there are ‘love hotels’ nearby. As Cubans often live with their families there is an organized system of love hotels that get used both by the straight and gay community.

There is a bar that is packed on weekends at the intersection of Calles 23 and Calle P, which is called the Calle 23 and Calle P Cafeteria (not very inventive). It is an unattractive, brightly lit place on the corner with no sign out front, but big windows. The crowd is young guys on the make, lots of hustlers and a few tourists. As a tourist you won’t be able to stand or sit for more than a couple of minutes without being approached by the more aggressive guys. It gets busy around 9 pm or later. It’s an easy place to connect with hustlers, and the going rate starts at $10. If you want to go to one of the big private weekend parties, this is a good place to pick up a crew of boys who will know how to get there. If you want to hook up with someone, he’ll know a ‘love hotel’ nearby. You can’t normally take Cubans into most hotels (for your security the hotels say). You could arrange in advance to bribe the hotel doorman, the hotel elevator guard, and the hotel guard on your floor (about $5.00 each), but it’s a hassle when for $10 you can get a room. It’s just a short walk from here to the Malecon, so you could start here and then continue on the Sea Wall, stopping on the way to pick up some rum at the gas station on the last corner before the Malecon.

There is another little no name bar in the downtown Centro district. Just across from the grand staircase on the east side of the Capital Building where the main street called Passo del Marti intersects with the cross street called Brazil there is a little bar right on the corner. It’s really just a counter selling beer to people who stand on the covered sidewalk. It is the place to hang out in Centro, and is a mix of locals, tourists, and hustlers. I met a hot young guy here one afternoon and he took me off to a nearby ‘love hotel’ which was really just a guy renting out a bedroom in his apartment by the hour. It was $10 for the room and $10 for the boy. This place is busy early evening and not open late.

Central Park, just up Passo de Marti one block, between San Martin and Neptuno streets on the same side of the street as the little bar is a cruisy park. In the evening guys sit on the benches and cruise. It’s not a park you can do anything in; in fact you need to be discreet. But you can meet guys here to go off with.

Finally, the fence along the front of the Capital Building along Passo de Marti at the south end towards Dragones Street is a place where guys hang out at night. Sort of across from the bar at the Brazil Street intersection, this is mostly local guys just hanging out.

The "official" gay beaches in Havana are El Chivo in East Havana and Mi Cayito at Playas del Este. Playas del Este is just 20 minutes by taxi from Old Havana and has perfect Caribbean beaches, fine white sand and inconceivably turquoise water. Mi Cayito Beach is sometimes slow during the week, but usually quite busy on the weekends. Be careful about the police; they won't bother the tourists, but don't like the Cubans hanging around with you. Alas, from all the experience, the Cubans know how to deal with the police.

One interesting thing I had Casa Ray organize for me was a massage. The masseuse was a handsome guy who travelled the world with Cuban sports teams and did private massage on the side. After giving me a fantastic massage for $10, he told me he had a 2-year-old daughter and a wife, but he was also into men. So for another $10 we had hot sex. That’s very typical, a lot of men are available, without identifying as gay.

You may have noticed that $10 seems to be the magic number in Cuba. My impression is that everyone wants to have sex; but that they are so poor they can’t resist asking for a small gift too. Once you are there it becomes apparent that everyone is so poor, that it is hard to feel uncomfortable about being asked for money. It can, however, get a bit tedious to always feel hustled. I met a Canadian guy who visits frequently who told me that he never paid money, but he brought a suitcase full of fashionable t-shirts, and other cloths to give as gifts to the steady flow of young men passing through his room.

Americans can travel to Cuba quite easily with a bit of effort. The Cubans do not stamp your passport so there is no record from them to get you into trouble. You would need to fly to Cancun, Mexico, or any city in Canada, and buy a separate ticket continuing on to Cuba. Air Canada has dozens of flights a week from every city in Canada. You can’t use your American credit cards in Cuba, and bank machines are rare, so the best thing to do is bring cash in Euros or Canadian dollars. There is a 10% penalty charge for American dollars. As well, there are many loopholes in the American embargo. We met a guy from San Francisco who visits his Cuban lover 3 times a year by getting in as a teacher doing research via flights out of Miami. Remember: don’t bring back evidence for U.S. customs like Cuban cigars or rum and you’ll have no problems.

Havana is very unique. The falling down Deco buildings, the 1950’s American cars on the road, the freedom from guilt atheism, the shortages, the “live for today” mood, all conspire to give you a sense of ‘no where else is like this’. As I said at the beginning you’ll most probably fall madly in love with Havana, while being thankful you don’t have to live in it.

Check the Sex Listings for Cuba for additional information.

Mentioned in this article:

Bars

23 and P, Calles 23 and Calle P. Mostly hustlers and tourists.

Centro Bar, near the intersection of Passo del Marti and Brazil.

Beaches

El Chivo, East Havana

Mi Cayito, Playas del Este

Street Cruising

Capital Building, along the fence on the front of the Capital along Passo de Marti.

Malecon, along the sea wall, near Hotel Nacional.

Yara Theatre, at the corner of Calle 23 and Calle L. Cruising in the area outside the theatre.