Cuba With a Splash of Spain – Experiencing the Unique Side of Cienfuegos

Dariece Swift author's bio Goats On The Road

The city of Cienfuegos is located on the southern coast of Cuba and is dubbed the “Pearl of the South”. There are around 1,500 Neoclassical buildings here, a fortress used to defend against pirates in the 1700’s, one of the most important naval seaports, a long seafront promenade, and…a Spanish Flamenco Cultural Center.

As a way to try to immerse ourselves into the Cuban lifestyle, get a good feel for the country, and experience home-cooked meals, we decided to stay in casa particulares (homestays) when we were travelling in Cuba. Not to mention, staying in casas really helped with our Cuba budget.

In the city of Cienfuegos, we stayed at El Patio Andalú, which was not only home to an awesome couple, but home to the Flamenco Cultural Center as well.

Of all the things we thought we would experience while backpacking Cuba, Spanish Flamenco culture was not one of them!

(Don’t miss the quick video at the end of the Flamenco dancing)

As soon as we arrived at the guesthouse (which was just a two-minute walk from the bus station), we knew we would love it. Joel and Ivet were warm and welcoming, and they were also about our age, which added a whole other (fun) element to the stay. The two of them are some of the most creative people we’ve ever met! Joel is a chef, dancer, singer, musician and actor, while Ivet is a singer, painter and musician.

Where to Stay in Cienfuegos


We really enjoyed our stay at Casa El Patio Andalu! Joel and Ivet were great hosts and the Flamenco aspect really added a unique element to our stay.

Click here to see the latest price of Casa El Patio Andalu on Airbnb

Click here to see all available accommodation in Cienfuegos on Airbnb, and click here to compare prices on rooms in Cienfuegos on Booking.com

Joel’s family was originally from the Andalusian coast in Spain and both he and Ivet have a soft-spot when it comes to the country. Joel has even travelled there in the past and can’t get enough of it. We lucked out and arrived at the hostal on a weekend, which is when the Flamenco performance, together with traditional dancing, singing and poetry takes place.

There’s also a special food menu with items from the Andalusian region of Spain. The backyard garden area was decorated nicely with all things Spanish: a red cape (muleta), black sombrero hat, the skull of a bull’s head and other odds and ends.

flamenco in cienfuegos cuba
This 14 year old girl could really dance! The Flamenco evening was awesome

Flamenco is an interesting form of song and dance. Performers are very serious while dancing and very animated while singing. Feet stomping, hand clapping and finger snapping by the band, and audience, encourages dancers to excel!

The evening was filled with traditional poetry, stunning dancing by a 14-year-old student of Flamenco, couple’s dancing with Joel and his student, and music and singing from our hosts, Joel and Ivet.

Friends and neighbours came in for dinner and in typical Cuban fashion, started spontaneously singing, clapping their hands and creating a drumming beat on the table and chairs. Spanish wine was flowing, Cuban cigars were smoked and everyone was having a great time.

travel to cienfuegos cuba
The colourful buildings in Cienfuegos were beautiful!

We ended up spending 4 nights in Cienfuegos and although we did visit some of the main sights, wandered down the pedestrian streets, enjoyed food by the sea and even found some bumper cars one afternoon, our main experience of the city was with Joel, Ivet, their young son and their friends. We hung out with them often, shared many meals and cigars together, and of course, lots of wine, beer and mojitos.

travel to cienfuegos cuba
Playing dominoes is a popular past-time in Cuba

Seeing the main attractions of a city or country is something that everyone wants to do (ourselves included). However, what makes a country tick are its people. Meeting the locals and learning about their culture will enrich your travel experience, create lasting memories and forge lifelong friendships.

travelling to cienguegos cuba
A great friend!

Isn’t that what travel is all about? We want to give a very big thanks to Joel and Ivet for making our visit to Cienfuegos a special one. We are still in contact with them today.

Travel Insurance for Cuba


You’ll need to have travel insurance in order to travel to Cuba. It’s actually mandatory that all travellers have insurance, and you may or may not be asked to show proof of insurance on arrival. To get a free quote from World Nomads, just enter your details below:

 

Check out this very quick video of our Spanish night in Cuba!

Want more Cuba articles?! Check out these:

Planning a Trip to Cuba: To-Do List Before Travel (updated May, 2015)

Goodbye Guatemala, Hello Cuba! Our Journey from Lake Atitlan to Havana

Havana, Cuba – Could This Be Our New Favourite City? (With Video)

Finding The Real Cuba in Vinales

The Ultimate Guide to Independently Travelling Havana, Cuba

The Ultimate Guide to Independent Travel in Cuba

A special thanks to HostelsClub.com and to Joel & Ivet for being such amazing hosts and friends! Even if you’re not planning on staying here, we recommend stopping by for the Flamenco and for their mouth-watering Spanish menu 🙂 As always, all thoughts and opinions remain our own, despite any complimentary services received. 

Like it? Pin it! 🙂



Cuba With a Splash of Spain - Experiencing the Unique Side of Cienfuegos

Dariece Swift author's bio Goats On The Road

Written by

Dariece Swift

Dariece is a co-founder of Goats On The Road, and an expert in saving money, finance management, building an online business and of course... travel. She loves meeting new people, trying new cuisines, and learning about the unique cultures of our world. She has over 12 years of experience helping others to realize their travel dreams and has worked in numerous jobs all over the world to help pay for travel.

Related Posts

Nick Filming Recording Studio

12 Lessons We Learned From 12 Years of Digital Nomad Life

We’ve made plenty of mistakes. Some of them have cost us a lot of time and money. Particularly #7 on this list! In this article, I’m going to share with you the 12 lessons we’ve learned from 12 years of traveling and living abroad full time while running our remote freedom lifestyle businesses. Our friends ...
Goats On The Road nick and dariece

How We Quit Our Jobs to Travel: Our Journey from 2008 to Now

This was the most exciting and most difficult time of our lives, and there was a time when we thought we might break up over it. A lot of Instagrammers, Bloggers and YouTubers (including us) are always talking about how great it is to live a freedom life. One where you can work from anywhere ...
swimming with pigs in the bahamas

How To Swim With Pigs in The Bahamas (Pig Beach)

In this article, learn everything you need to know about pig beach and how to swim with pigs in the Bahamas. We recently joined a day tour with 3N’s Exuma Vacations to see the swimming piggies with our own eyes, and the experience really did live up to our expectations. When you visit the Bahamas, ...

5 thoughts on “Cuba With a Splash of Spain – Experiencing the Unique Side of Cienfuegos”

  1. It looks like Joel and Ivet were perfect, as well as very talented hosts who made for such a memorable trip.

    The flamenco dancing is a wonderful video and if I’m ever fortunate enough to make it to Cuba the experience of seeing Flamenco would be high on my list.

Comments are closed.