Las Islas Bonitas
Bid buenosdias to the Caribbean’s islasespañolas to discover sangria and salsa piquante in quaint Colonial settlements founded by the Spanish crown.
Ever since Columbus sailed the ocean blue in 1492 and made land on the islands of the Caribbean the region has boasted a heritage rich in the colourful influences of Spain. Although a century or more has passed since the Mother Country lost the last of its Caribbean colonies, the Spanish heritage remains pervasive in everything from language and food to dance and architecture. Today Cuba, Hispaniola (of which the Spanish part is the Dominican Republic) and Puerto Rico are among the Caribbean’s largest islands. Also considered part of the Spanish Caribbean are Colombia’s islands of San Andres and Providencia: two palm-fringed coralline isles 150km from the coast of Nicaragua with the Colombian mainland 800km away.
Spanish creed and culture fuses with West African ethnicity in Cuba, a nation renowned as the birthplace of Latin America’s irrepressible salsa. The sobriety of Cuba’s state socialism provides a stark contrast to its untold musical riches born out of a heady artistic tradition that is one of the most exciting in the region. A troubadour tradition has spawned umpteen derivatives of Spain’s décima music to create dozens of Latino melodic hybrids. From the fast percussive changuíand spontaneous up-tempo rumba to the earthy tonal laments of guajira and músicacampesina, Cuba’s Spanish-influenced harmonies continue to characterise the national psyche. Today Cuba’s musical heritage is as famous as its rum, cigars and clapped-out American Chevrolets in a country that is home to some of the most magnificent Spanish colonial cities in the Americas.
Highlights begin with exuberant Havana, the largest capital city in the Caribbean where custard-coloured bubble-shaped taxis buzz race around at machine-gun pace. Explore the alluring facades of Colonial buildings in faded bubble-gum hues and gloriously decrepit churches en route to the famous mural of Che Guevara on the Plaza de la Revolucion. Domino-playing elders suck on thick cigars in pavement cafes by the Museum of the Revolution in the old presidential palace close to the boat in which Fidel Castro and Che Guevara arrived to ignite the Cuban Revolution. Head to the Cathedral Square to sip top-notch mojitos and watch the world go by - it's one of the best panoramas in Havana.
Another must-see is the beautiful Spanish colonial town of Trinidad, one of finest and easily accessible in Cuba. Stroll cobbled streets in this pretty stone-built settlement founded by Spanish traders to fine museums clustered around a charming central square. Enjoy the sweet sounds of Cuban street musicians on a spellbinding historical backdrop.
Beach-lovers should head to the resort town of Varadero where a resplendent 21km stretch of white sand hemmed by gleaming top-class hotels has long been the pride of Cuba. Part of a peninsula that stretches far out into the calm waters of the Atlantic, Varado is fanned by cool tropical breezes. Aside of world-class water sports Varadero offers plenty of cultural attractions in the nearby cities of Cárdenas and Matanzas, both bastions of art and history. Bellamar Cave, on the outskirts of Matanzas, is one of the Caribbean’s largest and most beautiful underground formations, comprising 2km of unworldly underground passages clad in calcite crystals, stalagmites, stalactites.
Near neighbour, the Dominican Republic is a so-called semi-detached nation, part of a sovereign country that shares the island of Hispaniola with the French-speaking nation of Haiti. Hundreds of years of wrangling between the Spanish prompted an 18th century African slave uprising that divided Hispaniola. The Republic of Haiti was founded in the western half of the island, leaving the rest of the country to the Spanish, with Santo Domingo as its
capital. It boasts the distinction of being the oldest continuously inhabited European settlement in The Americas and was the first seat of Spanish colonial rule in the New World.
Today the Dominican Republic remains strongly influenced by the conquistadors of Spain with a striking Colonial quarter (Zona Colonial) at its heart. Stone-paved streets boast a plenitude of similarities to Havana, from its pastel-painted buildings and cigar-chomping café con lechedrinkers and dilapidated American cars. Much like the Cuban capital, the streets of Santa Domingo are drenched in music, although it home-grown merengue and bachata – not salsa – that courses through the city’s veins. Visit during Carnaval for one of the most fervent parties in the region or during July when the merengue festival draws the crowds. Expect vibrant processions of sassy movers and pulsating boom-box beats.
Another semi-detached Spanish-speaking country is Puerto Rico, part of the US but a political Commonwealth ruled by Washington. A convenient hop from Santa Domingo and well-connected by frequent flights to and from America, Puerto Rican’s have dubbed their homeland Caribbean’s “fun capital” and up-tempo Puerto Rico truly enjoys living up to the hype. A popular party playground with fun-loving American vacationers, Puerto Rico is an exotic fusion of Latino-US-Caribbean cultures where hearty Creole dishes and Tex-Mex meals are washed down with citron-infused Medalla beer and rum. Year-round festivals and carnivals mix American and Spanish although Puertorriqueños remain fiercely patriotic and uphold La Borinqueña island traditions with considerable pride. Although Spanish is the official language, English is commonly spoken. Puerto Rico also uses a US-style phone and electrical system – and passports are not required for American visitors with the dollar the official and only currency
Less than 1000 miles from Florida’s southern shoreline, Puerto Rico comprises a main island (Puerto Rico) and a number of smaller islands and keys. A mountainous interior region leads to a ribbon of soft-sand coastal plain in the north with precipitous peaks out to open sea on the western shore. At roughly the size of Connecticut, mainland Puerto Rico is easily traversed in three-hours with towns that vary dramatically in character, from the swish resorts and café scene of capital San Juan to the resplendent aged architecture of the city of Ponce. Most visitors base themselves in San Juan and enjoy day-trips out to inland and coastal attractions, enjoying a breakfast of tortilla española in the capital before a lunch of nisperos de batata (sweet-potato balls with coconut, cloves and cinnamon) in Arecibo. Then it's a dinner of langostınos empanadillas (crescent-shaped lobster turnover) in Aguadilla before a sangría nightcap back in town.
Founded in 1508 by Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de León, the original ancient walled settlement of San Juan is the second-oldest in The Americas. Considerable modern-day construction has seen the city swell, stretching from the curvaceous beaches of Piñones to the great fortress of El Morro. The Old Quarter oozes Colonial charm, with cobbled streets and more than 400 painstakingly restored 16th and 17th-century Spanish buildings and plazas. After dark, San Juan’s neon-lit casinos, funky beach bars and tropical restaurants truly draw the crowds as a rhythmic beat of salsa classics fills the city. Nicknamed ‘The Big Guava’ by its teen-scene, San Juan parties until dawn as the city celebrates its food, music, coffee and hedonistic spirit.
For a very different Spanish-speaking Caribbean experience head to Colombia’s San Andres Archipelago where a trio of islands boast an extraordinary history steeped in pirate tales. One of the most isolated island regions in the Americas, the islands lie 800km northeast of the Colombian mainland, just 150km from the Nicaraguan coast. Laid-back locals pride themselves on being barefoot champions of leisure in a Calypso culture that is a world away from city-living. Warm Caribbean waters are home to a cluster of palm-scattered atolls, islets and cays in an archipelago where 300,000km2 forms the main constituent of a UNESCO Seaflower Biosphere Reserve. Fertile waters, grass beds and mangrove-clad lagoons are home to a magnificent array of bird species with isolated soft-sand beaches and undisturbed coral reefs rich in underwater flora and fauna. Three inhabited islands form the archipelago’s geographical and spiritual heart edged by five uninhabited atolls to the north and two atolls to the south – plus a liberal scattering of sandbanks and cays in between. The Spanish first encountered the islands in 1527, but abandoned them because of the absence of gold. It was then briefly occupied by the Dutch before British pirate Henry Morgan established San Andres as a base for raids against Spanish galleons carrying treasure from Panama. The battle for control of the islands continued for over a century with England and Spain equally determined to conquer. In 1793 the signing of the Versailles Treaty recognised Spain's sovereignty over the Archipelago, yet the Spanish had already begun to loose interest in the islands. Groups of former slaves soon established communities in the Archipelago, fusing cultural influences of their English masters with the traditions of their African homelands. After independence from Spain in 1810, Colombia laid claim to the islands, a move fiercely contested by Nicaragua. In 2001, Nicaragua petitioned the courts to gain control of the islands - the squabbling, it seems, is set to continue.Seahorse-shaped San Andrés is the archipelago’s principal island, an ancient volcanic landscape buffered with layers of coralline built up over many millennia. A small mountain range rises to 55m, crisscrossing the island from north to south covered in lush coconut palms. Sharp ravines, limestone deposits, white clay and coral sand meet dark red topsoil on a terrain characterised by farmland and rocky outcrops. Surrounding coral beds, particularly along the eastern shore, affords the water a beautiful array of oceanic hues that is described by the locals as ‘The Sea of Seven Colours’.
A congested town centre (El Centro) sits at the north-western tip of the island’s urbanisation to form the Archipelago’s commercial hub. A higgledy-piggledy jumble of duty-free shops and home to vendors touting sunglasses, rice cookers, TVs, sports gear and perfume. Streets packed with a crocodile of tooting taxis, scooters and golf buggies spill down to the northern waterfront where the lion’s share of boat launches and dive shops can be found.
In contrast, the brightly-painted single-storey wooden houses of the local population sit amongst palms in the centre of the island. Rocking chair porches overlook leafy, bloom-filled gardens in these fine examples of English-Caribbean architecture. A tiny lagoon sits in the centre of San Andres and is home to heron, pigeon and caiman with German Point - the island's palm-fringed northern tip. A handful of quiet, inland roads weave across the undulating terrain of the interior, connecting the sleepy towns of La Loma and San Luis with the rest of the island. Although the nicest beaches are located on the island’s eastern flank the first-class diving of San Andres can be enjoyed all along the coast.
Idyllic can often be over-used word, but in Providencia the beaches are truly blissful with empty stretches of powder-fine palm-scattered white sand lapped by languid waves. The water is warm, azure-green and like the proverbial mill pond - and often occupied by a sole bobbing wooden boat and a couple of wild horses frolicking in the lazy afternoon sun. In fact pretty much everything seems to move in slow motion in sleepy Providencia - an island with a laid-back energy. A handful of ancient American cars crawl along a walking pace, fulfilling the role of taxi - an absence of paintwork and door handles testament to their advancing years.
A brightly coloured 100m ‘floating’ bridge links the islet of Santa Catalina to Providencia and exploration on foot begins with a crossing. Green hills and rocky cliffs typify the landscape. Hidden caverns lie tucked away in volcanic outcrops edged by tiny soft-sand beaches. Santa Catalina has no roads. Some steep steps to the west of the bridge lead to a picture-pretty rocky beach, a decent spot from which to snorkel to spot octopus, lobsters and sea crabs.
On the southern flank of the island a small settlement contains a handful of fish-and-rice restaurants. From here, a short walk leads to Morgan’s Head and the ruins of Fort Warwick - complete with cannons. History has ensured that Santa Catalina remains inextricably linked with Henry Morgan and several sites on the island are attributed to the Welsh buccaneer. Morgan’s Head is a volcanic boulder carved by the breeze and now said to resemble the privateer’s face. Under the rock, a natural pool is home to large barracudas, many thrill-seeking travellers jump from the rock straight into the depths. Santa Catalina’s wild vegetation and rugged nooks and crannies are home to Boa constrictors, iguana and numerous black crabs.
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