Paladar dining perfected at Buenaventura, Havana, Cuba

It’s hard to believe almost a year has passed already since Punky and I completed our cruise to Cuba and scratched off one of her premier bucket list items.  I guess the best memories you make in life stay fresh with you always. 

From the daylong tour of Havana in a classic convertible car and our pit stop in the funky Fusterlandia neighborhood to the cruise itself, much of that trip has already been documented on this blog, but there’s one more memorable occasion I promised to blog about last year.  Promise kept, as we look back on an unforgettable lunch at Buenaventura. 

Finding Fusterlandia

Every traveler, commoners included, occasionally comes upon a place that defies easy description.  During our daylong tour of Havana, Cuba, our stop in Fusterlandia was that kind of place.    

A backseat tour of Havana, Cuba

More specifically, from a 1955 Cadillac El Dorado convertible

The first reaction Punky and I had upon booking a cruise to Havana, Cuba over Thanksgiving weekend was of slight disbelief.  After all, it still hasn’t been that long since travel restrictions had been loosened allowing Americans to visit more freely.  The second reaction was probably of slight uncertainty.  So, Royal Caribbean’s Majesty of the Seas will be docked in Havana for a day and a half.  What do we do once we get there?

Fortunately, after significant research on our guided tour options, Punky suggested we get in touch with Old Car Tours, one of the government-authorized private travel companies, to book a day-long “educational people to people” tour of Havana.