This is where the son, more popularly known as salsa originated. Cuba, the largest island in the Caribbean, is one of the most fascinating.

You will be captivated by its music, dance, art, craft and architecture as well as the effervescence and warmth of the people.

Tour the capital, Havana. Visit Old Havana, a UNESCO heritage site, Revolution Museum, the Capitolio, Revolution Square, Arms Square and the modern Miramar area. Stroll through Old Havana by night or by day and listen to the most enjoyable rhythms e.g. son, salsa, bolero, guaguancó or rumba, chachachá, guaracha, charanga.

Try out your salsa steps at La Casa de La Música, Habana Café or el Turquino.

Cross the bay via a tunnel and view the cannon-firing ceremony at La Cabaña fort, which also houses the Che Guevara museum.

Matanzas, Varadero, Pinar del Río, Trinidad and Santiago de Cuba are some of the other interesting parts of Cuba.

• Hotel Copacabana ( 3 star)
• Occidental Miramar (4 star)
• Habana Libre (5 star)
• Hotel Nacional (5 star)

A country of contrasts, with its mountains, valleys and volcanoes, Mexico is rich in history, art, music, dance, art, craft and architecture. Visit Mexico City, its capital, where you will find El Zócalo, the main square, with the Cathedral, Templo Mayor Ruins and the National Palace.

Explore Chapultepec Park with the Museum of Anthropology and Maximilian’s Castle (the History Museum), La Zona Rosa, El Palacio de Bellas Artes (the largest theatre in the country); and see the bullfights at La Plaza México (the world’s largest bullring).

Visit Garibaldi Square and listen to the Mariachis. “Check out” the tacos at “El Caminero” near to the Monumento a la Revolución. Try out your bargaining skills at craft markets like the Mercado Central de Aldama and the Mercado Artesanal de Balderas.

Moreover you cannot afford to miss La Basílica de Guadalupe (the most famous church in Mexico), Teotihuacán (the Aztec Pyramids), the famous Jardines Flotantes de Xochimilco (the Aztec Floating Gardens))

• Calinda Geneva ( 4 star)
• Gran Meliá Reforma (5 star)

The 50-mile long Panama Canal, which our ancestors helped to construct, is number one on the sightseer’s list. There is no engineering work of comparable magnitude and intricacy.

Explore the rich history of Panamá. Visit Colonial Panamá, the Casco Viejo, Portobelo, Sam Lorenzo Fort, the Indigenous Emberá Village.

“Check out” the restaurants, cafés and nightspots (salsa and reguetón) either along the Amador Causeway or on Avenida Balboa.

The Capital, Panama City, as well as the Colón Free Zone, is known for its excellent shopping. You would need quite a few days to explore malls like Albrook, Multicentro, Multiplaza, Los Pueblos, and Metro etc.
You may also wish to visit the Colón Free Zone, which is now only a 45- minute drive from Panamá City.
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• Grand Hotel y Casino Soloy (3 star)
• Plaza Paitilla Inn ( 4 star)
• Riande Continental (5 star)
• Avalon Grand Panamá (5 Star)
   

A Producer of coffee and sugar cane, Puerto Rico is rich in history and beauty and offers many interesting and historical sites. In the capital, San Juan, you must see areas such as Condado, Miramar, Ocean Park and Hato Rey (Modern San Juan), as well as forts like San Cristóbal, La Fortaleza and San Felipe del Morro and San Juan Gate, la Catedral de San Juan, Iglesia San José, Casa del Ayuntamiento, Plaza de Armas, Casa Blanca, Museo de Arte e Historia (Old San Juan).

• Hampton Inn & Suites (3 star)

The country of the liberator, Simón Bolívar, Venezuela is a mix of fertile green plains covered with lush vegetation and extensive farm lands, ideal for the rearing of cattle. Caracas is the political and commercial capital with attractions such as, Bolívar Square, Sabana Grande, Science Museum and Museum of Modern Art.

Colonia Tovar, the German village, a 3-hour drive from Caracas, offers, in addition to its attractive architecture and enticing cuisine, the opportunity for interesting shopping.

• Hotel Intercontinental (4 star)

This is the home of merengue. ¡A bailar!

Referred to as the oldest nation in the Caribbean, the Dominican Republic shares the island of Hispaniola with Haiti.

 In Santo Domingo, the capital, you must visit  the Colonial section, Plaza de la Cultura, Palacio de Bellas Artes, Museo de Las Casas Reales, El Alcázar, Fortaleza de Santo Domingo, Panteón Nacional, Catedral Primada de la América, the tomb of Christopher Columbus, Faro a Colón,  and The Three-Eyed Cave.

“Lyme” at any of the merengue and reguetón spots along the Malecón.

• Hodelpa Colonial Hotel (4 star)
• Meliá Santo Domingo (5 star)

RICH INDEED!

Costa Rica is rich in history, eco and adventure tourism, innovative agriculture, enthralling volcanoes and forests, architecture, art and craft.

In San Jose, its ornate capital the Jade Museum, Gold Museum National Museum, National Park and the National theatre are not to be missed.

Visit a volcano (Irazú, Poas or Arenal). Go on the Sarapiqui river safari in the Braulio Carrillo rain forest. Explore Sarchí, the craft capital of Costa Rica. Visit the natural sculpture park in Zarcero.

• El Presidente (4 star)

Ecuador got its name from the geographic line, the equator that runs across it in the north. When you visit La Mitad del Mundo (The Equator) you will have positive proof that you are on the actual equator line,

In Quito, the capital, a UNESCO heritage site, approximately 9.000 feet above sea level, you must visit the Plaza de San Francisco, La Basílica and La Compañía de Jesús.

Take the Teleférico (cable car ride) up the slope of the Pichincha to 13,000 feet above sea level.

Otavalo (Indigenous market – 2 hours from Quito), Cotacachi, where you can get good leather at excellent prices and Cui cocha (Crater Lake) are some of the other interesting sites.

• Reina Isabel (3 star)
• Marriott Hotel (5 Star)

Spain is rich in history, literature, art, music and architecture, appealing to travellers from all walks of life.

Explore the land of Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, Lope de Vega, Garcilaso de la Vega, Calderón de la Barca, Quevedo, Lara, Espronceda, Salvador Dalí, Pablo Picasso, Francisco Tárraga, Fernando Sor, Joaquín Rodrigo, Manuel de Falla, Enrique Granados and Gaudí.

Madrid, the capital, is the largest city in the country. Here you will find many interesting sites and attractions. These include El Museo del Prado, El Museo Reina Sofía, the Palacio Nacional, El Parque del Buen Retiro, La Puerta del Sol, and El Escorial, an enormous monastery, where many of the Spanish Kings have been buried.

Barcelona, Sevilla, Granada and Toledo are just some of the many other alluring Spanish cities.
 

• Meliá Castilla (Madrid) (5 star)