salsa retreat havana cuba · all group retreats in cuba feature our complete salsa, music...
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Welcome to Salsa Retreat!
Our Invitation to You:
We welcome solo travelers as well as couples and groups of friends & family members. No prior Salsa or dance experience is needed - many of our guests are absolute beginners! Women and men of all levels of Salsa & dance experience are invited to join us. There is no age limit! You can learn to dance at any age and have a wonderful time! (Guests
under 18 must be accompanied by an adult) We recommend that our guests be in good physical health to participate in our various
activities. All Salsa Retreat guests must read and agree to the Terms and Conditions and sign the liability
waiver prior to attending a retreat. We do not share your information with others unless required to book the vacation, please see
our Privacy Statement for details.
Salsa Retreat has had the pleasure of welcoming women and men of all ages from around the world!
All group retreats in Cuba feature our complete Salsa, music (percussion) & cultural program which has been designed to be enjoyed by guests of all ages and abilities.
How is Salsa Retreat different from other
travel agencies and tour operators?
Unlike mainstream tour operators and travel
agencies, we specialize in high quality and
professional dance and music instruction. We
have spent years to establish solid relationships
with the best instructors available to bring the
unique opportunity to study with them to you. We
specialize in custom-designed itineraries for
individuals and small groups. Our focus is on
sustainable tourism, with low environmental
impact, high cultural interaction and a maximum
benefit to the local dance and music community.
Salsa Retreat
Alice Kupcik
As the Founder and Managing Director of Salsa
Retreat, it’s my personal mission to partner with
you to ensure that your entire travel experience is
rewarding, enriching and as carefree as possible.
Professional dance instruction: We partner
with full-time professional dance instructors and
choreographers as well as music instructors in
the countries we visit who are well known and
accomplished artists. Besides being artists and
performers they each have extensive
experience in working with students of all
backgrounds and levels. Meeting locals: An authentic cultural
experience through meaningful interaction with
locals is our main focus, which is why we only
work with partners and local guides who can
provide you with a unique experience that goes
beyond what you would see on any other tour. Accommodations: All our homestays and guesthouses (based on
location and itinerary) have been hand-selected
and personally inspected to offer a high level of
unique experience, service, cleanliness and
value. Local guides: We use English-speaking local guides who are
passionate about sharing their knowledge and
their country with you. Giving back: We believe that responsible tourism involves
giving back to the community and organizations
that are working to improve the lives of the
poorest citizens in the countries we visit. Each of
our Mexico trips donates 2% of the total tour cost
to a local NGOs. In Cuba, we go out of our way to
work directly with small business owners and
self-employed Cubans to support this emerging
sector, and we avoid working with government
owned businesses and agencies wherever
possible.
ITINERARY
Depart Cancun, Mexico
Saturday
DEPART FOR CUBA
Travel Details: Depart Cancun, Mexico and fly to
Havana, Cuba. Depending on arrival
time, we will either have a group dinner
or skip the group dinner. In that case we
recommend that you eat at the airport in
Cancun before departure. Cubana Airlines tend to change the
schedule of this flight by as much as 5
hours on short notice, so it is advised not
to try to time a flight connection on the
same day.
Sunday
HAVANA
Details: Breakfast with the host family. At 9 AM
we will meet in one of the apartments
as a group to welcome you in Havana.
We will then depart for a half-day
walking tour in Old Havana. Lunch is at
an artist’s house in the Callejon de
Hamel where you will be able to see an
Afro-Cuban dance and music
performance. After lunch we head back
to Havana Centro for our first dance
lesson. The Salsa dance workshop is
lead by the director of the Cuban TV
Ballet and part time Tropicana
choreographer Caruca Rodriguez. We’ll
eat with our families tonight and visit an
outdoor Salsa venue on the Malecon in
the evening to see live music and
dance.
Monday
HAVANA
Details: After breakfast we will meet for our first
music and percussion class with music
professor and well-known musician Ruy
Lopez-Nussa. After the two hour
workshop we will head home for lunch
with the host families. In the afternoon
we will continue with the dance lessons
and today we will start with the Afro-
Cuban movement workshop. The Salsa
workshop will follow immediately
afterwards. Dinner today is with the
group in a neighborhood restaurant.
Dancing after dinner is optional. We will
have at least one instructor with us as
well as a few dance partners.
Tuesday
HAVANA Details: After breakfast we will meet for our music
and percussion class. Lunch is at home
with the host families. In the afternoon
we will continue with the dance
workshops. Dinner is again with the group
in a neighborhood restaurant. Dancing
after dinner is optional. We will have at
least one instructor with us as well as a
few dance partners.
Wednesday
HAVANA Details: After breakfast we will meet for our music
and percussion class. Lunch is at home
with the host families. In the afternoon
we will continue with the dance lessons.
Dinner is again with the group in a
neighborhood restaurant. After dinner
there is a visit to La Casa de la Musica to
see live music. We will have at least one
instructor with us as well as a few dance
partners. Thursday
HAVANA Details: After breakfast we will meet for our last
music and percussion class. The
instructors will show what we learned
and there will be an opportunity to
record videos. Lunch is at home with the
host families. In the afternoon we will
meet for our last dance lessons, here
also we can record teacher demos.
Dinner is one last time with the group in
a neighborhood restaurant. Dancing
after dinner is optional as usual.
Friday
REGLA – FINCA VIGIA - COJIMAR
Travel Details: On our last day we will leave Havana
after breakfast to see some of the
surrounding areas. First we will drive
east to visit Regla and the church of the
Virgen de Regla. From there we will
continue to Finca Vigia – Ernest
Hemingway’s former residence. We will
have lunch on the coast in a small artist
town called Cojimar where Hemingway
used to visit. On the way back to Havana
we will stop at the Morro Castle to enjoy
the view of the city and then continue
with a tour of the parts of town we didn’t
have a chance to see so far, especially
Miramar and Vedado. Dinner is with the
host family tonight and then there is one
last chance to see live music and dance
in the neighborhood.
Saturday
HAVANA - CANCUN Travel Details: Today we have our last breakfast with the
host families and then depart to the
airport to return to Cancun. Cubana Airlines tend to change the
schedule of this flight by as much as 5
hours on short notice, so it is advised not
to try to time a flight connection on the
same day.
TOTAL COST OF 8-DAY JOURNEY $2,900 (per person, double occupancy) Single supplement: $250
Tour is limited to 15 participants. Single travelers who would like to share a room can be
accommodated. Request a booking form today to assure your place by contacting:
[email protected], 206.234.3720.
Airfare will not be included in the trip cost. Included in the trip cost (unless otherwise indicated):
authorization letter from Salsa Retreat that allows you to travel to Cuba legally and purchase
trip insurance
accommodations in Casas Particulares (homestays with local families)
all meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner) and beverages at breakfast
all transfers and ground transportation
dance lessons lead by first class instructors, and individual dance partners (incl. music guide
and a few dance partners for night outings)
drumming and percussion lessons with well-known musicians and instructors
tours and cultural explorations as well as local tour guides and a Salsa Retreat representative
as required by the People-to-People license
taxes and credit card fees
Not included are:
airfare (from your home town to Cancun and from Cancun to Cuba)
hotel in Cancun to avoid missed flight connections
Mexico Departure Tax ($35 USD)
Cuban visa fee ($25 USD)
Cuba departure tax ($25 CUC)
entrance fees and beverages (except beverages at breakfast)
tips and cover/drinks for the dancers who go out with us at night
This trip is permitted by a specific People-to-People license issued by the Department of the
Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). This itinerary was designed to provide an
educational experience with numerous opportunities for meaningful interaction with Cubans. In
accordance with the travel license, this trip does not include tourist activities or free time to explore
Havana on your own. Travel restrictions in Cuba, such as limits on how much one may spend and
what may be purchased, will be provided in your pre-departure materials.
Because beach visits and tourist activities are not allowed under the People-to-People license, we
decided to route our trip through Cancun so that you can add a beach vacation before or after your
Cuba excursion. We can help with where to stay in the area.
ABOUT SALSA RETREAT Salsa Retreat was founded in 2008 in order to offer meaningful vacations that connect visitors with
locals based on the common passion for music and dance.
It is our mission to provide sustainable dance retreats and workshops with the goal to offer
authentic learning experiences to the traveler while maximizing the positive impact on the local
community.
We have lead our first tour to Oaxaca in January 2009, and have welcomed many groups and
individual travelers in Oaxaca since.
In 2013 Salsa Retreat has received a specific people-to-people license issued by the U.S. Treasury
Department’s Office of Foreign Asset Control (OFAC). Pursuant to section 31 C.F.R. § 515.565(b)(2) of
the Cuban Asset Control Regulations, this license allows any American who books a trip with Salsa
Retreat, LLC to travel to Cuba legally. As a registered guest on one of our people-to-people trips, you
will receive a copy of our OFAC issued license, and Letter of Authorization allowing you to travel to
Cuba and re-enter the U.S. legally. Salsa Retreat handles all of the paperwork and requirements for
your visit to Cuba.
Our first visit to Havana, Cuba took place in January 2014, exactly five years after our first dance trip
to Oaxaca.
BOOKING AND OTHER INFORMATION
View complete Terms and Conditions
A non-refundable deposit of $600 is required to hold your reservation. The balance of the retreat
cost is due and must be received by Salsa Retreat no later than 30-days prior to the “Departure
Date” for your retreat. Payment can be made by check, or with VISA, Mastercard, American Express
or Discover using our secure online payment option with PayPal. Prices do not include airfare. You
do not need to have your flight booked in order to put a deposit down. However, please confirm tour
availability with us prior to booking your flights. After full payment is received we will send you a
packet of information outlining what to bring and additional information to prepare you for your visit
to Cuba.
Cancellations by You
Salsa Retreat works with quality vendors, instructors, and guides to provide you with a unique
retreat. In order to best serve all our guests and provide high quality services Salsa Retreat has a firm
cancellation policy. There are no exceptions to this policy. We strongly encourage and recommend
that you obtain trip interruption/cancellation insurance to protect yourself in the event that you
must cancel your retreat for any reason. This insurance can be purchased from various travel
insurance companies, including World Nomads. You may cancel your reservation, in writing only,
according to the following fee and refund schedule:
31 days or more before Departure Date: FEE: $600USD REFUND: Full amount paid minus fee
30 days or fewer before Departure Date: FEE: Full cost of the tour REFUND: None
Our Cuba retreats require a minimum of 10 (ten) participants. For this reason, and others, if you
cancel your retreat within 30 days of the Departure Date, we must impose a cancellation fee of the
full tour cost so that we can avoid cancelling the entire retreat for all other clients who have booked
with us.
Cancellations by you that are not made in writing (email is acceptable) are not valid under these
Terms and Conditions. There are no exceptions to our cancellation policy.
If you cancel thirty-one (31) days or more before the Departure Date, additional fees may apply. In
addition to the fee stated above, any cancellation fees, surcharges, or nonrefundable deposits
charged to Salsa Retreat by its suppliers, such as individual hotels, guides or other third parties, will
be added to and part of the cancellation fee per person.
No partial refunds will be given for unused hotel rooms, meals, sightseeing trips, transportation
services, or other segments or portions of your retreat for any reason whatsoever. The cost of the
retreat is a package cost and refunds and credits are not available for services not used.
Cancellations by Salsa Retreat
We do our utmost to maintain our standard of never canceling a retreat, but we reserve the right to
cancel a retreat if the minimum group size of 10 participants has not been reached 30 days before
the Departure Date. However, we will not cancel a retreat on this basis if we have previously
informed you that the retreat has reached the minimum requirement and you should purchase
airline tickets.
In rare circumstances, events outside the control of Salsa Retreat may require that a retreat be
cancelled. If we cancel a retreat, all deposits and payments made to date will be refunded in full.
In the event that we do not receive your payment of the final balance on the due date (at least 30
days prior to the departure date) and you have not otherwise notified us of your intent to cancel
your reservation, we will cancel your reservation and refund any payment made less a $600
cancellation fee.
Because we strongly recommend that you obtain trip insurance and because you have notice of this
cancellation policy, Salsa Retreat is not responsible for any additional personal travel expenses you
may incur in connection with cancelled retreats including airline tickets.
TO MAKE YOUR RESERVATION, REQUEST A BOOKING FORM BY CONTACTING: EMAIL: [email protected] PHONE: 206.234.3720
WEB: www.salsaretreat.com
© Salsa Retreat 3/1/2015