(2 of 2)
DO enjoy your stay. Most layovers last overnight, because Cuban authorities will not permit U.S. jets to take off with passengers from Jose Marti Airport, and it takes time for the airline involved to ferry over a substitute prop plane. Passengers meanwhile are billeted either at Jose Marti Airport or at one of two good hotels: the downtown Havana Libre (formerly the Havana Hilton), or the Varadero International, located 35 minutes out of town but convenient to Varadero Airport, from which your prop plane will depart. Depending on your accommodations, here is what to expect:
At Jose Marti Airport: You will be allowed to circulate freely and make purchases at the airport shops. Havana cigars (250 up) and Cuban rum ($1 per fifth) are the best buys. Neither can legally be imported into the U.S., but passengers on Eastern Flight 73 freely carried both through customs when they returned to Miami. There will be little opportunity for sightseeing, except during the trip to the airport on buses provided by the Swiss embassy.
At the Havana Libre: The rooms are still comfortable, the service is still good, and Havana still swings—a little. You will probably be treated to a nightclub, complete with daiquiris, a chorus line and an audience of gaping Eastern Europeans. The shopping downtown is better: in addition to cigars and rum, bargains include East German cameras and beautifully embroidered Czech peasant blouses. These may also be confiscated by U.S. customs on your return, but they can be regained on application to the Foreign Claims Settlement Commission, Washington, D.C.
At the Varadero International: Bring a bathing suit, because Varadero Beach, a 15-mile-long ribbon of white sand, is magnificent. Passengers on Eastern Flight 73 were berthed here. They were allowed to go swimming. They were also fed a free meal (appetizer, roast beef, rice, salad, dessert) while two Cuban bands played bossa nova and blues in the background.
Hasta la vista!