Named the Blue City of Mills (Villa Azul de los Molinos), Puerto Padre spreads over 180 square k's and was shown on 16th century maps as Portus Patris. Legend has that a sailor aboard one of Christopher Colombus' ships, seeing the port for the first time said to the man next to him, a priest : " Que puerto, Padre ! " (What a port, Father !). We don't make 'em up, we just copy and paste. The ciudad reminds one of some coastal towns like Trinidad, Gibara and Remedios : not enormous, relatively calm, with colonial architecture, an industrial port, Puerto Carupano (largest sugar port in the world in its heyday) and an access to the sea. That large water mass is made up of two bays, Bahia de Puerto Padre or Cascarero and Bahia de Chaparra with tiny Cayo Juan Claro and Cayo Puerco and beaches Las Bocas and La Llanita nearby as well as a large reef off Covarrubias. N.B. During most of 2009, the town slowly got back to its normal state after the enormous damages caused by the passage of Hurricane Ike on September 8 2008. MAPS & LINKS Map - Detailed street map of historic centre Map - Detailed coast from here to Banes Map - Roads to Las Bocas and Herradura Our page on nearby Playa Las Bocas Map - The province of Las Tunas Weather (Wunderground) Daily currency exchange rates All things natural in the province of Las Tunas DISTANCES Amancio, 87 Bayamo, 138 Camaguey, 195 Chaparra, 28 Delicias, 15 El Socucho (ferry), 16 Gibara, 83 Holguin, 59 La Habana, 600 Las Tunas, 56 Playa Covarrubias, 42 Playa Las Bocas, 16 or 71 Playa La Herradura, 47 POPULATION 93,660 in the regional township (municipio) in 2007 KNOW Birthplace of Latin Jazz precursor, Emiliano Salvador (1951-1992) and of many magazines and papers from 1896 (Localista, El Noticiero, Madrugada and Alborada Villazulina). One still can find remnants of wide avenues and colonial buildings, the La Premiere library, El Cucalambé printer, a cinema, a concert stage, the Rivoli theater (originally the Aldana). The port of Carupano supplied the sugar mills (centrales) of Chaparra and Delicias and their 10,000 laborers during the zafras. At its peak, it was the largest sugar port on the planet. SEE The small Statue of Liberty imitating those in Paris and New York in • The parque de la Independencia • Museo Fernando García Grave de Peralta • The buste in homage to Cuban mothers, Busto de las Madres • The parque Marti and its Iglesia Catolica • The casa de la UNEAC (Unión de Escritores y Artistas de Cuba), the 17th in Cuba, inaugurated in September 2006.

The Malecon, the seaside promenade •|• Parque Marti in front of the catholic church, Iglesia Católica © radiolibertad.cu

Parque de la Independencia : Statue of Liberty and the museum Fernando García Grave de Peralta •|• Don Quichote on the main avenida © radiolibertad.cu

Town is a 2.5 hour bus transfer from Holguin airport © dtcuba.com Enlarge (town is top left-hand corner), •|• Get street map here

Covarrubias, its beach and coral reef are 42 km west •|• Main street — avenida Libertad — leads directly to the once-industrial Puerto Carupano.

Los Jimaguas — Jacobo and Isaac — twins who were so identical that one day (so the story goes) Jacobo who was in prison was replaced for the night by his bro without the jefe de policia noticing... © Casals •|• Casa de la Trova at night on calle N © von Esmarch panoramio

PLAYAS
Superb and almost deserted in winter, packed by Cubans from Holguin in summer : Playa Las Bocas (see our page here) and neighbouring Playa La Llanitas are 16 km or 20 mins. away by guagua to El Socucho, then by mini ferry (lancha). By car the whole way, via Delicias and Lora, it's 71 km.

Playa Covarrubias, 42 km northwest is where the 180-room Hotel Club Covarrubias — Tel. (31) 51-5530 — offers, since 1998, 3-star all-inclusive only lodging and scuba diving on a 6 km-long coral reef 1.5 km offshore. The resort, with its lovely flour-like white beach sits beside a coral reef so fascinating that some compare it with Australia's Great Barrier Reef. Non-guests can spend the day all included from 10am to 6pm for 20cuc. ••• But getting there is apparently murder on your bum as the road is supposedly pock-holed from constant running of water tankers to/from the hotel. The only "public" transportation, the employees guagua, takes 90 mins. From town, tip the driver 2cuc and he'll let you on. Hotel details here.

OUR SUGGESTIONS
V = suggested by webbies, owners and travelers. Check by phone or in person. Children 16 and under may share parents' bedroom at no charge only if there is an additional bed available. Mention the age of your children when making the reservation. As of last count (Sept 08), there were about 30 casas renting were. Comments and suggestions webmaster @cubacasas.net

Click to enter © villa1918

Click to enter © leprohon

© cfe, panoramio

These next casas might still be available for rent; we have not updated them since early 2003.

VILLA MARIA	LEONARDO SILVA	JULIO VALLADARES	LUIS GONZÁLEZ