Saturday, March 29, 2014

Okay, let's go--

Let's start at the bottom, south end, of the map. You can see a circular road that touches the building just to the left of the Lobby bar.  Where it touches the building is the formal entrance portico.  The portico can fit 1 2/2 tour buses end for end, or two side by side., just in the little space where the grey of the corridor meets the road.  In the last Cuba post I showed a cart being charged.  That was to the right of the entrance.  What appears to be a circular drive, was actually where the road goes around a fairly steep hill.  This is the hill we had to coast down when our cart ran out of juice.


This is the lobby bar.  The fountain you see, on the right, was taller than I am, and actually flowed during the evening.  The entrance is to the right of this picture, so we are moving along the corridor between the lobby bar and the actual reception area, which also contained two different travel/tour agencies, the bank, and washrooms.  I don't have a picture, but over the lobby was a second story. In any of the other areas where you see windows, such as the lobby bar, they are only openings in the walls to provide light. The picture below was taken around noon, but as you can see, the lighting was very subdued during the day, so as to moderate the heat.


This shows facing South along the corridor between the lobby bar and the lobby, from the intersection marked with an "X" on your map.  This also shows the balcony off the second story above the reception area.  I hope this gives you and idea of how long the actual corridor is, so you can compare it to the corridor to the buffet, which is to the left of the "X" on your map.  The picture below is that corridor, again facing South, from about 1/2 of the way between the buffet and the corner by #8 on you map.  Number 8 is no longer a reservation desk but rather a Cigar Bar, which was quite busy in the evenings.


To the right of this corridor was "The Square"  This was often the site of evening shows and where we saw the wonderful flamenco dancers, but so hot and sunny that we avoided it during the day.  Below is the only picture I have of The Square, and doesn't show much except the  constructions that appeared to have no obvious purpose. This was taken from the same corridor but just outside the buffet


The next three pictures show "the Patio".  this is a huge area of pathways and landscaped areas.  Just to the right of the buffet, on your map, it is shown as a big blank area.




 Below is looking from the buffet toward the 24 hour Snack Bar, on the left, and the portico leading from the Theatre to the Snack Bar on the right.I don't have a picture of the Theatre, but it was covered but open air and quite large, easily holding 500 people or more.
 I 'm not sure what this is below, but believe that it shows the buffet, from the patio.
Finally, to provide scale here is the Store, which is shown on the patio on your map directly North of the "X" I drew.


In my last Cuba post I mentioned how pleased we were when the driver/porter told us to go to the Snack Bar instead of the Lobby when we came for meals, as it was a much shorter distance to walk across the Patio, than through the corridors between the Lobby and the Buffet.  We also discovered that we could stop for Happy Hour, at the Snack Bar on our way to meals (any meal, had we wanted)

Enough,  I hope the map helped, and that I haven't bored you to tears.  I promise--no more!

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