Robaina's

Robaina's
Robaina's plantation

Monday 5 December 2016

Encuentro de Amigos de Partagas 2016

                   November came and went once again as did the Partagas Encuentro. It's time to countdown for the next one. As always, it promised to be an entertaining endeavor and in that aspect it did not disappoint. The family at Partagas are always concerned about what the guests think but it's always with respect to venue, food and at times the entertainment booked for the occasion. Nothing is ever perfect and the Partagas Encuentros are no exception but the difference between regular people, or customers, and ourselves, is that; we don't care much about the food...just feed us, the wine...just keep poring, the entertainment....most of us aren't paying attention. Just give us a venue where we can all get together in one spot and smoke cigars with our friends from around the world who we only get to see once a year in most cases and everything else is secondary. You make it cost effective by giving us enough cigars who's value (in our countries of origin) is the equivalent to the price of the ticket. I won't get into what the flaws of the different events may have been because the positive far outweighs the negative. The people at Partagas did a great job of hosting the largest crowd ever and as always made us feel like part of the family. I have been coming to these events since 2005 and although my reasons may be different today, the core purpose has remained the same. I want to have a good time with my Cuban family and friends. For those of you who haven't partaken in one yet, I highly recommend it.
                     This year the Bienvenida was held at the Habana Café nightclub in the Hotel Melia Cohiba. The usual Cuban show took place with dancers and a large band playing the music. My friend Amir celebrated his birthday on that day and the Partagas crew brought out a cake for him....and everyone smoked cigars. The Beach day was held at the Club Havana in Miramar, what used to be the Havana Biltmore Yacht & Country Club. I don't usually do the beach day anymore but I love this venue so decide to take part. The day was a little chilly for Cubans but it was a perfect for us snowbirds. A light snack was served when we arrived in the morning and lunch in a grand salon later in the day....and everyone smoked cigars. I didn't make it to the Country Event which took place at the Hector Luis Farm but I did go by to visit Hector before everyone arrived later that morning. I know everyone had a good time....and I'm sure everyone smoked cigars. The Gala Dinner on the Friday night was held at the Hotel Habana Libre in the Salon on the second floor. The food was good, the venue looked great and the auction shorter (I went to reserve seats at the Hotel Nacional patio)....and everyone smoked cigars.

PS......I want to give a thanks to friends of mine who donated a couple of photographs to round out this post....Thanks Guys.








Habana Café nightclub in the Hotel Melia Cohiba







Club Havana in Miramar









Hector Luis Farm



The Rum for the table at the Gala Dinner


Hotel Habana Libre



















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