Sitio del Compay

Santiago de Cuba Province


Siboney's only real dining option serves no-frills comida criolla (Creole food) with friendly service and good beach views. It's in the former house of musical-sage-turned-international-icon Francisco Repilado, aka Compay Segundo, the man responsible for writing the immortal song 'Chan Chan,' which visitors hear on repeat across Cuba.

Born in a small shack by this site in 1907, Compay Segundo shot to superstardom at the age of 90 as the guitarist/winking joker in Ry Cooder's Buena Vista Social Club.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Santiago de Cuba Province attractions

1. Granjita Siboney

0.97 MILES

Had the revolution been unsuccessful, this unassuming red-and-white farmhouse 2km inland from Playa Siboney on the road to Santiago de Cuba would be the…

2. Valle de la Prehistoria

3.52 MILES

The oddest in a plethora of bizarre attractions in Parque Baconao, this Cuban Jurassic Park mixes giant Apatosauruses with concrete cavemen and women, no…

3. Museo Nacional de Transporte Terrestre

4.6 MILES

Anywhere besides Cuba, this alfresco car museum 2km east of Valle de la Prehistoria would impress. There's Benny Moré's 1958 Cadillac, the Chevrolet Raúl…

4. Jardín Botánico Gran Piedra

5.65 MILES

This garden's cool, misty microclimate fosters species of bromeliads, orchids, anthuriums, tree ferns and other subtropical flora you won't encounter in…

5. La Gran Piedra

6.19 MILES

It's worth huffing and puffing the 459 stone steps to the summit of La Gran Piedra at 1234m. The huge rock on top measures 51m long and 25m high and…

6. Cafetal La Isabelica

6.48 MILES

The hub of the Unesco World Heritage site bestowed in 2000 upon the First Coffee Plantations in the Southeast of Cuba is this impressive two-story stone…

7. Loma de San Juan

7.27 MILES

Future American president Teddy Roosevelt forged his reputation on this small hillock where, flanked by the immortal rough riders, he supposedly led a…

8. Jardín de los Helechos

7.32 MILES

This peaceful garden is a lush haven of 350 types of ferns and 90 types of orchids. It's the erstwhile private collection of santiagüero Manuel Caluff,…