Searching for accommodation in Cuba? The only right way is to stay with locals in their casa particular, bringing undoubtedly a unique added value to your journey. Price won’t be an issue either. Room rates vary from $25 to $35 per room, excluding breakfast, depending on the place you visit and the season. In return, you’ll get a remarkably clean room with private bathroom and a much better service than you would get in a hotel. On top of that you can order the best breakfast for about $5 per person. Basically you could say that the Cubans invented airbnb – but offline 🙂
Important note: for many families it is their main income so you support the locals with it.

Airbnb users will notice that some casas particulares are listed on their solid homestay marketplace. Although we like this network a lot, we wouldn’t recommend it in Cuba as you always need to pay a service fee. The local network of casas in Cuba is so extensive and reliable that you don’t need the service of Airbnb. Even in high season, you can easily find a great casa on the spot – except for Varadero – or pre-book one over the internet. For example, we had a good experience with BBinVinales.com – credible, helpful and fast communication. If you prefer traveling without reservations, you’ll recognize the casas particulares by the blue sign below.

logo-casa-particular-cuba

During our stay we had the opportunity to stay in 6 different casas particulares. For us, the main difference between them wasn’t the interior of the rooms or the comfort they offer, but mainly in the coziness, hospitality and contact with the owners. Sure, you’ll be welcome in every casa and their service will always beat those of the hotels. Let’s say, we simply experienced a difference between ‘very good’ and ‘perfect’ casas. That difference is in the way the owners treat you. It’s heart-warming to meet owners who sincerely make effort to communicate with you – keeping in mind our (very!) basic knowledge of the Spanish language – and not treat you as their guest but as a real member of the family. Yes, that will make your stay just perfect.

Havana – Casa Mire

62 Zulueta Street (between Genios & Refugio)
Havana Vieja
+53 7 8639739

Havana-Casa-Mire

Casa Mire is very clean and well located in front of the Museum of the Revolution. The ladies of the house, Mireya and Adriana, are very helpful when you need something – for example transportation to your next destination. Despite all this, we just had a bit of the feeling we were in a small hotel. They offer 3 rooms so the contact with the owner was mainly during the check-in, breakfast and check-out. Of course, you’re visiting the huge city Havana, so that might explain the less personal interaction. Other tourists told us the same story. So to be clear: no complaints, just not the real homey feeling you may expect in a casa particular. But if you’re not looking for that, we surely can recommend this casa. In case you’ll stay there, ask for the room on the top floor. The view is amazing!

Havana-Casa-Mire-2

Viñales – Casa Dania y Salvador

Calle 7ma, #7, entre 2da y 4ta, Reparto La Colchoneria
Viñales, Pinar del Rio
+53 48696642
+53 55236037

Vinales-Dania-y-Salvador

We got to know this casa particular through the Dutch blog Travel.Create.Repeat, full of great stories and tips about Cuba. So, Edith, if you’re reading this: Thank you for arranging our stay in Viñales and giving us the best experience in Cuba!!

Indeed, staying with Dania and Salvador was the best experience during our whole trip through Cuba. They offer an immaculate room, private bathroom with a nice shower, pleasant porch with rocking chairs and the best of the best breakfasts we had in Cuba! But above all, Salvador and Dania were a bit like our Cuban mom and dad. They made sure we had everything we wanted and even more. Oh, they were always so caring and genuinely helpful.

Casa Dania y Salvador Vinales

One day we rented bicycles to discover the surroundings – the town, the lookouts at hotels Los Jazmines and La Ermita and of course the tobacco fields between the mysterious rock formations of Viñales Valley. In between the rides we made a stop at the casa to rest our legs a bit and get some water. Salvador and Dania welcomed us with a refreshing homemade lemonade (on the house!) to make sure we stayed well hydrated. The next day, when we asked Salvador for a place to buy good Cuban cigars, he took us on a free private tour to a local tobacco farmer. A sweet old man with great stories and, of course, very good cigars. And last but not least, Salvador’s cocktails are the best (and most generous!) of Cuba!

So if you are looking for a great place to stay in Viñales, don’t hesitate and pay Salvador & Dania a visit! One disadvantage: their hospitality is so genuine, warm and joyful that you’ll feel homesick the rest of your trip… We will certainly never forget them!

Trinidad – Hostal Villa Toledo

356 Calle Reforma
Trinidad
+53 5 3487057

Trinidad-Villa-Toledo

This newly renovated casa particular is located just outside the tourist area and within walking distance from every main attraction in Trinidad. The casa stands out as the rooms are exceptionally modern to Cuban standards. The friendly hosts, Cira and Felix, can be rightly proud! The rooms include a private bathroom and are clean but a bit small compared to other casas and also quite noisy. So if you decide to stay here, make sure to bring your earplugs to reduce the street noise! A definite plus: the casa offers a lovely and cozy terrace on top of the building, where you can enjoy breakfast. You’ll have the feeling of being in a small park, which is very nice, especially if you have troubles with a morning mood.

Playa La Boca – Hostal Sol y Mar

Ave del Mar # 87,
Playa La Boca, Trinidad
+53 5 2645530

La Boca-Sol-y-Mar

After strolling through the small streets of Old Havana, biking through the stunning valley of Viñales and hiking to the mysterious waterfall of Caburni, we wanted to take some time to relax. About halfway between Trinidad and Playa Ancón, you’ll find Playa La Boca, a not so touristy beach town. As casas particulares are forbidden in the Ancón peninsula, this is the ideal base to explore Cuba’s southern coast.

In La Boca we stayed in hostal Sol y Mar, a large colonial house with a beautiful garden, overlooking the Caribbean sea. They offer 2 spacious and clean rooms, each with private bathroom. From the porch you can enjoy the colorful sunsets. The hosts, Olga and Joaquin, are very friendly but rather unobtrusive and formal. Perfect, if you prefer to be discrete. We somehow missed the genuine hospitality we experienced with Dania and Salvador in Viñales, but I guess they were just exceptionally warmhearted. You can rent a bicycle for $5 per day and bike to Playa Ancon or just walk to a smaller, rougher, more quiet and – in our opinion – nicer beach closer to the casa.

Varadero – Attention!

Last minute we changed our itinerary a bit and arrived one day earlier than expected. We were quite confident, after travelling through Cuba for 10 days, that it would be easy to find a casa particular for that night on the spot. No way, as easy it was to walk in and reserve a room in all other spots in Cuba, as difficult it was in Varadero. We first checked at the casa we booked for the next day, to ask if they got a room available for one more night. Unfortunately, they were fully booked. On our request, the owner of the casa started calling around spontaneously. She contacted at least 10 friends to hear if they had availability but no one had. We decided to walk around and approached every casa to see if they had a room left. After 2 hours and 7 blocks without success, we returned to collect our backpacks from the casa and decided to walk further away to continue our hunt. Finally, luck was ours! Before we could even take our baggage, the sister of the casa host, who also lives downstairs, called a few extra friends and she scored us a room closer to the resort area (calle 58).

Varadero – Hostal Daisy’s

Calle 58 esquina a la 2ª avenida
Varadero
+53 52835993

Varadero-Casa-Daisy-2

Hostal Daisy offered us a huge room, of course with private bathroom. Again, the room was very clean. A plus: the room includes a fridge so you can cool your own drinks. However, the nicest thing of this casa was their gorgeous spacious patio and outside showers to wash away the sand before entering your room. It’s more like a small hotel-style casa, so don’t expect much contact with the hosts. So if you prefer that, we can definitely recommend hostal Daisy’s for your stay in Varadero!

Varadero-Casa-Daisy-3

Varadero – Casa Monzon

Calle 26, entre Segunda y Tercera avenida, #202
Varadero
+53 45 612798
+53 5 4893113

Varadero-Casa-Monzon-2

The 2 other nights we stayed at Casa Monzon. As mentioned above, we met the hosts the day before, being so helpful to find another casa for the night, without expecting anything in return. The sincere kindness of the owners, Juan Carlos and Liana, and their sister was similar as experienced in Viñales. Running the casa and helping their guests is not just their job, it is their passion. As our flight back home departed late in the evening, they suggested storing our backpacks at the casa and let us use their bathroom after check-out, free of charge, just so we could fully enjoy our last day. They also helped us reserving our bus tickets, etc. Oh yes, Juan Carlos and Liana are the perfect hosts! Besides, it was remarkable that Juan Carlos speaks English perfectly. Exceptional for a Cuban!

Additionally, the rooms were comfortable, spotless and well equipped with amenities we didn’t expected in Cuba. For example, they provide a safe, a television, separate large beach towels and a fridge filled with beer, soft drinks and water at the same prices as outside. The casa is also perfectly located! In advance we were a bit afraid that Varadero would be an all-in destination with packed beaches but this was certainly not the case for the whole town. The beach, only 100m from the casa, was huge and not busy at all. Casa Monzon is a must go when you want to relax and enjoy the sun before heading home!

Varadero-Casa-Monzon-3

What was your experience with the casas particulares in Cuba?