Excellent Cuban Accommodations!
Some of the highlights of my travels in Cuba were the casas particulares (private homes) where I stayed:
- The rooms were spotlessly clean –
no dirt, dust, or grease.
- The beds were comfortable. Most rooms had an extra bed where I could
spread out my stuff.
- All had private baths with
functioning toilets.
- All baths had hot water showers
(although the water was barely hot enough in two of them).
- All had air conditioning except my
room at the mountain rancho which, at 2500 feet
elevation, cooled off at night. It did
have a ceiling fan.
- With one exception, they had little
refrigerators in the rooms. Very handy
for keeping water and leftover pizza cold.
- Most were quiet. Two rooms were exposed to street noise but I
closed the windows and cranked up the fans or air conditioners for a “white
noise” effect.
- No mice or cockroaches. Most places
had resident cats which kept them under control. Very few flies, mosquitoes, or ants. And, NO bedbugs!
- The hosts were very friendly and
helpful but respected my privacy. They
advised me on local sites and good restaurants. In three cases, they called taxis or colectivos
(group taxis) for me which came right to my door. We had some good conversations – in Spanish. Some of the hosts spoke a bit of English but
I had to help a couple of British and German guests with translations. For more than two weeks, the casa in Havana even
stored my bag of books and music CDs that I had bought in Havana at the
beginning of my trip.
- Where I opted for breakfast
(generally $5 extra), there was more than enough to eat and a good variety –
bread, butter, jam, sweet rolls, eggs, cheese, fruit, fruit juice, tea or coffee,
and sausage had I wanted it. All served
on a pleasant terrace or courtyard patio.
- I chose accommodations that were
close a city’s main plaza or within short walking distance of restaurants and
attractions. One exception was in the
city of Cienfuegos where I opted for a place that was at the end of a peninsula
in the bay. Very scenic but reasonably-priced
restaurants were more than a mile away.
My mountain cabin at Rancho Bee Hole was remote but only a 5-minute walk
from the paved road. And I could eat
breakfast, lunch, and dinner there.
The prices were very reasonable: $22 to $41 per night total including any modest cleaning fees or Airbnb service charges. If there was any tax charged, it would have been included in the base price. I’ve used Airbnb several times in the US but I’m not a big fan because I’ve found that their prices are often more expensive than nice motel rooms or suites. And I resent their deceptive price listings. They quote you a base price but when you start to make your reservation, you learn that there are hefty service charges, cleaning fees, and taxes that can almost double the quoted price. Fortunately, this was not the case in Cuba.
On Airbnb, I saw a number of rooms (even in relatively-more-expensive Havana) that were less than $20 per night. I was reluctant to go that low for fear that the rooms might be uncomfortable or too Spartan for me. There were also rooms for $50 to $100 or more. From the Airbnb photos, they looked very nice, even luxurious. Some were private apartments where a guest would have little, if any, contact with the owners.
I did “splurge” at the Ranch Bee Hole in the mountains north of Trinidad - $60 per night. It was well worth it – the verdant tropical forest setting was gorgeous and relaxing. There were only two rooms and no one was staying in the other room while I was there. So, with the exception of the manager and cook, I had the whole place to myself. Three meals were an extra $25 per day – Carlos and Pedro Antonio catered to my vegetarian diet and prepared delicious meals given the somewhat limited availability of ingredients. After the first day, I had to tell them to cut back on the quantity as it was too much. I hate wasting food, especially in a developing country where some people don’t get enough to eat.
Many of these casas particulares are large homes with guest rooms that are somewhat isolated from the family quarters. They have anywhere from 2 to 10 guest rooms. I suspect that some have been in families for several generations. After the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1989 and the onset of hard times in Cuba with the withdrawal of Soviet aid, families started renting out rooms illegally to supplement their meager incomes. In 1997, the Cuban government acknowledged reality and legalized casas particulares. Since then, they have flourished. For every one listed with Airbnb, there appear to be at least twice as many that aren’t (they’re probably even cheaper, as a result).
I felt really good about staying at these private bed and breakfasts because it gave me a chance to interact with local people, to see how they live, and also put some hard currency in their empty pockets. I wish more Americans would travel to Cuba and try out these accommodations. And if communication in Spanish is an issue, a perspective guest can always inquire in advance if the hosts speak English.
The alternative accommodations are large, and often sterile, government-owned tourist hotels. Europeans, Canadians, and other foreign tourists stay in these resort venues which are more costly than casas particulares but have all the mod-cons and their own restaurants. They are mostly isolated from the realities of Cuban life such as the rolling electricity blackouts I experienced (large hotels have back-up generators). I suppose an American could stay in these hotels in violation of U.S. Treasury Department rules by paying for a package deal in advance through a European or Canadian travel agency (Remember: American credit cards don’t work in Cuba and Cuban government entities generally don’t accept cash). In my opinion, it’s not worth the risk and hermetically seals one off from the real Cuba – you might as well spend your vacation in Miami Beach or Palm Springs.
Following are photos from my seven
accommodations including the location and dates of my stay. For each, the first page shows the exterior
and communal areas as well as some of the proprietors. The second page shows my room and bath.
© Will Mahoney 2022
All rights reserved. No part of this blog post nor any associated photo can be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical or photocopying, recording, or otherwise without prior written permission of the author and photographer.
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