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We arrived at Alberto's via his friend around the corner, who's guests had opted to extend their stay. Alberto arrived on his little scooter and we followed behind in our car to his lovely home.
He gave us directions to a fab little restaurant slighlty out of town, and also to the main square.
He suggested that we opt for secure parking, and again we followed the little scooter to an overnight facility. The rate was clearly signposted, and next morning we returned to pick up our car. I didn't get the impression that car theft is a huge problem but it was nice not to have to think about ( and cost very little).
Amneris was away when we there, but I would have been surprised if she could have prepared a better breakfast. After a good night's sleep, lovely breakfast and directions to Che's old stomping ground we headed off.
Before we hit the road for Havana we popped back to Alberto's to use the loo, which he was happy for us to do. Both rooms were already prepared for the next lucky guests.
Comfy beds - yes
Hot water - yes
En suite - yes
Spotless accommodation - yes
Excellent breakfast - yes
English speaking - no
Calle (EP Morales) Sindico # 60, between Villuadas and Juan Bruno Zayas
Tel - 53 (42) 203 270
This is an excellent café selling strong espressos for 1 Cuban peso (extremely cheap about four pence!)
Unlike most of the tourist cafés and restaurants, there were always Cubans there enjoying a coffee.
On the corner of Calle Amargura and Mercaderes, Habana Vieja
Old style perfumery where one can buy cologne and perfume with scents such as citrus, jasmine, rose, orange blossom, lavender and tobacco.
If you bring your own container you can purchase the scent for the bargain price of 0.20CUC per 10ml. If you want to splash out you can buy the scent in one of the ceramic perfume containers or bottles of varying sizes that make a nice present.
Mercaderes No 156 bwtn Obrapia & Lamparilla, Habana Vieja.
Google map: tinyurl.com/ycvewkp
Hello, I found this wonderful page about bus schedules on Cuba. It was very useful on my trip to the island a few weeks ago.
It is a gay-friendly guest house in the centre of Havana. Jorge, the landlord of the place, is a wonderful gay man who will give you plenty of tips during your trip. He has also a great sense of humour and speak many languages.
The rooms are nicely decorated and very comfy with private bathrooms and air conditioning. He can cook breakfast, lunch and dinner if you wish.
Security: this place is very safe as Jorge takes all necessary measures. Nothing will ever happen to your wallet!
I will definitely go back to Jorge very soon as all gay travellers who have been to his place do.
Casa Jorge Silvio
Calle e/oquendo y Soledad
Centro Habana
Tel:00 53 78790789
Mobile:00 53 52951543
Email: bojimor@yahoo.es
Photos: casajorge.50webs.com
Staying in Vinales at Casa Lucilo y Nirma was one of the highlights of our trip to Cuba!
The Casa is clean, safe, and Lucilo and Nirma were extremely friendly. They can arrange anything extra that you need in Vinales, have great ideas on what to do, and on top of all that Nirma is a great Chef!
They can also arrange any other Casas you may need for the rest of your trip in Cuba.
After long days of hiking and sightseeing around Vinales, our air conditioned room, and garden terrace at the casa were the perfect way to completely relax.
Vinales itself is a wonderful Cuban village. The town and surrounding area are picturesque perfect with beautiful tobacco fields, brightly painted Cuban houses and shops, and the amazing topography of the Vinales valley mountains as well that surround you.
If you are going to Cuba I highly visiting Vinales... and if you are going to Vinales then go to Casa Lucilo y Nirma where you will experience great Cuban hospitality and be treated like family!
I can`t wait to go again!
They were nice enough to meet us at the local bus station! See their web page for more info...
It is a Casa Particular registered for visitors to stay. Wonderful room in the the family home, vegetarian food especially for us no problem and very welcoming.
Casa Lucilo y Nirma
Pasaje Camilo Cienfuegos #52
Vinales CP 22400
Pinar del Rio
Cuba
Contact yunior crespo garces
E-Mail: yloveslife@yahoo.com
It is a beautiful colonial house right next to the VIAZUL bus station and opposite a big restaurant called Don Antonio - the house is really big, pretty and eye-catching with its yellow window frames.
Every room has two double beds, private bathroom with hot water - the bathroom is bigger and cleaner than any hotel bathrooms I have ever booked.
The good things about this place are that it is extraordinarily clean and tidy, very peaceful. The owner Miguel has two obedient dogs and some birds. It is great to just sit in the courtyard and garden and enjoy the serenity of the birds. It is comfortable, convenient and the price is reasonable: CUC25 - CUC30 per room. Given its perfect location, size and cleanliness, it is definitely worth more than the price range.
Miguel speaks English. He is a very friendly, generous and nice host. He's a bit shy and he never goes to the bus station to drag tourists to stay in his casa (unlike some of the other casa owners in Trinidad).
His dogs are not hostile at all. They are just lovely and manageable.
Address: Calle Gustavo Izquierdo No. 119 entre
Si mon Bolivar y Piro Guinart
Trinidad, S.S. Cuba C-P 62600
(opposite to the famous fancy restaurant called Don Antonio)
Tel no.: 5352474272
I have only been to Cuba twice. The first time was at an all inclusive resort in Veradero which was disappointing. The second was at a Casa Particulare in Vinales - Casa Lucilo y Nirma.
Vinales is an amazing place. It is a small town next to a national park. It was the Cuba I was looking for. Although reliant upon tourism, they seemed to have maintained their authenticity. The people are friendly and the outdoors activities are plentiful.
There are a couple of large hotels, but the place is chock full of Casa Particulares (small family homes that rent out rooms). Lucilo and Nirma rent out two rooms. Both are air conditioned, have private baths, are very clean, and is centrally located.
More importantly, both Lucio and Nirma are very friendly, and will go out of the way to help you and make you feel at home. They speak English and Nirma is an amazing cook (she will make wonderful dinners for you for an additional modest cost).
Just one tip - remember that they are at Pasajes Camilo Cienfuegos #52, not just Camilo Cienfuegos (The Pasajes part puts you in a different part of town than the no Pasajes part).
Go to Vinales, stay with Lucio and Nirma. You will not regret finding that parts of the true Cuba still exist.
Casa Lucilo y Nirma, Pasajes Camilo Cienfuego Vinales Cuba
We found Trinidad to be casa heaven, and Casa Balbina Cadahia was our highlight.
Located a 4-5 minute walk from the main square, this casa contains a beautifully peaceful courtyard and large, spacious bedrooms. This was undoubtedly the most comfortable bed we stayed in on our trip.
Food was good and plentiful and our host was friendly (and English speaking for those that find that useful).
On a more general point, I would encourage you to do some casa research before leaving for Cuba. We found the Lonely Planet to be next to useless when trying to find accomodation: some places were no longer there; some, it seemed, had never been there. Use websites like this instead.
Also, despite warnings that Cuban banks will not accept debit cards, my Nationwide Visa card was happily accepted.
Anyhow, as I was saying: you'll love Trinidad, and you'll love this casa.
A Maceo No 355
entre Lino Perez y Colon
Trinidad
CP 62600
Cuba
+53 0141 992585
Casa Carlita is a casa particular with the feel of a B&B - a set of three guest rooms with an immaculate shared bathroom.
The casa is located right next to Havana University and within a short walk of Havana Libre and The Nacional, two big hotels where you can change money, hire a car, book excursions or top up on food/drink.
The Casa offers good food whenever you want it, though it is located in the Vedado area, which also has a range of alternatives. Vedado is supposedly great for nightclubs, though we hit it while jetlagged on a Monday, so can't vouch for this.
It is a 30 minute walk (or $2-4 taxi ride) along the Malecon (sea wall) to Old Havana. We stayed in Old Havana later in our trip but would be happy to stay in Vedado again.
This was a great first stop on our tour of Cuba. It was also good value. I would recommend it wholeheartedly.
Avenida San Lazaro no 1207
entre Mazon y Basarrate
Vedado
10400 Havana
A small sugar cane town just off the Bay of Pigs that was Castro's HQ for repelling the three-day invasion. The cane factory is in ruins apart from a small museum but the old rail sheds host a motley collection of decaying steam engines from its heyday, with slight signs of restoration and a helpful guardian who will let you in. Other than that it's the easiest way to visit Australia in the northern hemisphere. Now the town is surrounded by orchards and a huge juice factory.
North of Giron close to the Cienfuegos-Havana road. Station closed
Staying at The Big House was one of the highlights of our holiday in Cuba. Why? Because the host Arturo is one of the coolest people you could wish to come across.
He is fun, warm and friendly - undoubtedly you will end up chatting and laughing over a late night beer with him and his friends in one of Vinales' simple but welcoming bars. If you’re not a Spanish speaker the most important thing is that Arturo has excellent English, so you can really connect with your host - something that frustrated us on our travels as we met so many lovely people who we struggled to communicate with using our paltry Spanish!
He has two rooms both with a private bathroom and a lovely outside area - perfect for pre-dinner drinks and some of his delicious home made potato chips. Dinner was a tasty, extensive spread of fresh fish, chicken, great rice and beans and plenty of fruit and veg and salad. Oh, and flan for pudding - not what we’d call flan in the UK - more like a creme caramel (which normally I hate but this I loved!). He'll also take care of ensuring the fridge is always full of beer and water. Breakfast is typically Cuban - coffee, fresh juice, eggs, bread and fruit.
The house is literally the Big House, dwarfing all the neighbours thanks to a capacious roof, and it's located in a quiet road just off the main drag. Vinales is well worth the visit as all the guidebooks say, sweet little town in stunning scenery with plenty to do nearby or a reasonable drive away - walking, horseriding and an hour away from the beautiful, unspoilt Caya Levissa beach. Arturo can help organise and pre-book these for you.
The Big House Rafael Trejo #33, Vinales Pinar Del Rio Cuba CP 22400 Tel: 048 793342
Email: lusien@correodecuba.cu
This is the sea wall around Havana, and a fantastic place to cool off after a hot day. You can sit in the night's cool air, feel the sea breeze and enjoy the local rum.
It's also a great place to meet and talk with the locals.
Rooftop Bar with live Cuban music and beautiful views over Havana at night.
Parque Central
This is the place from which Fidel Castro gives most of his famous 2-4 hour long speeches. You can also sit within the chair where Fidel Castro sits. Behind the José Marti statue there is also a museum located there which talks about the history of Cuba and Havana. However most of the exhibits are in Spanish – but it is easy to understand what is going on.
Visit the Castillo de Morro fort and the Jesus statue which is located opposite the bay of Havana. From here you can see spectacular views of the city as well as a fort used to protect Havana. You can also see the spectacular statue of Jesus and opposite Ché Guevara’s house – now a museum.
Discoteca el Rodeo, Parque Lenin, about 20 kms outside of Havana, is a cheap weekend club with a fun, easy atmosphere, very good live bands and a mostly young Cuban crowd.
No phone.
It has something of a student union about it but is fun, fast and friendly, with good live bands and fantastic dancing. Upstairs is Delirio Habanero, (+53 7 8735713), overlooking Plaza de la Revolucion - for hot jazz and trad Cuban music.
Paseo, corner Plaza de Revolucion, +53 7 8790710.
Casa de la Musica is a late night, live music venue with a big stage and a dance floor in front. It’s bigger and more upmarket that its downtown sister (on Calle Galiano in Havana Centro, +53 7 8624165) showcasing some of Cuba’s top bands, playing anything from reggaeton to classic salsa.
A good place to go dancing but at around a £15 entrance charge, there won’t be many Cubans in there.
The Calle Galiano Casa de la Musica (above attracts more of a local crowd, especially for the regular matinees. Not particularly comfortable, but excellent bands and a friendly, atmosphere.
3308 Calle 20, corner Miramar
Tel: +53 7 2026147
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