How to Find the Best Lodgings and Accommodations in Cuba Posted in January 21, 2018
Find the Best Lodgings and Accommodations in Cuba
This is a long-overdue update to our original post on finding lodgings in Cuba. While that post is almost four years old (ouch!) there’s still some good information there. But many things have changed, not the least of which are prices and quality of Casa Particulares in Cuba. You can certainly see the upgraded quality of Cuban Casa Particulares on our page presenting samples of the best accommodations in Cuba 2018. So here we go: the Havana VIP refresher on how to find the best lodgings and accommodations in Cuba.
6) Beware of AirBnB in Cuba!
When it comes to find the Best Lodgings and Accommodations in Cuba, the biggest change that happened in the last few years was the entry of AirBnB to the Cuban market in 2015 immediately after President Barack Obama permitted U.S. companies to do business with people in Cuba. There had always been a patchwork of websites offering listings of Cuban Casa Particulares, but those sites were often engaged in bait & switch frauds. You, the unsuspecting traveler, would sign-up for accommodations and arrive in Havana expecting to stay in the casa you saw in the photos on-line, but instead get a sad sack story. Someone identifying himself as the owner would explain how the travelers who occupied the house before you had to extend their stay because one of them became ill, and they couldn’t just put them out in the street, so you’ll have to stay in this other place belonging to his cousin. Total B.S. That guy isn’t the owner, he’s a tout, and he may or may not have had anything to do with the casa in the photos that you signed-up for. This fraud is exceedingly common, so much so that we warned against it in our original post.
We hoped that having AirBnB come in with their strict rules and transparency would have made it easier to find the best lodgings and accommodations in Cuba. Guess again. The same touts that offered Casas on the rag-tag collection of websites before AirBnB, just moved their operations onto AirBnb.
Here’s proof of on-going fraud on AirBnB for Havana Casas. These are two listings for the exact same apartment in El Vedado. One listing is for $89 per night from “Navi”, the other listing is for $140 per night from “Victor Manuel” (note: links on AirBnB change often so we saved screenshots of Fraud 1 and Fraud 2). Which listing is the “real one”? Neither. Havana VIP used that apartment in our network for more than two years (until it got too tired and shabby), and neither one of those touts is the real owner. We won’t waste your time pointing out all the fraudulent multiple listings, but trust that this is not an isolated case.
We once tried to flag a bunch of duplicate listings and send them to AirBnB, but all we got back was an unsigned email splaining us that internet is hard in Cuba so AirBnB suspended their usual rules for Cuban listings. Nice work AirBnB.
5) How Do You Avoid Fraud?
So where does that leave you to find the best lodgings and accommodations in Cuba? Our suggestion is to always check-out theAirBnB “host”. If the host’s profile shows more than one property in Cuba that’s a tout. Contact him or her and ask if she’s the owner. If the response comes back “Yes” from a host with multiple properties, that host is lying to you. Cuban law does not allow anyone to own more than one home. At that point you should probably try another casa, because why would you rent from a liar?
4) Always Get Breakfast Included in Cuba.
Breakfast in Cuba is complicated. There aren’t a lot of places that serve breakfast, and spending your limited time on the island trying to gather the ingredients to make breakfast on your own, while maybe a fun adventure, seems like a waste of precious time.
Having a home-cooked meal in Cuba is a great way to save some money and eat well at the same time. Particularly in the provinces this can be a great way to eat delicacies like fresh fish, or home-made tamales in places where the selection of Paladares (privately owned and operated restaurants) might be scarce, and the state-owned restaurants are generally always to be avoided. In the provinces away from Havana, a home-cooked meal should be around $7.00 CUC per person, and in Havana maybe $10.00 CUC. Hint: ask your host if you can tag along to the Agro-Mercado where your host buys the ingredients – it’s always an interesting experience.
3) Hotels in Cuba are Expensive and Not Worth It.
At Havana VIP we generally don’t recommend the hotels in Cuba. If a client asks specifically to stay in a hotel we will of course get them whatever they want. But generally speaking comparing apples to apples you’ll get a much better quality of accommodations and a better experience for less money by staying in a casa particular.
2) In The Provinces Stay Near The Central Plaza, in Havana, Stay in El Vedado.
In Havana, we don’t recommend first-time travelers stay any other neighborhood than El Vedado. Many travelers think that staying in Old Havana means you’re “closer to the action” which (we think) means nightlife and stuff to do. In fact, nightlife in Havana is NOT in Old Havana, but is spread around Centro Havana, El Vedado and Miramar.
Generally speaking, in the major cities of the Cuban provinces you should stay near the central plaza, which is often called the Plaza Mayor or the Parque Martí. that is historically where the best houses were built, and accordingly where the best houses have been restored over the last few years.
1) Travel with Havana VIP and Forget All These Worries.
OK it’s self-serving, but it’s true. Traveling with Havana VIP means more fun and less hassles for you. It’s literally impossible for you to DIY what we do. It’s taken us years to recruit all the best housing into our network, hire the best guides in the best destinations, and create all the awesome experiences that set us apart from all of our competitors. If you can afford the best, you should travel to Cuba with Havana VIP.
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