Drew & Marta's Travels: Cuba: Casa Particulares

Cuba is one of the only countries I have traveled that has an abundance of casa particulares, essentially a mix between a home stay and bed and breakfast. What a better way to immerse yourself in the Cuban culture? We had the chance to stay at six during our ten days in Cuba, all unique in their own way.

Casa Sidney - Playa, Havana. Sidney's house was located in the western suburbs of Havana. This was a chance for us to explore the local community outside of the bustling tourist hub of Havana Vieja. Also conveniently located near the Miramar Casa de la Musica. We found the neighborhood restaurant and hang out, as well as the local fried chicken nearby. Joelle, one of the owners, wanted to practice his English and knew more about American baseball than us. We learned that it was his daughter's 7th birthday but for him this was a sad day because the government no longer provides milk after the age of seven. For many this is a luxury and cannot be afforded beyond this age. Sidney's family was extremely helpful and welcoming during our stay in Havana, especially with our frequent visits to the conveniently located nearby international hospital Cira Garcia (that is another story). The porch rocking chairs, spectacular mojitos and continuous replay of Celine Dion music videos made these first three days memorable despite the chaos that was the beginning of our trip in Cuba.


Sidney, outside of his house in Havana

Casa Los Moros - Vinales. Osiel welcomed us into his house in Vinales, and immediately you could tell this was a family affair. Osiel and his wife lived there with their two daughters as well as two grandmas and another brother, maybe more? The breakfast greeting and knock at our door exactly on time has made Osiel quite the memorable "host dad" on this trip. "Buenas dias, DESAYUNO!!!! We also had the opportunity to eat dinner with this family which we were served an over abundance of food and continually asked, "Todo bien?!" The wiener dog, Lily, guarded the door on her mat, and was a welcome to us on each return. She playfully yearned for any attention as we lounged on the porch in the typical wooden rocking chairs, discussing with the family the hopes of Pinar del Rio as the next baseball league champion. We watched horse drawn carriages passing by, sharply contrasted by newly imported cars and vintage American cars. Our days in Vinales quickly came to an end, although I could have sat in those rocking chairs and enjoyed the scenery for another week.

Osiel's brother, and baseball fan

Lily, the ferocious watchdog

Osiel, our "host dad"

Casa del Sol - Playa Larga. A bit of car trouble caused a late arrival to Playa Larga. But we were welcomed by Lile, our chef and house owner for the night. This small fishing village sits on the Bay of Pigs and has a number of Casa Particulares with a very tranquil feel. We had fresh fish, crab, shrimp and lobster brought directly to our house, cooked by Lile. The evening was shared with our guide Anna and driver Eddie over the beloved game of Cuba: dominos. I have yet to get the counting strategy down but they sure did love teaching us the game. We, in turn, showed them our strategizing and serious game faces for the game, Settlers of Catan.

The crew outside of Casa del Sol

Learning Dominoes

Eddie and Anna, our Cuban guides, teaching us Dominoes

Casa de Tania - Cienfuegos. Tania and her daughter Leslie greeted us with warmth in Cienfuegos. This is a bustling town on the Southern Cuban coast with preservation of French era architecture. Leslie spoke perfect English, even with a bit of sarcasm, which is the last thing to come in language learning! She hoped we could comment on trip advisor to help their small business. Of course, who wouldn't want to sit on their rooftop patio, share a Cuban cortado (espresso with cream), and take in the city?

Leslie & Tania, Mother/Daughter team

Enjoying the last hours in Cienfuegos

Casa de Pepe y Diane - Trinidad. Pepe and Diane opened their Casa Particular only one month ago. He is an architect by trade and has constructed a perfect patio with a shade tree and hanging plants. He lives there with his wife Diane and daughter, Barbara. Their rooms and organization are top notch. Their attentiveness and warmth beyond that. Their house sits on the outskirts of town, a short walking distance to old town. Pepe is quite worried that he will not get the business like other places but his guest book is already filling up. We assured him that many would rather explore outside of the city center. The capstone was dinner at their house with black beans, fried bananas, whole chicken, and guava glazed desert. I'm quite positive that Pepe will be successful with his new business.

Pepe, Diane, & Barbara

Enjoying the patio. I wish I could have this many airplants survive in my house.

Villa Romero - Vedado, Havana. A beautiful location, only three blocks from the Malecon, allowing us to go on a very long misty paseo from Vedado, past the new US Embassy, Hotel Nacional, Havana Centro, and into Havana Vieja. A perfect capstone to our trip. Unfortunately Villa Romero was also the least favorite of our stays. Perhaps this was meant to be more of a hostel experience, and to give us our privacy, or maybe it's more like this in the big city. I do not think we met the actual family here. Such a change from the other Casa Particulares, and I feel privileged to have met all the other families. I think also my trip feels complete, and now it seems time to make the journey home.