Top
Homestay in Cuba: casas particulares

Casa Particular: the alternative to hotels & resorts in Cuba

When visiting Cuba, you have two different types of accommodation you can choose from. The obvious choice would be a hotel or resort and the other possibility is a Casa Particular.

Casas particulares, directly translating into “private houses” are a sort of B&B set up at people’s homes. If a local has a spare room to rent, it is rather common to have it available for tourists. Rooms in casas particulares are plentiful in Havana and present all across the country.

Looking for a place to stay in Havana...

Looking for a place to stay in Havana…

 

What can you expect of a Casa Particular?

Well, you will be having a private room, with your own bathroom or shared, depending on the house and, for this, you will be paying between 20CUC and 30CUC (equivalent amount in USD). As this is a room in a house, you will probably spend some time with the owners and, perhaps, with their family. Depending on the level of hospitality of your host, you might get invited to sit down and chat with them, perhaps to have some of their food, but this doesn’t always happen so you shouldn’t necessarily count on it.

Sometimes, breakfast might be included in your room rate, but not always, so make sure you make this clear with your host before you agree on a room rate or before you eat their food. Surprises happen, and we know what we are talking about in this field! The first room we stayed at was booked via Hostelbookers.com and clearly mentioned breakfast was included. After having our morning meal our indecent host, Ramiro, told us “It’s 4USD!“. He didn’t care that his ad on Hostelbookers mentions “breakfast included” and gave us the whole “oh, we are poor and pay a lot of taxes to the Government” speech. Not cool. We moved out. Specially after we found out his crib wasn’t even legally rented!… Obvious tip: do not stay at “Casa Ramiro”.

Casa Particular symbol

Casa Particular symbol

Whether you will be dining with your host or just saying hello and doing small chit chat while coming in and out of the house, Casas Particulares definitely offer a more real experience of Cuba and its people. If you stay in a hotel and, even more, in an all-inclusive resort, chances are you won’t get to know many Cubans and, therefore, your experience in this country will somehow be limited. Meeting people in their own homes is more intimate than chatting with waiters or musicians that play for tourists – many people you will meet “outside” will be nice expecting some tips in return, so it’s difficult sometimes to tell the difference between pure niceness and interest.

While staying in Casas Particulares it’s important to keep in mind that, even though you are paying to stay here, Cuba is a country of shortages and limitations, so don’t expect some “luxuries” that you might take for granted somewhere else. This includes seats in the toilet pot, smooth toilet paper, water pressure in the shower, plenty of butter even when you are paying for breakfast and things of the sort. For Cubans, every little thing counts and this is noticeable in and out of the houses. So much that, most restaurants we ate at while staying in Cuba, had their napkins cut into half! Why wasting a whole piece of tissue when you can clean yourself with half? E-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g counts!

Last, but not least, if you decide to stay in a Casa Particular, do not bother booking in advance. Our experience proved that, unless you are arriving late at night, it’s more successful to just arrive into town, look for the neighborhood you like and, over there itself, look for a casa. Legal casas (the ones with government permit to rent their rooms and that, therefore, pay heavy taxes for this every year) are marked on their facades with a blue symbol against white background. You will either read “room for rent” or, most commonly, “arrendador de divisas”. If a house does not have this symbol outside, it’s not illegal, so I would recommend against staying there.

If you need a room for a couple of hours only, for you know what!... ;)

If you need a room for a couple of hours only, for you know what!… ;)

 

Do watch out for the same symbol in red if you need the room for a couple of hours only and, who knows, with bed sheets spotting proof of previous naughty acts taking place in the room. We learnt, Sesame Street style, that different symbols indeed mean different things!


Subscribe to the Backpack ME Newsletter

Tips, fun stuff, and TONS of inspiration! Straight to your inbox!

12 Comments

  • Great tips here! But for people who don’t speak Spanish (not me, of course, ahem!) is that viable? Do people in the “Casas Particulares” speak English or other languages?

    • Zara Says

      Good point! You can still stay in a Casa even if you don’t speak Spanish. Most people staying around don’t actually speak Spanish, or not much at least. Renting the room in English is possible – everybody understands each other when in need! Obviously this will make your communication with your host more limited during the stay, but still, I think a person can manage quite alright.

      • Zara Says

        Also, in some casas, people might speak English or other languages. For example, the infamous Ramiro we mention above, is an English Professor in college…

  • Hiya there, nice article and am digging your suggestion of staying in casas instead of hotels. Effectively, casas are cheaper, have better customer service, the money goes straight into the community, and casa owners put a lot of effort into refurbishing their properties. If you want a more authentic Cuban experience, as you mention, stay in a casa! From what you guys say in your article, I thought you might be interested in this website: http://www.cubacasa.co.uk
    All the best, keep up the good work!

  • Adrienne Todd Says

    Hi Zara, I met a Cuban man on my recent trip to Cuba. We were told locals are not allowed in the hotels. If I return and stay in a casa particular, do you know if he would be allowed to stay with me, even for a night or two? Don’t think I would like the idea of a seedy hourly room there any more than in the US.

    • Zara Says

      Hi Adrienne!
      I find it weird that they don’t allow Cubans in hotels as you mention… what if people are married or in a relationship with a local, would they discriminate them?! I have heard of people getting involved with locals during their stays in Cuba and I guess they would go to hotels… but I don’t know of any case myself.
      About the casas particulares, it’s a matter of you asking the owners. I don’t think there should be a problem in general… but if it doesn’t work in a casa I am sure there would be others happy to host you and whoever who have with you.
      I saw an hourly room by mistake… and no, it doesn’t make for the most romantic of places! ;)

  • Pingback: 2012 Piggy Awards | Backpack Me

  • Brij Punj Says

    Foreign currency (US$)declared at Cuba customs?
    Are unused US$ allowed to be taken out of Cuba while departing?

  • Vipul Deshpande Says

    Hi, I am an Indian passport holder, living in Canada on a student visa. I tried getting Info on visa requirements and procedures. Every website has different answers. I went to the Cuban embassy and they gave me a list of documents and told me to pay $128 for the visa. Could you please confirm if I can get on arrival travel card?

    • Ashray Says

      Please read our Cuba visa article. There are many posts in the comments section from Indians who have traveled successfully with tourist cards bought at airline counters. The Cuban consulates are giving incorrect info and have been doing this since at least 2011.

      • Vipul Deshpande Says

        Thank you for the quick response. I just wanted to be sure so that I don’t return from Montreal airport without boarding the flight. Great work, guys. You both are giving people around the world some serious travel goals.

        • Ashray Says

          You could call the airline at the airport and confirm with them. The worst thing to happen is that on the day of your flight you might not have enough time to discuss this with them. Prior confirmation will help a lot.

Comments are closed for this post.

Subscribe to Backpack ME