Travel in Cuba is a unique and sometimes challenging experience. My favorite accommodation in Cuba is staying in casa particulars. Hands down. You meet local families that want to help you get more from your travels in Cuba. To take away some of the unknown, here’s everything you need to know about staying in a casa particular in Cuba.

United States and Cuba relations have begun to improve, but the embargo that limits travelers from the states is still in effect. This makes travel to Cuba much more difficult if you’re a resident of the USA.

For example – AirB&B is a site I sometimes use to compare prices. But this United States company has an interesting relationship in Cuba. You can sometimes book a room on AirB&B when outside the country, but if you do get online in Cuba, access is limited.

Hostelworld is another site you can use to book a casa particular in Cuba. Usually used to book beds in hostels, you can use this service as well.

This presents travelers, especially those who rarely plan (like myself) with a whole set of new and unique problems to overcome.

Luckily, casa particulares in Cuba aren’t as daunting as it may sound. And once you’re in Cuba, casa particulars become easier to book ahead of time.

Here’s everything you need to know to book a casa particular while in Cuba – plus the best resources to make it so much smoother!

 

What exactly is a casa particular in Cuba

First up, what exactly is a casa particular?

Well, it’s impossible to give a definitive description. Sometimes, casa particulares is called a ‘hostal’, that could mean a private room or the regular hostel-style shared dorm setting.

Usually, a casa particular for a tourist (look for a blue anchor – more on this below) will be a private room, from 2-4 beds on average. Most will have a private bathroom but some will be shared with other rooms.

The best part about staying at a casa particular? You live with the family under the same roof. While you’re a guest, you can also interact and learn about Cuba from them. It’s a really interesting and insightful experience.

So, I guess in summary, a casa particular can be seen as an AirB&B or hotel room, under the same roof as the host family.

 

How to book a casa particular in Cuba

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As I mentioned above, I’m not the best planner. I love to make things up as I go and change my plans when I see fit. However, this might not be a great idea in Cuba, dependent on the time of year you want to travel.

I visited Cuba at the end of April, beginning of May, which is considered the low season. I left Cuba technically 8 days into hurricane season. Probably helped with the number of tourists visiting.

Only in Playa Larga did my group of 3 run into issues of multiple casa particulars being booked out. Besides then, the technique I used worked fine.

Someone in my small group would have an address, whether from the Lonely Planet guide book, a guest recommendation or the offline Maps.Me app. We would give that address to the collectivo driver and he would drop us at the door. We would then door knock until we found somewhere and it rarely took long.

However, in the high tourist season, this is probably a bad idea. Unless you want to spend the night on the streets. So there are some other ways to book a Cuban casa particular in advance.

• Book all your accommodation in advance. AirB&B does work for some accommodations when outside Cuba. Hostelworld is another option to secure your next place to stay in Cuba.
• AirB&B messages do sometimes work, but the host won’t be able to confirm your booking to do restricted access. Honestly, it’s a confusing system that half works…sometimes.
• You can also email, or call a casa particular and book directly through them – here’s a guide to staying casa’s in Cuba.
• If you’re in the country, it’s a different ball game. Email still works fine if you can get access to a half-decent internet connection.
• If you’re already staying at a casa particular, your host will be more than likely fine with calling ahead to book your next accommodation. My Vinales host even went as far as trying to book a flight for me!

 

Where do I get phone numbers for a casa particular host in Cuba?

Lonely Planet’s guide to Cuba has some pretty amazing recommendations. Without internet, that book takes so much of the headache away.

Each major destination throughout Cuba is listed, as well as contact information and a quick rundown about their establishment. It’s a fantastic starting point for booking (or at least getting an address) for your next destination in Cuba.

Other ways are recommendations, either from other travelers or current casa particular host.

Maps.me is another option but rarely has a listed phone number. It is a very handy offline maps app that got by far the most work out on my phone while in Cuba.

Other apps such as AirB&B will have information listed and if you can’t book through the app, it’s a great way to get the information to contact them.

 

What are the benefits of a casa particular in Cuba

Staying in a casa particular when in Cuba has a number of benefits.

Hosts of these accommodations have a stake in many activities you do. Apart from getting paid when you stay there, they benefit via a small commission with many things they can book for you. From taxis to tours, with them getting a small percentage, they are extremely helpful in booking whatever you want.

You get to talk to a real Cuban family. Many of these hosts are open and love talking about their home country. It’s a great way to get personal insights into life in Cuba. Each person is a one of kind conversation and interesting to see their views on a lot of topics.

It’s easy to hop from one casa to another. Casa particular owners will gladly call you a shared collectivo taxi, that picks you up from the front door and drops you to the front door of your next casa particular – even in the busiest streets of Havana.

 

What is the difference between the blue and red anchors on a casa particular?

This was one of the more interesting facts of Cuba for me personally. If you pay attention to the streets and sign around Cuba (especially the cities), you will notice blue and red anchors on a casa particular.

Basically, blue is for tourists and red are for Cubans. While I encountered a red and blue side by side, the same casa particular cannot hold both.

There are a lot more blue anchors around than red anchors. This is probably due to the number of tourists vs the number of Cubans looking for a bed or room. Prices for tourists are also considerably higher than those of local Cubans, making it more profitable for hosts to accommodate tourists.

 

What are some interesting facts about casa particulars in Cuba?

• Casa particular hosts are taxed quite heavily to retain the recognized and official status of a casa particular. I was told this fee is around 8-9 CUC ($8-9 USD) per day, per room, even if the room is unoccupied. It surprises me that so many are able to operate at the cost per day – especially those having 3-4 rooms.
• Some items in Cuba are rationed. Eggs, for example, are in short supply and locals can be limited to 5 eggs per person, per month. As a tourist, that restriction doesn’t apply. While as a tourist, I pay more for a lot of things than a local, I still can’t shake the guilty feeling of eating eggs unrestricted.
• Casa particular owners get a commission from everything that you book through them. Shared taxis (colletivos), bicycle rentals, day trips are all profitable for a casa particular host. This doesn’t increase the cost for you as a traveler. In fact, it’s often cheaper to book a taxi through your casa particular than crawling the streets or through a tourist agency (such as Infotur).

 

I hope this post helped you understand all you need to know about casa particulars in Cuba.

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Thanks for reading!

Happy and safe travels,

Ben – Horizon Unknown