Our Casa particulares in havana, trinidad, and la boca

Havana: Casa Mary and Miguel

This casa was actually booked up when we got there but we had e-mailed ahead of time and they were able to let us use the apartment across the street. We were told someone was in the second room of the apartment the first night (we had a lock on our door and felt comfortable leaving our things there even with a stranger.) It didn’t appear anyone else came though – at least we never saw or heard them.  For the next two nights we had the place to ourselves.

Joao, the son of Mary and Miguel, speaks good English and was able to help us with things from a dinner recommendation to arranging a car and driver to Trinidad. Everyone was friendly and welcoming and patient with our poor Spanish.

They also own Cafe Arc Angel  A European style coffee bar right next door to the Casa, which made for a nice little home-base.

Trinidad:

We did not have a casa booked and planned to find one when we got into town. Our driver knew an owner of one of the casas and offered to take us there (this is common.) Tillman went in to check out the space while I waited with the luggage before we agreed to stay. He came back saying “looks pretty good, we’ll stay and I can’t wait for you to see it!” When I walked in, we had a spacious, clean room with two queen beds and the whole thing was hot pink! This spot also had an amazing rooftop balcony that we were able to have to ourselves.

Unfortunately, I cannot seem to find the name. Apparently the pink rooms are common because I am trying to search for this place and plenty other pink rooms are coming up.  – I’ll post the name as soon as I can track it down. In the meantime, Cuba Junky has plenty of good recommendations for Trinidad.

La Boca: Hostal “Vista Al Mar”

Manolo and his wife, Sylvia, were the most amazing hosts! We found this spot after scouring the internet for info on the small town. We came across a post by another blogger on their casa that promised kind hosts, great food, and a very relaxing environment. It definitely lived up to our expectations! I do think they were a little surprised when we told them about their “internet fame” as they don’t have a lot of computer access.

We asked the owner of our casa in Havana to call ahead and find out if there was a room at Vista Al Mar and didn’t get a solid answer so we took a cab over to check after arriving in Trinidad (it’s only a 10 minute drive.) We lucked out. Manolo was actually doing a few renovations and didn’t have a room open but offered to clear out another one for us to use. We came back the next day and it was a lovely spot.   If you’re interested in reaching out to the hosts before your trip let me know and I’ll pass on their e-mail address.

Looking for more info on our trip to Cuba? Check out our itinerary, things to do, and my top tips for American travelers.