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This non-mandatory logo shows the casa has the official government permit.
Arrendatarios - Licensed Renters
All casas on this not-for-profit site are legal.
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Hola, viajeros !
Since May 15, 1997 — through Decree 171 — Cuban homeowners greet tourists, visitors and travellers — in dozens of cities and towns all over the island — by renting rooms, using the established formula known as "Bed & Breakfast". In Cuba, these are called "Casas particulares", simply because they are located in private (particular) homes (casas). The difference with other types of B&B's : those in Cuba do not include breakfasts in room rates but can always offer it, from 3 ("European-type") to 5cuc ("American-type breakfast") per person.
These casas are the property of Cubans [In 1958, about 75% of Cubans rented the dwellings in which they lived; by the late 1990's, more than 85% of Cuban households contained homeowners who pay little or nothing except maintenance, repairs and utilities.]
These homeowners may be teachers, lawyers, architects, doctors, regular homemakers, single moms or retired couples, engineers or military. All have to abide by stringent cleanliness, hygiene and basic comfort standards imposed by the government office which oversees the room rental service locally : the "Vivienda".
Amenities can greatly vary from one home to another, some offering a private bathroom (all casas have a hot water shower, otherwise they would not have a rental permit; the very large majority of rental homes do NOT have hot water on tap in washbasins — not even in kitchen sinks).
Casas always offer air conditioning (aire (pronounced hi,ray) in 95% of bedrooms), a terrace (terraza), a living room (sala), a dining room (comedor), a balcony (balcon) or the use of the family patio, sometimes in a typically Spanish colonial setting with high ceilings and period furniture. Other homes are considered modern (modernas), dating from the 50's or 60's where a warm and cosy atmosphere compensate for the intimacy and exiguity of the house or apartment.
Very few casas do not offer air conditioning but remember that between November and March, nights can be sometimes chilly. Air conditioning units are very rarely necessary, if at all, during November, December, January, February and March.
In fact, it is better to bring a windjacket or a good sweater (pulover) or anything warm enough (apart from your lover). During those months, taking a walk on a beach when there's gusts of clear fresh air under a blue sky is really something to clear the brain.
Cubans hate the frente frio, the cold air fronts and winds blowing in mostly from the North); those who really can't stand it get the sniffles and cough, the common winter cold.
The "Tourist Card" (Tarjeta de Turista) must be filled and handed to the Immigration officer on arrival. He/she takes half of it, the other half MUST be kept at all times with the traveller's passport and MUST be handed just before departure (after purchase of the 25cuc Cuba departure tax.
This tarjeta is usually free and, if not handed to travellers onboard the arriving flight, it can be had (and filled) just after landing. More on the Tarjeta in Español here. It is valid for one month. Canadians, exceptionally, can stay in Cuba for 3 months with this card before having to renew it (only once) for a total continuous stay of 6 months.
Other practicalities as suggested by LonelyPlanet.com :
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SINCE MAY 1 2010, CUBA CHECKS FOR PROOF OF MEDICAL TRAVEL INSURANCE - Original Reuters story
IF A TRAVELER IS NOT ALREADY COVERED ON ARRIVAL (or whose coverage is from a US Financial Services insurance scheme which is not valid in Cuba), HE/SHE CAN BUY INSURANCE FROM ASISTUR S.A., A CUBAN INSURANCE COMPANY FOUNDED IN 1991.
:::: RATES FROM 2,50cuc to 3 cuc PER DAY (for 10,000 or 25,000cuc maximum coverage) to 4,50 to 5 cuc PER DAY (for tourists 70 year old and over)
:::: PURCHASE OVER THE WEB MAY EVENTUALLY BE POSSIBLE
:::: SEE ASISTUR PDF HERE
ONE REACTION
You must be crazy if you do not take, at minimum, emergency health insurance when travelling abroad. I cannot blame Cuba for taking this stance, why should they pay for someone who thought they were covered by a credit card and it turns out not to be true ?
Or thought their group policy covered all costs up front and it turns out not to be the case. You either were not covered for that procedure or you need to pay the thousands of dollars in destination and claim when you get home.
Cuban hospitals cannot afford to do things for free or extend credit. Yes, force people to take insurance is like forcing them to carry a passport and it's a great idea.
It is their country and entry requirements are their decision. In terms of loosing business, I doubt it highly. They are already one of the least expensive destinations and even if you consider a $30 bump per person, for emergency hospital and medical coverage, big deal.
It is still considerably less expensive than going to another destination. Good for Cuba!!
by Peter March on www.havanatimes.org, March 8 2010
ANOTHER REACTION
I think this new policy can have far reaching effects.
Banks that do business in Cuba cannot have any business operations in the United States and I’m sure this sanction would apply to foreign insurance companies who may sell Cuban health insurance.
Sure, it will be a big money grab for Cuba no doubt but is this a roundabout way to force some changes in the way the US prevents foreign companies from doing business in the US and Cuba.
by Publisher on havanajournal.com, March 8 2010
Simon Calder's take in The Independent (U.K.) on May 1, 2010 here
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| Canadian governement web page about travelling to Cuba — Here |
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FORMALITIES • RATES • PAYMENT • BEDDING • CURRENT
Safety, peace of mind, cleanliness (rental permits require it; there are impromptu inspections) and genuine hospitality are part of a non-overbearing atmosphere : you feel truly welcome. When you first come into a casa you have reserved, the owner will ask for your passport and will write down the information on a government form which he/she will ask you to sign like a hotel registration card.
This information has to be reported to the local Cuban Immigration office within 24 hours, same as hotels and resorts do. The only other form you will have to sign is a receipt in the amount your lodging costs. Tell the owner then and there how many nights you wish to stay and if you wish to eat dinner and breakfast. Casas almost never serve lunches. But you can always ask, ahead preferably.
From there, it's up to you to start a conversation with the owners or just be left alone to the activities of a well-meaning visitor. Rates do not include meals and vary from 15cuc to 45cuc and more for one or two persons sharing a bedroom (exchange rates on a daily basis from Coinmill.com here) depending on the location, season and city. Visitors get to use the living room and patio of course and, sometimes the kitchen.
Legal bedroom capacity is limited to 2 adults. No more. Except for children 12-17 and under travelling with their parent(s), in which case most owners will provide an additional bed. There are no taxes payable by visitors on room rentals. All services are payable in cash Cuban Pesos Convertibles only. Rates can be higher in Havana. Mileage may vary, caveat emptor, carpe diem, batteries not included.
Electric current is 110 volts, the same as in the US and Canada but using only the two-prong, 50's and 60's era plug, not the three-prong including the round, ground prong. Buy an adaptor before leaving, especially if you're bringing a laptop or an appliance that only has the three-prong. If you forget the adaptor, do like we did recently : some Cuban hardware stores sell, for 5cuc, a "powerbar" with four ground plugs. Ask the store attendant to cut off the end ground prong and you're in business.
Europeans who do not have a (or have forgotten their) 110/220 adaptor are glad to know they can, in a bind, plug their 220V appliance (computer, hairdryer, whatever) into the wall plug used for the air-conditioning unit, which, in most Cuban casas, runs on 220. They may sweat a little but their appliance gets charged. ; )
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Breakfast for two at Gustavo's in Trinidad.
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Dinner for one at Ana Marti's in Bayamo.
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MEALS (CENAS) & OTHER SERVICES
Most casa owners offer breakfast for about 3-5cuc and some will serve a full-course dinner (chicken, fish, seafood, pork, (rarely beef) with salad (tomatoes, cabbage, carrots, cucumber) and rice or black beans, a Cuban staple) for 7 to 15cuc. Owners who offer full-course meals have to pay an additional monthly tax. Most owners can prepare (very well, thank you) the illegal (because reserved for export) but quite tolerated sea fare : fish (pescado), shrimp (camarones), lobsters (langostas).
For dinner some seaside casas will go as far as to offer turtle (bariay) or crocodile (crocodilo) but these last two are even illegal-er than langostas (because on the brink of extinction in most countries except Cuba whose waters are relatively underfished). Caveat emptor.
Most are willing to serve meals because they make a good margin on food.
REFRESHMENTS (REFRESCOS)
The Cuban "general store" chain Tiendas Panamericanas with its easily-recognizable green banner is established in every corner of the island and sells (besides stereos, rhum, underwear, chocolate, cookies, crisps, etc) some pretty good white or red wines from Chile, Spain or Argentina and Cuba's own wine label Soroa : most sell for 6-10cuc or more per bottle; don't expect houseowners to stock those because Cubans very rarely drink wine : stock up and store them in the casa or bedroom fridge.
Many dueños have on hand beer (Bucanero, Cristal or other local brands) or soft drinks (Ciego Montero brands of Sprite-like, Coke-like bubbly sweet water) in the bedroom fridge or the casa's refri which they will sell for 1cuc. Same goes for small or large bottles of water.
Owners will wash your clothes (lavanderia) and may charge one or two cuc for that service. Most are ready and able to help you with tourist information, a bike rental, information about the location of a restaurant, bar or show : things that you would do in your own home for your friends and relatives.
Search more than 30 sites listing Cuban casas on the web - Check our page here.
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Comments and discoveries
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Casas which have the official government permit normally post (without obligation) the above sign : Licensed Renter, Arrendador Inscripto. Divisa means payable in Cuban Pesos Convertibles. A similar sign in red means the casa is rented only to Cubans and payable in Moneda Nacional, but those are quite rare.
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TO BOOK A CASA
• Send an e-mail by clicking on our logo (shown below). This should open your e-mail application with the address being shown in the "To:" box. You will note that the actual address has been added to something like (if you mouseover) "mailto:Particuba_thecity_casaname_". This is to show the Cuban recipient that the message has gone through our site so that he/she will pay more attention to its content. We do not collect commissions from owners, our sites are strictly non-profit.
Most of the casas we list have access to an e-mail address. Be patient for the reply, as most casa owners do not check their e-mail on a daily basis. Only a handful have an in-home connection. [We do not show e-mail addresses directly on our lists — we use clickable images — to avoid Cubans from getting spam produced by so-called "robots" which collect addresses from texts. We don't have to explain further as you are surely aware (and "victims" of this practice.]
• If the casa has no e-mail logo (as above)
• If you are in a hurry
- Phone the owners directly from your country : international phone rates to Cuba may seem dear to - some, but it should not take you more than two minutes — consult our very own Spanish lexicon here or type in your phrase using Google translate here — to call direct to Cuba and have sufficient time to book by human voice. Old-fashioned maybe, but so worry-free. The Cuban phone network is quite efficient, you'll be gladly surprised to know.
Dialing from Canada or the USA 011 53 + city code + phone number.
Dialing from Europe, UK and Mexico 00 53 + city code + phone number.
• If you are a relaxed traveller, best is to take it easy by booking the first night(s) by e-mail
- Then phone the other casa owners on your itinerary on arrival in Cuba directly from the airport or from the first casa's phone. Stick to your list (our suggestions). Do not rely on Cuban recommendations because inasmuch as they are doing this out of generosity and kindness, they most likely have never seen the casa or pictures of their own recommendation. You have seen photos of the casa where you have chosen to go.
• If you are a neurotic tourist (such as any character in a Woody Allen movie), then go ahead, call every casa 3 months ahead of time and satisfy your need for security.
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RATES SHOWN ON OUR LISTINGS • TYPICAL BUDGET PER PERSON
ie 20-25cuc or 35-40cuc are according to Low or High Seasons.
The 5 months of High Season : December, January, February, July and August
These rates are given to us by the owners. Remember we do not get a centavo of commission from the bookings you make through this site. So, just because the casas we recommend are colonial or modern and well-furnished, air-conditioned and so on, does not mean you are paying more (as you would if you went through a site that makes credit card bookings) by using our information. You pay the owner (in cash Cuban Covertibles only), we have nothing to do with that.
Remember there are thousands of legal casas in Cuba. In Havana alone, maybe 3,000, including 550 in Centro, more than a thousand in Vedado and so on. So, if you are travellers at heart (and not tourists), you just know you will find some casa to your liking from our lists. If you've heard of a great casa not on our lists, ask us about it [webmaster_at_cubacasas.net].
We will do some research for you and report what we know or tell you on which web site it is listed and ... see it for ourself next time we go to Cuba, if we feel it's worth it.
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PLAN TO TRAVEL AROUND THE ISLAND ?
• Print our listings from each city page;
• Browse other web sites listing casas (some here);
• Consult the most recent editions of travel guides (our list here) in bookform, and settle on 2 or 3 casas per town, then plan an itinerary from there.
Hence, you don't absolutely need an advanced reservation for every single night of your stay (unless it's over Xmas and New Year's or in Summer months). What you need on arrival is to tell Cuban Immigration where you plan to stay, for at least your first night in the country. Pick an address from our lists and write it on the form on arrival — and call any casa on our lists, right from the airport : why not ?. That's all.
From that casa, or whatever other you settled on, make all necessary phone calls. To another casa in the same city or to your first choice on the list of each city on your itinerary.
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LIMITATIONS • TRAVEL GUIDEBOOKS
Since May 2003, the Cuban government imposes a limit of two bedrooms for rent in each casa and no more than two adults per bedroom. The overwhelming majority (99%) have private phone lines (or cellular phones) and will call a taxi or can recommend a local restaurant (called "paladar") or a casa in a friend's or cousin's town on your itinerary.
In the case a Cuban casa owner recommends a casa, remember that he/she has more than likely never seen the casa in a long while (if at all) so it is better to rely on our lists and your own research on the Internet and in guidebooks.
In spite of what publishers may claim, guidebooks can never be as up-to-date as cubacasas.net. By a long shot because they're only updated (in spite of the year for which they are published) every 2nd year at best. We are still seeing erratas or casas not renting anymore as listed in the most famous guidebooks. We update listings on a weekly basis. As a matter of fact, a lot of researchers for guidebooks browse through this site and copy listings : there are ways for us to know this. But then, imitation is the best form of flattery.
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TAXES • PUBLIC FUNDS • BENEFITS • EMBARGO
For the thousands of Cuban families who take up the challenge (it is a lot of work, trust us!), this relatively new form of hosting means they can join the tourist boom while trying to balance their budget. Their revenues, less a monthly tax on each tourist-assigned room (rented or not) goes back, it is assumed, to the población through social services.
The casa owners are not only taxed for each bedroom on a monthly basis (ie, a two-bedroom Vedado casa which also offers meal service has to pay about 650cuc per month before expenses). In January of each year, casa owners are also audited for what is called the "13th month", an income tax based on the previous year's gross rental revenues.
Obviously, renting casas is the cheapest way of collecting foreign currency for the government. Cuba has this regular income from monthly casa taxes (something like 12 million convertible pesos a year, we figure) without having to invest a single tourist dollar. The government does not have to deal with foreign investors or make large investments.
Contrary to what it invests in hotels and resorts, the government does not have to risk any public funds for renovations (lumber, cement, paint, labor) or staff (cooking, cleaning, paperwork, immigration forms, monthly and yearly income reports) or upkeep (water, electricity, phone, tv, air-conditioning, paper, towels, soap, etc). The government's part is in fact quite basic : local inspectors and office staff of the Vivienda who are paid in Cuban pesos. Each city or town has a Vivienda office which runs all rental casas.
This (seemingly) easy money partly explains why the government can have the population benefit from the highest literacy rate, the highest life expectancy, the largest number of free doctors per capita and the widest free education network in Latin America and most countries on the majority of continents. On this planet. In this galaxy. Read more on this page.
The ex-president of American Express, the IMF International Monetary Fund and the World Bank (a post assigned by the US Presidency), James Wolfensohn said in April 2001 : " I have no hesitation in recognizing Cuba has done a good job in the fields of education and health and I am not the least embarrassed in admitting it. Although we have presently nothing to do with Cuba, we should congratulate Cubans for what they have accomplished."
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EMBARGO • THE USUAL SUSPECTS
"On October 28, 2009 for the 18th year in a row, the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted a non-binding resolution by a vote of 187 countries to 3 (185 in 2008, 183 in 2007, 179 in 2003, 173 in 2002, 167 in 2001, 59 in 1992) asking all countries to refuse to apply the American embargo against Cuba as it "violates other states' sovereignty" and "the legitimate interests of entities or persons under their jurisdiction and the freedom of trade and navigation".
The usual suspects who voted against : the United States of Agression, Palau and ... the war-mongering Israeli government voted against — the sionists being too busy building walls around Palestine instead of tearing them down like Berlin did 20 years ago. Micronesia and the Marshall Islands, again, abstained.
[In a sign of thawing ties, US President Obama in 2009 lifted limits on Cuban Americans traveling and sending money to Cuba, and initiated talks with Havana on migration and mail service, the latter aimed at reinstating direct postal service between Cuba and the United States suspended since August 1963.]
Felipe Perez Roque, the Cuban foreign minister, in 2008 blamed the sanctions for damaging the island's economy by $93 billion over the decades.
RESPECT CUBA'S SOVEREIGNTY
Canadian Senator Jacques Hébert (1923-2007) who lived part of the year in Cuba, commenting on the long-term imprisonment of dozens of Cubans accused of treason, said in March 2004 : "How can you keep up an embargo for over 40 years ? (ie, any ship that lands in Cuba has to wait 6 months before going to the US). Persisting for that long with laws like the Helms-Burton and all those dirty tricks just to crush a small country goes beyond limits. (...) We tend to forget that Cubans feel threatened. Anyone would, by just listening to what Bush and the American extreme-right claim. It's total agressivity."
"If I were Cuban, I would feel threatened. So if the Cuban authorities feel threatened, they have a right to take actions they would not normally take outside of that context. There are things about Cuba I like less than others but I like more things about the country than I dislike. And that's why I am here." AFAWK, in the US, treason is punishable by life imprisonment, in France, it's 25 years.
STRANGE DICTATORSHIP
"Strange dictatorship which sends its doctors and teachers to shantytowns of Soweto, of Port-au-Prince, of Quito, of Bogota or Caracas. Which, instead of brutally firing — using the so-called democratic ways of our very democratic countries — 100,000 sugar industry workers, bothers to consult them, modify its plans and then restructure its primary industry without any social upheaval or human drama." Authors Danielle Bleitrach and Viktor Dedaj, in Cuba est une île (Cuba is an island) Publisher : Le Temps des Cerises, Paris, November 2004.
Strange dictatorship — In December 2002, after visiting a synagogue and attending the Cuban premiere of his film Minority Report in Havana, US director and producer Steven Spielberg was invited to meet Fidel Castro after attending the Bet Shalom Synagogue. As he came out, he said to journalists that he had just spent the most important eight hours of his life.
Someone once said : "Everything that's ever been said about the U.S. is true." Perhaps the contrary applies to Cuba...when emanating from the US government.
Strange society — In Cuba, there are no firearms in homes (50% of US homes have at least one; 18% in Canada; 23% in Québec; 30 firearms per 100 persons in France) nor are there soldiers on the street to make sure there are no homeless (care for family and neighbours is not a law), there is no pornography nor child prostitution (women and children are treated as human beings), there is no advertising on television, newspapers, radio nor on any of its 10,000 web sites : a country where citizens are not con(ned)sumers.
Strange island where there are no casinos; Cuba has chosen to get revenues in a dignified manner, not through addiction; 65% of health and education professionals and 43% of the 609 National Assembly members are women, the third-highest level in the world after Rwanda (51%) and Sweden (47%).
Strange ideals — Cuba is the only country in the world with sustainable development, says the World Wildlife Fund. Cuba has planted 137 million trees, 5th largest total in the world in 2008 for the UNEP — United Nations Environment "Plant A Billion Trees" Campaign; Cuba’s education index is equal highest in the world along with Australia, Finland, Denmark and New Zealand; for the past twenty years, Cuba has been taking care of more than 18,000 Russian children affected by the Chernobyl nuclear powerplant explosion in April 1986 in the Ukraine.
Strange democracy — During elections held every five years since 1975 (at national, provincial or municipal levels), candidates do not represent any party hence no party line and no expected paybacks as budgets are outlawed in order to make sure candidates represent their ideas only based on their curriculum vitae only. There are 1,200 provincial delegates; 175 communes (municipios) each made up of 30 to 200 electoral ridings for a total of 15,093 representatives who represent an average 550 citizens of their burrough in their town.
In the 2010 Municipal Elections (regular national-level elections for the Asemblea Nacional and province by province Asembleas Provinciales Elections were held before), interested citizens had from Feb 24 to Mar 24 to apply for candidacy; 8.4 million Cubans were registered to elect some 15,093 "delegates of the people" (delegados del pueblo) representing every town burrough (Municipal Assemblies of the People or officially "Asambleas Municipales del Poder Popular") made up (we divided 8.4 million by 15,093) of an average of 556 eligible voters per municipal assembly.
And ballot boxes are watched by children : some 300,000 kids took part in the 2003 Elections :
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Whoa, children watching ballot boxes : strange indeed.
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Prospective candidates and voters alike identify themselves through their precious mandatory ID Card "carnet de identidad".
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Citizens 16 and over can register to vote.
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The 2010 Election poster
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Campaigning does not require big budgets; more and more use the Internet; parties are not allowed, individuals only.
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Cuba lives in peace and health through education — without the help of organized crime. Far from paradise for sure, with huge problems for sure. But, hey, it's a beginning.
" Cuba is a bizarre and atmospheric place - the most fantastic country I've ever been to. It feels frozen in time. Go, before it changes and becomes like everywhere else. Fiona Tomlinson, News Editor, Channel 4, UK "
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SIZE & POPULARITY
La Isla Grande is a large country, 1,100 kilometers long. With its 42,804 square miles, its territory surpasses in size Austria, Belgium, Hungary, the Netherlands or Portugal. Travelling by train from the capital to the second largest city, 867 km away, Santiago de Cuba, takes close to 15 hours (albeit slowly, but safely). Casa-hopping is the best way to discover the true nature of the largest Caribbean island. Something the large, all-inclusive impersonal resorts or hotel complexes cannot offer.
In 2009, Canada, eh? with 914,884 (+12% over 2008). Then Great Britain 172,318, España 129,224, Italia 118,347 and Deutschland 93,437 are Cuba's 5 most important sources. France 83,478 and Mexico 61,487, Argentina 48,543, Russia 37,391, the Netherlands 33,123, Venezuela 28,657, Portugal 26,065, Colombia 21,287, Chile 18,205 and Belgium with 15,722 made up 65% of the 2.4 million visitors in 2009. In 2008, USA visitors numbered 40,521 but for 2009 the Cuban stats office O.N.E. has not published the total. Go ... figure.
Figures show that 2.4 million visitors travelled to Cuba in 2009, a slight increase over 2008.
Some 93 airlines use Cuba's 10 international airports from 40 cities worldwide. Hurry up and heed Fiona Tomlinson's advice (see Home Page).
IT FIGURES
Nowadays, those US citizens who do make it to Cuba have to break the law, traveling through Mexico, the Bahamas or Canada, totally stressed-out when they make it back home, hoping US immigration officers don't spot their "deviance" and slap them with a huge fine. A fine from the government of a so-called democratic country for visiting a sovereign country.
OUR PART
We have been travelling to Cuba for many years and regularly tour the country. In the past 40 months, we've racked up over 16,000 km touring La Isla Grande (most recently in January and June 2005 and February-March 2006; October-November 2006 and November-December 2007; January-February 2009), meeting casa owners and taking pictures of their humble cuartos or outstanding coloniales, and churning out videos of la naturaleza, the pueblos, the poblacion and the ciudades.
We augment the lists by exchanging information with travellers and some of the 550 true visitors — on average per day to our sites — from around the globe. At home in Canada, we spend most of our time in front of a computer, answering e-mails, giving advice, researching, planning our next trip, feeding the cats and trying to make this site and its French-language version, www.particuba.net, as up-to-date as possible.
Unfortunately, we have to fight copyright infringements of our texts and photos. We're up to the 7th web site stealing our photos and posting them on commercial for profit sites.
Were we to print the whole sites on 8.5x11 paper, we would have at least 2,600 pages. Enjoy saving the environment
Marcos el webmaestro, Montréal, Québec, Canada
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Comments and discoveries
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26.07.10 - Updated this section on this, the 57th anniversary of the attack on La Moncada in Santiago by Fidel & Amigos
25.07.10 - Updated Cienfuegos pages with new casa near Faro Luna; new casa Botello Hab Centro photos
24.07.10 - Link to nice photos of La Habana by Steve YYZ on photobucket
24.07.10 - New casa page for Irma Jordana Valls and casa Duharte in Santiago; reparto sueño section to be updated (erased temporarily)
20.07.10 - New maps for Las Terrazas
19.07.10 - New photos casa Lunass in Centro
16.07.10 - New photos casa Amalia Urrutia in Habana Vieja
15.07.10 - Added casa Xiomara Borbolla in Habana Vieja
14.07.10 - Updated casa photos in Guanabo
08.07.10 - Both sites hacked by Turkish Ghost 61 : not a lot of fun resetting pages
05.07.10 - Added new casas in Habana Centro : Marta Obaya, Maria Elena, Humberto y Maria
03.07.10 - Added new town center map for Santa Clara
01.07.10 - Added page Berta y Cortes in Cienfuegos
 28.06.10 - Added new page Playa Santa Lucia from Nuevitas
26.06.10 - Added casa Papo y Niulvis in Viñales
21.06.10 - New page on Guardalavaca (from Holguin and Gibara) and its hotels
21.06.10 - Added new casas in Nuevitas; new national park info, photos
21.06.10 - Updated Playa Baracoa; Gibara Los Amigos, Playa Siboney
21.06.10 - Updated Matanzas casa list and tourist excursions info
20.06.10 - Added two new budget hotel suggestions for Varadero
19.06.10 - Added new casa Oskar Machado in Moron
14.06.10 - Replaced Banco Metropolitano link for currency exhange info to coinmill.com
09.06.10 - Updated Habana Centro page
08.06.10 - Added Pilar y Marcelino in Habana Centro
08.06.10 - Added casa Villa Los Faroles in Vedado; Jorge Leon in Centro
07.06.10 - Added two new maps for Soroa
06.06.10 - Added quotes from thinkers, shakers and movers from History on each town page
05.06.10 - New info on cultural events in Las Tunas and Santiago
31.05.10 - New casa Dayami in Playa Larga (Peninsula de Zapata)
25.05.10 - Added new map and casas for Guanabo, Cojimar
24.05.10 - Added Santa Cruz del Sur page
22.05.10 - Updated Havana Parque Lenin, Playa Siboney pages
16.05.10 - Updated Camaguey casas
16.05.10 - Added new maps for Camaguey, Cayo Romano, Holguin, Gibara, Guantanamo, Mayari and Santiago areas
15.05.10 - Added typical average daily budget information
14.05.10 - Updated Guanahacabibes
05.05.10 - Added new casa Wilber y Maira in Santiago
05.05.10 - Updated front page with headlines most people do not read anywhere
01.05.10 - Updated Guidebooks page
30.04.10 - Updated Moron with new tourist info
26.04.10 - Added our first video on youtube from the dozens of hours of video we shot in past 5 years
23.04.10 - Added notes and photos about the electoral process — on this page (above)
21.04.10 - Added new info and excursion photos + train sked in Moron (pedestrian street, etc)
17.04.10 - New series (#15) of art and shows posters for La Habana
01.04.10 - Added Flash Casa presentations to Santa Clara, Holguin, Matanzas, Habana Vieja, Santiago, Trinidad
03.04.10 - Added casa Fidel y Maruchi in Amancio, new photos Marel in Moron
01.04.10 - Added Flash Casa presentations to Santa Clara, Holguin, Matanzas, Habana Vieja, Santiago, Trinidad
30.03.10 - Added La Vicaria in Sancti Spiritus and Hostal Vista Park i Santa Clara
10.03.10 - Added notes about Cuba asking for proof of traveller insurance — here
03.03.10 - Added NEW PAGE Guanahacabibes (The peninsula, its hotels, geography and history)
01.03.10 - Added casa Setien (Santiago) and updated + new photos + casa Perez-Ramos in Remedios
28.02.10 - Added NEW PAGE Casilda (the port town of Trinidad)
28.02.10 - Added more top casas in Baracoa, Cienfuegos, Havana, Matanzas, Santiago and Viñales to Top Casas page to total 117
18.02.10 - Added photos and tripadvisor commentaries to casa La Pergola (Santa Clara)
17.02.10 - Revamped Topes de Collantes and Valle de los Ingenios pages (Trinidad)
15.02.10 - Posted photos of casa Evelio Lora Ramos in Santiago; eliminated casas Padron and Ameris which do not tent anymore in Playa Larga (Zapata)
14.02.10 - Added links to Horario de Buses.com site for bus schedules
13.02.10 - Added illustration of Tarjeta de Turismo in Introduction page
09.02.10 - Updated Havana main and Centro page with mini foto links
12.01.10 - Added map of Sierra de Guaniguanico in Pinar del Rio
12.01.10 - Added front page link to article in Canada's Walrus magazine about Sherritt's boss
08.01.10 - Added casa Aquilina in Viñales
28.12.09 - Updated Cienfuegos; new casas (Santiago y Lidia, Casa de la Amistad), new section
17.12.09 - New casas and section : Olivia y Juan, Manuel y Norales, Virginia y Roberto and casa Suzy in Playa Baracoa
14.12.09 - New casas and revised section : Ferreiro, Vicky, Zimmerman, Sonia and Arsenio in Cojimar
12.12.09 - New casas and sections : Casa Mary, Vivi Pandiello, José Otaño and Luis Montesino in Bahia Honda, Playa La Mulata, Cabañas and Santa Lucia in the One-Ofs page
11.12.09 - New photo gallery in Viñales - Espeleologia
10.12.09 - Updated Habana Vieja page - new splash photos
09.12.09 - Added casa Oscar y Ana in Matanzas, Hostal Roble Doble in Gibara
07.12.09 - Added new casas in Playa Baracoa, La Mulata, Cabanas, Bahia Honda and Cojimar in one-offs page
05.12.09 - Started mini-photo links to same area on all city pages
04.12.09 - Updated 36-casa-site-search page here
01.12.09 - Updated Habana Vedado and Sagua la Grande
29.11.09 - Updated Camaguey and Santiago
21.11.09 - Posted info about flu risks AH1N1
20.11.09 - Updated Habana Vedado page
20.11.09 - New casas : Hostal Alameda in Trinidad, Patria Gonzalez in Matanzas
17.11.09 - Updated Circuits-Routes page (Oeste, Centro, Oriente)
16.11.09 - New casas : Buena Vista in Bayamo, Las Delicias de Neri in Jaguey Grande, Elena Tarajano in Habana Vedado
15.11.09 - Updated Baracoa and Santiago
15.11.09 - Updated Viñales casa El Cafetal
14.11.09 - Posted new casa Hostal Alameda and new photos for Casa Yolanda in Trinidad; new casa — Tarajano in Habana Vedado
12.11.09 - Posted new page Varadero
06.11.09 - Updated Viñales casas Villa Cristal y Tomas y Yolanda
29.10.09 - Updated data on 18th annual UN vote for abolishing US embargo
25.10.09 - Updated Playa Giron, Larga, Jaguey : new casa, new photos
14.10.09 - Updated Santiago : new casas Roberto Alonso, Hostal Martin y Gisel
03.09.09 - Updated Playa Siboney : photos, new casa pages
22.08.09 - Updated Cienfuegos page with two new casas : La Casona de Conde and Santiago y Lidia
22.08.09 - Updated all town pages with new fold-down menu of all cities and towns with casas
09.08.09 - Added new casa, casa Colonial Perez-Ramos in Remedios
04.08.09 - Added new, large and detailed map of Habana del Este (Playas del Este) in Guanabo
30.07.09 - New casa Edward y Yixel in Baracoa
20.07.09 - New casa Gladys y René in Habana Vedado
18.07.09 - New page Amancio in province Las Tunas
15.07.09 - New page Sagua la Grande — awaiting suggestions for casas, if there are any ; )
12.07.09 - Wrote to casaparticular.com and its British server bpweb.net to ask they cease and desist using some 70 of our copyrighted photos and texts
09.07.09 - New search service : 40 and more casa sites available in one-only search — here
05.07.09 - Linked to pages on havana-cultura.com from main La Habana page
26.06.09 - Updated Sierra Maestra Galeria page
16.06.09 - New page Guaimaro, Birthplace of the Constitucion
15.06.09 - Updated (new photos, logos, etc) Pinar del Rio, Playa Giron, Playa Herradura, Playa Las Bocas, Siboney, Puerto Padre, Puerto Esperanza, Soroa
09.06.09 - Updated Viñales with new casa Villa Pitin y Juana
01.06.09 - Updated Matanzas with Villa Octavio
15.05.09 - Updated La Boca - Trinidad : new casas
17.04.09 - Added Casa Mabel in Santiago de Cuba;
30.03.09 - Added new photos of colonial casas Tamargo, Liliana, Cocodrilo, and Meyer in Trinidad
29.03.09 - Added new casas Rosaura and Juan y Nastia in Santiago de Cuba
27.03.09 - Added new casa Hostal Vista Al Parque in Moron
17.03.09 - Added new casas — Casa Yohn and Las Chinitas in Remedios
16.03.09 - Updated Guanabo (Playas del Este) : new casas Fanjul, Maria, SolMar
14.03.09 - Updated Puerto Padre (new info, map, photos)
12.03.09 - Updated Matanzas (new casa Marta Maria, Matanzas Bus Tour)
09.03.09 - Updated Santa Clara (new casas Hostal Alba, Jorge; new photos casa Hector)
08.02.09 - Back from a 3,264 km itinerary over the past 30 days, touring La Habana, Soroa, Las Terrazas, Pinar del Rio, Viñales, Sandino, Guanahacabibes, Cienfuegos, Trinidad, Fomento, Hatibonico, Santa Clara, Remedios, Cayeria Norte, Colon, Matanzas, Guanabo and San Francisco de Paula (to pay homage to Papa).
31.12.08 - Fixed bugs in main page menu — just before opening the Champagne. Happy New Year !
04.12.08 - New casa in Amancio
25.11.08 - New photos of casa Luis Izquierdo in Trinidad
18.11.08 - New casa Goicochea in Habana Vedado
28.10.08 - New casas in Playa Siboney
01.10.08 - Updated Cardenas with phone numbers
23.09.08 - Updated Matanzas — Casa Marilyn
12.09.08 - Added front-page links to Hurricanes Gustav and Ike's damages
03.09.08 - Updated Cienfuegos — Casas in sequence
02.09.08 - Updated Zapata Peninsula — Playa Larga / Barrio Caleton
01.09.08 - Updated Soroa links
26.08.08 - Updated Viñales : 5cuc scam commission by jiniteros. See "Noteworthy"
16.08.08 - Updated Pinar del Rio, added Handy Santalla casa
24.07.08 - Updated Habana Vieja's 6-zone map with all restaurants, hotels and our casas
22.07.08 - Listed our Top 20 Casas in the country's capital, La Habana
15.07.08 - Updated Moron with festival info, Playa Pilar photos
14.07.08 - Updated Habana Vieja — Casa Juanita y Ernesto
10.07.08 - Updated Playa Giron with photos of Hostal Luis
08.07.08 - Meeting in Quebec City, UNESCO'S World Heritage Committee's 32nd session, added new sites to its List, including Camaguey's Historic Centre. Description here.
23.06.08 - Updated Santiago de Cuba — Casa Gabriel Jardines
21.06.08 - Updated Habana Vieja — Casa Picayo
08.04.08 - Updated Bayamo with new casas (Alina, Marta)
01.04.08 - Updated Trinidad with new casa (Rodolfo Bravo)
19.02.08 - Updated Remedios with new info on excursions, etc
11.02.08 - Updated Pinar del Rio : new casas (Gonzales, Madera), new photos (Una casa colonial, Marti 51) and new city map with casas.
08.02.08 - Updated Moron page : new casas and new photos and new city map with casas.
31.01.08 - Exclusive photos of great waterfront casas in Punta Gorda we visited last November : Angel y isabel, Maria Antonia y Napoles, Villa Ana Maria, La Casita de Oshun (Alejandra Lopez), Eduardo & Zunilda, Villa Las Estancias (Miriam y Keyla), Los Delfines (Magalis y Eduardo), Villa Lagarto (Tony y Maylin) and Hostal Mandy y Olga in Cienfuegos a new casa in centre of town (Bella Perla).
25.01.08 - New casa in Caibarien (Yayo)
24.01.08 - New casas in Santiago de Cuba (Casa Nivia and Casa Nancy Santos).
23.01.08 - Updated Moron (new casas, new photos & infos)
22.01.08 - Updated Guanabo (Casa Nelvy Rodriguez)
18.01.08 - Updated Habana Vedado (12 casas eliminated)
16.01.08 - Updated Trinidad (new photos, new casas, 13 casas eliminated)
14.01.08 - In 2007, Canada with 630,965 visitors, Great Britain with 209,515 and España with 134,081 visitors were the three most important tourist providers to Cuba, followed by Italia, Deutschland, la France, Mexico, Argentina, Venezuela and the Netherlands.
08.01.08 - New Habana Playa/Miramar map with some casas; new casas in Playa/Miramar (Cecilia Ruiz), Habana Vedado (Carmen Suarez Fosalba)
04.01.08 - 3 new casas and new casa photos in Viñales
02.01.08 - 14 new casas and new casa photos in Soroa
27.12.07 - 12 new casas and new casa photos in Remedios
15.12.07 - Back from a one-month circuit including Habana Vedado, Soroa, Las Terrazas, Pinar del Rio, Viñales, Cayo Levisa, Soroa, Ciego Montero, Cienfuegos, Trinidad, La Boca, Yaguajay, San Jose del Lago, Elguea, Remedios, Caibarien, Cayo Las Brujas, San Miguel de los Baños, Matanzas and Guanabo
18.11.07 - New casa, Tomasa in Viñales
14.11.07 - New page - 50 small hotels outside Havana here. (To be fully translated.)
15.10.07 - New page - Our two top choices in each city or town. See here
05.10.07 - New page - Soroa (with Las Terrazas)
25.09.07 - New casas in Cienfuegos (Hostal La Terraza), Jaguey Grande (Casa Cari and Casa Bertha), Habana Vedado (Elvira Gomez, Michel Sanz), Matanzas (Villa Encanto), Pinar del Rio (Reinaldo Camejo), Santa Clara (Adalberto y Mayra), Soroa (Jesus y Aliuska) and Santiago de Cuba (Casa Tania, Odalis Rodriguez) for your enjoyment and pleasure. Yada, yada, yada.
10.09.07 - PDF's are back. We are just beginning to create newsletter-style pages of each city and town in Cuba, starting with Banes. [To view PDF-type documents, your computer must have the free Adobe Reader software which can be downloaded here.] Each of our 33 cities/listings should eventually have its own PDF. Tell your friends : they're so easy to print and carry with you during your trip ! Make a PDF party, collect them, exchange them : hmmmm, hours of pleasure ahead.
09.04.07 - Trinidad now has 6-digit phone numbers. Changing from what was, ie, (419) 6381 to (41) 99-6381
15.01.07 - New page - Lil' lexicon for casa-dwellers here
12.01.07 - New casa (Ariel & Mitzy) in Santa Clara.
10.01.07 - New map of town including old and modern street names, new casas (Yirina & Chichi and Rosario & Pedro) and new photos of Hostal Mercedes Cano in Trinidad.
11.12.06 - You can now browse all Habana Vedado casas in sequence.
30.11.06 - Altogether, 50 new casas added during the last three months.
30.11.06 - Old photos of La Habana added in Galerie 1900-1949
29.11.06 - New photos of town & surroundings, new photos of casa Miriam y Julia Esther and new casa (Villa Serena) in Cienfuegos
28.11.06 New photos of town, photos of casas La Foster & Ramon Revé Durand and new casa (Manuel y Tatica) in Guantanamo
27.11.06 Major update of Santiago de Cuba with new photos, maps, info with new casas (Lourdes, Villa Maja) and new photos of Casa Nenita, Leonardo y Rosa and Casa Mundo (Raimundo y Bertha).
22.11.06 New casas and new photos in Trinidad (Casa Tamargo, Casa Font, "El Cocodrilo", Hostal Colina; new e-mail for Casa Santana)
18.11.06 New info, new maps, new photos, new casas in Baracoa (Gustavo y Yalina, Anaelbis Torres Lobaina, Isabel Castro Vilato, Marilyn Noa Hernandez, Casa Tropical, Casa Elvira, Casa de Darisley, Daniel Salomon Pajan, El Mirador-Iliana Sotolongo, Casa Abigail y Alda, Casa Colonial Lucy)
15.11.06 New casas in Habana Vedado (Casa Lily, Pedro Gil Gonzalez, Madeleine Silva; update to Casa Ponce-Pavon, Sra Ivon)
08.11.06 Back from a short tour of La Habana, Cienfuegos, Trinidad, Santiago, Guantanamo and Baracoa : 1,200 photos, 2 hours of HD Video. Updated info, new photos and new casas forthcoming.
12.10.06 New photo gallery of Trinidad on Galleries Page - Requires Flash
11.08.06 Second photo gallery Cariñas Caras (Part II) on Galleries Page
11.10.06 Updated La Isla - Full page on a great dive area : Punta Francés
10.10.06 Updated Car Rental page
08.10.06 38 new casas added in the past two months
08.10.06 Updated Santa Clara - New casas (Hostal Fabien, Hostal Adelaida)
07.10.06 Updated Santiago 15 new casas - Now with four casa areas.
25.09.06 New casa in Viñales (El Cafetal)
22.09.06 Updated Baracoa 4 new casas (Rafael y Adis, Elvira, Tropical, Guilarte)
21.09.06 Updated Camaguey (intro, photos)
20.09.06 Statistics of our sites : 1,285 pages, 1,686 photos, 326 maps with exactly 4,213,047 hits and 455,044 pages seen since January 1, 2006
19.09.06 Started changing our 326 maps for new, larger and more detailed route locators including mileage and small towns. Our first changes cover areas around Banes, Caibarien, Gibara, Guàimaro, Holguin, La Habana, Las Tunas, Pinar del Rio, Puerto Padre, Remedios, Santa Clara and Viñales. More on the way.
18.09.06 New casa (Casa Verde) and regional map in Guaimaro
16.09.06 Updated Gibara (Excursions, photos, new casas : Villa Betina)
15.09.06 New casas in Santa Clara (Hostal Adelaida), Nuevitas (Daisy Jimenez)
13.09.06 New casa in Habana Vedado (Prisca y Raul)
10.09.06 Updated Cienfuegos (intro, maps, photos, links) and new casa (Berta y Cortes)
29.08.06 New casa in Viñales (Claudina)
28.08.06 New casas in Habana Vedado (Bofill and Maribel) and Habana Centro (Blanca).
21.08.06 New page Campismos & Caravaning
20.08.06 New casas in Gibara (Boqueron, Las Brisas)
18.08.06 If you respect Cuba's Sovereignty, add your name here
11.08.06 New photo gallery Cariñas Caras (Dear Faces)
21.07.06 New casas in Habana Centro (Maritza, Blanca Margarita), Holguin (Angulo) and updated info for Gibara (Local banks don't do cash advances), La Habana (shows and yoga) and Viñales (Hernan)
28.06.06 - Updated Santiago de Cuba
06.05.06 - Updated Cubacasas logo to reflect new official rental symbol
03.04.06 - Updated Baracoa, Bayamo, Caibarien, Ciego de Avila, Guanabo, Las Tunas
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Suchen Sie nach diesem Symbol : Eingetragenes renter
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