While Cuba is home to some of the most amazing beach resorts in the Caribbean, you may want to explore a more authentic side to the island by staying at a casa particular.
Casas particulares (which is Spanish for ‘private houses’) are family-run B&Bs. In 1997, the Cuban government introduced a law that allows families to rent out rooms in their house to tourists.
Some of the best casas particulares in Cuba are located in non-touristy areas. This means they’re very budget-friendly, and you get to mingle with locals.
From the colourful streets of Havana to the lush green Caribbean countryside, here are some of the best casas particulares in Cuba (recommended by travel bloggers).
Casas Particulares in Havana
Let’s start by looking at some of the best casas particulares in Havana. This bustling city is packed with colonial-era buildings, and the busy neighbourhoods of Habana Vieja and Vedado are home to many cafes and historic sites.
There are plenty of things to do in Havana, so I recommend spending at least three days in the city. Just remember to apply for your Cuba visa well in advance so you don’t run into any issues when planning your trip.
Casa Particular Abalidia
Most people who visit Havana opt to stay in Havana Vieja for easy access to all the city attractions. However, I recommend staying in Vedado, which is a bit more residential and a whole lot more local.
Casa Particular Abalidia is run the lovely Lidia and Felix. They are two real stars, incredibly friendly, kind, and knowledgeable about anything Cuban.
The house is a beautiful colonial building with just two rooms for guests, both of them very large. The lush back garden has trees of guavas, so the entire house has a nice smell.
Lidia is a fabulous cook who will put together the best breakfast and the most delicious dinner upon request. Felix is a great conversant, a professor at the local university, and a lover of Italian literature.
Casa Particular Abalidia is a great place to stay, where you’ll feel safe and welcome. While you won’t be in the heart of town, you’ll be minutes away from the Malecon and the Hotel Nacional, and a short cab ride to the main attractions.
– Claudia from My Adventures Across the World
Learn more about Casa Particular Abalidia in Havana.
Casa Alicia
I’ll admit that I was skeptical about staying in a casa particular in Cuba. As a hotel-loving traveller, I really appreciate all the amenities that come with high-end accommodation.
But I was pleasantly surprised when I walked into the penthouse of an apartment building in Havana, then was led upstairs to my room and discovered that I’d be enjoying an ocean view for the next four days.
Casa Alicia offers several rooms, most with great views of the Malecon and the ocean.
Its location close to the Hotel Nacional and Old Havana is terrific. A two-block walk took me to a park that offers internet, so I made a few trips here to catch up on my emails.
Each room in this casa is clean, comfortable and comes with its own bathroom. The breakfast prepared each morning is large and delicious. I hope to return to Havana in the near future, and I definitely plan to stay here again!
– Wendy from Empty Nesters
Learn more about Casa Alicia in Havana.
Casa Tamara
I stayed at Casa Tamara in Vedado on my trip to Havana and loved it. Vedado is mainly a residential neighbourhood a few miles west of La Habana Vieja. While it is too far to walk, you are just a short taxi ride away.
I really loved staying in Vedado because of all the beautiful old houses and the authentic ambiance. The casa particular itself was a highlight of my trip. Our host was very warm and hospitable, and prepared a huge, delicious breakfast for us every morning for $5 extra.
Casa Tamara is spotlessly clean, bright, and comfortable. The air conditioning in the bedroom worked great and was always welcome after a long day walking around in the Havana heat. There was also a beautiful balcony overlooking the quiet, tree-lined street below.
– Dale from Wander Her Way
Learn more about Casa Tamara in Vedado, Havana.
Casa Madelyn
Casa Madelyn is in an exceptional location. It sits just a stone’s throw from Capitolio Nacional, Parque Central and the Gran Teatro, the gateway to Havana Vieja.
The casa itself is situated in a beautiful 4-story old colonial building with some of the original 1940s features still intact. There are only 3 rooms, all have high ceilings and one (Ernest Hemingway) has a private bathroom. In the bedrooms themselves, the furniture is in keeping with the colonial, vintage style.
All the rooms surround an atrium, meaning that despite the busy and central location, the casa offers a quiet and restful night’s sleep. The whole place is exceptionally clean and the breakfast they serve is filling and delicious.
If you fancy a local night out, you don’t have to go far as just down the road is the Siá Kará Café, a friendly bar with great live music. Overall, Casa Madelyn is a perfect place to base yourself to explore this fascinating, chaotic, and beautiful city.
– Sue from Sue Where? Why? What?
Learn more about Casa Madelyn in Havana.
Casas Particulares in Varadero
Varadero is a beach resort overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. Its 20-kilometre coastline is characterised by white sand, pristine waters, and lush palm trees.
If you’d like to get away from the chaos of Havana, Varadero is the perfect place to relax and soak up the sun.
Casa Teresa y Bartolo
Whilst in Cuba be sure to check out Teresa and Bartolo’s house. Located in Varadero, this casa particular was a delight – and one of the most comfortable stays I had in Cuba.
The house is situated just across the street from the main bus station, so need to walk far. You literally walk across the grass and you’re there.
The property has an outside yard where they milk goats for fresh milk.
Bartolo would explain to me every morning how healthy fresh goat milk is, and how it is used for many food dishes that they prepare in the kitchen.
Knowing what to pack for Cuba is important. While I was staying in Varadero, I found it was difficult to find certain provisions, so male sure you pack well.
The address of Casa Teresa y Bartolo is Calle 35 y final, no.128.
– Daniel from Layer Culture
Puntillazo Ocean View (Boca la Camaroica)
Puntillazo Ocean View is owned by a married couple. He is a trained chef with 5-star hotel experience, while she is a concert violinist.
Their casa particular is a two-bedroom, one bathroom house located in Boca la Camaroica, about halfway between Varadero and Matanzas. Boca la Camaroica is a small village, with a few places to eat during the day and a few stores that stock mainly rum.
The house is directly opposite a small sandy cove that has a good amount of sea life and clear water. It’s amazing for snorkelling at any time of the day, but especially before breakfast and in the early evening.
It goes without saying that with a chef in the house the food here is amazing. We were greeted with cocktails and canapes and ate on the roof terrace during our stay.
Dinners were enormous, 5-course affairs, with cocktails, wine, and the most incredible ice cream desserts. There were lobster, fresh fish and superbly cooked vegetables.
Breakfast, also on the terrace, was full of fresh fruit, eggs and fabulous coffee. On our final evening, Julia also serenaded up as we ate.
I cannot recommend this casa enough. They are the most attentive of hosts and their home is wonderful.
– Sarah from Cuba’s Best
Learn more about Puntillazo Ocean View.
Casa Roberto & Martha
When I decided to go to Varadero during my trip to Cuba, I didn’t want to spend my time in a resort. I always prefer to experience the local life, so I booked a casa particular.
Located in the quite part of Varadero, the village, Casa Roberto & Martha is just across the street from the beach.
As I arrived quite late in the evening, I stumbled upon the birthday party thrown by Martha and Roberto for their son. I was straightaway invited to join and was offered cake and a drink.
My room at the casa was the most beautiful I had during my stay in Cuba. It was a proper apartment with a lounge, a kitchen, a bedroom and a bathroom.
All the furniture and appliances were modern and looked new. It had a separate entrance as well.
Roberto is famous around the area for making the best pancakes for breakfast, which I can confirm. Breakfast was always a treat, with stacks of pancakes, bread and butter, eggs and fresh fruits.
If you can’t eat everything, Martha will make sure to put the fruits in the fridge for you. With such a big breakfast, my next meal was always dinner.
– Joanna from The World in My Pocket
Learn more about Casa Roberto & Martha.
Casa Torres
Casa Torres is a casa particular in a residential area, a two-minute walk away from the charming white-sand beach of Varadero.
There are two apartment units, one on the ground floor and the other on the first floor, that the tourists can choose from.
The owner’s family live in the same house on the ground floor. That provided us a good opportunity of sharing good times with a local Cuban family.
We stayed in the apartment upstairs. A flight of stairs leads up to a private entrance of the cozy suite. The living room has a sofa, a dining table with chairs, and a television.
The bedroom is spacious and has air-conditioning. You’ll also get a private bathroom, with hot shower, bathroom linen and toiletries.
Also, the apartment is equipped with a WiFi router – a luxury in Cuba (you still need to buy the internet card, but at least you have the router).
What we liked most about Casa Torres in Varadero was the grand breakfast every morning, served with oodles of warmth from the host family.
– Pubali and Indranil from Paradise Catchers
Learn more about Casa Torres in Varadero.
Other amazing casas particulares in Cuba
Casa Esther in Viñales
One of the best things you can experience during your travel to Cuba is the kindness of local people. In the casas particulares, you can establish a relationship with the owners.
We will never forget the long conversations we had with them about Cuba and other things.
Amongst the casas particulares, Casa Esther, where we stayed in Viñales, a small village in Western Cuba, deserves special mention.
In addition to enjoying a clean house or some of the best breakfasts we had in Cuba, Casa Esther is especially recommendable for the way Esther, her husband, and the rest of the family received us.
Spending hours on their terrace staring at how local life flows day by day or talking with these people will always be amongst the greatest memories from this lovely country.
– Gabor from Surfing the Planet
Learn more about Casa Esther in Viñales.
Hostal Yaquelin Arrechea in Trinidad
There is no shortage of lovely casas and casa owners in Trinidad, so we left our planning hats at home and went with the wind, booking up on arrival.
Our taxi driver stopped off at Hostal Yaquelín close to Casa de la Música, the hotbed for salsa in Trinidad.
Yaquelín luckily had availability for three nights. Our room was clean and simple. It had a fan and an ensuite bathroom.
The best thing about the stay was the garden. We ate breakfast every morning amongst the flowers.
One morning Yaquelín was very apologetic because there was no margarine with breakfast. You have to understand that this happens often in Cuba, sometimes food items just aren’t available in the shops!
There’s plenty of things to do in Trinidad such as wonder around the colourful colonial houses, watch the sun set over Church of the Holy Trinity at Plaza Mayor and then grab a mojito and a dance as night falls.
– Gemma from Two Scots Abroad
Learn more about Hostal Yaquelín in Trinidad.
Casa Marta Sierra in Santiago de Cuba
When we arrived at Casa Marta Sierra, I was immediately impressed and knew straight away that we had chosen well.
We were led through a large colonial home full of antiques and up the stairs to the rooftop where our room was located off a terrace.
We had great views over the city, and our room was the largest of our travels in Cuba.
Marta and her daughter were delightful, both being teachers, and very passionate about sharing their knowledge of Santiago de Cuba.
They even arranged a tour of the city in a classic American Car for us, including a visit to the cemetery where Fidel Castro is buried. This was a highlight for us.
The casa is located about a short walk from the main pedestrian street of Santiago with restaurants and shops.
– Jane from To Travel Too
Learn more about Casa Marta Sierra.
Casa Silvia y Homero in Playa Larga
Playa Larga is a small place 35 kilometers from Girón, close to the famous Bay of Pigs. The village itself is small and scattered, but lays by a beautiful white sandy beach.
Playa Larga is a great base for a lot of unique things to do in Cuba, like exploring Zapata National Park and diving in Cueva de los Peces.
Casa Silvia and Homero is a well kept casa particular with three rooms only a few minutes walk from the beach.
The couple has built a pleasant rooftop terrace where they serve breakfast and dinner when the weather allows it. As they are close to the park, they also pick up wifi signals on the roof terrace which is pretty unique to have access to in Cuba.
In addition to making you feel at home, being super-friendly, helping with any tours and cooking incredible food, they also make sure the house is clean and tidy at all times.
– Linn from Brainy Backpackers
Learn more about Casa Silvia and Homero.
Casa Villa La Mar in Cienfuegos
The Villa La Mar is ideally located in Cienfuegos right on the waterfront, about a 20-minute walk from the town centre. There were many taxis passing by if you did not want to walk the distance.
Villa La Mar turned out to be one of our favourites. Our bedroom had a small terrace where you could enjoy the sunrise or sunset or even take a swim to cool down after a day of sightseeing.
A breakfast of fruit, eggs and fruit smoothies were served each morning on the terrace. There were three of us travelling and the room was large and comfortable enough for all three of us.
Because of its unique location, it is a popular accommodation for travellers, so I would recommend booking well in advance.
– Jane from To Travel Too
Learn more about Villa La Mar in Cienfuegos.
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