Best way to book a casa particular?

Hi everyone, I'm really excited to be going to Cuba in July but now need to sort out some accommodation! Does anyone have any top tips on how to book a casa particular in Cuba? Someone recommended these guys called CubaCasa, anyone got experience with them: www.cubacasa.co.uk ?

Have you read FAQ #20 on this site? It is the one specifically about how to book a casa in Cuba.

I really do not know. I always booked our accommodation anywhere by an AIRBNB site.

Air BNB most efficient option for Cuba and they have great properties.

There have been reports that Airbnb have not been getting the money to the casa owners. And that many casas are on Airbnb and also other websites - and frequently cheaper on the other sites. Also Airbnb requires you to make a declaration regarding the US OFAC - meaningless, I know, but why get involved with that when you don't need to.

Air bnb,the biggest middle man ripoff and driving up the cost of casa prices.

We booked our casas with https://www.cubaccommodation.com/ We emailed them our dates, and they gave us some casas to choose from. They can also arrange transport

The best way to book a casa is to enlist your current casa host to recommend and arrange for a place for you to rest your head on your next stop. Key advantage is that you are not locking yourself into a fixed travel schedule and can take advantage of the flexibility that Cuban travel normally provides. Another advantage is that there is no prepayment so you have the ability to personally check out the facility before you commit to stay there. Just never leave a casa host holding a room for you and being a no show.

No opinions on how you arrange in advance for your first night in Cuba as I have those places I always stay in both Holguin and Havana for that first night.

FWIW, my one and only internet reservation was made over 45 trips ago in 2010. They had already rented my room to someone else when I arrived one hour late so have never bothered with internet reservations since.

Always remember that internet reservations are not normal in Cuba. Do things the Cuban way and you will have a enjoyable time. Try to pound a square peg into a round hole by insisting on doing things the way you do them at home and Cuba will frustrate the hell out of you.

CubaJunky worked well for us. The casa owner in Havana also mentioned he likes working with them. You can see photos, reviews, languages spoken, and communicate directly by email with the casa owner. Pay in cash on arrival.

clearly Bob has his system and works great for him...for us average tourists I can assure you that many of the casas owners are very much into internet reservations and I found that the absolute best way to do business...directly with the owner...did that for Vinales. Sure t here are 100s of casas maybe many with no internet but things are changing in that respect fast.

clearly Bob has his system and works great for him...for us average tourists I can assure you that many of the casas owners are very much into internet reservations ..............

turaj: I certainly am not the norm. I just refuse to be bound any more by plans and schedules. I spent a long working career living by a calendar book of scheduled meetings, places I had to go and things I had to do on a fixed date. And I realized my free time had become as regimented as work time. Now I relish being able to sit down each night with my wife / significant other and decide if we want to move on the next day or spend another where we are. Besides, she is Cuban and just would revolt if I told her that we had to leave a place we were having a great time because we had already paid for the next night's lodging someplace else.

But everyone has their own way. If the comfort of being locked into a schedule is comforting to some, they should travel that way.

i get it Bob...you have clearly settled into a great lifestyle that works well for you....I have looked at many of your photos and you clearly understand the people and their culture and capture it so well. I like to be pre-planned with hotels or casas anywhere I go but always make sure I book things that are changeable and don't hesitate to do so ...sometimes a place is not at all what you expected....then move on...and as you mention sometimes staying longer at a great spot. I hate prepaying anything...

Thanks for the great advice everyone, a wealth of options given, now I guess I need to choose one!

Does anyone have experience with the original website I mentioned, www.cubacasa.co.uk ?

No reviews.
High prices. (They state they tak a fee.)
Pretty casas.
No personal experience, though.

turaj: I am happy whenever a poster realizes there are options and makes an informed decisions, whatever that decision may be. It is a personal choice.

I do worry that some get mislead by responses from new visitors, especially those from the recent influx from the US, and never realize the options. Please note that comments was not related to any specific person. Also, that the TA website is much worse than here.

This topic is a great example where DuncanShearer asked the best way to book a casa and all responses were websites to use. Now he probably thinks the best way is to do it on the internet. That may be best for his needs, maybe not. But is is not the common way, just the way most new internet folks do it.

bob, when you arrive in Cuba, you are coming home.
When most of us newer travelers (many who don't speak the local language) arrive, we are thinking about where to lay our heads down that night, with the least hassle, until we can get our bearings.

Also, you may have noticed from posts that many people have only a few days in Cuba and therefore a tight schedule. Flexibility is not as realistic with just a few days/nights in country.

E-mail actually works great to talk to casa owners, and the majority answer promptly. The casa owners seem to have leapt into entrepreneurship and all it involves, including even Trip Advisor reviews. LOL So maybe the times they are a- changin'.

And you do realize that the posters on TA are many of the same regulars here?

FAQ #20 gives you the options of using an agency or provides lists with contact details of individual casas as well pointing out the general ease of booking ahead a day or so before you arrive at next town. Of course that latter bit of advice is more for people who are actually travelling around Cuba rather than the current flood who are desirous of cramming in 2-3 locations in just a few days or even just staying in Havana.

Not to book. I had a few email conversations with Matthew about two years ago, with regard to including my m-i-l's house. They didn't, as they said they had sufficient properties in Santiago - something I've encountered with a couple of other agencies. He did say they were hoping to be in the Lonely Planet 2015 edition, but no idea if that materialised.
The site then went offline for quite a while and appears to be back, new and improved. From browsing through the photos, they seem to be going for mainly colonial houses.
Matthew seemed sensible enough and was very responsive. However, I can't attest to how efficient they may be.

Also, you may have noticed from posts that many people have only a few days in Cuba and therefore a tight schedule. Flexibility is not as realistic with just a few days/nights in country.

I have written before about my belief that the "tight schedule, no flexibility" approach easily changes what should have been a great experience into the "been there, done that, it was OK but no desire to return". I talk to many tourists in Cuban airports as we wait for our flights home and see that too often.

E-mail actually works great to talk to casa owners, and the majority answer promptly. The casa owners seem to have leapt into entrepreneurship and all it involves, including even Trip Advisor reviews. LOL So maybe the times they are a- changin'.

True, but it does limit the options available to travelers to a small section of what is available as you still find many more casas that have no internet presence than those who do. It does give rise to the online belief that it is difficult to find accommodations when actually in Cuba one finds many available places.

Personally, I ignore TA reviews as I have read too many reviews of places I know from actual experience and find the reviewer had no real basis for comparison. And far too much emphasis on specifics that were uniquely important to the reviewer but not the majority.

And you do realize that the posters on TA are many of the same regulars here?

And many of us know each other personally, communicating privately, and sometimes getting together for a beer.

TA does have an over abundance of the "OMG, I have actually been to Cuba (once). Can you believe it? Now I must tell the world what Cuba is all about." kind of posters.They have difficulty accepting that Cuba is not Area 51 and they are not unique. Also those whose Cuba experience is narrow and do not understand that others may desire something than they do.

In summary, I just see large differences in the Cuban travel and Cuban culture discussed on the internet and the real world that exists with your feet on Cuban dirt.

Once again, everyone should do what they want. We are all different.

Bob...I now your travel is pretty much focused on round trip to Cuba these days but have you never taken trips to places to just go and visit for the first time? And have you taken your vacation time and spent a fair amount of money to go somewhere that interests you from a historical and culture standpoint...flown many hours etc.? I think it very reasonable for most people to plan their time and accommodations to maximize their visit. It does not have to detract from the experience and hopefully enhance it with proper planning. In all honestly I find the paragraph describing the OMG traveler very demeaning to most travelers.And finally if someone does not end up liking Cuba it may be the result of many things but does not necessarily mean they had too strict of an agenda or pre booked or did anything wrong...simply put Cuba is not for everyone. And on the casa situation you reference "no real basis for comparison"...so what...when I travel I do research find a place that I feel will work for me and book it. Frankly if I enjoy my place why do I need to be concerned with comparisons? There is a not so subtle tone here and on TA that all first timers are pretty much not savvy travelers....idiots...over extended etc...don't get good prices and on and on. Gets old after awhile. . No many of us are not part of the "club" but the constant comments get old. Therefore long way of saying I agree with Renata. And for first timers reading this...go ahead and plan and do research...booking ahead works for most of us and enjoy your trip.

Bob...I now your travel is pretty much focused on round trip to Cuba these days but have you never taken trips to places to just go and visit for the first time? And have you taken your vacation time and spent a fair amount of money to go somewhere that interests you from a historical and culture standpoint...flown many hours etc.?

Actually I am in the midst of planning a June trip to Russia and Vietnam.

In all honestly I find the paragraph describing the OMG traveler very demeaning to most travelers.

I cannot think of any situation over the years where either here on TT or over there on TA that anyone was criticized for a trip report that detailed out what they enjoyed and did not. I can think of a good number of situations where such was encouraged. The problem comes from those who will try to tell the world what Cuba, its culture, its political situation, and the people are all about from one or two visits to a very narrow range of places. That is because they typically make many blanket statements that are simply wrong. They get so excited about their trip that they cannot accept they are not special, that millions of tourists have been going to Cuba for a long time, that US citizens have been going to Cuba for many years, or just how much information about Cuba is known. I find it notable that almost nobody who has spent much time in Cuba tries to explain what Cuba is all about. We realize just how complex and differing Cuba is.

And finally if someone does not end up liking Cuba it may be the result of many things but does not necessarily mean they had too strict of an agenda or pre booked or did anything wrong...simply put Cuba is not for everyone.

Definitely agree that Cuba is not for everyone. My comment was based on conversations with many returning tourists who thought they had seen it all because they have been to 8 places in 12 days but in reality missed totally what Cuba is all about. They only got the same superficial overview repeated over and over. And in most cases, this was a result of a over ambitions agenda with everything pre-booked so they could not make any changes. Having advanced knowledge really benefits any trip. Just too many take it to an extreme and surrender flexibility.

And on the casa situation you reference "no real basis for comparison"...so what...when I travel I do research find a place that I feel will work for me and book it.

My comment relates to casas, tour guides, drivers, and other similar where are multitudes of options that are basically the same. I see too many new visitors who feel that absolutely must stay at XXX casa, hire YYY as a guide, and use ZZZ as a driver when there are so many others that are the same.

There is a not so subtle tone here and on TA that all first timers are pretty much not savvy travelers....idiots...over extended etc...don't get good prices and on and on. Gets old after awhile. .

Sorry you have that impression but good you expressed your opinion.

No many of us are not part of the "club" but the constant comments get old. Therefore long way of saying I agree with Renata.

Again, sorry you feel that way. I note the number of experienced Cuban travelers who have left this forum and the other because they got tired of being berated, tired of answering the same questions over and over, tired of being questioned by those who actually had no experience or information, and tired of feeling the responsibility to step forward and correct erroneous information. They all basically said they were only trying to help but were not interested somewhere that their opinions were not appreciated.

And for first timers reading this...go ahead and plan and do research...booking ahead works for most of us and enjoy your trip.

I have always said research and some preliminary plans are good. If a traveler wants to lock themselves into a fixed schedule, they should do what works for them. I only want them to know there are options.

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