Post: #1

Can someone provide good hotel/location in Havana, Cuba?

Post: #2

Why do lurkers/new accounts come on here and immediately make their first post asking for additional information. It's give and take. Not take, take, give.

Post: #3

I am just starting. So I come here if an expert can provide some help. Thanks

Post: #4

Hotel Telegrafo is great. Perfect location too, next to Capitolio.

Post: #5

(03-19-2011 05:36 PM)lavidaloca Wrote:  Why do lurkers/new accounts come on here and immediately make their first post asking for additional information. It's give and take. Not take, take, give.

Who are you to say how the forum should operate? I always encourage people to ask questions, and he can ask as many as he wants. Since you've obviously made it clear that you withhold information, I hope others remember that when you ask for help.

Post: #6

Yeah just because a first post is a question it does not mean that they are not going to give value

Post: #7

Fair enough. I was being overly harsh. Get a casa particular. If you do pickup bringing them back to a hotel will cost you significantly more and they will be significantly less likely to come as they're definately going to be registered into the computer system which is forwarded to the government. That is unless you're able to bribe a guard but that would depend on your know-how and spanish language abilities. Casa particulars are the best bet though. You could get one in Vedado which is near the university I believe.

Post: #8

(03-20-2011 04:09 PM)lavidaloca Wrote:  Fair enough. I was being overly harsh. Get a casa particular. If you do pickup bringing them back to a hotel will cost you significantly more and they will be significantly less likely to come as they're definately going to be registered into the computer system which is forwarded to the government. That is unless you're able to bribe a guard but that would depend on your know-how and spanish language abilities. Casa particulars are the best bet though. You could get one in Vedado which is near the university I believe.

I would also go for a casa particular - did succeed in getting one in both Habana, Salvador, Pinar del Rio and Sancti Spiritus without prior arrangements. Ask around - and people will come to you. If you come late at night then take one night at a hotel and use the meantime to find a casa particular. (I have been stopped at the street by security police asking where I lived - but they weren't persistent when I couldn't (wouldn't) give them an adress)

Post: #9

(04-05-2011 07:07 PM)ToTravelisToLive Wrote:  

(03-20-2011 04:09 PM)lavidaloca Wrote:  Fair enough. I was being overly harsh. Get a casa particular. If you do pickup bringing them back to a hotel will cost you significantly more and they will be significantly less likely to come as they're definately going to be registered into the computer system which is forwarded to the government. That is unless you're able to bribe a guard but that would depend on your know-how and spanish language abilities. Casa particulars are the best bet though. You could get one in Vedado which is near the university I believe.

I would also go for a casa particular - did succeed in getting one in both Habana, Salvador, Pinar del Rio and Sancti Spiritus without prior arrangements. Ask around - and people will come to you. If you come late at night then take one night at a hotel and use the meantime to find a casa particular. (I have been stopped at the street by security police asking where I lived - but they weren't persistent when I couldn't (wouldn't) give them an adress)

Why would the street police stop you and ask where you live? Is that normal in cuba?

Post: #10

Can someone also tell us if in Cuba you can pick up girls like anywhere, can you approach girls and day game them and if you have a casa particular, can you take girls there as many times as you like?

I would appreciate if someone could clarify us about this.

Post: #11

What's the best option for one who wants to travel to Cuba from the US in terms of accomodation?

Post: #12

(01-24-2017 09:30 PM)Moma Wrote:  What's the best option for one who wants to travel to Cuba from the US in terms of accomodation?

Use Airbnb to find a Casa de Renta. All Airbnb in Cuba have to be registered as legit hostels and in most cases have to have a room with a private bathroom. Its not like the US where anyone can rent out any extra corner or room that they want.

If you have a long stay get a few days then walk around and find another casa de renta that you like. Outside Havana's major tourist areas and in other cities you could pay as little as 15 CUC per night and the equiv on Airbnb will be about 25 CUC, with prices rising drastically for beach and tourists areas. They should include breakfast in the price and you can get other meals for extra if you want.

The Casa de Rentas will have a little anchor looking sign on the door or sign, this is how you know its registered. There are many many many that are not on any international directory or on airbnb..

Also dont expect a fast answer from these so if you are in a pinch use instabook to get started. This is because almost no one has wifi or data plans on phones. In some cities the only wifi is in a public park so hosts have to walk to a park to check their reservations. This is why no one answers.

There are also true luxury resort hotels all over beaches on the island, and there are luxury hotels in Havana. $100-$400 a night.

Also, they expect a big tip so just keep this in mind. If you paid say three nights $25 a night and leave a $10 tip you will get a fake thanks. Just so you know they are all looking to rise out of poverty from your tip.

It has been explained elsewhere but here are the basics: there are two currencies CUC Convertable pesos, and CUP National Pesos. 1 CUC = $1 and $1 = 24 CUP. You can use either money interchangeably and everyone knows and calculates on the fly the difference. Some menus are in CUC and some in CUP and rarely you will see a check in both showing you both.. Pay for something cheap with CUC and get at least some change in CUP so you have money for the very cheap things. Cheap bike taxis, "singles" cigarettes for one peso, etc. If you are only living in CUC land you aren't seeing all of Cuba.

Also this is for you to get the lay of the land so to speak. Depending on where you are your guests may have to be registered and this info goes to the police and immigration. So by looking around you may find a place that meets your particular needs. Don't assume ANYTHING about Cuba unless you have been there AND speak Spanish and have asked the same question to ten people. It's very difficult to get information in a place that has had 60 years of severe penalty for saying or thinking the wrong thing.

One more thing, if you are american bring all your money in cash, NO US ATM or VISA card will work ANYWHERE. Also you may wish to bring Euros this will end up saving you a few percentage points when you compare vs getting taxed 10% for changing dollars.

Have fun.

Anchor sign:


CUP and CUC:

Post: #13

I forgot to add, if you are not American and are legally allowed to do so, some local Cubans told me you can bring USB sticks with high memory, SD micro cards with high capacity, and very low pricepoint smart phones ($100) and make a little money over what you paid. I wouldn't know firsthand this is what I was told by locals. Even bedsheet sets are money makers according to what I was told, but if you are like me and travel with only a small backpack then this might not be for "you."

Post: #14

OP must be in Cuba already, sin wifi.

Post: #15

(01-28-2017 08:02 AM)Off The Reservation Wrote:  OP must be in Cuba already, sin wifi.

I'll send him a P.M. He made two posts almost six years ago, then completely disappeared and never reported back.

Post: #16

(01-28-2017 08:57 AM)Merenguero Wrote:  

(01-28-2017 08:02 AM)Off The Reservation Wrote:  OP must be in Cuba already, sin wifi.

I'll send him a P.M. He made two posts almost six years ago, then completely disappeared and never reported back.

All right. Moma is entrusted to take over. Let us know how you go.

Post: #17

Don't mean to bump this thread but tipping the casa particular owners is rather poor advice. Casa particular owners are in the top 5% of earners of Cuban society with many making it into the top 1% and some with better spots making it well into the top 0.01%.

$15 / day when you pay almost no taxes per room is a lot of money for the average Cuban. Usually the maid is their only overhead aside from very minor taxation (as they all falsely declare what you pay) and the maid is $1-$2 a day.

I wouldn't even think about tipping a casa particular owner and I can't count how many different ones I've stayed in.

You are not taking people out of poverty by dropping a tip on a casa particular owner. They live very nice lifestyles in Cuba. They can afford to go to restaurants, clubbing, to the beach etc every week if they wanted to. One of the cheap casa particulars I've stayed in $450 / month including breakfast and dinner (this was in Havana within 2 blocks of parque central) The owner use to rent a $900 / month beach house in Guanabo every summer to go party. That was a cheap casa. Now imagine the people in Vedado with 3 units renting at $35 / night.

You don't tip your landlord where your from. Don't tip taxis either. Cubans don't tip generally anything unless service is exceptional. Any short term visitor is paying way way way above market price with taxis. Trust me a huge tip is more than built in the price your paying and thats even if you negotiate the price.

Where I tip are off the people who make marginal livings. I.e. the local tienda attendant.

Example: From Guardalavaca to Holguin the going rate is 35-40 CUC one way. I pay $30-$40 CUC both ways. Parque Central in Havana to Vedado should be a $4 ride to Vedado. Guanabo should be about $10. Tourists are paying $8-$10 to go to Vedado and $20-$30 to go to Guanabo. Your mileage is going to vary. My spanish is very good and historically I've spent long periods of time there which would make me less of a mark. Some of you may say this is negotiating with someone who is in poverty. Trust me no taxi driver who works remotely hard in a city in Cuba with tourism is poor. Even if they only make $300 a month their spending power is about 10x what it is compared to the first world. It's not easily comparable.

Post: #18

Does anyone have any recommendations as to what area is best to stay in in Havana? Going next month and need to book an Airbnb. There are so many available that I'm really not sure what neighborhood is best, logistic wise, for location.

Appreciate any tips.

Post: #19

(02-11-2017 07:16 PM)natas305 Wrote:  Does anyone have any recommendations as to what area is best to stay in in Havana? Going next month and need to book an Airbnb. There are so many available that I'm really not sure what neighborhood is best, logistic wise, for location.

Appreciate any tips.

What are your goals?

Thats not an easily answerable question.

If you had a high budget i.e. could spend $5,000 in a week in Cuba alone or $3,000+ with a friend then I'd get a villa in miramar with a pool.

Party and invite girls to chill at your pool. Cuban girls like the pool more than the beach and the amount of houses that actually have a pool in Cuba is literally approach 0.0001%. I think it has to do with approvals but I don't know.

Alright I'll go over the 4 areas that are relevant for Havana for short non long term trips. i.e. No one is going to stay in Boyeros on a one week trip.

Guanabo
-Beach town which is active in the summer. Not really a lot going on here. Couple night clubs, few restaurants but your pretty far out of the action that is in Habana proper. I'd pass on this place. I think its roughly 25km from Old Havana.

Old Havana / Centro Havana
-Think Parque Central to close to the university of Havana. This is where the hustlers are. Tons of touts, ugly hookers, and tons of people wandering the streets daily. The advantage to it is your near a lot of the sites you'll likely want to see, theirs good dining available at cheap prices all over the place and theirs lots of tourist girls compared to elsewhere. Cost wise the rentals should be the cheapest in this area.

Vedado
-Old rich. Once your inside of Vedado and I'm not talking about 23rd avenue its basically like a suburb that happens to have private bars and restaurants littered throughout it. Lots of old decrepit historic mansions here. The university is more or less where Vedado starts. Prices of everything here are higher than Centro / Old Habana. There isn't much activity on the streets in the day or night time. Its moreso a suburb. This place is also inbetween Centro / Old Havana and Miramar which is a huge + for me.

Miramar
-New rich / embassy / Havana's elite
-This is where the money is. But most of it is just foreign money with some Cuban money sprinkled in. A lot of the nice places are embassies / people who have owned it for generations and its not very nice on the inside but well painted to keep up appearances etc. This is the most expensive area to stay in Havana.

Tons of nightlife within Miramar. I'd imagine there honestly must be 20 spots at a minimum if not more. Downside: It's dead in the day time. There is nothing to do here unless you want to go pay entrance into a hotel pool etc. The streets aren't busy. Its like one big suburb that happens to have upscale restaurants and nightclubs litered throughout it. Everything is most expensive here, nightlife, restaurants, taxis etc. I personally like to go out in Miramar for the most part but I don't stay here. I like to wander around in the day time and it's a dead zone aside from cars flying down 3rd and 5th.

Logistically in regard to girls almost no place has much advantage over others. Realistically most tourists are probably pulling girls from outside barrios think cerro, old habana (actual not the parts tourist see), Diez de Octubre, La Lisa.

The odds of you actually dating a girl who lives within Vedado or Miramar is rather low. The odds of you dating a girl who lives in Centro is much higher but you are furthest from the good spots.

There is no best spot in Havana. For very well off people that are mid 30s+ I'd recommend Miramar for sure. For the hustler from Atlanta or a younger street savvy guy he may very well enjoy Centro.

For the average guy who likes comfort I'd probably say Vedado.

I should note that: Basically all Cuba nightlife is table oriented. I legitimately have a hard time thinking of a place that isn't table oriented in Havana.

Post: #20

Natas if you want me to look at specific airbnb's you are interested in and let you know what I think of the location om me and I can help you with that.

Post: #21

Thanks, lavidaloca, I appreciate you dropping all that info. That was a pretty good summary.

I'm just going for like 4 days in March for my first time, so I think I'll either stay somewhere in Vedado or Old Havana / Centro Havana. I'd like to find a casa particular that isn't particularly old and sketchy looking and hopefully one that is private enough that I can slip girls in. On Airbnb I exclusively use the "entire apartment" option, so I won't be sharing the place with the family. Not sure if you still have to pass through hallways or whatever to get to the apartment where they could stop you though....

If I have any problems deciding between a few units I'll shoot you a PM lavidaloca. Again, appreciate the help! Super stoked to go to Cuba for the first time, after living in Miami for so long and being exposed to so much Cuban culture.

Post: #22

(02-12-2017 08:51 PM)natas305 Wrote:  Thanks, lavidaloca, I appreciate you dropping all that info. That was a pretty good summary.

I'm just going for like 4 days in March for my first time, so I think I'll either stay somewhere in Vedado or Old Havana / Centro Havana. I'd like to find a casa particular that isn't particularly old and sketchy looking and hopefully one that is private enough that I can slip girls in. On Airbnb I exclusively use the "entire apartment" option, so I won't be sharing the place with the family. Not sure if you still have to pass through hallways or whatever to get to the apartment where they could stop you though....

If I have any problems deciding between a few units I'll shoot you a PM lavidaloca. Again, appreciate the help! Super stoked to go to Cuba for the first time, after living in Miami for so long and being exposed to so much Cuban culture.

Sounds good.

Keep in mind Cuban girls in Cuba look nothing like their Miami counterparts. The ones in Miami tend to be much better looking. That might sound odd but you should see the difference between girls I've been with in Cuba and how they look after a year or two in Miami. 6's turning into 8.5+'s within a year or two time period because of exercise, cosmetics, dress and cosmetic surgery. The difference is absolutely astounding.

You'll see what I mean when your there and you walk the street and ask yourself where are the good ones?

The difference is accessibility. In Cuba with a lot of time, language skills, decent looks and money you can access a very high level of woman.

Short term stays even single month stays aren't particularly fruitful girl wise unless your expectations and standards are on the low side. You'll see what I mean when
Fisto and THC's experience in Havana which they wrote about on their website is about as accurate as it will get for a short term visitor / non regular and they were there 3ish weeks I believe.

Full house should mean full place. I'd be upset if you booked a full house and you had to walk by the owner who is living on the premises.

Having looked at some of them. I'm certain not all of the ones under Full House/ Apartment are actually as labelled. Some of them actually mean you have a seperate entrance / seperate part of the house.

Post: #23

I'm going to drop some knowledge on you guys soon, it'll be a long read.

Post: #24

I am having an issue with pulling the trigger on the accommodations in Havana

I'm going to Havana in July for 4 days. I would appreciate any help with the following concern:

THE SIZE OF THE CREW- There are 12 guys going. We were originally going to book one of those mansions in Miramar with 7 bedrooms and a pool through AirBNB but when we spoke to a Cuban travel agent in my area (im from northern NJ where there a are a shitload of cubans), he advised against it stating that Miramar is filled with cuban elite and rich people and they would shut down our party when we bring back 12 women.

The cuban travel agent advised that we instead split the crew up into 4 separate apartments in Vedado (which many in our crew are not happy about)

What would yall recommend for for our situation. We all speak fluent spanish and are in our early 30s

Post: #25

There aren't properties in Cuba that an owner is going to allow 12 male foreigners to stay at unless you were 6 couples (i.e. gay). I've never heard of a 12 bedroom rental and a 7 bedroom rental is probably going to throw you guys out by the end of the first night. (Note there are places that might say they have 12 beds but its meant that they have 6 bedrooms with a couple doubles in each room)

I'm going to be frank in my observations. This is obviously a group p4p trip. Nothing wrong with that. But you've picked a shitty location for doing a group trip of that size. (3 or 4 is easily doable) 12 is gonna be a disaster.

A party with 12 girls you are at risk of getting it shut down anywhere in Cuba. Miramar would've actually probably been the easiest to accomplish that and your travel agent has already told you that your going to get shut down. Miramar is the one place where homes are actually seperate and a property could be quite large. Vedado / Centro the homes are too close. You'll be waking up the entire block with late night parties.

It's not a place where you are going to be able to blast music at 2am.

When you enter a club with 12 guys, your going to get hustled on everything. When you leave your going to get smoked on taxi's even if your spanish speaking and theres a damn good chance you get stopped by police. I don't think I've ever seen a 12 group of guys on a p4p trip in Cuba.

Your travel agent is right based on your trip plans / intentions it wouldn't work out.

Go to Cuba with 3 or 4 guys no biggie. But 12 deep for a p4p trip is just gonna be a nightmare. I can already see each of you getting stopped as soon as you leave the disco. I've been stopped in Havana multiple times with regular girlfriends. I can almost guarantee the police will pull atleast one of your vehicles over.

If any of you are intending to use drugs which in a group of that size wouldn't surprise me you guys are taking a big risk in Cuba.

Keep in mind that there are undercover police inside the nightclubs.

I'd strongly recommend a place that will make it work easier for you like Sosua.