Where to Stay & Eat

Cuba shut down all foreign travel and almost all travel within the country Spring of 2020. Casas particular and paladares licenses to operate were put on hold, suspended. Nationwide, all were closed. (Government hotels and restaurants closed to the public, but at most employee were bussed to and from work, fed, and paid.)

Foreign travel began again, albeit slowly, in late 2021. Little by little casas and paladares have reopened. By 2023, the number of visitors is still small, and the number of open places to stay and eat are ahead of the demand.

Moving around within Cuba is lagging. Buses are running on reduced schedules. Taxis, newer and the old pre-1959 classics or beaters, are running. Finding adequate fuel is their challenge, but in general transportation for visitors is available once more.

There are plenty of places for visitors to stay and eat, although no where near the number of number of casas or paladares as there were the winter of 2022-23. Almost all that are open have backup generators to get through the power shortages. Menus have fewer choices and lots of available seating.

The height of tourism for casas and paladares may have been the winter of 2016-17. President Obama’s opening relations with Cuba and his subsequent visit to Cuba evoked a palpable sense of optimism. In Viñales, the standard joke was that there are only two groups of people here: those who have a casa particular and those building a casa. It was an intoxicating atmosphere, even without the contrast of no additions to the infrastructure of Viñales for over 40 years. No news stores, cadecas or banks, paved or repaired streets, gas stations, bakeries, etc.

Reopening now are those who were better able to survive the successive scourges from 2017 to 2022 of Trumpism and Covid. Perhaps it’s superior business experience and skills, or factors such as better reputations, locations, facilities, or resources (their farm for fresh food or backing of family abroad). A shake out that benefits the visitor. Milton Friedman might say it the reward of cold-hearted capitalism. Whatever, mostly the best have survived and are open for business.

Those on our recommended list are the survivors. Listed at end our a few we hope reopen soon. Wherever possible links to Trip Advisor, Facebook, and AirBnB are included.

Recommended Casas Particular in La Habana

La Habana has too many casas for us to pretend to know. Try AirBnB and Trip Advisor.

For 20 years we have done very well with only two, sure-bet recommended casas. Our personal favorites are the casas of Ana María Fariña and Esther Cardoso.

Esther is an actress, director, and first-rate entrepreneur. Somewhere else, she’d be the CEO of a groundbreaking start-up. She was a co-founder of two of Cuba’s leading theater companies, and she has performed and directed in Argentina, Australia, and Europe. Esther has a profile on Wikipedia. Esther is the mother of Aníbal Fernández Cardoso, a leading Cuban climber and co-author of the Cuba Climbing guidebook.

Esther has two casas, her elegant four-room house in Centro Habana, and her own restoration project in Habana Vieja called Casa Gaia. A theater, school of arts, and rooms to rent, Casa Gaia rooms have not yet reopened after covid. Casa Gaia is spacious, lovely, and a block from the classic, restored Plaza Vieja. La Habana Vieja is a jumble of barely-standing, overcrowded hovels and former-colonial-houses-turned-boutique-hotels. Casa Gaia, Calle Teniente Rey No. 157, e/ Cuba y Aguiar, Habana Vieja. Trip Advisor.

Esther’s own house is a beautifully reconstructed colonial, with high ceilings, balconies, and penthouse terrace. It’s in Centro Habana, between Havana’s two main tourists areas, Habana Vieja and Vedado. Centro Habana was once the city’s shopping center, and building signs from the department stores that were there 60 years ago still hang over stores—with Cubans lined up to scour the barely-stocked shelves. Aguila #367, e/Neptuno y San Miguel, Centro Habana. Call or write to reach her administrator. [email protected]. 78620401.

Our other choice is the home of Ana María Fariña and Victor Reinoso. Reasonable prices. The rooms are air-conditioned. Private entrance. And there is a shaded, enclosed patio for those hot afternoons or to meet friends and sort gear. The house is between Vedado and Centro Habana, within healthy walking distance of both Vedado and La Habana Vieja, yet itself in a non-tourist area. Thus there are no hustlers hawking cigars, etc. Also, it is a few blocks from the main bus station. Ana María speaks English. Most important, Ana María is a the quintessential Cubana, savvy, sassy, and openhearted. Salvador Allende (Carlos Tercero) No. 1005, e/Requena y Almendares. House 78735259, cell 52813857. [email protected]. Trip Advisor Es. Twitter.

Finding Casas Particular in Viñales

There are two small towns in Cuba where casas particular and paladares have flourished, Viñales and Trinidad. In each, the overwhelming majority of visitors stay in casas particular and eat in paladares. As World Heritage Sites, large, new hotels cannot be  built in either town. Each has a new, small hotel build on site of an abandoned pre-designation as World Heritage Site hotel.

Viñales is probably the most prosperous, dynamic, and entrepreneurial town in Cuba. Read that again—for emphasis and for an insight into the casa particular-paladar entrepreneurs who are reshaping this national park and World Heritage Site.

In Viñales, pre-covid, there are over 1,000 households that rent rooms and more than 100 paladar. Some say it’s 1,500 and 150. All must be licensed by government to operate and are heavily regulated and taxed.

Reserving rooms in a casa particular is becoming easy and routine. Many visitors, however, may prefer to inspect rooms first. In a small town like Viñales, you may want to walk around and pick your neighborhood. In general, either option works. Finding your own personal casa is a rewarding benefit of visiting Cuba.

Most proprietors have email and cell phones. Cellular access is at 3G level. Internet wifi connections are slow, at speed of old dial-up service. Don’t expect to watch Netflix. Still you’ll likely get a quick responses to emails about price and availability. Internet connections and wifi are slowly being added to Viñales casas. “Free Wifi” signs have suddenly appeared. It’s only a free connection to the website of the state phone company, ETECSA. It’s what’s called a captive portal. Buy an ETECSA card and it provides a user name and passport. Your IP address is Cuba, unless your device has a VPN.

When calling a casa particular, it is best to have someone who speaks Spanish or a translated script with your information. You are calling a home, and you don’t know which family member might answer. Once in Cuba, speaking Spanish is less important.

To call Cuba, use prefix to call international, 011 from USA, country code for Cuba 53, and then number. Cell phones usually start with 5. Below we provide only phone number itself which follows the country code.

It is advisable to have accommodations arranged for Havana in advanced. You don’t want to spend your first day and night looking for a room in a big city with limited transportation choices.

For Viñales, a reservation in advance isn’t required, except during the end of year holidays. Most of the year, it’s a buyers-market. Taxi drivers, “fixers” who pounce when you get off bus, and the casa in Havana where you may have stayed will try to direct you to a particular casa in Viñales. They may tell you the casa you want is full or proprietor doesn’t rent anymore, once even that the he was dead. A climber stayed two days in the wrong casa unaware that her taxi driver hadn’t taken her to the address she’d requested.

Don’t sweat it. The casa you find will probably be fine. Bad experiences with casas are very rare. The downside is that the fixer or taxi driver will get a commission. This lessens the proprietor’s wiggle-room to negotiate a lower price, since they have to pay a daily commission to whoever brought you or referred you. See the Role of Commissions.

If you arrive in Viñales without a reservation, here are a few suggestions.

-Oscar Jaime acts a informal booking agent. Oscar finds a room for any visitor who shows up at his door. He will receive a commission, but you will never be turned away.

-Check the scores of casas on Calle Adela Azcuy. Heading toward crags (downhill), there are 50 convenient casas on that stretch alone, and half that many on Adela Azcuy in the other direction (uphill). Three of four casas on or just off of Adela Azcuy are on our recommended list.

-Our favorite off-the-beaten-track choices are in the village of El Palmar. Actually El Palmar is the western edge of Viñales. Don’t let a taxi driver tell you that El Palmar is too far away. It is closer to the center of Viñales and even much closer to most popular climbs on Mogote del Valle than the majority of Viñales. El Palmar is only a 1 km walk from bus station and Plaza. Many, perhaps most of the new cases that rent are east and south of town, father from the crags and center of town. El Palmar has a dozen casas with rooms comparable to Viñales along along a couple of dirt streets. Quiet, secluded, most of El Palmar is still rural, and its people are friendly farmers and workers—not full-time casa proprietors. Ask directions to El Palmar or walk west from the plaza, where Viazul bus stops, on Viñales’ main street,  Salvador Cisneros for four or five blocks. After a dog-leg right, look for a sign to Casa ”El Cowboy”, then turn right/north, quick left onto a trail, cross a foot bridge; the trail becomes a dirt road, and you are in El Palmar. Starting with Casa El Cowboy,  there are 8 good casas in the next few blocks. Three of them are on our recommended list. El Palmar casas are likely to have space available and willing to negotiate the lowest rate. Long stays by climbers for a room and breakfast are the biggest bargains in Viñales. Check Cabaña Vista el Valle Dania y Damarys, below, on Salvador Cisneros at end of El Palmar.

-There will be folks meeting bus offering rooms that aren’t booked. But you should ask if they are the proprietor, not someone else who will take you to a casa. A proprietor should have a license. Try to get a sense of where the house is located. Viñales has grown, and some of the newer casas can mean longer walks to the crags. Folks who are not the owner may walk you a few kilometers from town to a house that will not accept the low price that you were offered. You are stuck. Either pay what you must, and the fixer gets her commission, or walk back to town and start over.

Don’t write to us at CubaClimbing, however. We don’t arrange rooms, provide prices, contact or represent proprietors – or get commissions.

Recommended Casas Particular in Viñales

We may have seen inside one percent of the 1,000 casas in the valley and stayed in less. Keep in mind that the same is true for all travel guidebooks. If you can’t get a room in a someone’s recommended casa, relax. There are a profusion of excellent casas particular in Viñales from which to chose.

Just like us, guidebooks have lists of recommended casas. Probably all the recommendations are based on personal experience or investigation, and dependable. But with more than 1,000 rooms to review, the scope of any list, including ours, is exceedingly limited.

Our recommended casas are a mix of price levels and areas, mostly clusters of casas, so you can conveniently compare several. There is no order of preferences in our list of casas. In fact, the last casas on the list, in El Palmar, would be our Best Buy. These are families with few connection to Havana casas and taxis, generally have lower prices and more open to negotiate room and meal prices.

Most casas now have similar amenities. Mainly we select the families with whom you may stay. We recommend these casas because we trust the families to take good care of any guest.

AirBnB has many casas listed in Viñales, but still its range of choices is limited and draws heavily on the new casas that are far from central Viñales and even farther from the climbing walls on Mogote del Valle. Many of the established casas are not on AirBnB. You can’t as easily negotiate rates on AirBnB.

Most climbers are staying more than one or two nights. Casa proprietor usually will lower the daily rate or include breakfast and perhaps meals for longer stays. You want to be able to negotiate that before booking on AirBnB.

It is convenient and cheaper to eat breakfast at your casa particular. Saves walks into town. Few good restaurants open in morning. Eating out is more expensive than the $3 to $5 casas normally charge for breakfast. Casas used to serve such big breakfasts that you can take leftovers for lunch at crags. That’s history.

In sum, easiest and best thing to negotiate is to ask that the cost of breakfast be included in the room rate.

AirBnB continues to grow in popularity. For those who want to use AirBnB, we’ve added links to the recommended cases pages on its website. Also, AirBnB pages usually have more information and photos than we provide. Some cautions’ Don’t trust its website when searching for a casa by name. The casa could exist and be on AirBnB, even when site does not show it. Never trust its map. Casas could be far from where appear or not appear at all on map. The links might help you if you want to use AirBnB.

Our Recommended Casa Particulares in Viñales

* Since 1998 the climbers’ basecamp in Viñales has been the home of Oscar Jaime and Leyda Robaina. Its dirt-bag days when the first American and Cuban climbers shared floor space in a couple of room are long gone. Casa Oscar is 3 or 4-stars now, with multiple rooms and private baths and terraces. There is a photo mural tracing the history of climbing in the valley. The Jaime and Robaina families envelope you with warmth and care. The compound of several houses include parents, brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews, and cousins. There are so many family members that one must set aside time for the daily Cuban ritual of shaking hands with each man and kissing each woman and girl. Adela Azcuy #43. Casa 48695516. Leyda cell, 52486770. Oscar cell 54055605. [email protected]. AirBnB Superhost

* La Escalada is an example of one of Viñales’ contemporary, built-to-rent cases. Your hosts are one of Cuba’s best climbers, Jorge (“Tito”), and his lovely wife Geily. They have created a stylish, secluded retreat. Living room with flatscreen TV and its own bar. Three rooms. Tito is available for hire as a climbing guide; a published photographer (photo essays in Climbing), and is completing the new Climbers Guide to Viñales. Camilo Cienfuegos #43. [email protected]. casa 48695476. cell 53097610. AirBnB Superhost

* Villa La Terraza is 100 yards east of La Escalada on Camillo Cienfuegos. It is the spacious contemporary home of Yerenia García and Nils Navarro. It’s the second floor and terraced roof. Expansive views, airy terraces, and refreshing breezes. Also, an ideal place when a group can’t all stay in La Escalada. Nils is a talented artist, internationally acclaimed wildlife illustrator, scientist, and conservationist. His bio reads like the James Audubon of Cuba. Drawing, writing, and producing a beautiful book, Endemic Birds of Cuba, outside of the government’s publication and media apparatus, while living and working from his studio gallery in Viñales. Camillo Cienfuegos # 26 B e/Celso Maragoto y Adela Azcuy. Casa 48-796027. [email protected]. AirBnB

* Another of Viñales’ contemporary, built-to-rent casas is Casa El Balcón. The longtime host is Juanito. Four upstairs rooms and terrace, chic decor, and just a block off the central plaza and surrounding paladares. Calle Rafael Trejo No, 48-A. [email protected]. casa 48696725. cell 52714699. El Balcón is rated #2 of casas on TripAdvisor.

A modest casa on the east side of Viñales but still in the city-center and reasonable walking to crags is Villa Sonia y Papito. Two rooms each with its own private bathroom. A block after town’s only filling station (CUPET), it’s at Calle Salvador Cisnero No 27 Interior. (At that location, it’s commonly called the “carretera al cementerio,” road to the cemetery, which in fact is several kilometers farther.) [email protected]. casa 048-69-52-01. 

All of the casas listed above are south of Salvador Cisneros. A little farther from Mogote del Valle, but not by much.

* In opposite direction, towards the crags, at almost at the bottom of the hill on the north side of Adela Azcuy is Casa Tatica y el Chino. El Chino was among the farmers who befriended the first climbers when he worked on Raúl Reyes’ nearby farm. El Chino now rents two rooms. Adela Azcuy Norte Final no. 61-C. casa 48695021. cells 53030649 / 52453116. AirBnB Superhost

*  Casa Milagros y Yamile is one of the excellent choices at the top, just past the stadium on Adela Azcuy. Three generations in two casas. Adela Azcuy No. 10, casa 48095678. cell 53311915. AirBnB SuperHost

* Heading west on Calle Salvador Cisneros at the intersection with Calle Sergio Dopico (the entrance to the town from Pinar de Río) are casas on the westside of Viñales and the neighborhood of El Palmar. All of these are a straight shot and closer to Mogote del Valle than the rest of Viñales. The first is Villa Cristina, the highly rated casa of  Cristina Gómez and Juanito Rivera is a beautiful house with two rooms, parking, convenience. Next-door, their daughter rents too. Together, it’s an enclosed compound of rooms, dining, and living area. A top-rated house on Trip Advisor. Cisneros No. 206. Casa 48793396. Cell 53311737. AirBnB

A hundred feet after Villa Cristina is the trail and dirt road to El Palmar. Watch for the ”Villa el Cowboy” sign, then turn right/north onto a dirt road between houses. If you find yourself still on a paved road with open farmland on both sides of the road, you missed the sign and turn. Go back past a couple of houses, no more than a hundred feet, and find the El Cowboy sign. The dirt road turns left and crosses a foot bridge. The trail becomes a dirt road, and you are in El Palmar.

Over the next one-quarter mile, the dirt road traverses El Palmar. Along the way are eight casas particular. We recommend three of them, but all are good and typical of this rural neighborhood.

* The first casa after the bridge is Villa el Cowboy hosted by Carlito and Amarilis. Rents two rooms. Carlito Millo runs one of Viñales’ most popular horseback riding businesses. He also works the surrounding farm. He’ll  switch from sending off a large group on a guided horseback ride to plowing his fields behind a team of oxen. If you’re fascinated by the passion Cubans have for the game of dominos, Carlito, his friends and guides, often end the day with a spirited game in the tobacco shed. He grows tobacco and common crops of the valley, beans, corn, and tubers. Carlito will gladly demonstrates the tobacco growing, drying, and rolling tradition. 55450083. AirbnB

*  One hundred yards pass Villa El Cowboy is Villa Las Palmeras of Xiomara and Tito. One room and a view from the large deck of El Mogote del Valle. Casa 48796035. cell 55450770. [email protected]. AirBnB

El Cowboy and Las Palmeras are the first houses on the road entering El Palmar and closest to Viñales. Continuing up dirt road into El Palmar, other casas rent rooms. Among them are Villa Natali, Casa La Siesta,  Los Mogotes, Casa Juan José y Cora. The last casa on the road, where it meets Calle Salvador Cisneros, is our favorite in El Palmar, the classic rural bohio at Casa Dania.

*  Cabaña Vista el Valle Dania y Damarys y is a rebuilt casa and additional rural bohio at the end of the dirt road through El Palmar. The house also fronts on Salvador Cisneros, Viñales’ main street. All new bath, room, and private entrance. Winter 2019-20, Dania added a rustic one-room farm house, a classic Cuban bohío of thatched roof and wood. Also has its own private bathroom and entrance. The family is new to renting, eager to please, and will negotiate a special price for longer stays. A Best Buy for most climbers coming for 7 or more days. The house is in the middle of groves of coffee trees and hibiscus plants. Casa 48696893. Cell 55450700. [email protected]. AirBnB SuperHost

Paladares in Viñales

Before covid, Viñales had been on a paladar-building binge. Unlike the rest of Cuba, Viñales (read its government and communist party) remained dead set against paladares. That changed in 2008, and 10 years later there were 100 paladares in the valley, and new ones opening regularly. We mention only a few. Most of our recommendations are within the three or four blocks to the east and west of the plaza on Calle Salvador Cisnerros. We dispense with address.

El Olivo is on everyone’s short list of favorites. El Cuajaní has quickly attracted dedicated followers, in spite or because of its rural location. Close behind in freshness, quality, and inventive dishes are Los Robertos and Tareco. That’s our personal Mt. Rushmore of Viñales paladares.

El Olivo is so popular that it was the only restaurant which normally had a waiting line outside. It’s worth the wait. Definitely not the conventional cocina criollo dishes; attentive service, graciously restored colonial house, and almost everything from vegetables to cheese comes from its own farm. TripAdvisor

El Cuajaní is one kilometer west of Viñales, just before the turn off to Campismo-Mural de la Prehistoria. Its creators are quintessential examples of a trend fueling Cuba’s private entrepreneurs explosion: accomplished Cubans returning home to start their own businesses. Bertha and José had full careers in Spain and in the USA before they returned to open a paladar. You can eat in the original restored thatched house or in the shade of its surrounding gardens. Your veggies are cut or plucked just for your meal from its encircling farm. Big fresh salads. Try José’s croquetas, specially made of  spinach or fish. His puré de malangas (mashed malangas) is another of José’s delicious creations. TripAdvisor only has it No. 3?

Tareco is another paladar with a distinctive cuisine. It has quickly become a favorite with the younger crowd. Hip and inventive decor and a roof-top terrace overlooking Viñales. Like its ambiance, the dishes are distinctive. On block west of plaza. TripAdvisor

Los Robertos is on the block east of the plaza. Its creator, Javier Diaz, is an architect, fine carpenter, and first class entrepreneur. Most dishes are described as tapas, but often are a full entrée. Javier’s hands-ons approach is evident in everything from menu to furniture to decor. TripAdvisor

None of our favorites serve the standard fare of most paladares know as “cocina criollo”, indigenous Cuban food. It’s mostly variations of black beans, rice, and meat. You can get a very good Cuban dinner for as low as $3. Most, however, are around $7 to $10 for entrees. Special dishes are slightly more.

It’s daunting to pick among the 100 paladares offering almost identical dishes at similar prices. We give our suggestions for the finest, those with unique settings and meals, and the best buys.

Las 3 J Bar and Tapas is very popular and well-reviewed. TripAdvisor

Almost all climbers and hikers pass by the paladar of El Lilo (Roberto Valdez Mechion). It’s Paladar la Complaciente. At the top of the hill, just before entrance to Raúl Reyes’ farm and the access to the climbs at the Ensenada de Raúl, Cueva Cabeza de la Vaca, and Paradon de Josué. Raúl died in 2021. He had been  a saint to the first climbers in Viñales. Their best friend and the most outspoken, no-nonsense supporter of climbing in Viñales. To climbers it will always be Raúl Reyes’ farm.

Lilo’s is a convenient watering hole after a day of climbing. As resourceful as most Cubans, Lilo will happily arrange a banquet for you as you spend your day climbing. Even during the post-covid shortages, Lilo will roast a pig or a  prepare a dinner of pork, chicken, and lamb. Cubaphiles will recall Raúl Reyes’ Chilindrón de Chivo (goat meat stewed in tomatoes and red peppers), an exceptional and a hard to find dish. Lilo does his own delicious Chilindrón de Cordero. These only require arranging your dinner in advance with Lilo. 54 610 979.

La Cocinita del Medio is a cut above most of the competition in its preparation of cocina criollo. Quintessential Cuban dishes at reasonable prices. A quiet, leisurely ambience. La Cocinita accepts reservations. Two blocks west of plaza. TripAdvisor

La Cachurra is good place for grilled meats and chicken. It’s in a traditional Cuban ranchon, with unique rustic decor made from farm tools by Fernando, the owner. A block to west of La Cocinita. TripAdvisor

El Barrio on eastside of Salvador Cisneros, next to banks,  has pizzas big enough for two for $4 to $6 (2019-20). Another popular pizza paladar, as well as hangout is Bar Plaza. You can have real pizza delivered to your casa by Bar Plaza. Hot pizza delivered on scooters  by drivers that are not intimidated by harsh weather. A relief when too tired or deluge too much to go out. Call at 48695072.

Pre-covid Viñales had several inexpensive paladares. So far in 2023, many have not reopened. We’ll mention two in the hope that they come back soon. Our previous pick for the most inexpensive, very good food was Pepos. Across the street from La Cocinita. For $3 USD (Winter, 2019-20) you could have a complete and delicious meal of either meat, chicken, fish, or lamb plus congris cubano and salad. Rompiendo Rutinas, one block off Salvador Cisneros, was another place for cheap, but good, basic Cuban food. Complete dinner for $3.50  (2019-20). A second Rompiendo Rutinas had opened on west side of Salvador Cisneros near both Pepos and Cocinita del Medio.

Other paladares now have complete meals for $3 to $4. You may find your own favorite.

Viñales has only a few government restaurants. They are not very good and easy to spot, since mostly empty. No customers and tables and chairs put away by dinner time. Even the well-maintained Don Tomas can be empty at 8pm. Everything else in town is a privately owned and run paladar.