Cuba Tourism » Casa Particular

Illegal Casas Particulares

Happy — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 19:27:45 +0000

Since fees for Casas Particulares are high, some Cubans run an illegal Casa Particular. Each time someone is renting a room to a tourist and doesn’t have a government license, they are renting it illegally. Intentions are to take advantage of high tourism while avoiding paying the country its dues.

What Could Happen if You Stay at an Illegal Casa Particular

Cuba has officers who are especially appointed to bust illegal Casas Particulares. If you get caught sleeping in an illegal casa particular, you could get kicked out in the middle of the night. That’s about it for you.

Cubans who are running an illegal Casa Particular could lose their house.

All Casas Particulares in Varadero Are Illegal

Keep in mind that certain tourist resorts, such as Varadero don’t have any legal casas particulares at all. You can only stay in a hotel in Varadero. Any casa you could get offered in Varadero will be illegal.

Varadero - Casas Particulares are Illegal to Protect Interests of Hotels, such as Harredura in this Picture. Photo: karolajnat, Flickr

How To Tell if a Casa Particular is Illegal

All legal casas particulares have signs on their font door or other highly visible place. If a casa doesn’t have it, it’s likely illegal. All legal casas pay high fees for their license and a sign and wear it proudly and visibly. The sign is their front line advertising that attracts people from the street. Every legal casa will strive to have it as visible as possible. If you can’t see it, chances are good that casa particular is illegal.

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I Booked Casa Particular but Reservation was Dropped

Happy — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 19:21:00 +0000

My Casa Particular Reservation Has Not Been Honored. Why?

Sometimes it happens that you make a reservation with a particular Casa Particular (funny how these words worked out), you show up and find out that your reservation has not been honored. The room has been rented to somebody else who showed up earlier that day. It gets you kind of stranded and doesn’t speak much of professionalism of that casa owner. Why do these things happen?

Why Has My Advance Casa Particular Reservation Not Been Honored?

Because of the license fees set this high (some owners must pay as much as $300 CUC a month) which have to be paid every month regardless of number of bookings, Casa Particular owners really need to have paying guests in their rooms most of the month – preferably ever day. This type of pressure makes booking casas in advance a little bit tricky as owners sometimes decide to rent the room to a tourist who is presently there with money in hand than wait for someone who made an advance reservation and could possibly flake out.

Tourists Don’t Honor Their Part of the Deal

Booking a casa doesn’t require a tourist to put any money down or make any advance payments. This lead to a high number of cases where tourists make reservations and don’t show up, leaving owners of casas stranded. If such owner rejected another tourist who showed up at their doorstep with money, they’re gonna think twice next time around about turning someone away.

Tourists are truly to blame for occasional cases of what appears as “reservation not honored”. If tourists weren’t flaking on casa owners who desperately need to have their rooms full every day, owners would not be forced to take whoever pays the money rather than whoever makes a promise on paying when they come.

Other Tourists Stealing Your Casa Particular Reservation

Many other times it’s other tourists who simply steal your reservation for themselves. Those are the tourists who failed to make proper arrangements and want a casa in a particular location but most are already full (happens in busy season).

What some tourists do in such cases, is that they bribe their way into a casa with no respect to other tourists who made advance reservation. Cubans are very friendly and hospitable and many westerners are slimy douchebags who play victims and pull cry-baby stories making casa owners feel guilty for them not having a place to be so they force their way into a casa that was reserved by somebody else.

Alternative Casa Always Available

If you do happen to get into such situation that you make reservation for a specific casa Particular and find the reservation not honored because somebody else is in the room you were supposed to get, the owners of the casa will go out of their way to make alternative arrangements. Most of the time it will be a casa that’s of a higher value than the one you have made reservation for so you will get more for less.

Cubans are extremely hospitable and friendly. They will never leave you stranded. You will be looked after, one way or another. Even if you haven’t made any advanced booking, if a casa you walk into is full up, they will phone around until they find you a place.

What To Do To Avoid Getting Stranded

Call one day in advance. Confirm the owner that you are coming 100% so they don’t rent the room out to walk ins. It’s as simple as that.

Closing Statement

Don’t be that douchbag tourist from a few paragraphs up…

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Casa Particular License – How Much Do Cubans Pay?

Happy — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 22:45:50 +0000

Cubans who own and operate a Casa Particular have to pay hefty maintenance fees to the government. It has a lot to do with the fact that Cuba almost collapsed when the country lost 80% of its trade it had going with Russia prior to the Berlin Wall collapse. While Eastern Europe was celebrating end of communism, Cuba was struggling to survive.

Fidel Castro rescued island’s economy in 1994 by opening Cuba to foreign vacation companies making tourism primary source of foreign currency. In 1997, Castro allowed for private sector to make extra income from booming tourism by operating Casas Particulares and renting rooms to foreigners.

It may seem shocking, but average Cuban makes as much a month, as a tourist pays for a night in a Casa Particular. Yet for a tourist, Casas Particulares are very reasonably priced and allow for inexpensive vacation on a beautiful island in the Caribbean.

Logically, Cubans who don’t operate Casas Particulares would be heavily disadvantaged if Casa owners were able to retain most of the income from rentals to tourists. Most products and services offered to Cubans are very cheap. Public transport, food, etc are all priced at a level so Cubans can afford it despite what may seem to a foreigner as very low monthly salary.

Prices that tourists pay for casas are normal for tourists. Cuban government used to operate or tourism related services and establishments. By allowing private sector to run Casas Particulares, Cuban government basically gave part of their income to the citizens but they came with the fee schedule that makes operating Casas Particulares a competitive business that makes owners motivated, while still bringing a lot of money to the government that desperately needs foreign currency to keep the country running and capable of attracting more tourists (who in turn bring more income to owners of casas who are then capable to pay government fees for running casas, and it just goes on like that. Fidel Castro deserves the title of “Best Leader of out time” hands down).

Casa Particular License Fees

Owners of Casas Particulares can charge per night what average Cuban makes in a month and it will be still priced at the level that’s very attractive to tourists. For the privilege to operate Casas Particulares, owners must pay the government following license fees:

CUC$ 50 a month for legal Casa Particular sign
CUC$ 100 – 250 a month per room tax

Tax per room varies and is dependent on location. Some locations, such as Havana are more popular and casa owners get more business there.

This being said, above mentioned license fees are what Cubans must pay every month whether they get enough business or not. Needless to say – every Cuban will try really hard to make sure they offer quality of service that would attract lots of tourists and will try to fill in their schedule as much as they can.

During high season they often make more and save up so they can still pay the fees during low season when there are not as many tourists around to rent rooms in their casas.

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Casa Particular Price Guide – How Much Do Casas Cost?

Happy — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 19:56:46 +0000

This Casa Particular Price Guide is to help you determine how much the stay in a casa will cost you. The quotes are always per room, per day. One room can typically accommodate two people, so if you’re a couple, this price guide will still apply the same to you – aka you will be paying per room, not per person. However it is always important to clarify pricing up front with owners to make sure the price you are quoted is per room, not per person.

Casa Particular Price Guide

Cities are listed in alphabetical order and prices are in Cuban Convertible Pesos (CUC) – official Cuban currency for tourists and a currency you will need to use in order to pay for your stay in a Casa Particular:

Baracoa: CUC$ 15 – 20
Cardenas: CUC$ 25
Cienfuegos: CUC$ 20 – 30
Havana: CUC$ 25 – 35
Holguin: CUC$ 15 – 25
Santiago: CUC$ 20 – 30
Santa Clara: CUC$ 20
Trinidad: CUC$ 20 – 25
Vinales: CUC$ 15 – 20

Several factors influence the price of a Casa Particular. Location of a casa, views it offers as well as what type of casa it is determine the price. All casas I know of have air conditioned rooms. I don’t know of any that doesn’t. I would think there isn’t any such… Also every casa particular I have stayed in had warm water in the shower, even if by just having that small boiler mounted on the sprinkler.

Price Guide for Meals in a Casa Particular

Also note – meals are not included in price, unless specifically stated. It’s not expensive to pay casa owner for meals – breakfast is on average CUC$ 3 and supper CUC$ 7. Again, price will vary depending on which city you’re in. Breakfast I had in one Casa Particular Havana was not really worth it and cost $5 CUC. The worst thing however was that the same very breakfast was served each morning (I stayed there for 3 nights). This is something I didn’t know (paid for accommodation and breakfast up front) and since then I’d always asked what was for breakfast and if it was the same thing every morning.

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Legal Casa Particular? This Sign Helps You Recognize (pic)

Happy — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 18:15:47 +0000

You can easily recognize a legal Casa Particular by a special sign it will have on the door or other highly visible part of the house. Bottom line – every legal Casa Particular will have that sign and it will be at a visible area. If you can’t see the sign or if owner is telling you that it’s somewhere on the back of the house, suspect an illegal Casa Particular.

Casa Particular Sign - Notice Another One on the Wall which says Arrendador Divisa. Photo: Barry Cornelius, Flickr

Casa Particular License

In order for a Cuban to run a Casa Particular, they must apply for a license with the government. Cuban government regulates Casas Particulares and issues licenses only if a room rented meets the standards. Cuban officials want to make sure that every tourist has an enjoyable experience regardless of whether they opt for staying in a hotel or in a Casa Particular.

Cubans who obtained a license to operate a Casa Particular can rent up to two rooms in their house to foreigners. The license is issued with a Casa Particular sign that owners put on their house to make it recognizable as legal Casa Particular.

Legal Casa Particular Sign

Cubans licensed to operate legal Casas Particulares must post a specially designed sign on their front doors. This signs help anyone recognize legal Casas Particulares from the streets.

The sign has two blue roofs placed against each other and at the bottom it says “Arrendador Divisa”.

Legal Casa Particular will Always Have a Sign by the Entrance or Where Otherwise Highly Visible. Photo: Barry Cornelius, Flickr

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Casa Particular Checklist – List of Things You Need

Happy — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 17:19:27 +0000

There are a few things that an owner of a Casa Particular will require you to provide in order to accommodate you. Here’s the Casa Particular checklist to make sure you know of all the things you need in order to stay in a Casa Particular:

Passport

Basically all you need is a valid passport. You need to provide it to the owner of the Casa Particular you will be staying at. Owners are required by Cuban government to provide these details to Cuban immigration authorities.

It would be disrespectful to try to dispute this request as they’re asking for your passport because it’s their obligation and a government requirement.

Casa Particular Receipt Book

Owners of Casas Particulares have special receipt book (it has yellow pages) that you will need to sign. It’s your receipt that you have paid for stay in a Casa Particular.

How To Pay for Casa Particular

The only method of payment for a Casa Particular is by cash. Remember that Casas Particulares are owned primarily by actual Cuban families. They don’t have the means to process credit cards or to exchange travellers’ checks. Make sure you have enough cash available and don’t pay in foreign currency. It is extremely difficult for Cuban’s to exchange foreign currency for their domestic pesos. Be a nice tourist, exchange your home currency for Cuban Convertible Pesos (CUC) and pay the owner of a Casa Particular where you have stayed in CUC cash.

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Entry Requirements – Is Casa Particular Reservation Good Enough?

Happy — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 15:57:50 +0000

In order to enter Cuba, you are required to enter the adress of the place where you will be staying. This information must be on the tourist card in order for Cuban customs officials to grant you entry to Cuba. Contrary to popular belief, hotel reservation is not a mandatory entry requirement. Having reservation at a Casa Particular does meet Cuban entry requirements and will not cause any problems.

I’ve heard of some reports stating that you must have a hotel room reservation for at least 3 days in order to enter Cuba. This is untrue. Casas Particulares are officially recognized and government supported means of accommodation for foreigners and tourists to Cuba. Having a booking in a Casa Particular is perfectly fine and will cause no problems when entering Cuba from abroad.

The tourist card (which is official Cuban visa) has a section there where you must enter the address at which you will be staying in Cuba. If you are staying in a hotel, then the name of the hotel is sufficient. If you’re staying at a Casa Particular, write down the name of a casa and its address.

I have never heard of Cuban officials vigorously verifying your lodging arrangements so technically if you wrote down an address of any Casa Particular it should work just fine. As a matter of fact, I know several people who wrote random address of a random Casa Particular they found in a Lonely Planet guide. It got them in without problems.

To sum it up – no, you do NOT need a hotel reservation in order to enter Cuba. Cuban customs officers accept Casas Particulares as accommodation arrangements for tourists and it will cause you no problems whatsoever to put a Casa Particular down on a tourist card when entering Cuba.

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No Casa Particular in Varadero – Find Out Why

Happy — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 19:11:02 +0000

When it comes to popular tourist resorts, such as Varadero, but also Playa Santa Lucia and Guardalavaca it is impossible to rent a Casa Particular there. Being busy vacation spots with lots of hotels, the owners of those hotels made a case that their interests would be threatened if Casas Particulares were allowed in these areas. That’s why it is impossible to rent any in Varadero (or Playa Santa Lucia and Guardalavaca).

In formal terms, it was determined that operations of Casas Particulares would pose a threat to local hotel industry. The legislation was passed prohibiting the operation of Casas Particulares in Varadero, Playa Santa Lucia and Guardalavaca so the operation of hotels is not threatened.

That being said – even though you can’t rent a Casa Particular in Varadero, it only proves my earlier point that staying in a Casa Particular is a better and cheaper way to experience Cuba. International cartels operating hotels in Cuba realize that and ganged up against locals to stop Casas Particulares from existing in these popular tourist spots. Money won over healthy competition. Hotel chain owners could definitely afford whatever it took to have such legislation passed so as to eliminate competition that would mess with their incomes. They couldn’t get it passed all over Cuba, but most popular destinations, including Varadero were affected.

You can't rent a Casa Particular in Varadero. Only a hotel room, such as this one is hotel Arenas Doras. Photo: Patxi64, Flickr

It matters not. Varadero is a tourist resort. Going on vacation to Varadero is hardly any different than visiting Cancun or any other resort in the Caribbean. The real charm of Cuba lies outside of tourist resorts and an adventurer can (still) rent a Casa particular there.

One thing to remember – if you are offered a Casa Particular in Varadero, it is guaranteed to be illegally run and best avoided. Regardless of what you are told – nobody gets an exception to run a Casa Particular in Varadero. Closest towns to Varadero with legal Casas Particulares are Matanzas and Cardenas. If you do want to stay in a Casa Particular and remain relatively close to world’s finest beaches Varadero is notorious for, look in either of those towns.

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Casa Particular vs Hotel – Advantages Explained

Happy — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 19:02:30 +0000

There are countless advantages to staying in a casa particular versus staying in a hotel. Let’s look at the most significant ones:

Casa Particular vs Hotel – Advantages

Price – Casas Particulares are cheaper per night than hotels. Unless you look at extremes, aka the pushiest casa particular in Cuba versus the crapiest hotel in Cuba. Then it could actually work out in favor of a hotel. As a general rule, average hotel room prices range from CUC$ 50 – CUC$ 200 per night. Average casa particular prices range from CUC$ 20 – CUC$ 35 per night.
Food – when staying in a casa particular, you can pay extra to have the family cook for you. This type of home made food is often times far more delicious and portions more generous than anything you’d get in a hotel (Cuba is not exactly famous for the best food in the Caribbean)
Advice – if you opt for staying in a casa particular, you will be staying with normal people who live in the area. They’ll be happy to recommend places to visit and restaurants to eat in when you go exploring. Unlike hotel staff who will simply handle you a tour guide brochure or recommend the most touristy spots, casa particular owners could tell you where Cubans go to shop and eat so you can get regular price service and product. Touristy establishments price their services so as to make as much off of an unaware tourist as possible.
Friendship – as a guest to a Casa Particular, you can develop a very nice friendship with the family as well as their relatives and friends. Staying in a hotel, all you will meet are hotel staff and other tourists – you won’t make many local friends that way.
No Restrictions – hotels have many restrictions in place plus one of government regulations prohibits local Cubans from visiting tourists in hotels. Cubans are genuinely nice people and you could easily make awesome new friends out in the street or on a beach. If you’re staying in a Casa particular, you can invite them over without problems. It would be impossible if you were staying in a hotel.
Support – by staying in a Casa particular you will be directly supporting a Cuban family, not an international multi million dollar company that’s there solely to make money on you. Hotel employees are paid very little by those multi million dollar international corporations that own hotels. You will get service equal to tips you leave. When staying in a Casa Particular, you are already directly supporting the family whose house you’re staying in. You will be treated like king by them; you will truly feel like your stay with them is appreciated. The inner feeling of putting your money to a really good cause can not be beat.

Even though I highlighted several advantages to staying in a Casa Particular, this type of lodging is not for everyone. Depending on your personal preferences, staying at home (even though somebody else’s) may not exactly feel like an ideal vacation to you. More visitors who take vacation in Cuba stay in a hotel than in a Casa Particular. Hotels are often located right on the beach with only a few meters to go to get to the sea; they have private pools and evening entertainment. There are advantage and disadvantage to each of the options. It is up to you to carefully evaluate what exactly you expect from your vacation to Cuba and decide based on your personal preferences. This guide to Casas Particulares is meant to help you with additional options that you may not have been told by about by your travel agent.

Casa Particular vs Hotel – Disadvantages

To be fair, I will list the biggest disadvantage of staying in a Casa Particular – the only method of payment accepted is cash. While many hotels are owned by international corporations, they have the means to offer credit card processing, Casas Particulares are owned by regular Cubans who have limited access to financial institutions and such things as credit cards or travelers checks are a big unknown to them.

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Types of Casas Particulares Explained

Happy — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 18:54:23 +0000

Casas Particulares term covers broad range of types of accommodation offered. One Casa Particular could only offer a private room in a house, while other has a private room with independent entrance. Some Casas Particulares rentals get you full apartment with no one else living in other rooms. This guide is meant to explain various types of Casas Particulares to make it easier to understand the differences.

In general, the price you will pay for your Casa Particular reflects what type of casa it is, but location and other factors also influence the price. For more information of pricing visit our guide to prices of Casas Particulares.

Types of Casas Particulares are explained below:

Private Room

This is a room in a house or apartment that’s shared. Owner of the house and their family will likely live in other rooms or on a different floor of the house. Most private rooms have private bathrooms. As a guest, you will be given the key to the whole house/apartment.

Private Room with independent entrance

In this case, you would be staying in a shared apartment or house but your private room will have an independent entrance so you will be able to enter and leave without using the main entrance.

Apartment

Apartments are more expensive Casas Particulares but offer most privacy and independence as you would be the only person occupying the apartment. In some cases, apartments are part of the house that was rebuilt to separate it from the rest.

Studio

Studios are basically mini-apartments, typically consisting of a single room, a kitchen and a bathroom. They offer privacy of an apartment but for a better price.

House

Some houses is rented out whole as Casa Particular. These are the most expensive casas but you have whole house for yourself.

While I’m familiar with various types of Casas Particulares, I personally don’t choose what casa I would be staying at based on what type it is. Location and price are decisive factors for me. When I was in Havana I didn’t care for the price too much, but I wanted a Casa particular that would be close to most significant sights and overlooking the ocean. It’s still beneficial to have different types of casas explained so one knows what to expect.

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Cuba Tourism » Casa Particular

Illegal Casas Particulares

What Could Happen if You Stay at an Illegal Casa Particular

All Casas Particulares in Varadero Are Illegal

How To Tell if a Casa Particular is Illegal

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I Booked Casa Particular but Reservation was Dropped

My Casa Particular Reservation Has Not Been Honored. Why?

Why Has My Advance Casa Particular Reservation Not Been Honored?

Tourists Don’t Honor Their Part of the Deal

Other Tourists Stealing Your Casa Particular Reservation

Alternative Casa Always Available

What To Do To Avoid Getting Stranded

Closing Statement

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