Havana Rentals. FAQ. Frequently asked questions. Private Homes and Apartments for rent in Havana, Cuba..

Q0. Why should I rent a private home (casa particular) in Cuba?

First we believe that most of those who travel these days to Cuba are looking for a close contact with our beautiful nature, our beaches, our culture, our music, and more importantly: our people. So the best way to stay in direct contact with Cubans, enjoy our hospitality, get to know the way we live, the way we face everyday troubles with a smile, is by living with us. This applies to those interested in renting a private accommodation sharing common areas with the Cuban families.

Another reason is that you can save some money if you rent in a private accommodation. The average is cheapper than the State hotels, excluding those private luxurious mansions with pool that are also available for rent. Besides being in a private accommodation, you are not forced to follow the routine that tends to prevail in a hotel, and so you feel you are still in a homelike setting.

The third reason is that yes, in private accommodations you are allowed to bring Cuban guests and friends and they are even allowed to stay overnight. Please notice that they must not be under age and they must provide the house owner their full name and ID # to write it down in the owner´s guest book. Cubans are not allowed to enter state hotel rooms in Cuba.

Q1. Is it legal to rent a private home in Cuba? What about Varadero beach?

Since 1997, the Cuban government has allowed Cuban families to legally register their rental services for foreigner tourists and thus they pay a license fee and taxes to the Cuban government for this economic activity. It´s indeed a legal business in Cuba.

Regarding Varadero beach, it is not legal for Cuban citizens to rent their private homes to foreign tourists. For this reason, we strongly encourage you to book in a State hotel if you want to enjoy Varadero beach, one of the most beautiful beach areas in the world.

Q2. How can I find a specific home/apartment in this directory ?

You must enter our directory listing and browse the different categories. In order to ease the search, the directory has been categorised in sections depending on the type of accommodation you are looking for. Once you reach the bottom of the directory and find the accommodations listed with small photos, you can click on each image and see the complete description, pictures, prices and local information, pertaining to every accommodation listed in our website.

Q3. Why do some accommodations appear in various categories when I search under the one bedroom and two bedrooms accommodations?

Because in most of the accommodations where more than one bedroom is available for rent, you can rent only one bedroom with private bathroom. The other bedrooms will remain available for other clients to rent.

Q4. Will I have to share common areas of the private home with other tourists?

In some cases, a Cuban family rents out more than one bedroom in a house or apartment that is still their place of residence. Common areas are then shared by the family with all those who rent bedrooms. If this should be an inconvenience, please look in the directory for the accommodations with private entrance. If you do not find the accommodation with private entrance with the conditions you are looking for, please contact us and tell us what you need. We have contacts with many other similar accommodations that may be available.

Q5. What should I do if I cannot find the accommodation with the characteristics I´m looking for?

Please complete our General Reservation Page and tell us what you need. Include: dates of your trip, for how long, amount of bedrooms that you need, possible locations, whether it should be private or shared with Cuban families, and any other detail that will help us find a place for you in Havana.

There are two ways:
From the left menu on every page there is the "Reservation" link that will take you to the page for making a General Reservation. Here you will be able to inform us in detail of the type of accommodation that you are interested in.
As well, on every accommodation listed, there is a link below the amenities that says "Want to make your RESERVATION". This leads to a reservation page which specifies the accommodation that you are interested in.

Feel free to include comments, questions, and any other information that will help us locate a place for you.

Yes. As soon as we confirm the reservation, we will include the complete address of the accommodation and phone number in the confirmation email we will send you.

By e-mail. As soon as we confirm that the place that you requested is available, we will send you an e-mail with this confirmation and will include the address.

Q9. Why are the rental prices so high when the direct wages are so low in Cuba ?

The legally registered house owners must pay a relatively expensive license monthly license fee to the Cuban government and more importantly, these fee are fixed. The fee remains the same every month, even if the owner has had few, or no clients at all.

The license fee may vary from as low as $100.00 US and as expensive as $250.00 US per month for each bedroom that is declared for rent. The difference of this fee lies in the area where the accommodation is located. Special fees are added in cases where the apartment is left completely at the client´s disposal or when meals are legally offered. In addition, at the end of the year, every house owner must declare the "income tax" and refund an additional fee to the government for this economic activity.
Every legally registered house owner have a book where they record every reservation made, and the corresponding price paid.
This way the house owners are forced to increase the prices to make sure they have enough funds to pay the license fee in low season periods and also the taxes, since they can never be sure of the volume of business to expect throughout the year.
We agree that those house owners who manage to remain full the whole year are indeed doing well these days in Cuba when the average direct wages are under $15.00 US a month.
We also believe that private accommodations still remain cheaper than State hotels.

Q10. How much does it cost? Do I have to pay extra for booking with Havana Rentals?

There is no extra charge, our fee is already included in the original price. We are able to offer 20% discount for longterm reservations of more than one month.

When we started offering our booking services, we used to greet our clients at Havana Airport and escort them to the accommodation reserved at no additional cost. Unfortunately, at this moment we are not able to provide this service. We are truly sorry for the inconvenience.
As we will provide you with the address of the accommodation via e-mail, you must take a taxi once you leave the Havana Airport and go to the address provided. The landlord will be waiting for you there to explain everything and give you the keys.
Normally the taxi costs $15.00 to $18.00 US from the Havana Airport to central Havana.

Q12. How do I pay for my reservation? Whom should I pay for my reservation? Do I need to make a downpayment ?

You must pay only in cash when you get to the accommodation and you pay directly to the landlord. You must pay in advance for the total of days that you reserved. There is no previous downpayment before your arrival.

Please go to our contact page and let us know your questions. We will reply within the next 48 hours.

The only way to reach us is through our contact page or by sending us an e-mail to

Yes, regardless of your nationality, you'll need a passport (and one that is valid for at least six months from the date of your arrival in Cuba).

No, you won't need a visa, but you will need what's termed a "tourist card." If you are a non-US citizen, you can apply for a tourist card at the Cuban Embassy in your country. If you are a US citizen entering via Canada, Mexico or the Bahamas, travel agencies in these countries can provide tourist cards (and if you're entering via Cancun, tourist cards are available at Cancun Airport).

Generally, Cuban Immigration will NOT stamp American passports. However, if you have an American passport, they will stamp a separate document, which you then carry with your passport for the duration of your stay. Another option is to bring a birth certificate in addition to your passport. In the rare and off-chance possibility that your passport is stamped, you can use your birth certificate for re-entry to the US (if you entered via Mexico).

Yes! Upon entering the country, Cuban officials will often ask at which hotel you're going to stay. If you don't have a voucher, e-mail or some sort of printout with the hotel name and address (or name/address of the casa particular), they'll insist that you book a 3-night stay at the hotel of their picking (often moderate to expensive choices). The safest bet is to have your accommodations arranged prior to your arrival.

Yes, be sure to save twenty dollars, as everyone departing Cuba must pay this departure tax (US currency).

US dollars are no longer valid for payment in Cuba since Nov 8, 2004.
If you are planning a trip to Cuba, don´t bring US dollars as they will no longer be accepted to directly purchase goods and services here. Be aware that if you do so and bring US dollars, a fine of 10% will be imposed when exchanging these into Cuban Convertible pesos at any Bank or CADECA desk.
Instead, we strongly encourage you to bring other currencies such as Canadian Dollars, Euros or Pound Sterling. Once here you will be able to exchange these other currencies into Cuban Convertible pesos at the current exchange rate of the US dollar in the Airport upon arrival or later in any Bank or CADECA desk in the Island. This way you will avoid the 10% fine that is imposed to those having US dollars. This is important to know as you will not even be able to pay the Taxi from the Airport without Cuban Convertible pesos.

For a more complete explanation, click here.

What are my transportation options once in Cuba?
Taxis -- they're cheap, plentiful and come in a variety of shapes and sizes (horse-drawn carrliage, motorized 3-wheeler openair taxis, air-conditioned sedans, etc). Always confirm your fare prior to agreeing to the trip, then sit back and enjoy the view!

Buses are generally best avoided, and they're usually very crowded and behind schedule. If comfort and timeliness don't matter, buses are extremely cheap, and a great way to travel the Cuban way.

Trains are also an affordable option. Trains leave regularly from Havana, and among other cities, go to Matanzas, Santa Clara, Guayos, Ciego de Avila, Camaguey, Las Tunas, Cacocum and Santiago de Cuba, Bayamo, Manzanillo, Guantánamo, Baracoa, Holguín, Antilla, Cienfuegos and Pinar del Río.

Rent-a-cars are good option, although navigating the sign-less streets can be challenging (navigating becomes much easier when you're outside of Havana).

There are four international airports in Cuba: Havana, Varadero, Holguín and Camaguey. There are also many smaller airports. Departing from Havana, there are regularly scheduled flights to Santiago, Holguín, Camaguey, Bayamo, Manzanillo, Guantanamo and Las Tunas.

Airlines flying to Cuba are: Aeroflot, Aeromexico, Aeropostal, Condor, Cubana de Aviación, Iberia, LTU, Ladeco, Mexicana, Taag and Viasa. Also, there are charter airlines operated by tour operators.

Absolutely. In fact, violent crime is almost unheard of in Cuba, making Cuba by far the safest of the Caribbean islands. However, with any large city or foreign country, the obvious stands: don't be flashy with cash or jewelry, and generally be aware of your surroundings.

No. Care should also be taken with mojitos and other mixed drinks, as the ice cubes are generally frozen tap water. Bottled water is plentiful and cheap.

Most Cubans speak some English, but most not fluently. Brush up on your conversational Spanish on the flight to Cuba (generally those working in tourism and hospitality, such as hotels and restaurants, speak very good English).

Thank you for your interest in our booking service for private homes in Havana.

Frequently Asked Questions!