Casa Particular “Leibys & Papito”, Viñales

Posted on February 7, 2015 by Phil

We stayed four nights at this super friendly, clean and well equipped “Casa Particular” of Leibys y Papito Zapatero in January 2015. Leibys is the soul of the house, takes care of her guests and the dog. Papito likes to chat and help his guests. Despite our helpless Spanish and with the help of Leibys pretty OK English we got to talk quite a bit. One day, Leibys had us cook with her, as we love to get to know local cuisine from within the kitchen. A great experience, as Leibys is a rather good cook with a well-equipped kitchen.

Cubans have great difficulties to get internet access. Anything beyond email is often considered a miracle and if miracles happen, then painfully slow. That leads to a lack of information, among others about accommodation options for travelers. So we decided to write a little something about this house we liked so much.

This casa particular is located about 7 walking minutes from the center and bus station. It rents out two rooms. Both have external, individual access, two queen size beds with a good mattress, a bathroom with shower, AC, a table, mosquito nets, and a big fridge filled with beverages and whatever else needs to be cooled. There is a wardrobe to hang a few clothes, but that’s it in regards to storage space. A lot of small touches show that Leibys previously worked in a hotel. There is, for example, a small booklet describing the services the house provides. Laundry, meals, trips in and around Viñales, massages and a small selection of drinks and cocktails are offered in-house or organized through external providers. The night was 20 CUC for the room, breakfast 4 CUC pp.

But our preferred feature is a little outside lounge looking out to the Viñales valley. It was a perfect place to hang out and relax sitting in a rocking chair, enjoying the breeze over a cold beer. The owners are apparently planning to build a small swimming pool next to the lounge which should be ready for summer 2015. Oh, and if you need your shoes fixed, Papito is a shoemaker.

One thing you’ll have to accept is the relatively loud noise level due to early morning rooster crowing competitions and potentially loud neighbors (TV). But Cuba is a loud country. Travel with ear-plugs.

The below pictures contain a map and the business card with detailed contact information.

Phone: +53 1 53 59 14 61
eMail: leiysll@nauta.cu

Enjoy… and say hi to the lovely hosts when you see them…