Saving money and living like a local in Cuba

Arriving in Havana

As we arrived at our lodgings, several moments of “what have I done”  came over me.  We appeared to be in a less than salubrious neighbourhood, and I was questioning our level of risk taking and thinking a hotel might have been more comforting at this point in time.  We had decided to stay at a Casa Particular ‐ a private Cuba residence.

The next few minutes validated the phrase “don’t judge a book by its cover” and I felt immediately relieved. As we looked outside the cab, there was Senor Geraldo Calderon from ‘Casa Calderon’, beaming at us with the largest, whitest smile we had ever seen, and ready to welcome us into his home.

Hidden behind the crumbling streetscape and three separate security doors, was the Calderon private residence, and further down the back, was our own private room, complete with a full bathroom, air conditioning  and even better…..a full bar fridge.  A room like this would be a treat for many Cubans, let alone travelling visitors.

We were fortunate to be able to spend some quality time with our host over the five days which allowed us to learn more about how the Cubans lived, and the issues, challenges and opportunities they faced living here.  As we sat drinking Cuban rum with him upon our arrival, we learnt that Senor Calderon, a doctor, was quite wealthy by Cuban standards, and was excited about the possibility of future change for he and his family.

In Cuba, eating out is not as universal as it is in many other countries, and breakfast can be particularly tricky.  At Casa Calderon, we elected to have our host provide our breakfast and dinner meals on most days.

This served us two-fold.  Firstly it guaranteed we could find food when we needed it and secondly it gave us another personal experience of eating authentic family food.  Eating in Cuba for tourists can be a health mine field, and our travel doctor had pre-warned us about eating fish, salad, fruit and vegetables here in Cuba.

The mantra was essentially if it isn’t boiled or fried, don’t eat it.  Whilst Cuba has some of the best health facilities in the world due to the focus placed on this by the government, unfortunately their farming and food preparation practices can mirror third world activities, making it a bit of a russian roulette situation when it comes to eating some local food.

Lounge /dining area outside our room

Our host, Senor Calderon (Right)

Refreshments from our mini bar a bargain at 1CUC each.

Dinner in the Casa Calderon

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