Questions About Rent Houses in Cuba
Ask us any question about Varadero, Santa Clara, Habana or any other popular destination in Cuba, rent houses, casas particulares, rooms for rent, hostels, B&B or Innn. Send your question to rent@vararent.com and you will receive a reply soon.
If you want to book in a rent house use the rent house booking form. Check out some Travel questions related to Cuba in StackExchanges.com
Frequently Asked Questions.
Q: What's a rent house/Hostal/Casa Particular/B&B?
A: A Rent House, Hostel, Casa Particular, B&B, Inns, and other, are private houses in Cuba which its owners designate one or more rooms or the entire house for rent. Guests pay a price for the stay according to the number of days of they stay. The rent house usually has basic conditions such as bedroom, bathroom, towels and sheets, air conditioning, hot water etc. Sometimes the owners rent the entire house and you have full privacy, other times they split the house in two, you have privacy but the family lives next door. Refer to the Varadero Rent House Privacy Options and Rent House Description and Details Page guide for more information.
Q: Why rent houses exist? Why not book a hotel?
A: Rent houses are a cheaper way to stay in Cuba. The government authorized rent houses beginning 90's as a solution for the high demand of tourists during that time. Rent houses owners have a license to offer rent services. Other services such as breakfast and meal are offered as well. Rent houses exist in almost all major cities in Cuba. Rent house owners pay high fees to the government for the license. Refer to the Rent Houses VS Hotels guide for more information.
Q: How do I know if a rent house is authorized by the government?
A: Authorized rent houses have a visible blue symbol at the entrance and a registry book, pretty much like a hotel. They are forced by law to take your passport number and register your stay in the book. The blue symbol is displayed in this page. Always look for this symbol when renting in a rent house.
Q: Can I stay in a rent house not authorized by the government?
A: No, you and the house owner will have problems with the government if you stay in a rent house not authorized (without the blue symbol or the registry book). You can request the rent house owner for the proper license or certificate.
Q: I've heard rent houses are not authorized in Varadero for tourists, is that true?
A: No, now the rent houses in Varadero are legally authorized for everybody, tourists and Cubans.
Q: Can I take Cuban guests with me to the rent house?
A: Yes, all the rent houses with the blue symbol admit Cuban and not Cuban guests. So you can be in a rent house with a Cuban friend or family.
Q: Hurricanes are dangerous; in hurricane season will I be in trouble if I travel to Cuba?
A: No, although risk exist because hurricanes have a strong force, Cuban government pay special attention to this event, a warning is set before the hurricane with plenty of time and the government follows the hurricane closely and take measures to protect everybody's life.
Q: May I pay in US Dollar, Euro or other currencies in Cuba?
A: No, all currencies must be changed in a CADECA to Cuban Convertible Peso (CUC) and that currency is the usable one in Cuba for tourists. Refer to the Cuban Currency Exchange Guidelines for more information.
Q: What's the best season to travel to Varadero?
A: Any time of the year, Cuba is an eternal summer, although during summer temperatures are higher, you will find warm weather the entire year. Must Cubans prefer the summer to visit Varadero. Tourist prefer dates from November to May, in these dates the weather is also warm and Cuba receive the higher amount of visitors.
Q: How can I make my trip less expensive?
A: Rent: Stay in a rent house can save a lot of money instead of stay in a hotel. Transport: You can use Viazul service and also can let us know your needs about transportation when traveling to other provinces, we have taxi service associated (less expensive than the government taxi) that can help you plan your trip. Refer to the Travelling in Viazul guide and check our Taxi Service for more information.
Q: How to travel to other provinces?
A: We can help you plan your itinerary with taxi or bus services. You can use VIAZUL buses, a cost-effective way to travel Cuba to all major touristic attractions. Refer to the Travelling in Viazul guide and check our Taxi Service for more information.
Q: What's a "Paladar"?
A: A Paladar is a private small restaurant which usually offers traditional Cuban dishes. The Cuban government authorized small business and recent changes in private business policy enabled much more Paladars. There are cheap Paladars and restaurants and expensive Paladars and restaurants. Ask your rent house owner for tips on which good Paladar or restaurant you can go.
Q: Can I cook in my rent house?
A: yes*, many rent houses allow cooking, others don't; you should ask the rent house owner if cooking is allowed. If you're browsing our rent houses list you can check whether cooking is allowed or not. Some rent houses (especially rent rooms) offer a small pantry, some rent houses offers full equipped kitchen or non-full equipped kitchen. Cooking in your own rent house is a good idea if you want to keep your expenses short. You can buy local food from an Agro. You can find
Q: What is an "Agro"?
A: The word stands from "Agromercado", this is a market for agricultural products (rice, potatoes, legumes, meat etc.) you can buy everything for cooking from an Agro at low prices. The currency used in an agro is the Cuban Peso CUP (not Cuban Convertible Peso CUC). Ask your rent house owner for tips where you can find an agro near your location to buy food.
Q: The price displayed in rent houses is per night?
A: Yes, rent houses owners charges the fee per night you spend in the house, be sure to agree the time of entrance and exit from the house with the rent house owner.
Q: What's the First Day Retainer?
A: This is a best practice used among rent house owners to be sure the guest will come on the agreed date. If the guest arrives on that date, the reservation is active and the guest completes the payment, but if the guest fails to come on that date, the first day retainer is lost. The amount paid is the total amount for one day of rent.
Q: Can I pay the First Day Retainer here in vararent?
A: Yes, vararent offers different ways to secure pay the first day retainer, after your initial contact using the booking form we start the reservation process and during this process we will send you an invoice with the amount to pay and payment method. Please read the guide: Ensuring your reservation: pay the first day retainer or not?
Q: Which are the payment methods accepted for the First Day Retainer?
A: We accept payments from PayPal, AIS card, Duales, Western Union, Transcard, direct deposit in a Cuban bank made by a Cuban citizen, and Cuban mail service "Giro Postal". A vararent representative will send you the available payment methods and their fees upon your contact request.
Feel free to ask anything about Varadero and we or the community will be pleased to answer any question providing tips and guidance for a nice stay during your vacations. Rent houses related questions are welcome as well. If you're trying to find information about rent houses and rent room review the rent houses list then contact us using the rent house finder tool.