My friend and I stayed at the Casa Obrapía for four nights during a trip to Havana over March break. For $35 CUC per night it cost slightly more than other casas, but the location made it worth it.

Staying in a "casa particular" is a MUST do when taking a trip to Havana. It really gives you a chance to meet some (in this case) extremely warm, caring people - much different than encounters with some Cubans on the street (who will hiss and whistle at you as a foreigner - be aware of this).

This casa was really well located. The taxi from our other hotel in the Miramar area had no trouble finding it. We were one street over from the main street in Habana Vieja (Old Havana) called Obispo, a few blocks away from a Cadeca (money exchange), and close to other attractions like La Floridita, El Bodeguita del Medio, the market, the cathedral, the Capitol building, and basically everything in the Old town.

Casa Obrapía was extremely clean and well-kept. There was always someone around to answer questions or let you in to the house even at late hours. Our room was cleaned every day, and was immaculate. We had a room with a double bed and ensuite bathroom with air conditioning. The room opened onto a shared sort of indoor patio with chairs and tables, great for enjoying a morning coffee. There was hot water (something lacking at the actual hotel we also stayed at) and a fridge where for $1 CUC you could grab water or pop as you wanted. They were doing some renovations while we were there, but this didn't get in the way of our stay.

Reymond was a wonderful and charming host. He had lots of insight into things to do, and could tell us where various things were on the map of Havana. Be sure to say hi to his little dog, Rocky. His English was excellent, though be warned that the rest of the casa staff speak only Spanish. However, they were patient as I tried to communicate with them in my limited Spanish!

Food: we had breakfast there every morning for $4 CUC, and as was mentioned in other reviews, it was a very nice meal with lots of fresh fruit (papaya, guava, pineapple, watermelon, oranges) eggs however you want them, hot coffee (espresso) and milk and bread or buns. All of the fruit is peeled and cut up so it's safe to eat. They also serve dinners for $10 CUC, we partook one night and had the chicken (they can also make lobster, shrimp, pork...a range of options). The rest of the nights we decided to sample some of the local restaurants. You can get a slightly cheaper meal at one restaurant around the corner ($3 to $5 for a meal).

Tips:
1. Let the staff know a day in advance if you want breakfast or dinner.
2. If you want to use the internet, a few blocks down on Obispo is the Hotel Florida. Ask at the desk and they will take you upstairs to a small internet cafe. Internet use is $6 CUC for an hour, or $3 for a half-hour. The computers are really new and the connection is not bad.
3. Reymond is very helpful if there are certain Cuban souvenirs you want to purchase.
4. You can go to the beach from downtown without having to go far, just pay $5 CUC to use the "hop-on-hop-off" Havana bus tour. The third route (leaving a plaza nearby) takes you to Playa del Este which is about 20 mins away and is a nice beach.


Overall it was a wonderful stay - I would definitely go back!

My husband and I stayed for two nights (Mar 13 to Mar 15) at the Casa Obrapia. What can I say? This was the highlight of our 7-day trip to Cuba. The Casa Obrapia is a very beatiful colonial house right in the heart of Vieja Habana, close to everything. It is a 3 minute walk to busy Calle Obispo and a few short blocks from Calle Mercaderes.

We reserved via bedincuba.com and contacted the owner (Reymond) via email. Our reservation was honoured! The room we were provided was gorgeous and immaculate, with an ensuite bathroom and AC ($35CUC per night). For $4CUC, we had a big breakfast prepared both days, complete with eggs scrambled with tomatoes and onions, local fruit, fresh coffee and smoothies, lots of bread and mantiquilla (butter).

Our host, Reymond, was gracious and very helpful. He is lovingly restoring this gem, already 3 years in the making. We felt that we experienced the real Cuban culture outside of resorts and fancy boutique hotels while we were here. In fact, just standing in the balcony watching Cuban life goes by was a real treat.

Your trip to Cuba will not be complete if you do not stay for at least 2 days in a Casa Particular.

When we arrived in Cuba we were originally booked into a big hotel but quickly realised that we wanted to stay in a casa particular instead. We found Casa Obrapia through trip advisor and it turned out to be the bet thing to happen to us on holiday.

Initially Reymond didn't have space for us ... but we were already hooked by the sudden surprising beauty of the renovated interior, high ceilings and brightly coloured rooms. Within minutes Reymond had called a friend down the road and arranged for us to stay in an alternative casa run by their freinds (as it turned out we loved it there - see review for Casa Dania Castillo Lopez).

We did eventually get to stay with Reymond and Raydel. Their casa is just stunning and right in the heart of Habana Vieja. They were endlessly warm and helpful as well as being alot of fun to be with. Our room had an ensuite shower ($35) which rivalled that of any quality European hotel with crisp clean cotton sheets and air-conditioning. Reydel is an excellent cook - a far better choice than most Havana restaurants!!

I made a round trip through Cuba with a friend, starting out in Havana. Since the casa where we made our booking wasn't available after all, we ended up at Casa Obrapia. What a great luck that was!! Reymond and Raydel took great care of us. On top of the clean and beautiful rooms, the excellent food, perfect location and their perfect service they offered, they also immediately made us feel like home. They even helped us to plan our trip and gave us helpful advise on lots of things. We were so happy there that we decided to go back at the end of our tour. Rooms weren't available, but we were welcome to walk in and out en even have diner there every day. We stayed in a lot of casas, but to this one we have the greatest memories!