Roberto and Manuel (with help from Gladys, the cleaning lady, and Donnie the four legged, tail wagging welcome committee) were incredibly warm and helpful hosts. Their meals are excellent, the view from Villa Paradiso overlooking the town, the ocean and the mountains is superb. Roberto gave me names and addresses of local painters, suggestions of how to spend my days, organized taxi rides and tour guides, and was completely understanding when I had to leave earlier than planned due to the heavy rains. Roberto went over and above the role of the host by facilitating the purchase of a painting. We had interesting conversations about politics, Cuba, refugees. This is a man who cares deeply about the wellness and happiness of all people, especially his guests and those less fortunate. The frogs sang dramatic love songs at night, answered by the roosters, so I would suggest having a pair of ear plugs and a sense of humour on hand. After all, frogs, roosters and a deluge of rain all make for good travel stories, as do amazing hosts.…
If you want to visit Baracoa and want the best accommodation look no further. Nothing can compete with Villa Paradiso! views, food, hospitality, cleanliness, tips, owners. Despite the fact that Baracoa is difficult to access, it is definitely worth a trip (100% must). Incomparable beauty of nature, rivers, hills, vegetation, beaches. But stay at least a week because it offers so many activities that you will be sorry if you stay less. I guarantee that you will rarely experience such beautiful nature and authenticity anywhere in the world. If you want to experience the most that Cuba has to offer, don't miss Baracoa. We were privileged to be guests of Villa Paradiso. Till next time
Manuel and Roberto are the hosts of Villa Paradiso. Together with Gladys, they will make your visit memorable. The house itself is beautiful, the rooms are very nicely decorated, clean, and well equipped (small fridge). Breakfasts are delicious and plentiful. If you arrange for dinner, you will not be disappointed. Best of all, Roberto and Manuel can help to organize excursions - arranging for a taxi if you need one, or a bike rental. And if you want a guide to help you get much more out of a trip to El Yunke or other nearby national parks, they can draw on a network of extremely knowledgeable and very nice specialists who can show you local flora and fauna. Thanks to Manuel and Roberto we enjoyed visits to El Yunke and the Duara river, the area near Yumuri (the park was closed due to COVID), and the park near Playa Blanca. We also visited a cacao plantation, and a Tato's restaurant at el Manglito beach. They also recommended restaurants in Baracoa. A few of these were run by creative and excellent chefs. It was our first trip to Cuba; we learned a lot about Baracoa and the country from our hosts. We loved our stay and hope to return.…
Villa Paradiso offers the kind of curated local Cuban experience that travellers search for. Our host Roberto is a bird watcher, speaks English, Spanish and French fluently, and is appreciative and deeply respectful of Cubans. Manuel, his partner, is a Cuban agricultural specialist, who renovated their casa beautifully and is a really lovely person. Gladys keeps the house organized, warms up everything with her beautiful smile and her gardening skills, and she is learning English and French. The house is on a hill overlooking the town with spectacular sea views, breezy and open plan. The guest rooms are on the second floor, with views, and french doors, fans and curtains so you never feel shut in, but you can always enjoy your privacy. Each bedroom hs its own bathroom. There is a shared terrace with a beautiful view. Breakfast is fresh fruit, Manuel's special fruit smoothy, bread, butter, cheese, ham and jam, with coffee or tea. The internet works just fine. But the even bigger plus is that Roberto will help you work out your travel itinerary with restaurant suggestions, hikes, beaches, cacao, bee and organic farms to visit, and even bird watching excursions. The price of the rooms is very, very good value for money. Baracoa also offers great music and dancing at the Casa de Trova. Baracoa has many beaches, mountains, waterfalls and rivers to explore. We have visited most of Cuba and we recommend Baracoa. We have met so many lovely people here, we are planning to make it part of our annual retirement plan.…
Thank you to Roberto and Manuel for another amazing stay. We loved Villa Paradiso so much we came back. The views from this casa are the best in town. These guys will help with anything you need for your stay and help you make the most of exploring the incredible things Baracoa has to offer. Cannot recommend more highly. Clean, excellent food, excellent all around!!
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