Where to sleep in Havana – Private house Toni and Jolanda

Cuba is a different country from every point of view, the theory of Marxist communism has been put into practice here and honestly it seems to work to me.

Of course it can’t last but in Cuba I thought that in a perfect society, an element that economic theories always consider as a given to create the rule, communism is a great idea.
But apart from the political/historical discussion of which I have my own personal opinions that those who understand economics could quickly dismantle, the word Cuba also brings other things to mind.
Sea, salsa, coconuts, colonial cities, rum and cigars.
Traveling to Cuba means having the wonderful opportunity of being able to live with Cubans, in their homes, get to know them and discover such a profoundly interesting and thought-provoking culture, living with Cubans legally is staying in casas particulares.
A casa particular is a house authorized by the state to welcome tourists, obviously the state takes a lot of money on these, in fact having a casa particular in Cuba is a risk for a local, it could become too big a business that cannot be dealt with with expenses.
In fact, for those who don’t know, in Cuba salaries do not exceed $50, a doctor or an engineer earns a lot, and having a casa particular means paying the state $200 a month regardless of whether it is rented or not and paying 75% of the amount earned in taxes. Life is hard in Cuba and not everyone is able to maintain their casa particular, sometimes there are not enough tourists to cover the costs and so it is necessary to close.

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For this reason I want to talk about the family that hosted me during my long stay in Havana and that I recommend to all those who travel to Cuba.
Toni and Iolanda they have an apartment near the University of Havana 40 minutes walking from Habana Vieja and 5 from Malcon, the famous seafront that everyone will have seen at least once in a video, a documentary or a postcard.
In addition to the couple, the family also includes the cute little chubby Tonino and the baseball enthusiast Armando. A very colorful family!
The family will take care of you and will never let you miss anything, they will take you around the city and show you how Cuba works, with Jolanda I went to the market to buy what we had, because I asked her if I could assist in the kitchen, what we would have cooked, with Toni I instead went to buy the Cuban pizzas that were sold from a fifth floor of a ruined building and were sent to the street on a basket where money was put in exchange. Ordering was easy: you shouted out the pizza you wanted: con queso, con hamon etc.
Sometimes I also went to pick up little Tonino from school.

I was, or rather we saw that for the first few days, my sister was also there, treated like daughters, even when both my sister and I were ill.
Among other things, Iolanda cooks very well and will make you go to bed with a full stomach.
Lobster, pork, chicken, yuca this fantastic tuber that I always asked Iolanda to cook, fruit.
In the evening I ate so much that after an hour I was sleeping blissfully.
The room they rent is a small room with a double bed, two bedside tables and space for some luggage although these can be placed in the large wardrobe.
The bathroom is shared with the family, I remember not to throw toilet paper in the cup but to do it in the bin, the bedrooms are on the upper floor, on the first floor there is the kitchen and laundry area and a small living room where people generally Always watch Baseball as a national sport and followed by adults and children.
The house is located in a condominium, it is a modest apartment, a typical house of the capital, located in an excellent area of the city, especially safe even for returning home alone at night (I did it at 3 and 4 in the morning) .
But apart from that the most important thing is that this family will make you feel part of Cuba vera.

The cost per room per night is 30-35CUC including breakfast and abundant dinner for two people.
If you are staying for long periods you can negotiate but do it before booking, make things clear and I say this for both parties.
Something very important and important to me is the following: there is no interest on my part in sending you to Toni and Jolanda other than that they are wonderful and special people but if you book go and don’t drop the usual bins. These people need to work and a booking that doesn’t go through and for which perhaps other potential customers have rejected could be a serious damage.
For those who would like to spend a few days with a wonderful Cuban family, these are the details:

Toni and Yolanda private house
Calle Mazon 15 (appartment 26A), Between Neptuno and San Miguel, Havana
Home tel: +5378735522
cell Toni: +53535468888

They don’t have email or internet (no one does) so you have to call maybe if you call with Skype the costs will be decidedly low, also they only speak Spanish.