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Reviews 2011 Casa Villa Cristal | Vinales | Cuba

November 7 2011
Name: Tony Zegarchuk
Country: Canada
I stayed here at: 10/9/2011

Villa Cristal

My review: This was our 3rd time at Villa Cristal, and it never disappoints. Villa Cristal has become our home away from home, thanks largely to the wonderful owners of this casa who make us feel like part of the family. They're constantly making improvements to their guest room. The guest house has its own little patio and is especially nice for us since we usually arrange for private spanish lessons during our stay. The only problem with Villa Cristal is that it spoils you -- leaving is the only unpleasant part of your visit.

Casa specifics: Quiet, Fantastic hosts, Comfortable, Cozy, Hidden gem, Romantic, Charming, Beautiful, Garden, Children in the house, Patio
Amenities: Internet, TV, Safety box, Private entrance, Airconditioning, Private bathroom, Minibar, Laundry service, Garden, Breakfast service, Dinner service, Bathroom with shower, Private parking
How was your room?: The room is very clean and comfortable. It has 2 double beds, a little desk, fridge, fan, AC, TV and DVD player, alarm clock with an iPod dock on it, and a selection of books to read and movies to watch. The private bath is beautifully finished.
How was the food they offer?: The food is the best we've had in Vinales.
Other services they offer: Any and Francisco both work in the tourist industry, so they can easily organize any kind of excursion or activity that might interest you. They've hooked me up with a very good spanish teacher and a conga teacher.
Other comments: It's very easy to spend time here -- don't shortchange yourself by only spending 1 or 2 nights here because you want to see other places. This is truly Cuba at its best.

October 23 2011
Name: Monic
Country: The Netherlands
I stayed here at: 12/13/2010

Villa Cristal

My review: During our first stay in Cuba we wanted to experience the real Cuban life. By rented car we drove from Varadero to Vinales and back via Havana. a 800km drive but a wonderful experience! During our stay in Vinales we were a part of Anita & Francisco's family. It was great, we felt like being a part of the real local life. We actually "lived" there fore 3 days. It was our "home". A very nice casa, clean, with airco a minibar and a good shower. But most important of this all was the warm welcome. Anita, Francisco, aunt and dad were great hosts and prepared wonderful food. They are very helpful and their English is great. We loved our short stay and will keep sweet memorys about the more than beautifull Valle Vinales and the "friends" we made. A place to! remember! Thanks again Anita & Francisco!

Casa specifics: Fantastic hosts, Comfortable, Cozy, Safe, Garden, Children in the house
Amenities: TV, Safety box, Private entrance, Airconditioning, Private bathroom, Minibar, Laundry service, Garden, Breakfast service, Dinner service, Bathroom with shower, Private parking
How was your room?: Perfect
How was the food they offer?: Great!!
Other services they offer: All perfect!

August 21 2011
Name: Bernie gallen
Country: Australia
I stayed here at: 8/11/2011

Villa Cristal Vinales

My review: Stayed last year and again in August 11 and can say Any and francisco have got a very proffessional approach and give you 1st class service.Stayed in several around the country but can say Villa Cristal is the tops.The whole Cuba people are very warm and friendly so get over and have a look around and experience the culture for yourself.

Casa specifics: Quiet, Fantastic hosts, Comfortable, Cozy, Roomy, Safe, Patio
Amenities: TV, Safety box, Private entrance, Airconditioning, Private bathroom, Minibar, Laundry service, Balcony, Garden, Ceiling fan, Breakfast service, Dinner service, Queensize bed, Extra bed available, Bathroom with shower
How was your room?: A good size bed with your own bathroom and all convieniences. At a third of the price of a hotel.
How was the food they offer?: top Class
Other services they offer: Laundry,tours,bus trips,horse riding everything.

July 8 2011
Name: Peter and Susan Bullen
Country: New Zealand
I stayed here at: 6/14/2011

Villa Cristal

My review: Ani, Francisco and their extended family provide a very professional service.Accomodation is excellent- separate from the house with a good bathroom.Food good.Excellent local knowledge and language skills to help you make the most of your stay in Vinales.

Casa specifics: Quiet, Fantastic hosts, Comfortable, Hidden gem, Roomy, Safe, Garden, Children in the house, Patio
Amenities: Internet, Parking service, TV, Safety box, Private entrance, Airconditioning, Private bathroom, Minibar, Laundry service, Garden, Breakfast service, Dinner service, Queensize bed, Extra bed available, Bathroom with tub, Bathroom with shower, Private parking
How was your room?: Excellent room -plenty of room and set in a lovely garden
How was the food they offer?: Food good -varied menu , well prepared.
Other services they offer: Excellent host who go out of their way to help with anything you may need,

June 13 2011
Name: Rudy & Annet
Country: The Netherlands
I stayed here at: 6/1/2011

Casa Villa Cristal

My review: If you are looking for a great casa in Vinales, you found it! Anita and Francisco are the best hosts and the casa is very comfortable and clean. Ani is a great cook (try the pork steak and lobster) and the breakfast pancakes are delicious. This casa is quiet and private. The terrace on the roof is a good place to hang out. They are always willing to help you with anything, from laundry to good snorkelling spots. They are improving their casa all the time and we can say this casa is better than a 4-star Cuban hotel.
We absolutely had a great time at Villa Cristal and would definitely return!

Casa specifics: Quiet, Fantastic hosts, Elegant, Comfortable, Cozy, Hidden gem, Roomy, Romantic, Charming, No frills, Beautiful, Safe, Garden, Children in the house, Patio
Amenities: Parking service, TV, Safety box, Private entrance, Airconditioning, Private bathroom, Minibar, Laundry service, Balcony, Garden, Ceiling fan, Breakfast service, Dinner service, Extra bed available, Bathroom with shower, Private parking
How was your room?: Very comfortable and clean
How was the food they offer?: Super
Other services they offer: Local and day trips advise, good chat, friendly neighbours, good environment

June 3 2011
Name: Nancy Zegarchuk
Country: Canada
I stayed here at: 5/10/2011

Villa Cristal

My review:
Accommodation: Villa Cristal offers a private, new, purpose-built guest house! No kidding. This comfortable cottage is equipped with two double beds, a modern bathroom,
air conditioner, refrigerator, and TV/DVD player. Even a library of DVDs and books!
Services: Along with delicious, affordable breakfast and dinner options, Villa Cristal offers laundry service and secure parking. If you choose not to rent a car, your hosts can arrange a private taxi to take you from Jose Marti (Havana) airport right to their door.
Activities: Your hosts, Francisco and Any, are fluent in English and happy to suggest activities witch allow you to take in the natural beauty of Vinales. They will reserve local guides for excursions on horseback, trekking, or rock climbing. They will also book your spot on the hop-on hop-off Vinales bus or day trips to the beaches of the North Coast.
Summary: The best Casa Particular experience in Cuba!!

Casa specifics: Fantastic hosts, Comfortable, Cozy, Beautiful, Safe, Garden, Children in the house, Patio
Amenities: Parking service, TV, Private entrance, Airconditioning, Private bathroom, Minibar, Laundry service, Balcony, Garden, Breakfast service, Dinner service, Extra bed available, Bathroom with shower, Private parking
How was your room?: Modern, comfortable, private
How was the food they offer?: Delicious and reasonably priced.
Other services they offer: advice and booking of excursions including bicycle rental, and guided tours for horseback riding, trekking, rock climbing, and exploring local caves. Also day trips to beautiful, laid back beaches. Airport taxi-to-front-door taxi service.
Other comments: Your hosts are fabulous. Friendly, helpful, and as social as you choose to be.

June 2 2011
Name: Janet
Country: USA
I stayed here at: 5/1/2011

Villa Cristal

My review: My husband and I stayed at Villa Cristal with Francisco and Any in 2007. I came back this year with my sisters and niece but this casa was booked so Francisco suggested we stay across the street from them in Casa Villa Cubana with Maria and Mario. We were able to visit with Francisco and Any. A visit with old friends!
Our casa with Maria and Mario was great, an upstairs 2 bedroom apt. Food was great, the hosts very helpful. Mario took us to Playa Jutias and the caves in his 1949 Mercedes.
I would recommend either of these casas. Certainly if you don't speak Spanish (and do speak English) be sure to visit with Francisco and Any.

Casa specifics: Quiet, Fantastic hosts, Comfortable, Safe, Garden, Children in the house, Patio
Amenities: Parking service, TV, Safety box, Private entrance, Airconditioning, Private bathroom, Laundry service, Garden, Breakfast service, Dinner service, Bathroom with shower, Private parking
How was your room?: They have a new cottage which was just getting started in 2007. Looks lovely.
How was the food they offer?: great
Other comments: Very helpful. I had quite a few emails back and forth with Francisco to organize our visit. Wonderful people.

May 30 2011
Name: Tony Zegarchuk
Country: Canada
I stayed here at: 5/10/2011

Villa Cristal

My review: Kudos to Francisco and Ani for creating what has to be the best casa in Cuba. This was our second time to Cuba in 6 months, and this time instead of travelling around we headed straight back to our favourite casa from the first trip. It wasn't a mistake. The charm of Vinales and its people are infectious, and Villa Cristal is the perfect place to explore the area from. The family made us feel like we were returning home again. We returned home feeling absolutely spoiled. We can't wait to return.

Casa specifics: Quiet, Fantastic hosts, Comfortable, Hidden gem, Romantic, Charming, Beautiful, Safe, Garden, Children in the house, Patio
Amenities: TV, Safety box, Private entrance, Airconditioning, Private bathroom, Minibar, Laundry service, Garden, Breakfast service, Dinner service, Bathroom with shower
How was your room?: The room was spotless, very comfortable, and tastefully decorated. Many thoughtful touches added, like a clock radio with an iPod docking station.
How was the food they offer?: The food was delicious, and plentiful.
Other services they offer: Francisco and Ani both work in the tourist industry, and will help you organize any aspect of your trip from day excursions in Vinales to arranging accomodations elsewhere on the island.
Other comments: Seriously -- don't miss this place!

May 28 2011
Name: robert oneal
Country: usa
I stayed here at: 4/10/2011

Villa Cristal

My review: I've spent the past 12 years exploring cuba and have met some wonderful people and have stayed in some gorgeous casas, having said that, villa cristal is one of the finest properties i've seen. combine a beautiful, free standing room with a private entrance AND secure parking, located in one of the most beautiful towns in cuba, then add the fact that the family is incredibly nice, speaks english and will do anything they can for you and you get villa cristal. 100's of reviewers say the same thing, this place is amazing.

feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

Casa specifics: Quiet, Fantastic hosts, Comfortable, Cozy, Hidden gem, Roomy, Romantic, Charming, Beautiful, Safe, Garden, Children in the house, Patio
Amenities: Parking service, TV, Safety box, Private entrance, Airconditioning, Private bathroom, Laundry service, Balcony, Garden, Breakfast service, Queensize bed, Extra bed available, Bathroom with shower, Private parking
How was your room?: the room is very clean and comfortable with a TV and DVD p/Volumes/MARCH2011layer.
How was the food they offer?: the food here is fantastic. anita provides a nice variety of foods to choose from.
Other services they offer: anita and francisco are more than happy to help visitors well beyond providing a place to sleep. they know the town very well and are very well-liked throughout the region. possibly most importantly, they speak very good english.
Other comments: you have to see this place and meet the family to believe it. you simply can't go wrong with villa cristal.

March 19 2011
Name: Jean Philippe

* Passage from a travel review

24/02 - 25/02
We asked at Casa Fernando Morales to call Popoto. They tried a couple of times, and Then the call was returned by a person called "Francisco" (Villa Cristal). He said he was calling on Popoto's behalf since Popoto was in town with tourists, and had made a reservation at one of the 3 casa's we had requested. While he said Popoto's name during the conversation before I could, I felt suspicious, but Francisco went on to list the 3 casa's we had sent Popoto (named Casa Brunilda, Casa La Cabana, Casa Gloria), and confirmed our reservation at Casa Gloria. I insisted that this should be the casa, and he insisted that this was indeed the casa.

We arrived at Casa Gloria, only to find out that the Casa Gloria was fully booked, and that we should stay at the casa of "her son" next door, called Villa Candida (Tatio). Since they had the sign on the door and the blue guest registration book, we accepted. It is only during our stay that we realized that "Gloria's Son" was in fact a 'jintero", or at least behaving like one. Well dressed, not doing anything in the Casa. Everything was done by the resident person, a women with whom we could not really communicate other then "you're in my Casa, let me know anything you want". The first night we asked where the guy was, and the answer was he had gone to his home for the night and would be back in the morning. Home next door? No in another place in town. So we knew we were in a scam. At the end, "Gloria's son" didn't even know the price we had agreed with "Francisco" on the phone. We paid the jintero (what else could we do), who immediately went back to pay the women, who had a disappointed look on her face. We felt badly taken advantage of, and felt even sad-er for the resident lady. We decided to go wild casa-ing for the rest of our trip (showing up around 2 PM at a Casa we had found in the guides, and either stay at their cassia or trust on their references. After all, if anything bad would happen, we can tell the guidebooks and they would loose their "lucrative" reference. This method worked great for us!

Reply Francisco from Villa Cristal

"It's a shame that things like this happen, we are really sorry about it. I remember Pototo called me and told me about the casa options you choose and I told him I will help you. Tthe first 2 choices were full (Brunilda & La Cabana), that's why I called Gloria and she told me "no problem", what happened after that, I didn't know until I read this .Unfortunately it is out of my control if other casas hold the reservations or not, I just was doing a favor for Pototo by trying to find you another option. I called Gloria after this and she told me it was true and I explained about the importance of holding the rooms for future clients, she said will never do it again.
In all the years of renting our casa you can be sure we never had a problem like this with our clients when they booked our room (Villa Cristal), we always keep the room for our clients no matter if they show up or not, and this happens often and when it does, our room is empty for that night and we lose money for that day, but it our policy. We feel it is worth losing the money for that night and always taking care of our clients. Sometimes, the client arrives very late, and their rooms are book to other people, we would never do this out of respect. No one wants to arrive to a city and find their room has already been rented, this is a bad business practice. By keeping our promise, we can absolutely guarantee the room reservation and be sure our clients have a fantastic time in Vinales.
We work well with Cuba-Junky and when they need help here in Vinales, we do whatever we can to help their clients find their casa, but in this case, we were strictly a third party trying to help. It is a shame that the casa owners let you down, this would never happen at Villa Cristal due to our strict policy of holding reservations. It is not worth risking our reputation.
We are very sorry this happened and hope you will return to Vinales very soon.

Our most sincere apologies,
Fransisco and Anita
Villa Cristal.

February 17 2011
Name: Adam B
Country: UK
I stayed here at: 01/27/2011

Villa Cristal

My girlfriend and I had a fantastic couple of nights at Villa Cristal - it's a winner on every level:

Accommodation: wonderful detached bungalow with ensuite. Room has TV and use of DVDs, air con, and even has an ipod charger/radio/speaker system as a donation from a recent guest I believe! The room was clean and comfortable.

Hosts: This was the real special bit - both Francisco and Any were really friendly and helpful. Francisco went out of his way to assist with our questions and provide help and advice - both via email before we arrived in Cuba, and in person once we arrived. Any and the rest of the family were also very friendly and really made us feel at home.

Food: Amazing! It's always best to eat at the casas in Cuba, rather than run the gauntlet of the state-run restaurants, and here was no exception - great breakfasts and dinners and good value too.

Location - can't be faulted - a quiet street one back from the main street in Vinales.

Tip: If the weather is good then spend an afternoon sunbathing and enjoying the pool at La Ermita hotel up on the nearby hill - great location, and a wonderful spot to enjoy a cocktails and marvel at the stunning sunset over Vinales valley .

In conclusion - this casa's hard-earned fantastic reputation is definitely deserved - book ahead to be lucky enough to stay!

MUCHAS GRACIAS FRANCISCO, ANY, Y FAMILIA! ;-)
Adam and Alex

Casa specifics: Quiet, Fantastic hosts, Comfortable, Cozy, Romantic, Charming, Safe, Garden, Children in the house, Patio
Amenities: Parking service, TV, Safety box, Private entrance, Airconditioning, Private bathroom, Minibar, Laundry service, Balcony, Garden, Breakfast service, Dinner service, Kingsize bed, Extra bed available, Bathroom with shower

February 14 2011
Name: Ivo Daneels
Country: Belgium
I stayed here at: 11/26/2010

Casa Villa Cristal

For us it was already the second time we stayed in Villa Cristal. When we arrived at the casa, it feld like we came home. The first time we were there, it was november 2007. By that time we slept in the bedroom from Any and Francisco. They slept in the room from there little children. Francisco was stil building the bungalow. Now de bungalow is finished and very nice. It is a big step forward for them and also for there visitors. It was a pity that we only could stay for one night. The day after, other tourists had booked the room. But no problem, Francisco managed a room across the street, Casa La Cubana with Maria as host. That was also nice because we knowed Maria from three years ago. But even then we could go in and out Francisco's house as we liked. Because it was the second ti! me we were in casa Villa Cristal, we knew there children, and we had some toys for them with us. There reaction was so heartwarming, not only from the kids, but also from the rest of the family. For sure: when we go back to Vinales we go back to Villa Cristal!

Ivo & Albina - Belgium
November 2010.

Casa specifics: Fantastic hosts, Elegant, Comfortable, Colonial, Cozy, Hidden gem, Charming, Beautiful, Safe, Garden, Children in the house, Patio
Amenities: Parking service, TV, Safety box, Private entrance, Airconditioning, Private bathroom, Minibar, Laundry service, Balcony, Garden, Ceiling fan, Breakfast service, Dinner service, Extra bed available, Bathroom with shower, Private parking
How was your room?: Nice and clean.
How was the food they offer?: Good.
Other services they offer: Toerist information.
Other comments: See review.

January 31 2011
Name: Mark Ezzell
USA
I stayed here at: 12/24/2010

Villa Cristal

OK, we didn't actually stay at the Casa. However, we did benefit greatly from the kindness and hospitality of Ani and Francisco. They helped me (a non-Spnaish speaker) communicate with the owner of my casa, and Francisco was instrumental in helping me and my traveling companion find a great casa in Havana.

Ani's friendliness, superb English speaking skills and knowledge of the area made a big difference in making this trip so unforgettable! They both deserve all the acclaim they receive from this and other web sites!

Casa specifics: Fantastic hosts