Travelers Reviews 2012 Casa Villa Cristal
Dec 20 2012
Name: andrew
Country: Australia
I stayed here at: 10/10/2012
Villa Cristal
My review: Villa Cristal is a must stay if you are in Vinales. Fransisco, Annie, the kids and the whole family are a delight to stay with, they are all the nicest people. the room is awesome, private bathroom. the food at villa cristal is amazing. ask for the Yuka chips! if you want an original Cuban family stay in a casa particular this is the place. we have so much fun with the whole family every time we stay there. it has a cool little pool to cool down in on those hot Cuban Days. all musicians are urged to put on a concert on the front porch. Villa Cristal and the neighbors love it!
Casa specifics: English speaking, Quiet, Fantastic hosts, Comfortable, 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, Queensize bed, Extra bed available, Bathroom with shower, Private parking
How was your room?: excellent
How was the food they offer?: excellent
Other services they offer: book tours other casa particulars known
Other comments: the Best place to stay in Cuba
Nov 19 2012
Name: Tony Zegarchuk
Country: Canada
I stayed here at: 11/01/2012
Casa Cristal
My review: Cuban hospitality at its finest!
This was our fourth time staying with Francisco y Ani, and I'm amazed at how much work they do on their casa between each visit. Vinales is always the highlight of our cuba trips, and this casa is why. The beautiful backyard patio offers a wonderful oasis from which to plan your days. The meals here are so delicious it's difficult to make yourself go out to a restaurant. Despite the numerous other reasons to stay here, though, it is the family that will keep bringing you back. They are simply the best!
Casa specifics: English speaking, Quiet, Fantastic hosts, Comfortable, Cozy, Hidden gem, Romantic, Charming, Beautiful, Safe, Garden, Children in the house, Patio
Amenities: TV, Safety box, Private entrance, Airconditioning, Private bathroom, Minibar, Laundry service, Balcony, Garden, Breakfast service, Dinner service, Bathroom with shower, Private parking
How was your room?: The room and bathroom are in a very clean, detached unit opening onto the backyard patio. Nice and quiet.
How was the food they offer?: No meal disappoints. Ani, Zoraida and Yusy are fantastic cooks.
Other services they offer: We were amazed at how often the sheets and bathroom linens were changed.
Ani and Francisco are both involved in the tourist industry in Vinales, and can provide loads of advice in excellent English for any plans you may be considering. Francisco helped us plan out our first big trip to Cuba, arranging for travel and accomodations across the island for us. They are keen to make your stay in cuba a memorable experience.
Other comments: We will miss you guys!
August 9 2012
Name: Terrina Osborne
Country: Canada
I stayed here at: 7/18/2012
Villa Cristal
My review: We decided to drive to the parts of Cuba we have never seen and we are so glad that we did. All of the reviews I have read have said that the food is boring and lacking flavor. Our stay in Vinales has forever changed our minds about the food. We ate the most amazing dishes while were there. I think it was some of the "best food" we have ever had. We stayed at this wonderful place for three days and wish we would have stayed longer. We were married in Cuba in 2007 and have since returned over the years with friends and family to share our love of this country. We knew from the reviews that "Villa Cristal" is great place to stay and we were not disappointed.
We arrived in Vinales late in the afternoon after a three hour drive and were pleasantly surprised at the warm welcoming we received. We have stayed at 5 star all inclusive resorts since we started travelling over 5 years ago and now feel that we have been missing out on the better way to enjoy your vacation. We stayed for 3 nights in Vinales and we will definitely be going back with our family to share this amazing place with them! They speak good English and they will advise you on where to go and what to see!. There is a small pool outside your room for you to enjoy and a very peaceful deck on top of the house you stay in. Our room was always clean and you can keep it cool with the airconditioning and the minibar is very fairly priced and well stocked.
If you want to have an ultimate vacation then take our advice and avoid the all-inclusive idea and stay in a "Casa Particular". We highly recommend you to stay at Villa Cristal. We would like to thank this family for changing our mindset on "All Inclusive Vacations". We will not be making that mistake again!!
Dave and Terrina Osborne
Casa specifics: Fantastic hosts, Comfortable, Cozy, Charming, Safe, Garden, Children in the house, Patio
Amenities: TV, Safety box, Airconditioning, Private bathroom, Minibar, Balcony, Garden, Dinner service, Queensize bed, Bathroom with shower
May 16 2012
Name: Sue Dewhirst
Country: U.K
I stayed here at: 2/5/2012
Villa Cristal
My review: We were made so welcome by Francisco and Any and all their family. The breakfasts and suppers were excellent, lots of fresh fruit, fresh eggs, very generous portions and even fruit smoothies made from home-grown produce. The location of their house is perfect, just a short walk from the main street in Vinales. Francisco organised our visit to St Tomas caves (in a 1950's cadillac!) and a local walk with an excellent guide to explore some of the surrounding countryside and to learn more about the local way of life. The room is very comfortable with everything you are likely to need , including a lovely shower with plenty of hot water. Our stay here was the best part of our trip to Cuba.
Casa specifics: Quiet, Fantastic hosts, Comfortable, Hidden gem, Roomy, Romantic, Charming, Beautiful, Safe, Garden, Children in the house, Pets in the house, Patio
Amenities: TV, Safety box, Private entrance, Airconditioning, Private bathroom, Minibar, Laundry service, Garden, Breakfast service, Dinner service, Extra bed available, Bathroom with shower, Private parking
How was your room?: very comfortable
How was the food they offer?: Very good. Plenty of it.
Other services they offer: Booking of excursions
April 16 2012
Name: Louise Unsworth
Country: UK
I stayed here at: 4/1/2011
Villa Cristal
My review: I loved this place. Francisco and Any could not have been more welcoming and helped us with any arrangments we wanted to make. The accommodation is great and they seem to have thought of everything: decent air conditioning, good shower, safe, fridge, plunge pool (a god-send for overheated Brits), alarm clock, kettle, ear plugs and a beautiful roof terrace.
Vinales is beautiful and I'd recommend both of the trips we sampled: a visit to the caves and horse riding through the valley. Finally, make sure you find time in the evening to sample one of Any's excellent mojitos!
Casa specifics: Quiet, Fantastic hosts, Comfortable, Cozy, Charming, Beautiful, Safe, Children in the house, Patio
Amenities: Safety box, Private entrance, Airconditioning, Private bathroom, Minibar, Laundry service, Breakfast service, Dinner service, Bathroom with shower
How was your room?: Spacious, clean and comfortable with all of the facilities we needed.
How was the food they offer?: Excellent. Any was happy to provide whatever we wanted - useful for vegetarians in Cuba.
Other services they offer: They provided information about regular tourist trips and were happy to arrange them for us. I did feel that they would be happy to facilitate whatever we wanted to do.
Other comments: I highly recommend this place.
March 26 2012
Name: V. Williams
Country: Canada
I stayed here at 01/04/2012
Casa Villa Cristal
My review: We stayed for 2 nights at the Villa Cristal in January, 2012. Anita & Francisco were excellent hosts. The room was quite nice and very clean. The small fridge was a nice convenience. The Casa is located in the central part of Vinales which makes it easy for walking around town. Francisco is quite keen on feedback from his guests so that he can make improvements to the Casa.
We stayed at 6 Casa Particulars while in Cuba and this Casa was definietely in our top two. It was by far the best value.
The breakfasts were very good. In fact we decided to have dinner at this Casa for both evenings of our stay. Both dinners were very nice and good value.
I would highly recommend this Casa for your stay in Vinales.
Casa specifics: Fantastic hosts, Comfortable, Roomy, Safe
Amenities: TV, Private entrance, Airconditioning, Private bathroom, Minibar, Breakfast service, Dinner service, Bathroom with shower, Private parking
January 26 2012
Name: Martijn
Country: Netherlands
I stayed here at: 12/27/2011
Villa Cristal
My review: We stayed at Villa Cristal for 3 nights. What a great experience! We had no idea what to expect, normally we stay in hotels. Staying in this casa was really cool. The family (Ani & Francisco & others) was very friendly, they speak English well and the they gave us good advices looking for excursions (they both work in tourism). Breakfast and especially dinner were amazing (the best food we had in Cuba for sure). You've a private casa with good facilities, even a safety box! Water in the shower is hot, but the time is limited, perhaps because of a small boiler. But no problem, in most of the casa we've been we didn't have any hot water at all. The private parking space is also a plus.
Vinales is a cosy village, completely different from the busy Havana. It has beautiful landscapes and enough to do in direct environment. We most enjoyed sitting in front of the house in a relaxing chair, having a drink and look at daily life in Cuba!
Villa Cristal, for the real Cuba experience!!
Casa specifics: Quiet, Fantastic hosts, Comfortable, Romantic, Charming, Beautiful, Safe
Amenities: Parking service, TV, Safety box, Private entrance, Airconditioning, Private bathroom, Minibar, Laundry service, Balcony, Breakfast service, Dinner service, Extra bed available, Bathroom with shower, Private parking
How was your room?: Well equipped. Big enough.
How was the food they offer?: Amazing, especially dinner.
Other services they offer: Good advices regardings excursions in the environment.
January 1 2012
Name: Peter
Country: USA
I stayed here at: 12/24/2011
Villa Cristal
My review: We stayed at Villa Cristal for 3 nights during the Christmas Holiday. The casa is a guest house behind the main house and is very comfortable. Two double beds, air conditioning, private bath, and a fantastic shower. The door opens onto the beautiful patio with relaxing chairs. Great views from the roof top deck with lounge chairs too.
As great as the accommodations are, the company is even better. Anita, Francisco, the kids, and the whole family were great. We enjoyed delicious breakfasts with fresh fruit every morning and were even welcomed in to enjoy Christmas dinner with everyone. We also went out to dinner one night with Anita and Francisco and they taught us how to salsa dance.
Francisco and Anita work in the tourism industry and are a great resource for booking excursions, hotels in other cities and for any Cuba recommendations.
If you are staying in Vinales, you should be staying at Villa Cristal. Francisco is great with getting back to you by email very quickly.
Casa specifics: Quiet, Fantastic hosts, Comfortable, Cozy, Charming, Safe, Garden, Patio
Amenities: Internet, TV, Safety box, Private entrance, Airconditioning, Private bathroom, Minibar, Laundry service, Balcony, Garden, Breakfast service, Dinner service, Bathroom with shower
How was your room?: Clean. Great beds and bathroom.
How was the food they offer?: delicious
Other services they offer: book trips - recommendations
Other comments: this place was the best place we stayed in Cuba. |
