Captivating Cuba

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Reviews

1. Connor Bromley ★★★★★

   Hope you are well. We got back from Cuba this morning and before I get swept up in work next week I thought I would write and hopefully give you some useful feedback. First of all we thoroughly enjoyed it and all of the organisation was excellent. Really punctual collections for our transfers and the two hotels we stayed in at Havana and Varadero were both great. I also wanted to let you know that we had a great welcome at Casa Maritza Hernandes in Trinidad - and would recommend her to your other clients if they are nervous (like I was!) at staying somewhere other than a hotel. She couldn't do enough for you - in fact the people who were waiting for us in the transfer car outside said she was hugging us like we were family! Many thanks Connor

   almost 2 years ago
2. Jane O'Brien ★★★★★

   Could not fault the team at Captivating Cuba. From planning the trip, to the representatives in Cuba everything was pretty much perfect. Very knowledgable staff. Great choice of hotels, and totally prepared by the team before we went. My only criticism is that nobody has contacted us to see if there is any feedback from the trip. However, would highly recommend if you're thinking of visiting Cuba. You 100% need a local representative and people with knowledge.

   almost 2 years ago
3. Lily Hirons ★★★★★

   Having just returned from Cuba can I just pass on our thanks for all your efforts – I think we really got the best compromise possible for a 14 day stay and the support and arrangements worked really well. In particular the two transfers with guides were excellent . The Map of Havana was a godsend – the only problem with it being that it had almost fallen apart from constant use after 4 days!! Again – Thank you to you personally and to the team here and in Cuba. Cheers Lily H

   almost 2 years ago

1. sweeper490 ★★★★★

   Just wanted to thank you for all your work on helping us plan our last minute trip to Cuba and let you know how it went. On arrival in Cuba as we walked out to arrivals there was the smiling face of Adrian who then introduced us to our driver Yuri who drove us to Hostal El Angel, which was a little palace on the top floor of a beautiful old colonial building.3 fabulous days in Havana during which we met up with Adrian who gave us all the information we needed for the rest of our trip. On day 4 we were happy to see Yuri again along with Jose Alberto who drove us to Trinidad, what a fantastic day that was, not just the sites along the way but Yuri and Jose were fun to be with and it was really interesting hearing about their lives in Cuba. And the Palador they took us to for lunch was excellent. Trinidad was beautiful and we wished we had a few more days there, we met up with Juan Carlos while we were there who gave us information on our next transfer. The very informative Guillaume and Alex then took us across the middle of Cuba, which was eye opening, then through Santa Clara and onto Cayo Coco. On arrival at the Melia we were booked into a ground floor room overlooking the tennis courts and sports club, when we asked for a first floor quieter room they changed it immediately. The room was immaculate and very spacious with a lovely view of the gardens, the staff couldn’t have been any friendlier or more professional. I would say overall it was a very good hotel and we really enjoyed our stay there, it had a beautiful beach and it was a perfect place to relax after all the walking and sightseeing in Havana and Trinidad and was much better than the reviews suggested. While we were there we met up with our rep. Hector a couple of times who organised our onward flight to Havana…………very interesting transfer……….very funny……something we’ll remember for a long time. (I would go into more detail but it will be another half page for you to read). Once again, thanks. I normally enjoy arranging my own trips but Cuba was quite a challenge and we couldn’t have done it without you. I just want to mention all the excellent reps that you use in Cuba that made our trip run smoothly. Adrian – very friendly, helpful and professional (he also rang and changed our driver for the airport after we requested Yuri) Yuri – Lovely man who took us to and from Havana Airport and also came with Jose Alberto down to Trinidad. They both gave us a brilliant day that we’ll never forget. Juan Carlos – he really deserves his trip to the UK ☺ Guillaume – Very professional and very informative, took us to Cayo Coco along with Alex. Hector – Did an excellent job. Very interesting man, we enjoyed our conversations with him. Captivating Cuba looked after us well. The tour guide Amel who runs Eyewitness Cuba was absolutely superb, he would get my 100% recommendation for future use - real star - fun, efficient, knowledgeable and relaxed. Simon and Bernice

   almost 2 years ago
2. Chris Beckly ★★★★★

   Recently back from a brilliant and active holiday in Cuba and delighted that the weather was on our side ! Having been to Havana before it was great to return and enjoy a city that has only changed slightly since we were there last , which was before the scourge of Covid ! Taking up the offer of pre booking some amazing restaurants with Gemma at Captivating Cuba was well worth it as we really enjoyed the three restaurants we booked . The Asian one I think was called Hama and it was absolutely amazing and a real shock for us that the Cubans can cook Asian so well ! One big focus on our holiday was cycling and the biking in Las Terrazas was fantastic with some great scenery and a few challenging and potholed inclines on the back roads and in hindsight we would have liked to have an extra day to do some more cycling outside of the immediate area (ie cycle to Soroa or the coast), but it was still worth doing as it's a beautiful area. We had two excellent day trips in Vinales, going west towards Pinar del Rio and visiting the Caves at Santo Tomas one day and then a lovely circular route through the Valley of Silence and the Ancon Valley the next, both around 26-30 miles. They were also great here for getting to the hotels where we could spend post-cycling recovery in the pools! Juan Carlos came up with the inspired idea in Trinidad of putting the bikes on the valley train and cycling the return journey, and managed to squeeze us and them into a carriage which had an estimated double the capacity in day trippers already booked into it! It was a very good outing all round. Although we had no specific guides for the cycling we found all the local tour guides on our other sightseeing trips very helpful with advice on where to go, terrain and directions. Thanks so much to the team at Captivating for helping us get cycling in Cuba !! Chris and Marie

   almost 2 years ago
3. Nicola De Rienzo ★★★★☆

   Captivating Cuba were great at planning our holiday and creating all the connections between the places we wanted to visit. It was however a shame that they allowed us to book Cayo Levisa when the pier to get to the island was still damaged from a hurricane from 4/5 months ago. We weren't told it was a risk until 2-3 weeks before we travelled when it still hadn't opened back up and we had to replan 2 nights elsewhere. They recommended 2 more nights in Vinales and have a driver take us to Cayo Jutias both days however it was a 1.5 hour journey as there's no hotels there, so 6 hours travelling in total across both days and compared to an all inclusive private beach island in Cayo Levisa, it didn't feel too appealing. We did visit Cayo Jutias on 1 day, it is a beautiful beach paradise but the roads are very bad and with the long journey there and back I wouldn't recommend anyone do this 2 days in a row. They also quoted us £80pp for the journey per day which we declined and arranged ourselves for £80 in total. After we arrived in Cuba we realised they could've been better at recommending hotels, perhaps providing a little more information. You really need to do your own research on locations and hotel facilities if you don't want to be let down on arrival. The casa's they recommended in both Vinales and Trinidad were amazing though. They didn't push any excursions on us which was nice but we enquired on a few. After arriving in Cuba and going on the free walking tours, it's evident that the excursions we reviewed and considered are real tourist traps. The locals didn't recommend them, especially the Buena Vista Social Club, avoid at all costs, you can find better experiences in Cuba! There's also no need to pre-book restaurants, there's lots of availability at the moment and we found the descriptions from Captivating Cuba are now quite outdated following the pandemic. Overall, great for booking locations, car's and hotels however don't rely on them for local knowledge. We'd highly recommend going on the free walking tours and take a guide's recommendation on live music, restaurants and experiences for a more authentic experience of Cuba.

   almost 3 years ago

1. P S ★☆☆☆☆

   basic transport - audi 100 - one hotel had no water for days and rude staff. Taxi didn't turn up for club tropicana so we missed the begining. Looks great on paper but reality is different.

   almost 3 years ago
2. Ivan Dias ★★★★★

   We had a private tour for 8 people for 8 nights.We we’re the first tour group after the pandemic. I cannot praise the local staff in Cuba enough. Our guide Shaula was the best ever guide we have had. She was complemented so well by our driver Harlem. We covered 1446 km during that period and felt very safe with Harlem’s driving .Nothing was too much trouble for them. They were happy to accommodate our wishes and even took us to a beach which was not in the itinerary. We learnt such a lot about this fascinating country from Shoula. The people are so friendly and welcoming and we had the opportunity to taste some authentic Cuban food, learn about Cuban history and visit some important historical sites and breath taking places. It is amazing that how people are so happy inspite of hardship from American ‘Blockade ‘-as they call the American embargo . This is a small tour company but with highly organised and efficient local staff- we were warned to expect delays and disappointments but Shoula and Harlem’s dedication and passion about their job made it a memorable holiday for us with no mishaps whatsoever.

   almost 3 years ago
3. Maureen McAndrew ★★★★★

   A very well organised private tour. From the beginning, Nikki understood what we wanted. We travelled January 2022. With the Covid problems and going to a country we knew very little about, to say we were nervous is an understatement. The Captivating Cuba staff were fantastic, We were well looked after every step of the way. The local staff and the guides and drivers they organised were a pleasure to be around. The Casas were friendly, clean and modern. The hotel in Varadero was great too. Cannot recommend them highly. Cuba is a complicated but fascinating country and the Captivating Cuba team show the country and the people at their best,

   almost 4 years ago

1. Evan M ★☆☆☆☆

   EXTREMELY DISAPPOINTING!! THEY ADD NO VALUE!! I can't begin to tell you how disappointing this travel company is. It is shocking. They have no real regard for their clients nor do they add any value. They simply are trying to exploit the travellers lack of knowledge of Cuba for a profit. Being a solo traveler going to Cuba for the first time, I mistakingly thought using a travel agency that claimed to be an expert in Cuba would be a good idea. Big mistake. The itinerary they cooked up for me was ridiculous. It had me traveling for 8 hours on a bus to a city for 1 day then traveling another 7 hours on a bus to get to another city the next. When I caught this and decided to rearrange my trip, I cancelled a number of transports and stays at Casa Particulares and a 3 night stay at the Blau in exchange for more time in Havana. They then made me pay more money! They then withheld all my new vouchers until they received the extra money. They never informed me of travel/medical insurance requirements. When asked, they said they did not deal with this but in the final package, of course, they were selling their ability to help you with it if you needed. They never warned me of any of the necessary vaccinations nor if I should even look into it. They are by no means proactive. They are only reactive and you will have to chase them for every little thing. Some of the staff there are particularly rude when trying to get some answers from them. Why they think arguing with a client is a good idea, I have no idea. All the flights they arrange for you are the cheapest possible so the times will be terrible. You will then have no control over changing anything. You will have to go through them. They refuse to provide any transparency in pricing so you will have no idea what or how much you are paying for any individual item. I also thought having a representative on the ground would be helpful given I was traveling alone. Sonia, their rep in Havana, was nowhere to be found. They claim she is in the hotel lobby every morning but neither I nor the hotel workers ever saw her. I was not even informed when my transport from my hotel to the airport would be on my last day. I had to have the concierge hunt down someone else at Captivating Cuba to find out. By the way, please pass on buying anything from them such as excursions or tickets to shows. Everything is easily priced at double the rate you can get in Havana. DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY! Finally, be careful if you stay in one of their Casa Particulares. The one I stayed at in Vinales told the tour operator I had booked that I never arrived so they could replace them with their own and get a kick-back. Do yourself a favour and PASS on this tour operator!!!! There are others out there or, truth be told, you can do it yourself. Enjoy Cuba!

   more 7 years ago

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