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Reviews 2015 Casa Bolsa de la Habana | Old Havana | Cuba |
Reviews Casa Bolsa de la Habana 2015
Dec 20 2015
CASA BOLSA DE LA HABANAMy review: This casa is a bit different from many other casas. You don't stay at the house of your host but in another building. There are two rooms for rent in this old bank building (there is even an old vault very close to your room). We liked the room and the additional space available in the living room. How was your room?: Lots of space in the room, nice large windows.
How was the food they offer?: We only had breakfast. Different breakfast choices available (eggs, coconut pancakes, toast, fruit). Very nice coffee. Other services they offer: Airport pick-up: all fine, nice driver. Other comments: The casa is very centrally located in Habana Vieja. Dec 6 2015
Casa de Bolsa HavanaMy review: Susanna is just delightful and we loved her.She organized for us to picked up at the airport. Oct 19 2015
Casa Bolsa de la HabanaMy review: Great space, REALLY good location, Susanna is lovely and makes UNBELIEVABLY delicious Coconut Pancakes.. mmmmm.... can't recommend enough!!!
Aug 21 2015
Casa Bolsa de la HabanaMy review: Love the space, Love Susana. Excellent apartment and a wonderful house manager. The building is an old bank building, converted into apartments. That history of the building was a attraction. Casa Bolsa has character, charm and it is tastefully decorated. Spacious and airy, the apartment is an eclectic range of mid 20th century banking industry design elements mixed with pattern tile flooring, wrought iron railings, gothic wooden doors and solid limestone structure. How was your room?: Loved my room! Great art, room was clean, airy. In both rooms the beds are very comfortable.
Aug 5 2015
La Bolsa de la HavanaMy review: The casa is in the middle of Havana Vieja (Old Havana). We could go everywhere walking easily. Susana is very helpful for everything like a guide. Cleaning, airport transfers, restaurants and bars... Aug 1 2015
Casa Bolsa De La HabanaMy review: This was my first trip to Cuba, and my first trip in many years that I have not stayed in a hotel. I was traveling with my adult children (19 and 23) along with two friends. The Casa Particular was an experience unlike any I have had previously, unique accommodations, and an environment that made you feel as if you were staying with old friends or close family. We loved everything about this Casa. Susana and her friend Gabriel made us feel as if we were staying with family, they went above and beyond to make our stay enjoyable and memorable. The Casa is located on the second floor of an old bank building. You walk through 20 foot wooden doors, up a beautiful marble stair case to the apartment. The apartment has a kitchen, two large bedrooms, and living room, and internal open air atrium that provides light, cross ventilation, and an area to dry clothes. The ceilings are at least 15 feet tall, with multiple tall french doors opening to the street and atrium. The Casa is centrally located in an area that is rapidly being redeveloped, the area reminded me a lot of the Gothic quarter of Barcelona pre redevelopment in the 90's. Everything is within walking distance and the only time we needed transportation was to a bank in Vedado and to the beach. People were friendly and we always felt safe. One bedroom has a queen bed and one has a king size bed. The third room is separated from the King bedroom by glass and wood partition and I suspect is only used as a bedroom if a large family wanted the space. Susana stocked the kitchen with beer, bottled water, and coconut ice cream - not to be missed. Other services they offer: Susana helped us with changes to our reservations and emails home. Gabriel provided us with transportation from the airport, he took me back the next day to pick up my daughter as she was traveling from Columbia. He also arranged all the transportation for our trip to the Bay of Pigs, along with our return. He transported me from bank to bank in search of an ATM that would work with our American debit cards. He helped us with internet access and cell phone calls back to the states, his knowledge and translation assistance was invaluable. I would recommend taking a lot of cash. I had a friend travel two months before we went and he had no issue using his debit card. I was unable to use a Master Card with HSBC, or a Visa with B of A. Western Union can only be used if you have family in Cuba. We were lucky to be traveling with an Australian who was able to lend us money, but even he had trouble with some of his cards. We were told we would need 25 Cucs each to exit the country. This was included on our tickets with AeroMexico. June 15 2015
Casa Bolsa De la HabanaMy review: This Casa is amazing! You must stay here in Havana. It is in an excellent location and Susana will tell you everything you need to know about the city. The place is great with really high ceilings and lots of fans so the heat is never an issue! It is beautifully decorated and very clean. The breakfast is great with lots of options- we went for the continental every time- delicious. Also great coffee and tasty juice with it too. Susana was great with communication before the holiday and organised us a pick up to and from the airport which was really helpful. Use this email- susana.masias@nauta.cu to contact her and book your room now! Thanks Susana for a great time in Cuba. How was your room?: Excellent- 2 balconies, airy and light. How was the food they offer?: Very tasty
June 12 2015
Casa Bolsa De La HabanaMy review: Susana was incredibly nice and gave me great recommendations for places to stay and you could see it was important to her to make her guests comfortable and happy. The breakfast was decent, and one night she cooked a vegetarian dinner for me that was delicious. Her husband was also really kind and great. The only problem I had was not being able to reach Susana during two emergencies. She does not stay on the premises and there is no telephone there to reach her with so if you do stay there, be sure you have a mobile phone with a local SIM card. I am certain that had I been able to reach her during these emergencies she would have been very helpful and everything would have worked out. How was your room?: Spacious, clean, comfortable. How was the food they offer?: Good Other services they offer: Airport pickup-the taxi driver she arranged for me did not show up and when I arrived at the casa she was not home to let me in. Thankfully the taxi driver I took had a phone to call her on-and I'm sure the wonderful Cuban people around would have helped if I was left stranded alone outside -but this is again another reason it's very necessary to have a phone.
June 1 2015
Casa Bolsa de la HabanaMy review: The casa is amazing - it is not a house in the traditional sense, but you stay in the old stock exchange of Havana that has been converted into flats. You have 8 m high ceilings and therefore you're never hot as there always is air. The place is very clean and well maintained. You have your own kitchen, so you are able to make your own food if you are too tired to go out. The bedrooms are very large with very comfortable beds. The breakfast that Susanna are us every morning was amazing. She did not just serve a small glass of fresh fruit juice, but always a pitcher that we left in the fridge and then drank when coming back tired from sightseeing in the afternoon. Susana was very helpful in arranging pick up and dropping from and to the airport. She also gave us tips on where to eat and directions on what to see and do where. Would love to stay there again. How was your room?: fantastic How was the food they offer?: excellent Other comments: Hearing what other tourists had to say about their small rooms in the casas, we realised how luck we were. May 21 2015
CASA BOLSA DE LA HABANAMy review: I was in Cuba from march 22 to April 20, 2015. This trip was to spend as much time as I could in Vinales, with a few days in Habana Vieja at the start and end of my stay. I had difficulty reaching a Casa that I had used before, and so did some searching and narrowed down to 3 cases, this being one of them. This was March 16 and I needed a casa for the 22nd. I understand that connections in Cuba are not always the best, and that casa owners, for the most part, do not have Internet access at home. (Only towards the end of my last stay was Internet email available on cell phones in Cuba). Susana responded quite quickly, positively, and with good details. Communication was great. The Casa Particulares is in the old bank of Canada: the ceilings are high, rooms are spacious and lots of fresh air comes through the tall window shutters. It really is lovely. There are currently 2 rooms, with a third being added. There are fans in all rooms and beds are comfy (I stayed in one room arriving in Habana and in the other room before leaving). Added bonus: both voltages are available. Renovations are being made in the building across the street. There is no work at night, and surprisingly, when work did start in the morning, I heard almost none of it and slept very soundly for as long as I needed to. The washroom is separate from each of the rooms; however, this did not bother me one bit. The washroom is only shared with whoever is in the 2nd room, if it is occupied, and I never ran into a problem. It is quite large, very clean and the shower is great. The only difficulty anyone might have with this case is that it is up a somewhat steep stairwell. The stairwell is very wide and actually quite beautiful - imagine walking up a marbled staircase to the second floor of an old colonial bank building and you get the picture. You could take wedding pics in this stairwell; but, if you don't do stairs well, or at all, then this could be a problem. Susana is an industrious sweetheart: you could not be better served. She is helpful without being over bearing, prompt, efficient and incredibly generous. Her English is very good, and she will help you to find whatever it is you are looking for: Restaurants, guides, taxis, information, artists, etc. I only ate breakfast at the Casa, and loved it. Fresh fruit, coconut pancakes, omelettes: you choose what you prefer from the available menu. What I really liked is that there is a fridge in the small kitchen that always has water, beer, ice cream and fresh fruit juice. You take when you need on the honour system and write it on your tab. I was visiting with couple while supper was being served and can tell you- I was quite regretting that I had already eaten. Fantabulous fish, vegetable and other dishes - looked yummy and according to the others- it was. When I left for VInales, I left my camera battery charger plugged into the wall in my room, and did not realize it. I would not have noticed for a day or so, as my batteries were all charged and I usually take a day or two to unpack and settle in. Susana sent me an email. She kept in touch and 2.5 days later, sent the charger with another tourist that was driving into Vinales. Amazing. You are best to book early- even when occupancy rates were starting to fall off for some casa's, towards the end of April, Susana was finding alternate accommodations for inquirers, as she was chock full. I am returning to Habana in Oct/Nov, and am staying at this Casa again. It is now my go-to place in Habana Vieja. Other comments: I do not have pics to post at the moment, although I did take some: my hard drive with my pics is missing. I will post if I get it back. May 18 2015 great accommodationsWe were very lucky to have chosen our first 5 days in Cuba. through Cuba-junky . From this sight we found casa bolsa in old Havana. The owners are Susana and Lee. With their help they made our travel arrangements to see everything we wanted to do while we were there. T other casa paticulars they arranged were excellent. We would never been able to see and do what we wanted without their gracis help. They were with us to the very end making sure that the taxi was on time to get us on our flight. Having good people like Susana and Lee made our trip a life time experience that would bring us back to do it again. Many thanks to Villa El Cuba Libre in Vinales and the owner Mayelin Reyes and her mother for the wonderful pastries. Also many thanks to our last home away from home in Trinidad with Mateo andMarbeli and moms. Their phone number is (01)(53)(41)99-8709.They took us int like family. Much love to them and the people of Cuba. Beth and Dan Smith May 9 2015
Casa Bolsa de la HabanaMy review: The casa has a perfect location in the center of Old Havanna and Susanna is a great host! She gave us a lot of good advices about restaurants, bars, salsa places etc and helped us with arranging practical things. She also made lovely coco-pancakes for breakfast! How was your room?: Great. Big and clean How was the food they offer?: Great May 5 2015
Casa Bolsa de la HabanaMy review: Fantastic hosts. We planned to stay here for two nights and ended up spending the whole week except for one night in Vinalles. The location is perfect - right off the best street of Old Havana. Susana and Arturo were great hosts - our plane was delayed over night and we showed up like zombies and they were great being flexible to check us in and making morning coffee at 2pm when we woke up! A good casa can be hard to find open anymore in Havana - I think these guys are booked nearly solid a month out at times. Also - Arturo guided us snorkeling one day and took us to an awesome reef near Jibacoa. Not strictly one of the casa services, but we were going to pay for a taxi anyway and we were happy to have him come along to show us around. Bring your own gear though. How was your room?: Comfy bed, high ceilings, no AC but fans made for great sleeping. How was the food they offer?: Big breakfasts, fresh fruit juice, great Cuban coffee. March 24 2014 Casa Bolsa de la HabanaMy review: Located in an old bank building from the last century, Casa Bolsa is a very special place to stay. How was your room?: Big, clean, great! How was the food they offer?: Good! Pancakes were great, as well as the fruitshakes and again, the coffee! March 17 2015 Casa Bolsa de HabanaMy review: Casa Bolsa was great. It's in a great location in Old Havana.The building has an interesting history being the stock market previously but turned into housing after the revolution. Suzanna is an amazing host. She is very helpful and will give you suggestions about places to go and how to navigate Havana and we greatly enjoyed our breakfast conversations with her. How was your room?: Clean,Sunny. Bathroom is shared and outside apartment but is clean. How was the food they offer?: Breakfast for 5 CUC, can be pancakes,continental, fruits or french toast. Your choice March 7 2015 Casa Bolsa de la HabanaMy review: One of the coolest places I've stayed anywhere in the world. The owner Susana is a wonderful host and helped us a lot with everything. Staying at Casa Bolsa de la Habana was the highlight of our time in Havana. Feb 22 2015 Casa Bolsa del HabanaMy review: Susana was very welcoming and friendly. The location of the apartment was great, very central in old Havana with easy access to anything you might need. We had to find accommodation for our return and Susana was quick to assist and helped us sort any other things that needed sorting. Nothing was ever too much . She even invited us to her house over New Years Eve where we got to meet the lovely Arthur. Lovely couple, can only strongly recommend staying with them How was your room?: Very large How was the food they offer?: Tasty Feb 9 2015
Casa Bolsa de La HabanaMy review: The rooms of this place are located inside the old stock market of Havanna. It's a very nice building an perfectly located to explore the old town of Havanna. But the best is Susanna, the owner. She is very friendly, has always a good advice and is really great in organizing transportation or even casas in other destinations in Cuba. We can strongly recommend this place! How was your room?: High seilings, very clean and nicely furnished How was the food they offer?: Susanna offers a good breakfast. Jan 11 2015
Casa de la Bolsa de HabanaMy review: This is a rare and exceptional place to stay in a magical city. The ceilings rise up about 6 meters and the original tile floors are cool and exquisite. We were fortunate to have the full use of the Bolsa apartment for my husband and I and our daughter, with a comfortable living room and a huge well-equipped kitchen. We felt very spoiled, secure and comfortable. The aprtment despite being in a dusty downtown, was kept immaculately clean. We were greeted warmly and treated like gold the entire stay, Susanna and Art are so knowledgable about the city and took us to places we never would have found otherwise, buying gorgeous wild honey from a vendor in Havana Centro; to the large farmer's mercado to shop, so we were able to cook some delicious fresh organic meals and live like kings very affordably. Christmas dinner with Art and Susanna was unforgettable, curried lamb, roast chicken and all the fixings but my very favourie... TOSTINOS!!!!No one makes these delicacies like Susannah, and the rum was flowing... The aprtment didn't have air conditioning, but it wasn't necessary, fans we supplied and kept us very comfortable. The beds were very comfortable, rooms spacious and opulent. We were told that there was construction on Obrapia, and having been to Havana before, I expected the hurly burly of the city, for me this is part of the wonder of life in Havana where there people are out, music from live bands bearby waft through the air, everything vibrates with life. I can only highly recommend this casa. If you would like to bring a gift for the house, I suggest a manual espresso maker would be nice.... How was your room?: Room was gorgeous, Art and Susanna have been working hard to continously make the room more comfortable and are saving fopr some elegant renovations to have mor econvenient bathroom facilities within the rooms themselves. The bathroom was just outside the front door, was for our exclusive use, in the main courtyard. It was newly renovated, impeccably clean also. I know they are woking on bedside lamps, but consider bringing a little travel reading light. How was the food they offer?: Susannh's breakfasts were stupendous- recommend the coco pancakes and Cuban honey... Art is also a master Kung-Fu practioner and teacher and offers classes regularly from his home, I was able to attend one and loved it, and it was a pleasure to meet his students, a group of dedicated and didciplined young Cuban guys. Art and Susanna are well connected in the community, to Dr.s, other casas, great restaurants and can advise you on safe and really fun things to do and see. They are also close to a number of up and coming artists and can arrange for you to see galleries and meet with artists. Other comments: One must let go of preconccieved notions, expectations to get the most out of time in this place, life moves at a different rhythme, people work very hard, and have the greatest hearts in the world. If your attitude is one of entitlemnent, this is simply not the place for you. If you go, embrace these wonderful people warmly for those of us who can't and soak it all in.
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