Cultural Island Travel - Travel To Cuba LegallyReviews of culturalislandtravel.com

Our 9 day trip to Cuba was awesome. We visited Havana, Trinidad, Cienfuegos and Las Terrazas. Laura our guide was amazing and Rolando our driver was great. The private hotels we stayed at were luxurious and the private restaurants we ate at were all gourmet. Cuba has great lobster dishes on the menu which costs less than meat dishes and costs about the same as shrimp. All the private restaurants and hotels we stayed at had generators so we were minimally effected by the frequent black outs. Riding around Havana in a 50's convertible was fun. A night at the Tropicana night club and a tour of a cigar factory was also enjoyable. The music, dancing and food were highlights of the trip.

I wish there was a way to give 10 stars. Irma, our guide, was a fantastic ambassador for our trip to Mexico City. She was extremely knowledgeable, patient and very flexible when we wanted to make some last minute changes. Irma offered an 8 day experience where every day felt different - she gave us a variety of things to do and places to see. Best of all, Irma is a warm wonderful person and exactly someone you want on your vacation. It was hard to leave Mexico City and even harder to leave Irma.

I'm grateful to Cultural Island Travel for creating a dynamic and exciting itinerary for our 8-day visit to Cuba. Each day was planned so as to help us experience the richness of Cuban culture. The hours were filled with music, dance and art, all of the highest caliber. A special treat for me as a professional organist was attendance at a specially scheduled private organ recital performed by the senior organist of the Havana Cathedral. Magnificent. Also, I was able to have a percussion lesson with the founder of Arte Códova, a professional dance and percussion troupe and school. Kudos to the trip designer, Teresa Sanchez, who put together a remarkably customized experience for us, and special thanks to our amazing tour guide, Dariel, and his caring driver, Pedro. The care we received from both men was remarkable in every way. I can't imagine another guided travel experience that would measure up to this one in terms of meeting and wildly exceeding my hopes for the time in Cuba. Be smart and put yourself in the hands of the dedicated professionals at Cultural Island Travel. And if you can, consider a private customized tour with Cultural Island Travel.

Irma, our guide was vibrant, fun, knowledgeable, smart, professional, and empathetic. Couldn't ask for more.She kept us moving, while stopping everything to care for us when we experienced some challenges. Our driver Henri, in his quiet manner, was a real pro and also helped us whenever he could. All the ‘location guides’ were very knowledgeable, great communicators and charming. Accommodations ranged from "urban classy" to small-town quaint -- both lovely. The itinerary was packed, in a good way. Lots of fabulous culture – music, dance, arts – the chorus was my favorite, dance/drum company spectacular, salsa lesson fun and hilarious; lots of fun touring Havana in vintage cars. The various Havana attractions were all worthwhile – culture, history, arts, dance music were phenomenal. Loved the music combos at the restaurants and Buena Vista Club was an excellent show. Trinidad was quaint and fascinating to tour with our knowledgeable guide, and our afternoon at the beach was such a huge treat! Every restaurant that we were brought to was excellent with a wide variety of delicious dishes. Trip coordination and communication by Teresa at the agency was superb. Thanks for a wonderful time.

Some members of our original group backed out because of the blackouts. We went and had a GREAT time! (We experienced the regular blackouts in the city of Trinidad, but the hotel had the generator running within 5 minutes. They're used to this, and are ready.) Irma was the best guide anyone could imagine. Teresa (patiently!) took care of all the paperwork. Our driver, Henri, was wonderful too. The whole trip was the most informative and well-planned tour I've ever done. Kudos to all involved!

Everyone we worked with was highly professional. Our guide, Irma Gonzalez, is the reason we went to Cuba, having heard from friends that she really makes the trip. We were not let down! Irma knew where to go, the best restaurants, which local guides to book, what musical entertainment we should see at night. And she was a pleasure to spend time with. We were also impressed by the staff at the NYC based Cultural Island Travel. And everyone on the trip itself in addition to Irma, including our driver Rodolfo. The logistics were so much easier than I expected and the whole trip ran smoothly and was relaxing and easy while at the same time being educational and just FUN FUN FUN.

This was an incredible trip. Travel agent Teresa was wonderful to communicate with and really gave us detailed information to book and navigate this weekend trip. We saw so much and experienced many different things in Havana. Our tour guide Laura was AMAZING-so knowledgeable and communicated perfectly! The placed we ate at had delicious food! A trip you must go on!

Our trip to Cuba was very well organized and flexible to accommodate our suggestions. Our requests were handled with enthusiasm and professionalism by our tour operator, Irma Gonzales Salanueva. We had an opportunity to experience the culture and beauty of Cuba with knowledgeable and very friendly guides. We learned a great deal during the variety of tours and enjoyed delicious food through the reservations organized by Cultural Island Travel.