Espíritu TravelReviews of espiritutravel.com

Great trip. Very educational. Our guide Adriana and driver Jordy were excellent. I would highly recommend Espiritu

It was an amazing experience. Well organized and planned. Our guide Santy was outstanding- he elevated the whole experience on another level.

We have traveled quite a bit around the USA, Canada, South Africa, Europe and the Virgin Islands. With exception of South Africa, we have not used guides/drivers and prefer to do it ourselves. However, there is NO WAY we could have done such a rewarding deep dive into Cuba in eight days without the exceptional guide and driver we got through Espiritu. Our trip was amazing in every way -- culturally, historically, politically -- and with a laser focus on the local and the authentic such that we would never have been able to replicate it on our own. Our guides added tremendous value through their inside knowledge, candid responses to our questions about life in a communist country, and winning personalities. Adriana was the best!!! She is smart, bilingual, personable, candid, and as conversational as we wanted to be (and perceptive enough to respect silence). She is a 100% get it done young woman that all four in our group truly liked as a person and respected as a professional. And our driver Os Mani (sp?) was great!!! He was easy to be with and drove us expertly to our major destinations, which involved some rough roads. I was skeptical but quickly became a complete convert to the benefit of traveling this way! Money is hard to come by and credit cards are not recognized or accepted - anywhere. Be forewarned: When you get the opportunity to exchange in Cuba, get plenty, store it in a money belt under your shirt and take out what you need for each day. Lines are LONG, banks close unexpectedly, and some of our $20 bills were rejected due to being worn or having an ink smudge or tiny tear. Our trip to Cuba allowed us to get to know and support locals. Since the death of Fidel Castro in 2016, more little private businesses, such as restaurants and bed/breakfasts are popping up. With Espiritu, our holiday featured staying in the homes of Cuban people where they received payment instead of government owned/operated hotels. Our accommodations were comfortable, clean, air conditioned, and had a mini-bar in our room. The families prepared us breakfast. We also went to small private restaurants, often on ground floor of people's homes, instead of government owned/operated bars and restaurants. In Cuba, the government owns and runs everything! But there is now a budding of private enterprises by private citizens, which we supported. I highly recommend Espiritu Travel!!!

My husband and I had an outstanding vacation in Cuba. Karin, CEO at Espiritu Travel, helped me to plan a custom 12-day trip that included all of the things we wanted to do. She selected casa particulares that were top notch. We were fortunate to have Eiser as our guide/driver. Our vehicle was a very comfortable 2016 Ssangyong Korando SUV. In summary I highly recommend Espiritu.

Espiritu Travel provided us with the perfect journey to Cuba! Not only was Karin responsive, informative, and helpful with our many questions before we left, but everything she planned and promised us was achieved while we were away. Our guides were all wonderful - informed, friendly Cubans who were eager to make us feel the spirit of their country. They could not do enough for us, and we feel as if they are now our friends. We cannot say enough positive things about Espiritu! This was a wonderful experience!

We had a custom itinerary that was perfect for our group of 6. Oscar, our lead guide grew to know exactly what we enjoyed and made certain we were always well taken care of. Javier provided a wonderful night life experience. We had the best time and would highly recommend this trip and the hosts to all! Thank you Espiritu!

I loved the trip Espiritu planned for us. Everything was perfect and the pre-trip suggestions on what to bring, changing money, etc. were all SUPER HELPFUL!! We'll use Espiritu again for sure!!

From the moment we exited customs and saw the smiling face of our guide Adriana holding the Espiritu travel sign our trip was a success. I can’t imagine entering the throng of people trying to get you into a taxi or change money without Adriana at our side holding our hand all the way. The Casa of Marie was the next welcoming mat. Marie’s house was so clean & friendly and a refuge after a day of flying. The a/c was a welcome luxury. As we hit the street for a self-guided dinner we discovered to be careful of people trying to get you into “their” restaurant and buy them a drink. The breakfasts provided by Maria & staff were an amazing way to start our day. As a gay couple we felt safe in the streets although we did not hold hands. We discovered drag at Las Vegas Club and jazz plus many other clubs. We visited the Belview Art Café where Adriana also works. This café is close to John Lennon Park and is a must see. We stayed only in Havana and it was easy to fill each day with sites. We went to Fusterlandia two times and bought some art work there. Pictures cannot do this place justice. Talking to Adriana, other guides & taxi drivers about the history & evolution of Cuba was a major highlight of our adventure. For us the total disconnect from email, cell & TV made this trip a total success. Thank-you Karin & Espiritu Travel for providing such a wonderful experience.