Espíritu TravelReviews of espiritutravel.com

Our guide in Cuba, Eiser Monica Roque, was totally awesome from the moment we landed til departure. When we asked for recommendations, dinner, explanations, changes to the itinerary, there was never any challenges. I was a little taken back by the accommodations, the houses listed were not the houses we stayed in, however, the owners and staff was were very gracious, and Eiser made sure that all our needs were satisfied. Everyone should see Cuba, and let Eiser be your guide!

We had an absolutely fantastic, phenomenal experience in Cuba through Espiritu. It really could not have gone more perfectly. Karin, the owner based in the US, has a great understanding of Cuba and begins the process with a suggested itinerary and then worked with us on any customization we wanted. She was extremely responsive all throughout the planning process. My wife and I normally do all our planning on our own, but given the nature of the US relationship with Cuba, we thought it better to have more guidance on this adventure. It proved to be a great decision. Our family of five had a private tour guide from Espiritu named Oscar who was great fun to be with, and showed us both the "real" Cuba and the more tourism-centric Cuba. We learned so much from him about the culture, the history, and the people of Cuba. He has a great sense of humor and really connected with our kids (ages 23, 21, and 16) in addition to my wife and me. When we traveled to places outside of Havana, Oscar came with us but passed us onto local tour guides for specific activities or tours where the local guides had more knowledge or experience. Oscar, and Espiritu's hired driver (Carlos) were on time every time and completely flexible regarding however much time we wanted to spend in any location. What was also really nice is that we had time on our own. On some days, the guided portion of our visit would end at noon, or mid-afternoon, or late afternoon, and we then had the remainder of the day to wander on our own as a family, have dinner, and listen to music somewhere in the evening.

The trip exceeded all our expectations. The excursions gave us great insight into life in Cuba. Our tour guide, Santi, was personable, extremely well prepared, knowledgeable, and made the entire trip very pleasurable. I highly recommend the Havana trip exactly the way it was planned for my family.

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.

We had wonderful trip in Cuba. Enjoyed to be with Cuban people and learned a lot of cultural and history of Cuba. The most unforgettable things were Cuban music and old cars and building structures in Cuba. All Casas we lived were all beautiful, well arranged, clean, comfortable and with very good and large breakfasts. The hosts are very friendly and willing to provide any help they can, making our trip in Cuba smoothly. Just remind people to Cuba to take with you mosquito and bug repellent.