Traveler Reviews

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We thoroughly enjoyed our time in Cuba. The itinerary was well-planned. We especially enjoyed lunch with the professor and the day with the cooking/mojito class in Cojimar. We were glad we added Trinidad to our itinerary. It was wonderful in its unique way, and the evening outdoor music was enjoyable.

Quite honestly, one of our favorite parts of the visit was spending time getting to know about life in Cuba through our guide and our driver. We cannot say enough good things about them. Our outstanding guide was so incredibly knowledgeable, and we appreciated her enthusiasm and passion for her profession. The two of them were fantastic companions for the week; it was hard to say farewell.

Upon our return, many people were asking us about our experience. Our answer is that the visit to Cuba was one of the most meaningful cultural exchanges we’ve experienced.

5
J. DeCara - Feb 2024
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Everything was perfect. Our guide and our driver made us feel so welcome. Our fathers both left Cuba in the 1950s, so being able to see the country was a gift for us.

5
L. Montejo - Feb 2024
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The trip was exceptional. Our guide was the best we have ever had, and we have traveled quite a bit. I could see Cuba in an entirely new light regarding its history, culture, and people. Thank you.

5
H. Oringer Jan 2024
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I spoke with my clients and the word “outstanding” was used several times. It was a wonderful and special trip for all! Cultural Cuba has a great team!

5
T. Lanfrank - Jan 2024
Northstar Cruises Jan 2024
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The Cultural Cuba guide and driver were amazing! They were so knowledgeable and friendly. They felt like family! We highly recommend visiting Cuba and can’t wait to return.

5
H. Cribbins - Jan 2024
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To say that we had an exceptional cultural experience would be an understatement. The trip was an adventure and extraordinary in every way. Every day was filled with many golden nuggets. Each daily excursion and all the meals were top rate. Our guide and concierge, was a true historian who added flavor and color to our understanding of Cuba’s historical past and present life. Cultural Cuba provided us with a value-rich experience that could only be found with their travel expertise and knowledge. Thank you!

5
Michael & Nancy Feldman - Dec 2023
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We had a wonderful time in Cuba!

Our guide was so friendly, knowledgeable, and engaging. We really appreciated how she motivated our kids to participate in the Cuban experience.

The itinerary was thoughtful and well-organized. The local hosts provided additional perspectives on the culture and history of Cuba — be it music, dance, art, or education. Of course, we also loved the drive around Havana in the ’56 Chevy Bel Air convertible, the bicycle tour to the Plaza de la Revolucion, and the ziplines at the Las Terrazas biosphere.

I highly recommend Cultural Cuba to any couple or family interested in a genuine, first-hand experience in Cuba. We returned to the U.S. with a much greater appreciation of Cuba’s history and people.

5
B. Toolan
Travel Clients of Danielle Dybiec, President NINE MUSES TRAVEL
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Where do I begin?! We had an amazing trip! You could not have picked a better tour guide – she got our personalities, was extremely informative and educational, and made us feel welcome and comfortable. By the end of the trip, it felt like she was a family member! I have already referred various people to Cultural Cuba.

Your company built an itinerary that checked off all our boxes and then some!

The hotels were top-notch, accommodating, and friendly, and the service was great.

5
J. Barnes
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Traveler: “We just wanted to send you a belated but huge thanks for everything you did to organize the Cuba trip. We had a great time, and the trip far surpassed our expectations. Really felt like we got off the beaten path without having to fly 15 hours, while having an awesome hotel to come home to each night. And we loved our guide – she is the best.”

Travel Advisor: “Thanks, Cultural Cuba for making me look like a star!

5
Victoria Dalena
Luxury Travel Advisor, SmartFlyer, a Virtuoso Member Agency
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Thank you! Thank you! You couldn’t have planned a more perfect trip! Our guide was not only a wealth of information but an absolute pleasure to be with!! Starting out our first full day with the expert architect was so interesting – we all enjoyed it and it was a great way to kick off the tour. Outstanding choice of restaurants – loved the different atmospheres and the meals were 5 stars all the way. The hotel was equally as impressive. Great idea about the photographer – pictures are amazing!! Our trip of a lifetime really was so, thanks to you! We’ll be in touch with you in the future for sure. Already looking forward to another adventure.

5
Elena M. D'Agostino
Real Estate Broker
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Don T
16 July 2023

Thank you Liza and David with Cultural Cuba for all your help in planning this wonderful trip. Jose our guide and Pepe our driver were the absolute Best! The meticulous planning and knowledge of Cuba by Liza and David made the trip a great success. The hotel was excellent with great roof top views. All the restaurants visited had great food and service. The places visited were very insightful as to Cuba’s past and present.

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Robert Rixer
8 May 2023

Unbelievable experience. I've never used a travel service like this before, but for Cuba I feel it was borderline necessary. Exceeded our expectations, the trip was planned and executed to a tee. Would not have have got 30% of the experience we did if we tried to do it all on our own. As for Cuba itself, it is a different world and unlike anything you would have ever experienced before. No explanation can really do it justice.

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WanderWoman
13 February 2023

I’ve traveled pretty far and wide across the globe over the last 30 years, covering a decent percentage of all seven continents for both personal enrichment and in my former life as an educational television producer. The latter in particular gave me the opportunity to work with some of what I consider to be the most impressive and knowledgable guides in the world, and I would like to share that Cultural Cuba’s guides—in fact, their whole program—belong firmly in that category.

My friend and I spent five magical days in Havana to explore Cuba’s culture before we joined an environmental program/SCUBA dive trip in the Jardines de la Reina, and I could not be more thrilled with the Havana experience. Cultural Cuba offered a rich and varied range of options from which we could choose, and each moment was more beautiful than the last, from traditional music and dancing to food to architecture to nightlife to street culture, all perfectly curated before the trip and expertly guided and explained while it was happening. A special shout-out to our wise and wonderful guide, Ilen Rodriguez, and our expert Classic Car driver Arturo, who shepherded us with grace, confidence, patience, good humor, and infinite layers of insights, all delivered in exactly the right dose at the right time. Absolutely masterful! We were first-timers in Cuba, and we will absolutely be back for more. I wouldn’t go with anyone but Cultural Cuba!

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fredda goldberg
15 January 2023

Cultural Cuba was an excellent resource to have to plan our trip to Cuba. From the paperwork before to the Itinerary custom made to our liking, our wonderful guide Alain we could not have asked for a better more seamless experience.

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Nancy Farnham
4 December 2022

I can hardly put into words what a wonderful trip this was and I give Cultural Cuba and our amazing guide, Mabel, credit for that! The itinerary was perfectly varied and well paced, the accommodations exceptional, restaurants superb and the entire week we spent in this fascinating country flawless. We were able to see what we felt was both the cultural as well as the "real" Cuba.....from the art museums to time spent in Havana Vieja, Cienfuegos and Trinidad to the cigar factory tour, sugar cane plantation and of course the convertible car tour. I highly recommend Cultural Cuba to anyone planning a visit to this very special country.

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Basil Hashem
18 September 2022

Visit Havana and making the most of your time is challenging to say the least. If you don't have a connection, a driver, dinner reservations, etc. you will waste a lot of time running around. We were a group of 5 with two adults, a senior and two teenagers. Even with this multi-generational group, David & Liza were able to put together an itinerary that worked great for us. We did an intro call and then communicated over email to finalize the activities. We visited at the hottest time of the year, August (2022). From the trip planning side, they worked with me to customize our itinerary so that we focused on activities that worked for our small group - cultural activities and visits with Cuban artists, intellectuals, musicians, etc. This is not your typical guided tour but an insider's special treat! Unique activities such as lunch with the ex-cultural minister of Cuba, a private tour of the studio of an award-winning photographer, a dance performance, a tour of the National Art Museum lead by the curator himself, salsa classes, a sunset ride in classic cars along with a professional photographer in tow, a walking tour of street art, a discussion with a fashion entrepreneur and more. We had a fantastic time! The ability to connect with such a warm and diverse group of folks gave us insight and an appreciation for the beauty of Cuba and its people. A special shout out goes to our local guide, Alain, who entertained us with his stories, knowledge and experiences. We have a new friend in Havana! He was so flexible and adjusted our schedule on our whims. Our driver, Daniel, was available with his van whenever we needed it esp. with some of our mobility issues for our senior, he was so kind. We are foodies and the choice and selection of paladares for lunch and dinner were amazing - we really sampled a variety of Havana's finest food and eateries. Overall, we were extremely fortunate and appreciative that we were recommended Cultural Cuba because the trip would not have been as enjoyable or easy.

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Rick Smith
27 May 2022

First-class guide and great attention to the details. Everything we expected and more.

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Morgan J
31 March 2022

Cultural Cuba is the best way to explore Cuba!! They handled every detail from the Visas & Itineraries to our Hotel, Lunch & Dinner Reservations. David & Liza helped us put together a trip in under 3 weeks! Their communication, suggestions, and insights were invaluable. All we had to do was book our flights, sit back, and enjoy the amazing culture. Our guide, Lianet, and our personal driver, Handy, played such a big part in making our trip so incredible and we're grateful to have them as our newest friends.

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mick domagala
25 February 2022

Truly the only way to visit Cuba. Cultural Cuba can get you to so many locations, restaurants, clubs, galleries, and interesting events - ones that you would never find on your own. I'm not usually fond of going with an agency but the custom itinerary you structure with Cultural Cuba is clearly the best way to see this country.

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Aileen McCormick
11 November 2020

A group of 8 women traveled to Cuba with Cultural Cuba last December. I was somewhat hesitant about the whole trip. As it turned out, it was absolutely fantastic and it would have been my misfortune to have missed. Cultural Cuba did an outstanding job tailoring the itinerary to our interests and the guide, accommodations and excursions were all excellent.

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Susan Cunneen
8 November 2020

Cultural Cuba provided me with an outstanding trip to Havana, Cuba! They were wonderful to deal with in the planning and explaining process, and Liza, who does the logistics, was extremely kind and so very pleasant when plans kept changing about who would be going on the trip. They are, indeed, very patient! David and Liza clearly have a strong passion for Cuba and her people and provided me with an opportunity to meet and speak to many Cubans. It was fascinating for me to hear their history and understand where they would like to see their country moving forward. My itinerary was perfect in that I was able to learn so much and meet some extraordinary people. My guide was absolutely amazing. He was a wealth of knowledge, an excellent communicator, and understood my needs before I did! I highly recommend Cultural Cuba and look forward to working with them again!

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Barbara Myers
5 November 2020

We had a spectacular experience! Our guide was thoroughly knowledgeable and also kind, witty, and fun to spend time with. Our driver was a perfect gentleman and thoroughly gracious. The itinerary Cultural Cuba provided was excellent and included a very special request we had made. We had asked to attend a performance by an early music group and instead had a private concert just for us in the apartment of a Cuban National. Wow! Our guide was incredibly resourceful and creative when changes were needed. A perfect trip in every way!

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Lauren V
5 November 2020

David Lee/Cultural Cuba did a superb job planning our birthday celebration trip to Cuba. From itinerary and trip planning to selection of our outstanding tour guide and fantastic driver, and getting us seats at the best restaurants in Havana, everything went smoothly. Above all, David’s team provided us with incredibly unique and fascinating local experiences, experiences that were only available from them. These included working with a local chef in his kitchen, attending a private percussion group rehearsal, and a photography “safari” of Havana's stunning architecture. Our trip exceeded our expectations in all respects; we would not hesitate to recommend Cultural Cuba and to travel with them again.

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Peter Gaines
17 October 2020

We can't thank you enough for all of your help planning such a wonderful trip to Cuba. We were impressed with every stage of the planning process, the information we were given, our being encouraged to ask questions/advice, and always received a prompt reply. We enjoyed seeing the list of potential activities so well-described; as you know, in five days, it was impossible to see or do it all. We were very pleased with our choices and felt that we had a pretty well-rounded experience with what we chose. The Kempinski hotel was lovely and in an excellent location, and the restaurants we went to were all absolutely wonderful. Trip dates were Nov 6 - 10, 2019 Jane and Peter

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Lisa Katz
3 March 2020

I just returned yesterday from a girls trip to Havana and felt compelled to write this review as soon as possible. We worked with Cultural Cuba through SmartFlyer and I cannot imagine visiting Cuba without them. I have used several tour groups in other countries and this one was hands down the best trip I've ever had. They created an itinerary based on our interests that was perfection, yet they were also incredible in being able to rearrange and be flexible with us once we settled in. Our activities were both fun and educational and our tour guide, Mabel, was fantastic. She is smart and informative and just such an overall joy to be around. We actually all teared up saying goodbye to her and our driver. Cultural Cuba is not your average tour company, as it almost felt like we were visiting family. They truly went over and beyond to make sure we had the best experience possible.

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Gerry O'Connor
3 February 2020

Planning a trip to Cuba? Please contact Cultural Cuba (CC) for the best possible experience. CC is a thoroughly professional, knowledgeable and, dare I say, classy operation. I utilized their expertise for a recent (Jan.24 - Jan. 30, 2020) trip to Cuba. The assembled itinerary was polished, efficient and culturally varied. They listened to my expectations and delivered accordingly. The guide and driver provided were both informed, flexible and inventive. They made the itinerary work and when weather or our needs changed, adjustments were quick, efficient and satisfying. You will not be disappointed and be culturally richer for accessing their services.

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We had a fabulous 4 days in Havana. The Manzana Kempinski Hotel was amazing and definitely the perfect place to stay. We loved the location, the rooms and especially the rooftop bar! Our guide and driver were also fantastic. He was so knowledgeable about the city, the history of Cuba and gave us a very personal look into the people and the culture. He was a pleasure to work with and went out of his way to make sure that we had a rich and enjoyable experience. The art and history museum tours gave us a great overview of the history from different perspectives, and the special meetings with Camilo, at Amos and at the dance workshop made the experience so much more personal. The restaurant choices were also varied and all delicious. There is not really anything that we would have changed. You definitely exceeded expectations and we would recommend Cultural Cuba enthusiastically!

5
A. Dunn
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We can’t thank you enough for all of your help planning such a wonderful trip to Cuba. We were impressed with every stage of the planning process, the information we were given, our being encouraged to ask questions/advice and always receiving a prompt reply. We enjoyed seeing the list of potential activities so well-described; as you know in five days it was impossible to see or do it all. We were very pleased with our choices and feel that we had a pretty well-rounded experience with what we chose. The Kempinski hotel was lovely and in an excellent location, and the restaurants we went to were all absolutely wonderful.

Our guide made the trip the fabulous experience it was. She was charming, intelligent and well-informed, and her command of English was superb. Her willingness to answer our endless questions and to discuss every aspect of life in Cuba made us look forward to seeing her every morning. Best of all, she pushed us just enough to go to two experiences we would have missed had she not done so; Fabrica de Arte (which was amazing) and a jazz bar behind the Capitol. We had a fabulous time at both. She is truly an excellent representative of the high quality of service provided by the staff of Cultural Cuba, and we cannot compliment her highly enough

5
J.G.
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Cuba is such an amazing destination and largely unspoiled. The people are genuine in their desire to serve and give a great experience. The guide and driver were priceless and truly gave us the experience we weren’t sure was possible. The Kempinski Hotel was beautiful and offered a superior experience. The guide was available to us all day into the night and she was able to make schedule adjustments because she was our private guide for the entire 5 days. We spent more time at certain places and less time at others all at our schedule. That’s the beauty of private travel. David has a tremendous knowledge base which made our experience very special.

5
Sharon Hupprich
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Cuba was fascinating and wonderful. What a different world! I can see why a guide is so helpful. There are many places that we would have just walked by without ever seeing the “jewel” inside. Our guide was fabulous! The Kempinski Manzana was great. The rooftop pool was refreshing to enjoy each day. The location was fantastic. Meeting the City Planner and Architect and understanding the challenges facing Havana helped put everything in perspective for us. We have never been to a communist country before. This made the site-seeing so much more interesting. Compas Dance Project was phenomenal! Overall, it was a very nice vacation. Thank you for putting it all together for us.

5
Taryn Burr
Senior Managing Director
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I could not be more pleased with your company and its service. The trip was most exceptional in terms of what I wanted to do, who I wanted to meet, and what I wanted to experience. My guide was – in every way – both incredibly knowledgeable and professional. I’ll let my images share with you the true feelings I’ve had. Thanks for all you and your associates did to make this a remarkable time in my life!

5
Steve Leimberg
Photographer/UnSeenImages.Com
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Our trip to Cuba was AMAZING – exceeded our expectations, which were already high! Have already started to spread the word to friends (would be such a shame if the Trump administration shuts down travel). But I must say that our guide was outstanding- we are so grateful he took on our challenging assignment. We’ve had many tour guides in the past who were very good, but the Cultural Cuba guide tops all of them. I can’t rave about the guide enough, as well as the many activities you planned for us, and the other people who we met that made our trip so special. Such a unique and special vacation for each of our family members, from youngest to oldest

5
Laura Ching
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Thank you so much for organizing a flawless experience for us! Cuba is a fascinating culture and we learned so much from our guide, whom we absolutely loved! We loved our driver, too. They were both professional, FUN, and knowledgeable. I wouldn’t change a single thing about our itinerary. Dador was incredible for any traveler, like me, interested in art/fashion/design. Not only did I love seeing what they do and how they do it, but I inquired about a certain dress in a certain fabric and cut. They didn’t have the exact combo and made it for me and delivered it to the hotel in about 36 hours! It’s such a special souvenir from our trip. I’m still trying to process all we learned and saw. It was by far the most educational and fascinating culture we’ve experienced … and it’s a photographer’s dream! I received several inquiries about our trip and have recommended Cultural Cuba with my highest regard. Thank you – we are so grateful for your expertise!

5
Korena Sinnett
Associate Art Director, Virtuoso Life Magazine
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Terrific trip! Great experience for people that have traveled all over the world. The hotel was really deluxe and unexpected for a third world country. We would highly recommend Cultural Cuba. The expert guide made the impossible happen. Thanks for a great birthday celebration!

5
David Fox
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Everything was top notch. The restaurants were all superb. We toured some great sites and gained a newfound education on the Cuban culture and a real sense of understanding for an outsider. She handled every issue with professionalism and no stress. She gets 5 stars!! We left Cuba with a clear mind and a love for the culture, food, and people. We would love to definitely visit again!

5
Robert Gathen, Esq.
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We had a fabulous time in Havana! We were able to get a tremendous sense of a great country with lots of history and such potential. We will recommend Cultural Cuba to others. Now you have set the gold standard for long weekends away… I need a cultural Cuba equivalent for Mexico and other Central American countries! Thanks again and I am sure we will be back.

5
David Boulter

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