Hostal Unión

Immediately upon arrival, Javier welcomed us to his very nice rooftop patio with a couple of slushy, colorful rum drinks while we discussed our plans and got to know each other a little bit. The bar and outdoor tables allowed us to enjoy our arrival and take a breath under blue skys and with a wam spring breeze.

Luckily for us, Javier spoke English to make up for our embarassing lack of Spanish skills so that we could have conversations about what we wanted to do in the area and talk family, economics, politics, religion, history, dogs and cats, and a wide variety of topics while we were there. He was an open and insightful host.

The house was in a convenient location. It was a short walk around a school from the bus station and about a 10 minute walk from the main parts of the old town. The bedroom was spacious along with a kitchen and dining area that were all private and available for us to use. We also had our own bathroom with a shower. Everything was very clean. Luckily, there was air conditioning and a large stand up fan. This was spring and it was already pretty warm in the evenings for sleeping although the open doors and windows did catch a nice breeze. The one thing we would say is that while the room is not on a particularly busy street, this isn't the kind of place to go to sleep in. Activity starts after 6:00 am with street vendor whistles and cries of fresh bread and other wares. Dogs in the neighborhood wake up and want to let everyone know. It gives the place a nice energy and makes you remember you are in Cuba and want to experience life there because people need to wake up early to get to their jobs so it's okay to miss a few hours of sleep to experience that.

Javier's breakfasts were the best we had in Cuba ranging from a really nice ham and vegetable scramble, fresh bread choices including a poundcake, papaya/banana/pineapple fruit plates, fresh juice, and coffee the first day to a pancake and ham and cheese sandwich instead of the scramble the second day. Everything was served under the blue sky on his balcony.

The thing we most appreciated most about Javier, though, was the extra help he provided during our stay. He realized we didn't have plans on how we were going to get to Trinidad, made a few calls, and arranged a driver for us for the next day for a very reasonable price. He gave us a really nice restaurant recommendation in town. After leavng us in the evening on that first night and me subsequently locking my valuables in the safe without being able to figure out how to reopen it, he raced back over and took care of that issue...not that I even needed to lock anything away because the place seems very safe. The next day he arranged a ride for us back to Havana with a private driver for just about the same price as the bus saving us a bunch of time and worry. We really appreciated that extra help.

Although we didn't get to talk to Javier's wife due to our lack of Spanish skills, she seems very nice. We did get to meet Javier's cute dog.

In summary, we had a wonderful experience staying with Javier and would recommend his home to anyone looking for a reasonably priced, centrally located, well run place in Cienfuegos.

Doug and Lynnae

Javier and his wife were amazing hosts! The beds are comfortable with great fan and air con and the apartment was very spacious. He had water, beer and soft drinks in the fridge that were super cold and ready to drink. You are treated with a welcome cocktail and the breakfast for sure was the best I had in Cuba! It’s served on the patio where you can also enjoy a cocktail at night. They went above and beyond to make sure I had a good stay and were helpful to another guest who had gotten sick in another city. He also connected me with a very reasonable collectivo to Havana and had the guy drop me directly at the airport!!! I wouldn’t hesitate to stay with them again. Gracias por todo, Javier!!