Visiting Cuba with Kids | Vinales

Morning’s mist slowly burnt off as I watched the locals go by in their vintage cars and horse-drawn carriages.

I was day dreaming of years gone by when I realized that I wasn’t actually dreaming at all.

We were in Viñales, Cuba, staying in a sweet, spacious, pink Casa Particular just off main street.

view from casa particular vinales cuba with kids — View From the Front Porch of Our Casa Particular in Viñales, Cuba – Photo courtesy: Beverly

Viñales is a small town with one main road and several side roads. Colorful, single-story, wooden homes line the streets.

It has a slow pace of life, where no one is in a hurry.

Locals ride by on their rusted bicycles and horse-drawn carriages, and like Havana, there are various models of vintage American cars.

Viñales is a quaint town right in the middle of tobacco country, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It has several restaurants and bars, and some of them offer live Cuban music.

Like other places in Cuba, there aren’t many hotels in Viñales, so most people stay in a Casa Particular.

There’s a park in the center of town where you can find internet, salsa classes and a minted mohito. On weekends, there’s a small artisan market, starting just next to the main road and running an entire block.

artisan market in Vinales, cuba with kids — Arts and Crafts Market in Viñales, Cuba – Photo courtesy: Beverly

bottlecap-purse-vinales-cuba — Pop-top Purse at Arts and Crafts Market in Viñales, Cuba – Photo courtesy: Beverly

cigar-cases-cuban-art — Cigar Holders and Boxes at Arts and Crafts Market in Viñales, Cuba – Photo courtesy: Beverly

seed-necklaces-vinales-cuba — Seed Necklaces at Arts and Crafts Market in Viñales, Cuba – Photo courtesy: Beverly

How we got to Vinales

From Havana, Viazul Busses runs twice a day for USD$15, but make sure to book your tickets a day in advance.

We did not, and after waiting in line for over an hour at the Havana bus station, they sold out.

Another option is hiring a taxi, and that’s what we ended up doing.

We found our taxi driver just outside the bus station.

He quoted us a price of $60, so we found 2 more people at the bus station going in the same direction to take the ride with us and cut the cost, making it $15/person, the same price as the bus ticket.

road sign to vinales cuba with kids — Road Sign in Cuba – Photo courtesy: Beverly

How we found our Casa Particular

Traveling from Havana, we asked our taxi driver, Ricardo, for a recommendation on a Casa Particular.

He said he knew the perfect place, and took us straight to Maria’s.

She lived just off the main road in Viñales past the gas station.

Maria put us up in a spacious room next to the kitchen. It had 2 full-size beds, a private bathroom with hot water, and everything was pink – pink walls, pink floral comforters, and pink bath mats. Bella LOVED it. Me, well…. I’m not a pink person, but I admit, it instantly put me in the Cuban spirit.

The room was $30/night, and we stayed for 2 nights.

Maria had 2 girls of her own, ages 9 and 11, and many girls from the neighborhood came to visit during our stay. They were so cute and after the timidness subsided from all the girls, they got along with Bella marvously.

It put a smile on my face to hear Bella communicating in Spanglish.

I highly recommend staying in a Casa Particular when traveling through Cuba. You not only get to meet the locals, but you get to live like them – a great cultural experience in itself.

Casa Particulares can now be booked on AirBnB – sign up using this link and receive $41 credit towards your first booking (this could be equal to one free night or more)!