Cultural Island Travel - Travel To Cuba Legally Anmeldelser 

I cannot say enough wonderful things about my September 2024 trip to Ireland with Cultural Island Travel (CIT). I was blown away by how incredible this trip was and how much our tour guide Ebony did to make it so. First, a little background. I traveled to Cuba in March 2023 for a friend’s birthday with CIT and was so impressed with what an amazing trip Teresa curated for us with our wonderful tour guide Ivan. It was on that trip that we met the charming Ebony, a fellow CIT tour guide who was working in Cuba but is from Ireland. When I mentioned that I wanted to go to Ireland, Ebony said she’d be happy to be my guide. So, a year later, when I was ready to go to Ireland for my own birthday, I reached out to Teresa and asked her and Ebony prepare an Ireland itinerary for me and several friends to celebrate a milestone birthday for me. It was important to me that in addition to visiting Dublin and other places, that I would be able to stay at Ashford Castle to have my birthday celebration there and also be able to fly the hawks at the Ireland School of Falconry that is on the castle grounds. Teresa and Ebony created a perfect 10-day tour of the country that included all that I wanted, and some other things that I didn’t even know that I wanted until I viewed the itinerary. Then they coordinated the trip for 16 of my dearest friends so that the 17 of us had our own private tour, and they somehow managed to accommodate everyone’s individual needs and travel dates and times and dietary needs and quirks (of which we had many 😊). Teresa even worked with Ashford Castle to personally create the birthday celebration I wanted. Ebony traveled back from Cuba to Ireland and led our tour for my birthday trip. Teresa and Ebony were so gracious and accommodating and Ebony had such a knowledge of and love for her country that it was just a pleasure to spend time with her. She is also wickedly clever and quick with a quip. I fell in love with the country and so appreciated Ebony’s ability to flex and address every contingency that arose. My friends and I are still talking about this trip and how magical it was. I’m so grateful to Ebony, Teresa and CIT for making my trip better than my wildest expectations. As a testament to how good they are, friends who were on the trip are now using CIT for their trips to Cuba. This is not surprising because of just how good Teresa was in curating the Cuba trip I attended the year before. Some of the things that I really appreciate about Teresa (and Ebony and Ivan) is the attention to detail, the excellent communication and responsiveness, and the fact that they really care about their clients. I hope CIT expands their service to other places I’d like to travel, as I would use them again in a heartbeat.

Irma is a wonderful guide. She curates an excellent itinerary, picks delicious and varied restaurants and works to accommodate flexible alternatives if needed. Tours of Mexico City and San Miguel de Allende were fun and thorough (but not rushed). Didn’t love the first hotel but everything else was terrific!

We traveled to Ireland in September 2024. We had a good time, and our tour guide, Ebony, was fabulous. She was very flexible and accommodating.

We came up with a crazy idea to visit Ireland about a month before we wanted to go. I had used Cultural Island Travel for a trip to Cuba and wanted to see if Ebony could fit us in while she was in Ireland. Teresa was great to work with again and everything happened so quick! We got an itinerary that covered everything we wanted to do plus a few extras. Ebony was there every step of the way. It's like traveling with a trusted friend! Thanks for a fantastic trip. I recommend this company without reservation.

Teresa planned an absolutely incredible trip for us. I am Cuban and never thought I would visit Cuba. Teresa was able to relate to me and my concerns about the trip. She gave me a great deal of comfort based upon her own personal knowledge and experience. She was also very patient and accessible throughout this entire process. She spoke to me on the phone for hours to get to know me personally and to listen to the places I wanted to visit. Teresa gave her suggestions and was readily willing to adjust our itinerary to the requests I made. After doing further research, we decided to proceed with the planned itinerary. We are so happy we did - our trip was perfect. We stayed at a wonderful Bed and Breakfast that was perfect for us and the experience we wanted to have.
Our guide, Laura, was wonderful. She was very knowledgeable about Cuba, its history, and all of the places to visit (even the ones that didn’t fit into our schedule). Laura adapted the plans throughout our trip based upon the weather and availability of the tours. As a result of Laura’s knowledge, effort, and her ability to adjust our schedule, our experience was incredible. Laura also made sure we had the best possible guides who were very knowledgeable of the specific areas we visited.

Laura is very friendly and has a great sense of humor. She is a wealth of knowledge on the history of Cuba and all the places we visited. She made this trip an incredible experience for us. We had such a great time, that we are already planning our next trip.

I just want to tell you , that I had a fantastic
time in Havana , the people were really friendly and the food was delicious !
The classic cars were a joy to ride in .
We had a really great tour guide named
Dariel . Best tour guide I ever had .
I’ll be visiting Cuba again , hopefully in December. Would highly recommend going to Havana , and having Dariel as your tour guide . He took care of everything . He was very polite and friendly . And made sure we had a great time .
Can’t wait to go back !!
Take Care
Scott Taber

I honestly couldn’t have had a better experience with Cultural Island Travel. Teresa was on top of everything from the beginning of planning and then Ebony (and Carlos) took over seamlessly once we landed. What a kind, smart, considerate company! They are full of fun, adventure, and information. Can’t wait to travel with them again. Thank you for everything!!

This was our 4th trip with Cultural Island Travel, and it was as wonderful as the others. We had been to Havana, Cuba on the western side of Cuba before and this time visited Santiago, the country's second largest city, on the eastern end of the island. Previously we went to Mexico City and Oaxaca with CIT. All four trips were very well planned, organized, and guided beautifully. In Santiago the focus was on music, history and nature. The Caribbean Music Festival was going on while we were there, and we enjoyed four live performances in such varied venues as the patio of an art center, a downtown nightclub, and a large auditorium. The Cuban and Caribbean music was lively, exciting, and fun. History came alive for us with a visit to San Juan Hill, the place where Teddy Roosevelt and his Rough Riders defeated the Spanish in 1896 in the Spanish-American-Cuban war. We also visited the farm where Fidel Castro trained his young soldiers for the revolution, as well as his grave-site in the Santa Ifigenia Cemetery. The natural beauty of this eastern end of Cuba was everywhere from the Baconao Biosphere Reserve, to the Paraiso Gardens, to beautiful Caribbean beaches. Our CIT guides, Irma and Amado, and local driver, Miguel, were superb! They not only were our guides, but our companions and friends each day of our trip. Our son's birthday occurred on the trip, and Irma made sure our lunch stop had cake and a small celebration for him at our table. The Cuban people we met were warm and welcoming especially Cari at our charming B&B, Hostal La Hiedra. Local guides Manuel and Haydee were excellent in explaining local history, culture, and sights to us, and were ever-patient and knowledgeable in answering our many questions. Teresa, CIT's coordinator, is efficient and knowledgeable in organizing the details of the trip and making sure you are ready to go! Irma and Amado and our local guides were knowledgeable, can-do, sincere, problem-solvers, who prepared a custom itinerary for us and were also flexible enough to make changes as we requested as we went along. We look forward to more travel with CIT.

We had an incredible visit to Cuba! All of the attention to meeting our needs and expectations were met and exceeded. Our guide Ivette was incredibly knowledgeable and answered all of our questions. The restaurant recommendations were amazing, especially the farm to table experience in Viñales. We highly recommend and will be sharing your information. Can’t wait to return.

I worked with Teresa who organized an amazing trip to Havana. This was an eye-opening experience and I travel a lot. What an amazing country, great people and great culture. I highly recommend using this service working with Teresa and visiting Cuba.

I called 3 travel agencies when planning a trip to Cuba for our family, and Teresa was so helpful that I had to go with CIT. She was unfailingly courteous and on top of everything. When we arrived in Havana our wonderful guide Irma met us at the airport and led us on a whirlwind tour of cocktail mixing classes, dance shows, cooking classes, concerts, museums—even when we made last-minute requests, she was able to adapt our schedule with no problem. Everywhere we went, we were treated like celebrities. If you’re going to Cuba, you can’t go wrong with CIT!

This was my fourth trip to Cuba with Cultural Island Travel and they are outstanding! Theresa with CIT arranged a wonderful Cuban adventure for me. My guide, Ivan Leon, was extremely informative about everything related to Cuba. Ivan and William, the best driver ever, picked me up every morning for my requested cigar and tobacco hunt/adventure. Such a fun day in Vinales! I will return to Cuba and will definitely use Cultural Island Travel.

A short but educational trip to Cuba. Havana is beautiful, a place full of art, music, dancing, and cultural experiences. My husband and I spent 4 days with Irma and we can't thank her enough for showing us Cuba. We visited some Cuban artists' homes; danced salsa with the locals; made some ceviche for lunch and loved the jazz concert at La Guarida. The itinerary was well-designed.
This Cuban trip was not only fun but also educational. We learned so much about Cuban history and its international relations. We hope that one day, things will turn around and its tourism industry will grow to its potential.

My wife, myself and a close friend decided to venture to an unknown after hearing from another buddy about CIT and their attention to detail. From the details of travel and Visa, and the continued follow-up from Teresa, to the flight back home everything was simply amazing. We had an idea for itinerary, but Teresa helped fill in what we may like as foodies and Culture enthusiasts. I probably phoned her 7-8 times and she answered every time with info we needed. We got to the airport, and it was love at first sight with our guide and friend forever, Laura. She is creme de la creme, so hospitable and so giving as our guide. Our driver, Kaki, was always smiling ear to ear, and my wife and our friend always greeted him with kisses on the cheek, which he totally enjoyed.
From the drive in the antique convertible, to the cigar, rum and chocolate tasting, to the farmers outdoor market, the flea market, and the special trip to the ocean, the Cemetery tour and the Grand Theater tour, Hotel Nacional grounds walking around and again Rum tasting :)......wow it was all spectacular. I only wish we could have witnessed more live music, but next time we will for sure.
Our B&B host Alex (and the boys) were amazing, his place is a museum unto itself. Accomodations like any 5 star hotel room for sure, and right in the heart of everything. Thank you again Teresa and Laura, for making it a memory for a lifetime.

There are many misconceptions about going to Cuba and unfortunately people give their opinions without having firsthand experience of what Cuba is all about.
My wife and I decided to seize the opportunity and contracted with CIT. To say they were awesome, is an understatement. They curated an amazing itinerary, kept us busy every day enjoying and experiencing everything Cuba has to offer; music, culture, sights, sounds and beautiful people.
From the beginning, Teresa was very informative, walked us through what to expect and made the process of signing up very easy. Once we landed in La Habana, we were met by our driver, Carlos (on a 1952 Chevy Deluxe) at the airport and took us to our hotel. The next day and every day thereafter we were greeted by Irma, our friendly and knowledgeable guide. She took us everywhere answering all of our questions and setting up different informational tours with other local tour guides (even horseback riding) who were also very friendly and informative. We got to experience La Habana, Cinfuegos, Trinidad and Las Terrazas where we were treated to many different experiences ranging from local music, dance presentations, vintage cars, excellent food and even got to visit the Tropicana Club. I wish we had more time because I would have loved to visit many other places.
I am glad we contracted with CIT because we wanted a hassle-free experience, and they took care of all of our needs.
A big thank you to Irma Gonzalez who put up with us and treated us like family for a WHOLE 7 DAYS. Cheers!

This company is great knowledgeable. I was able to see my family. I will be able to go back with ease. Any questions or concerns from getting a driver, where to stay, and flights. Teresa was always on top of everything.

Our trip to Cuba was beyond expectations due to the excellent planning by our guide, Laura, and the hidden beauty of the island. Our bond was instant! From the time she greeted us at the airport, until I cried when we departed, she was amazing!
There is something special about the way the trip was planned to accommodate our pace and allowed us to have the most fabulous experience, leaving us wanting to come back. Laura's knowledge is extensive, and she is open to all types of questions and requests.
We toured many of Havana's sites in style with our wonderful driver, Willy! From the Grand theater to the fabulous dinners, we had great guides and good food. Our two nights in Trinidad really gave us another perspective of the island and its beauty.
I have a lot more travel in me and Cuba is on my list of places that are worthy of a second visit. If only to see Laura again:::::)

Our trip was wonderful! Laura was amazing! We felt so cared for and Laura did an amazing job being responsive to our individual requests and needs. We had two instances where we needed to go to the doctor/ER and she didn’t miss a beat. She made traveling with our two young boys as easy as can be expected, and they loved her. At the airport my six year old hugged her and said, “thank you for being our friend.” 🥹

Before we left, people warned us that the food wouldn’t be good. But, we never had a bad meal. In fact, the food was delicious and a big highlight for us.

Laura understood quickly that we wanted to explore Cuba, but we also didn’t want a packed trip or to feel rushed. As a result, she asked a lot of questions and offered us opportunities to cancel scheduled items in the itinerary. For example, in Trinidad we really preferred to spend an entire day on the beach, and she accommodated that.

The company made an itinerary for us customized to our desires. Our photoshoot was a real highlight for the whole family. We are eagerly awaiting those pictures! I also really loved the Beyond Roots trip with my reading. I would recommend that to future travelers. The kids enjoyed the Ashton Hotel on the last day, but we all agreed that Alex’s Airbnb was easily the best place we stayed. His house is amazing and the pool was exactly what we needed. We swam every single day with the kids!

My husband and I have traveled the world for many years, but we never ventured to Cuba in spite it being so near. Cultural Island made obtaining the visa easy and designed an itinerary that highlighted the many cultural and historical offerings of the country. We loved the people, the music, the art and learning Cuba’s history. It’s truly a different world and Havana is beautiful, safe and clean. Most of all, we loved our guide Irma. Her knowledge and warmth and her joy in sharing Cuba was exceptional. My only reason for not rating 5 stars is there were glitches in where we stayed, but admittedly we have high expectations. I think all Americans should visit Cuba!

Wonderful trip. Our tour leader was exemplar. We were taken to great restaurants, heard fabulous music, and our days were filled with touring with very little down time. Highly recommend this tour company.