Cultural Island Travel - Travel To Cuba Legally Anmeldelser 

My husband and I have traveled all over the world. We have worked with many tour agencies, but none have compared to Cultural Island Travel.
They provided us with the most personalized service of any Travel Agency.
Everyday I was pleasantly surprised by the professionalism and knowledge of our guides. The tours were excellent and we were given all the time we needed to experience each event or interesting thing to see.
The tours were private so we were able to ask as many questions as we wanted. Irma and Laura were our tour guides and they were patient, caring and extremely knowledgeable. We were in Cuba during hurricane Irma. At their own risk our driver and Irma make sure we were completely taken care. They made sure we were safe, had food and that we were as comfortable as possible. By the end of the trip we were sad to leave our new friends. They provided us much more than just a tour of Cuba.

My husband and I had a life changing experience in Cuba thanks to Cultural Island Travel, Teresa Sanchez and our incredible guide Irma. Irma not only showed us Cuba and it's people, she told us who the people are. Irma has a wealth of knowledge that she is eager to share and never minded answering my many many questions.
Our stay at the hotel was fantastic, the food there was fantastic, and the staff was more than fantastic. The people Cuba are the most friendly, and gracious you will ever meet.
Visit Cuba, you will not regret it.

To anybody interested in Cuba and Cuban travel, GO NOW! Based on our experience, a small group setting (6 couples or less) like Mario Otero directed was a most rewarding travel experience. He along with guides familiar with various areas of Havana, Cienfuegos and Trinidad gave us personal and informative tours catered to our interests. Couple this with B & B's like Margarita and Maritza's and you can totally immerse yourself in Cuban culture. An understanding of what has happened to Cuba under Castro and communism is interesting, shocking and enlightening, both good and bad. But come 5PM and work is done there is no thought of politics. Cuba and the Cuban people come to life. Music, dancing, dining is abundant everywhere. Let yourself go (and GO). We were in the bright lights and dark alleys and everywhere we were greeted with a smile and an hola. This includes at some times by ourselves and never did we feel unsafe or threatened. Can't say that about some countries including the U.S. On a final note, this small group approach to visiting Cuba wasn't that expensive and we feel we made friends, helped their personal economy and promoted free enterprise. Go see our friends in Cuba and promote U.S./Cuban friendship. Ken & Teresa Hite, San Clemente, CA

This was my first travel experience with Cultural Island Travel. I worked with Krista in the USA, and Mario was our outstanding tour director on the ground in Cuba. Krista's emails were very detailed and she handled all the paperwork required on the US end, as well as the Visa. She promptly answered all my questions, although prior to travel we were sent a very detailed packet of information answering any possible questions we might have still had. Mario was the lead tour person in Cuba, he, along with the local guides were outstanding! Very professional and knowledgeable. Mario went out of his way to ensure we had suggestion for evening activities. Tour started promptly each morning, no waiting for tour director. I absolutely loved Cuba! The people were very friendly, and I enjoyed the mix of history, art, music, and education! I also loved the old cars. Recommended restaurants were great, food and atmosphere! I highly recommend traveling to Cuba with Cultural Island Travel.

I had the birthday of a lifetime in Cuba and Cultural Island Travel made it a great experience for me. Travelling alone can be a bit intimidating, especially as I was turning 60 years old on this trip, but I felt totally safe and confident in my guides. I love the Cuban people, and love the country. I will be there again soon!

I traveled to Cuba in February 2017 and had the most amazing experience, due to the service and guidance received from Cultural Island Travel. A last minute change in plans caused me to scurry through many on-line searches to find a tour company that would allow me to join in on one of their tours. CIT was so informative, flexible and accommodating to my needs. Teresa, Shabi and Donna all helped me plan a perfect itinerary. As a single, female traveler, I had no idea what to expect when I arrived there. Was I going to be safe? Was I going to be able to go out at night and enjoy the music and nightlife that I had planned originally? I was treated like a princess and the answer is YES! Through some very good pre-planning questions with the staff of CIT, I arrived in Cuba and made it to my hotel on my own (with the help of a very friendly taxi driver). My first night in Havana was on my own, however I went on a restaurant recommendation by CIT for my first night in Havana and it was amazing!

My tour began the next morning and I was greeted promptly by my lovely Tour Guide, Irma. Irma was extremely knowledgeable and accommodating. She took the time to explain who we were meeting with, what we would be seeing and some history about each excursion.

All of the sightseeing was very timely and it gave a perfect and thorough history of each place we visited. Irma and the other guides answered questions with poise and without hesitation. Our small tour group consisted of men and women ranging from 21 to 81 years old and all of the people in our group were very impressed with the services provided. The restaurants that we dined at as a group were very tasty and the service was excellent. CIT offered a nice variety of different restaurants during our tour. I took some recommendations for dinner reservations from CIT and also did some of my own research once I arrived in Havana. I was pleasantly pleased with all of my dining and entertainment selections. Although I traveled alone, I met people every evening I went out and had so much fun!

The drivers on tour were extremely safe, courteous, fun and engaging. One of the gentlemen on our tour left his bag in the restroom of the museum. He realized it as we got settled into our restaurant for lunch. The driver, without hesitation, went to the museum with him to retrieve the bag and all of his contents were safe and untouched.

On my classic car tour, Abraham was so cool! As we were driving along El Malecon. listening to Frank Sinatra's "New York, New York" blast on the radio...we drove past the brand new United States Embassy, with our flag flying high. It was a very special moment and I was able to video tape it and note it as one of the highlights of my trip.

All in all, this was a fantastic experience and I feel lucky to have found CIT. I am a travel agent and will be using CIT to book all of my future Cuba trips for my clients. I cannot wait to return to Cuba again and explore all of it's beauty...people, sights and culture.

Thank you Shabi, Teresa, Irma, Donna and everyone else involved with CIT in Cuba for all that you do to make travel to Cuba so easy, fun and memorable.

Paula Z.
Hillsborough, NJ

Cuba is very safe, in fact, safer than some cities in the USA,i.e. small and big. Since we wanted to 'soak up' the culture, we went many places during the ten days we were there. The Cuban people were courteous, friendly, and helpful at all times. If we wanted to know something, i.e. directions to a particular store while shopping, they ensured we knew the way. One time, the person helping us, was headed that way and we had a great time discussing Cuba vis-a-vis USA. As a former Chief on a Police department, as well as education and experience in Criminal Justice, i believe my credibility in this arena is a backbone to my comments. PLease visit CUBA and you will be very pleased with the experince. Jim and Cindy Hendricks

I just left the following on "Tripadvisor" and could certainly add a great deal to it following the previous review I just read on this site. There are many similar aspects that we also experienced, and would concur with the review. The director introduced sarcasm, and we felt, was most unprofessional, in the defense of the company. We were not offered any compensation for the significant shortening of our 9 day tour.

"My wife and I just returned early from a trip to Cuba with Cultural Island Travel. While some cultural aspects of the tour were as advertised, we were disappointed with the tour guide, who was far too reserved and non informative. Our 4.5 hr drive to Trinidad was in a classic 1950's car, totally unsuitable for the poorly maintained roads and driven at speeds that quite literally scared us. The accommodation tendered in Trinidad was not as discussed, and after consternation, upgraded, but when the same situation occurred upon our return to Havana, we were told that any change in accommodation would be totally at our own cost, no credit for amounts already paid, and the costs were exorbitant. We terminated our trip after 6 days of a 9 day tour. Management were unsympathetic in resultant correspondence."

In reply to SHABI's response below:

1) I used the words NON INFORMATIVE......not UNINFORMED. There is a significant difference, and this is not the first time Shabi has either deliberately or inadvertently changed the intended meaning of my written word. It makes any further discussion a waste of effort.

2) I invite any person to view the residence in Trinidad and compare it to the pictures on the included link. The dark, dreary, dusty residence bears little resemblance.

3) Shabi has ignored simple accounting principles of credits. She quotes the cost of the Hotel, but ignores the credit for the B&B, similarly, quotes the cost of the ticket exchange, and did she expect us to stay another 3 days without accommodation quoting it was our choice, yet no credit is mentioned for the 3 nights accommodation, meals, tours and supervision paid for in the cost of the tour.

I will let the reader judge the competency and professionalism of the company.

Decent tour : but not necessary!

We booked our trip, last minute wanting to go to Cuba, Kristen was the one that assisted us with our travel arrangements and told us we would have all the necessary Certificate travel documents that are needed under the new regulations. Little did we know, all of this was bogus and totally unnecessary paperwork and expenses. We spotted warnings about Hurricane Irma a week before leaving and asked if it was going to be approaching close, during the time of booking. If we should be worried, the response When alerting Kristen was , "oh no, Thats on the atlantic side if something happens it will hit me in florida not in Cuba!". She offered travel insurance, but, Making it seem as though it was a dumb question.

We all know what happened after that, Hurricane Irma hit!
This could have put our well being in jepordy because the agency wanted to make a quick buck on us and didn't do their do diligence to make sure that us as customers were not going to be in danger for sure during our trip. Thank god we got out on the last flight before the hurricane did hit! (We got lucky) I feel bad for other travelers that were arriving the day the hurricane did hit!

Besides this, I have to say the company was fairly organized and our Tour guide was great Mario. But, what we would have liked more is, for them to tell us about places to go and see on our own,( not only the places where there were kickbacks for the company). We eneded up at some amazing places but not reccomendations from the tour company or Mario but from the hotel and other Cubans we met.

When inquiring about the top 5 star hotels, we were told that only two existed, Iberostar and one other close to the water, but that was definetly not the case! We arrived and across the street there was a fabulous new Kempinski Hotel that was brand new and on a completely different level then our hotel. Sadly, the price difference wasn't even that much either. They said something about not being able to book rooms there but I don't buy it. We found out other clients were staying there and able to book just fine. Our rooms had rock hard beds and run down green carpet, a pretty big comparission to the New hotel that was Luxurious and had all New Amenities we had asked for when booking. Its a joke to even say that our hotel was 5 star or even close. Maybe 3 star at the most. Decent breakfast, but extremely run down and small showers.

The guided tour of the city was decent, we got to see certain things we probablly wouldnt have done on our own but for the most part not really worth spending the extra $300 a day. They didn't tell us about other amazing restaurants we found out about on our own in the city. Also, going to Pinar del Rio 2.5 hours away to a cigar factory that was a total waste of time, theres a few dry leaves hanging there and you don't even get to see the actual process, then they try to sell you fake cigars. Would not recommend that! They did take us to a farm to table lunch in the country side which was pretty great. They have art and music and it benefits the people and kids in the community so that was great but again the drive there back was rough, we would have prefered to go to the resort beach town which we heard so many amazing things about!

On our way back to the states, we didn't have to use those Travel Certificates not once! Thats when we knew we really didn't need to go through a travel company to go to Cuba. Its just a scare tactict so that you spend more $ with them. It was a decent expereience, would have expected a bit more since the reviews were so good. Disappointed with the lack of information or follow up especially with hurricane warnings. Would have loved to hear about other amazing restaurants then the ones that they get kickbacks at, and most importantly not wasting our time with seeing things that were mediocre.

Jamie Unger answered my call requesting traveling to Cuba,a place that was, until recently forbidden, by the powers that be, since I was a young boy and I told her I wanted to go...in less than a week!
In less than a week I was in Cuba.
The whole thing was a" bust your backside success" on her part ! While I had to get a travel partner, she was cutting through "Red Tape" to make it happen.
Every single thing that she told me- came about much better than advertised. We were greeted like old friends by our tour guide's husband, Ares, at the airport and it was like that from start to finish. While I am an explorer by nature with no use for such as a travel guide,I soon realized these people are" past masters" at doing what they do.
After few days I realized these people(Cultural Island Travel) know how to make what you hoped would happen...happen!
Ebony, our guide, was the perfect hostess and tour guide, that took care of more than I expected. The accommodations ,food and travel could not be handled better by the U.S. State Department.
Being a first timer to Cuba...Well, Cultural Island Travel-saved me more than the price by 2X!
While I am a "find it on my own" type -These folks are the "ticket".
Not one single complaint except it ended too soon.
Cultural Island Travel may mark me up as one more satisfied customer...
This is the first time I have ever written a recommendation for anything...that's how well they did it!
Reid Woodward
Colorado

We chose Cultural Island Travel for our first trip to Cuba in July this year and it was an excellent choice. Very good service from the very beginning, they listened to what we wanted and helped us with planning things accordingly. Our trip to Havana and other places in Cuba was very interesting and enjoyable. Our group was small (we prefer to travel with smaller groups) and our guide, Ebony took fantastic care of us.
I really hope I can repeat my Cuban adventure sometime in the future and when I do I will choose the same company for making my next trip possible. Thank you very much!

Where do I even start...this year I turned 40 and I wanted to celebrate it in a monumental way. What better way than for myself and my sisters, blood and not blood, to travel to Cuba for 6 amazing days in a country I never thought I would see in my lifetime. The team at Cultural Island Travel were very accommodating and attentive to all of my questions, concerns and request. Shabi, is amazing. She has such a heart and passion for Cuba, that you can feel it through the phone when speaking to her. Once I let her know why I wanted to go and the significance of the trip, she when out of her way to make it happen. She assigned us the BEST tour guide ever...Ebony was absolutely, positively AMAZING! The country, the people, the food, and the history was breathtaking. We all learned so much and are forever changed. Thank Cultural Island Travel for making my birthday truly one to remember.

CUBA, where else? Ordinarily tours are not my way to go but for this it was necessary! And how lucky that was. We had a very small group size and were spoiled on every turn with tour guides who loved Cuba and couldn't do enough or share enough about the island. Also, we stayed with families who rented out rooms so we got to know a little more about the island. I was curious about our freedom to walk about. We didn't get a lot of free time as it wasn't necessary. I want to add that this trip was about traveling with my daughter--my goal is that she have a great time. I had concerns it would be not much fun being with a bunch of older people (like her mom).
No problem, she had a great time met a fellow photographer who shared pics with her and our guide was about the same age. I couldn't have orchestrated this trip myself as CIT met all our needs. The guides were like friends and that made it very special. It was great. A quick view of a few of the sights include old havana, living on the Malecon, Trinidad, cigar factory, castle during an art exposition, Hemingway's house where they had a special drink with lemons and sugar cane, so much more--I think you get the drift.

I love travel. I have been in most parts of the world usually without a tour. I also have been on tours in various countries, mainly with good results, some poor, some great.

Cultural Island Travel is beyond the great ones. I feel I owe them money, or something better than that, beyond their charges, which seemed high before doing the trip.

The company is as human as it gets. The founder is a young woman in love with Cuba and its music. She expanded her love through this tour company, of course the best way to start a business. She hires only like-minded, passion driven people.

Krista who handled our complicated details was a model of warm response, calling me back once at midnight her time to answer a question not deserving that care. She knew me and cared about the details. She listened to what I wanted and did it.

Our guide in Cuba was extraordinary. My family of five, from 3 years old to my 70, fell in love with her, partly because of her nature and partly from her dedication to the Cuban ways. She did not have the normal high pitched personality of tour guides. She had a care for us, an intelligence both emotional and intellectual, which made every part of the trip personal.

It is not Cultural Island Travel’s doing that Cuba is the way it is, the preserved way humans used to live at their best, in the days of kindness on the streets, when innocence was in the air. Cuba was the heart of our week of joy, but it was Cultural Island Travel which presented the people and land the way they should be, without dilution or self-serving distortion of a normal tour company’s ways.

Cultural Island did a great job of arranging all facets of my trip to Cuba. They matched me with people I enjoyed and were willing to accommodate any wishes we approached them with.There was the right mix of time spent with our guides and time exploring on our own. I would travel with them again.

I scheduled a trip to Cuba through Cultural Island Travel (CIT) back in May 2015. It had always been a dream of mine to visit Cuba, and the first chance to go, I went! This was my first time traveling out of the country and was nervous about all the paperwork that goes into traveling, but CIT made it so easy! They handled ALL the documents and official paperwork that would have probably not done in time or correctly. All I had to do was get my passport and get to the airport!

Because it was a "group travel" type situation, I traveled alone and met up with other members of the group once arriving in Havana, which I was very thankful for our small group because I know ZERO Spanish, and wasn't sure how I was going to get around without them.

We met our travel guide, Ebony, who was amazing! She made sure ALL of us got to see and do everything we were interested in and made time for things that weren't necessarily on the agenda.

For some reason, I was under the impression that the whole time I was there, that I would be supervised, but I was pleasantly surprised that we had free time to be on our own and really EXPLORE the city!

I went on the "People to People Havana Weekend" Tour and in just a few days felt like I really got to experience the culture of the city first hand! The people were friendly, the architecture is beautiful and the mojitos were great too! I am planning to return again soon...and learning some Spanish before I go this time! : )

Anyone who is looking to visit Cuba, I would definitely recommend CIT for an authentic experience!

I assumed that Cultural Island Travel would have a difficult time of it when planning this trip. I wanted to see Cuba, January 16-22, 2015. With 11 close friends. Mostly coming from NY, but we had one friend was coming from the Midwest and the another from Europe. In addition, not everyone from NY was traveling on a US Passport. None of this was an issue.

Then we said, we wanted an authentic experience. We weren't looking for an all inclusive 'removed' vacation where we witnessed the country instead of experiencing it. We got that as well. The restaurants we ate at were a mix of paladars (privately owned restaurants run out of homes) and other incredible restaurants with delicious food and outstanding views. We stayed in rented apartments instead of hotels. We met local musicians and had private concerts. We toured the city of Havana with informative tourguides. We met local artists and visited a town made completely of mosaics.

In addition, we went to Trinidad...a UNESCO world heritage site...and a Spanish colonial town that looks like it hasn't been updated since 1850. Cobblestone streets and horses as the main means of transportation, we experienced horseback riding and waterfalls. We ate with locals and drank the freshest sugarcane drinks I've ever had.

I cannot say enough how wonderful Cultural Island Travel was in dealing with such a large and diverse group of people. They custom tailored a trip to our specifications and the tour guides were all incredible.

From the time of booking my trip until the final ride back to the airport in Cuba my trip was wonderful. Well organized and very friendly staff. Culture Isalnd Travel gave me an unforgettable experience. I would recommend Culture Island to anyone who would like to experience Cuba's beautiful people and culture.

Our trip was a relatively last minute decision. Cultural Island Travel did a wonderful job organizing an itinerary that was personal to us. All the staff was gracious, accommodating and helpful. Our guide was very informative and made every effort to add some of our last minute requests. We loved every minute of our time in Cuba and can only thank Cultural Island for making it such a great experience.

I once read that the problem with traveling is that when is over you can't take that tour guide home with you. That person that showed you a new world, a new perspective. Cuba is the most fascinating place, indeed. But Shabi and her dedicated loving team made this the best trip for me and my boyfriend. It was his birthday and they orchestrated a bunch of surprises for my painter/musician lover. Even though we never repeat destinations as a policy, we will be going back in March 2016 with 4 friends who have never been. We want to stay at the same places and do the same activities and more! I just loved everything about this tour company. Sadly, that writer was right: I couldn't bring my guide home, but I can certainly come back to Cuba with her. #Cuba2016 here we come!