My friend and I, both from Tanzania, stayed at Ana and Pepe's from 29 March to 10 April 2008. It was the best decision we could have made. They made us feel completely at home and part of the family, and they were endless sources of advice. Even if you don't get the chance to stay with them when you are over there, make sure you stop by for a chat and some of Yuri's gorgeous food (her famous cream soup is out of this world!).

Ana and Pepe have opened their casa, network and heart for us when we visited Cuba in April 2008. Ana and Pepe gave us a wonderful feeling that made us feel like we were part of their family. It is just incredible how dedicated and caring they have been in helping us explore and enjoy Cuba. They traveled the world by the people that passed their casa. If you stay at their casa you will very likely meet interesting people from around the world.
They also recommended us casas in other places (Vinales, Triniad, Cienfuegos) that were always perfect; caring hosts, clean, safe, central and some with great views. Staying at casas from Ana and Pepe’s network greatly enhanced our holiday fun.

We were late to book and thus we could not stay at Ana. She recommended a house near by: Marilu's. Everything was very good. Ana and her husband were very helpful in any respect.I can strogly recommend this casa particulares.

Clarification: We didn't actually stay here, because she was booked. HOWEVER...

Ana and Pepe, if you haven't figured it out already, are some of the best hosts on the planet. Once I had determined that I wanted to stay in a casa particular (and if you are interested in local flavor, you MUST do this), I contacted Ana. Of course, she was booked but she recommended her friend, Casa Diana, and we were blown away! Ana emailed me and answered questions and gave me practical advice about where to exchange money, etc ahead of time. She was FAR more helpful than my travel agent!

We got quite busy the first couple days we were in Havana, but finally got to go over to Ana's house to thank her for everything she had done. We (my husband and I) fell madly in love with Ana and Pepe from that moment. We laughed and hung out and realized how much we had missed by not visiting them immediately after getting of the plane! They are like long lost relatives. We heard then how Pepe can give tours and were devastated that we didn't know that ahead of time. Fortunately, Ana mentioned that she could make dinner and made us lobster that night. As amazing as the food was, the best part of the evening was hanging out with Ana & Pepe. Their home is like a mini-
United Nations--the day we were there we met Aussies, a Jamaican, a lady from Grand Cayman, and two women from Tanzania. When we left we felt like we were leaving family. If we a lucky enough to get back to Cuba, we will absolutely be contacting Ana.