Bespoke Cuba Travel; Cuba as seen by few
Bespoke [bəˈspōk] Custom-made product or tailored service; couture, exclusive, singular edition; a one-off
Cuba [kyo͞obə] The Antilles’ largest island is actually an archipelago of 4,000-plus islands, islets and cays traced by hundreds of miles of white powder beaches uniquely surrounded by the Caribbean Sea, the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico. Cuba’s impressive ecosystem includes natural biosphere reserves, fauna refuges, crystal clear lagoons, rolling mountains and rainforests additionally to the world’s second pristine coral reef. Nevertheless, the island nation tops two of the travel industry’s most disparate lists; the shrinking list of Emerging Destinations and the list of Endangered Destinations at risk of losing their rich cultural heritage in the face of rapidly increasing tourism.
Cuba plays a complex role in the cultural and political lexicon of the United States. Americans relate to her classic American automobiles, baseball, boxing, Hemingway, the Cuban missile crisis and of course Fidel Castro. The island nation’s superlative education system, UNESCO sites and exemplary achievements in medicine are internationally renowned.
Believing he discovered a new route to India, Christopher Columbus arrived at Cuba’s Guarda La Vaca (hide the cow) beach in 1492 and purportedly remarked, “the most beautiful land human eyes have ever seen.” Remarkably, he was some 10,000 miles off-course.
Full of romance and magic, an intriguing history of smugglers and slavery, buccaneers, sugar barons, conquistadors and communism, few islands in the world can boast such a profound yet enigmatic identity.
Travel [travəl] a trip, voyage, pilgrimage or expedition; to find
About Us
For nearly 20 years the virtuoso team of Cuba travel designers at Bespoke Cuba Travel have created unparalleled encounters with Cuba, one of the world’s remaining travel frontiers. Our petite-sized semi-guided group journeys, maximum 8 travelers, provide guests opportunities to tailor their own voyage away from their group. For explorers accustomed to a more resplendent style of travel, Bespoke Cuba Travel also crafts breathtaking one-off Private Designer Expeditions.
We ardently listen to our guests, meticulously plan and rehearse the logistics of your voyage and tend to details overlooked by most luxury travel providers. We are prepared to anticipate your needs and realize your wishes, no matter how rare or challenging,in order to redefine your notion of what is possible on a holiday.
Our ethos is to improve the lives of the Cuban people. The adventures we offer provide you a multitude of opportunities to share your professional skills and knowledge to empower them with the necessary tools so they may improve their own standard of living.
If your wanderlust yearns for a Cuba far beyond the reach of other travel companies, where the Cuban people welcome you instead of entertain you, we invite you to join us and discover a Cuba, as seen by few.
René Peña
Our Motto
More Cubans; Fewer tourists
We are committed to distance you from other tourists
and the traps they fall into and ensure your unique
venture is fashioned predominantly alongside Cubans
from all walks of life.
What BCT Offers You
Traveling on a prepackaged motor coach tour of Cuba alongside 25 other strangers will result in an insulated cartoon-like perspective of this precious island. Independent guidebook-in-hand seasoned travelers will face a dispiriting path of price gouging, cumbersome communist red tape and an antagonistic infrastructure when venturing outside of Havana alone. BCT offers you a better way to savor Cuba.
Our uniquely designed semi-guided Petite Group Journeys (maximum of 8 guests) and stunningly tailored Private Designer Expeditions offer you a remarkable opportunity to live the complex tapestry of Cuban life among its unique people. Realize unimaginable moments and exceptional memories as you gain firsthand insight into their mastery of hope, resiliency, daily obstacles and curiosities. Be welcomed at local birthday parties, weddings and perhaps become their defacto photographer. Join them as they collect their food rations, walk their children to school, visit them at work, and cook meals together.
Whether you join us on a Petite Group Journey or a resplendent Private Designer Expedition, we are committed to make the Cuba we love and cherish as memorable and precious to those who experience it with us.
Chelsea London Phillips
Petite Group Journeys
Petite Group Journeys are premium theme-based excursions. Guests are social, tend to travel often and range from millennials and retirees to honeymooners and solo travelers. A maximum of 8 travelers per journey provides an intimate environment that affords each guest ample personal attention and keeps the group under the radar providing it access to locations and events inaccessible to traditional tour groups. All BCT journeys are semi-guided providing guests unique opportunities to break off from the group and realize Cuba in their own special, bespoke way.
Contact Us to learn about our upcoming tours.
Private Designer Expeditions
There are those who enjoy bespoke travel and those who look ahead to once-in-a-lifetime extravaganzas. When it comes to delivering the voyage without equal, the paramount factor is turning your dream into a reality. Whether it’s To’ak chocolate and veuve clicquot marshmallow smores while glamping on one of Cuba’s 3000+ uninhabited islands and cays, or calling on Cuba’s 8 ports on a chartered mega yacht; the opportunities are endless. Share your curiosities, imagination and travel requirements with us and we will create a one-off Cuba encounter that will amaze.
Contact Us to discuss your private custom Cuba Journey.
What Sets Us Apart?
We are native Cuban and Cuban Americans and for nearly 20 years we have married our Cuban culture, incomparable relationships on the ground (some are family members) and voyager ingenuity to blaze new trails with each journey.
A truly Bespoke Journey
Your itinerary will not be a sequence of timed activities. Our journeys are semi guided allowing us to help you personalize your experience based on your interests and curiosities. This flexibility affords you opportunities to branch away from the group so you can go off and do your own thing.
Private tailored travel
For those travelers who opt for exploring custom tailored experiences while enjoying ultimate concierge service and amenities. We are ready to realize the most unique private Cuba expedition you can dream of. Private Jet charter available.
Our Motto
Fewer tourists. More Cubans. While in Cuba you will be distanced from other tourists. Most of your time will be in the company of Cubans from all walks of life
Our promise
Every tailor-made experience we create is unique as the person we create it for; your very own once-in-a-lifetime Cuban adventure.
Reasonable Pricing
(All) Airfare Included
When comparing prices with other companies consider that BCT is the only Cuba travel provider that includes the cost of the round trip airfare between your home and Cuba as part of your tour price.
No Single Traveler Supplement
We rebuke the industry practice of gouging solo travelers; any person traveling solo should enjoy the same advantages and pricing as those traveling together.
Price Matching
If you find another Cuba travel company that offers a less expensive and similar package, BCT will match their offer plus give you a $500 discount.
Generous Discounts
We offer generous discounts to AARP members, young ‘explorers’ under the age of 12, small groups, AAA members, cherished members of the U.S. Military & their families, public school teachers. Full and partial scholarships are available to select students. Kindly inquire with your Travel Designer to see if you qualify for a price reduction consideration; you never know.
Price Markdowns
If before your journey begins you find on our website that the price you paid for your journey has been reduced, we will refund you the difference.
The Personal difference
Courteous Service
Enjoy concierge-style service from the moment you call with your inquiry to long after you’ve returned home. We take care of all the logistics and details before, during and after your trip.
Personal Attention
Along with your trip designer are the handpicked native and well-educated travel assistants, translators, drivers, culinary managers, and expert specialty guides ready to offer you gracious service. Our 1:1.5 crew member to guest ratio guarantees you a premium comfort journey.
The best all inclusive policy available in the Caribbean
Unlike our peers all your meals are included, unlimited Breakfast, Lunch, nightly Cocktail hour, and Dinner, not just 2 meals a day. And you have daily choices of where you can dine. Read about a museum you would like to visit or a Jazz club a friend recommended? It’s included. Your voyage is All-inclusive…even once weekly laundry service.
We do Good
At every turn we work independent of hotel chains, airlines and attractions owned by Cuba’s communist government and contract instead directly with entrepreneurs, owners of casas particulares, drivers, chefs, farmers, etc.
Positive Footprints
Beginning October 15, 2018 BCT’s organic traveling program and support for various nature preservation organizations will permit us to offset approximately 25% of each guests CO2 emissions. We strive to leave behind a better Cuba for its people.
Meaningful integration
Other Tour companies take tourists to Cuba’s most popular cities. BCT also takes you into small villages where you get to know the Cuban people on a more conscientious level. You will not engage a popular journalist over lunch. Rather, you can spend the day with him on his chores around town, meet his fellow blogger friends, visit him at the radio station he works at, get to know his family and cook dinner together.
Conscious Giving
The tenor of our business is focused on sharing our guests’ skills, tools and knowledge with the most under-resourced Cubans so they may improve their own standard of living.
Giving Back
In 1996 BCT guests provided 400 children suffering from Celiac-disease with multivitamins. By 2003 they distributed over 3500 musical instruments, children’s books and emergency medical kits.
Seeking to do more than filling shipping containers, Guests wanted to experience first-hand the outcome of their goodwill. We subsequently pivoted to giving consciously back to the Cuban people; whereby guests share their professional skills, tools and knowledge in order to empower the most marginalized Cuban people with the necessary resources so they may improve their own standard of living. Regardless of age and capacity you can provide pivotal and prolific impact on the lives of the Cuban people while working side by side with them.
Testimonials
We rarely opened our wallets during the trip (to buy Cigars and trinkets only). Everything was included and the food was delicious. Jackson White recommended us: Jake March
Everyone is very nice and they go out of the way to make you feel special and comfortable. Many surprises throughout. Two big thumbs up. Lana & Joseph Carry
They noticed our 10 year old was losing interest in the trip so they paired him up with a mime who taught him the art and arranged for him to help feed a couple of animals after the zoo closed. We were impressed. Naomi
The best part was an outdoor movie dinner night with the actual filmmakers. The films were projected onto a big rock with “Cuban smores.” We highly recommend them. Jackie and David Meyer My husband is a pilot and Im a retired flight attendant. We have traveled extensively. This tour was one of the best we have ever joined. Nirka
The Minister of agriculture was our guide at a tobacco farm and a sugar cane cooperative. He then invited the whole group to his house for dinner (and great cigars!). Charles Defazio
Thank you both for showing us such a great time. Luis, we want to particularly thank you for planning an itinerary that allowed us to go salsa dancing evernight. Again, thanks a bunch! Andrés & Sylvia Sebastián
We experienced Cuba in a way that was more authentic than the one our Lonely Planet guide presented. Amber
They pampered us lots! And we helped Cuban teachers improve their English. A Great trip! Gabe
We spent 3 days at rosa’s house in Havana learned how to make frijol colorado+paella. Debbie Cohn
The professors and specialty guides were first-rate. Music & food also were terrific. Toni Novembre
The Cuban lamb pastries and the paella were delicious and Ben & Jerry should get their hands on these folk’s recipe for candied mamey fruit ice cream. There was so much delicious food, off the beaten path experiences and a great group of other travelers to share it with. August and Melissa Pitt
It’s cool there was no fixed schedule, there’s a schedule but its flexible depending on what interests you. We indulged in their delish menu experience. Jason Carbonell
The evening meals were spectacular, we still keep in touch with a few of the Cuban friends we made on the tour. Émlie Truffaut
I enjoy trekking alone and I chose them because they do not charge solo travelers a supplement. It was a fun trip & the food was on point! Kyle Paez
