We were well cared for by our host Mandy. Not only did he treat us royally while we were in his home, he also made connections for us at each of the places we wished to visit. They were all top notch. Staying at La Villa Sonada provided a great opportunity to experience life in a Cuban neighbourhood. The location is very good for getting about the various sites. The food was excellent in taste and plentiful, and we especially enjoyed the dinner on the roof top terrace, which provided privacy, or a vantage point for watching life unfold.

We will return to La VIlla Sonada on our next visit to Matanzas.

Watch out for the taxi drivers from the airport; they have a number of ways of scamming newcomers. Anyone I spoke too had a problem with the taxi drivers. We brought a map of Matanzas for the driver with the location of La Villa Sonada.

Never make the same mistake we made! Don't stay there!
We got picked up by a taxi organised by Armando that drove once around Matanzas before going to the casa (there's no other way he needed so long for the 3 or so blocks). We had booked a room with 5 beds and found ourselves in a tiny room (not a room to rent, rather Armando's office) with only 3 beds. Armando came in and started straight away by telling us a story that there was a problem and he could not rent us both rooms. When we did not want to accept this and wanted to leave he told us a few more stories to make us stay. He got really upset and even locked the doors so we could not get out. In the end we payed for the night to get the hell out of that place and walk through Matanzas with our luggage looking for a place for the night. We found the Hostal Azul (great place!). I don't know what would have happened otherwise...
So, if you want to avoid an experience like ours, just don't go there. We don't believe any of his stories. If they were true he would have left us the choice to stay or go.
It was a planned fraud from the start.

We stayed at Villa Sonada for the first two nights of our holiday. The host, Armando was very welcoming- the best we experienced in Cuba, and made us feel at home right away. The house was beautiful with a roof terrace and well-sized rooms, and everything in the city was close at hand.

The food was also excellent- again the best we had in a casa in Cuba and reasonably priced.

I would not hesitate to recommend this casa.

I visited Matanzas the first week of January, and needless to say, that city won my heart! If you are not a wrist-band tourist and are in the Varadero area, I would highly suggest stopping in Matanzas and staying at this lovely casa particular! It is only a 5 minute walk from the city centre/shops, Parque de la Libertad, museums, caves, hiking trails, etc. The casa itself is bright, full of life (lots of plants and artwork), beautiful rooms (the one that I stayed in had a bathroom/kitchenette/loft), and the food that they serve is AWESOME!!!!! Heck, I never even had to buy anything to eat when I was out because the portions were huge and delicious, traditional Cuban meals (dinners were served on the roof-top patio, and if you're lucky, you might even get to play dominoes). I could write a thousand things about my visit, but I will cut it short and say: Thank you so much Armando (and staff)! I will never forget my stay at La Villa Sonada, and will definitely be calling you up the next time I come to Cuba! *huge hugs*