Hostal Scala

Location :

• Trine Saurstroe

  24 February 2017

  Havana is very busy, the main street of Vinales feels busy, then you have Minervas house, and all that is loud and wrong in the world just disappear. Although you are just 10-15 minutes walk from the main street, you are now on the Cuban country side. Unpaved roads, cats, dogs, horses, pigs, chickens walk around happily, farmers do their labour by hand and using horses. Simply beautiful.
  
  Minervas hut is in her backyard, at the end of a short street with a handful of other casa particulares and none of the family members (or the neighbours for that matters) speaks anything but Spanish. If this information makes you look for other accommodation in the Vinales, suit yourself, but you are missing out. The hut is minimalistic, but the use of wood (which you later will realise is all prepared by hand and from scratch) and colours makes it very authentic and “lodgey”, and you have everything you need.
  
  Minerva’s food is to die for!! Whereas in the western world people are making a fortune on “real food” diets, Minerva’s dishes will make you wonder why we ever started to overspice, overcook, oversauce, overblend our food in the first place, when it can taste this good on its own with just some of Minerva’s magic. The meals are served in a little wooden patio behind the hut. You have your breakfast in the morning sun overlooking the valley. As far as we could see, since the house is at the end of the road, this arrangement is unique for this place. The view is amazing, and since it is only one hut, you are always the only ones at the table.
  
  The first evening Minerva offered us to use her horse. Not understanding much Spanish and haven’t really been riding a horse ever (or at least not in a timeframe that falls within “ever”), we were at little overwhelmed. Later a friend/neighbour with English skills came by, offering a guided horseback riding tour with him and his horses. We felt this option was more suitable for our skills, and he was quite convincing. We are normally not the guided tours kind of tourists. But riding through the Valley in the short of cool morning air, was one of the highlights on our stay. You can walk the Valley, but the goods spots (caves and farms) are quite far in, and with lots of loops and turns you may end up walking in circles if you are on your own. Anyway, bring lots of water, it gets warm during the day.

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• Juan Manuel Cruz Del Cueto

  20 May 2016

  Sitio espectacular para pasar unas inolvidables vacaciones.

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