The website makes it relatively easy to find lodging in a country that's largely been cut off from the online booking systems most travelers take for granted. [...] while Airbnb offers authentic local experiences and cheap options in Cuba, just like it does elsewhere, several things make listings here a little different. For another, while Airbnb accommodations vary everywhere, it's especially hard for Cuban hosts to get quality materials and skilled labor to spiff things up, and many neighborhoods suffer from decades of neglect. The apartment was spotless, with decor that reminded me of the working-class tenements of my 1960s childhood in New York City: lace doilies, plastic flowers, slipcovered sofas. [...] the $4 breakfast was fabulous: eggs, a plate overflowing with mango and pineapple, delicious espresso with warm milk. [...] I have to go to an Internet center at a hotel and pay $4.50 an hour to get online. Some items can be purchased locally in hardware stores, some bought on the black market, some brought in from abroad. Other travelers who used Airbnb in Cuba had experiences like mine, reflecting both online and material challenges. "Shower worked, A/C did not," said Parag Raja, CEO of the flash travel site http://travelmore.co/, describing one of two Cuban Airbnbs he stayed in.