Gran Caribe Club Cayo Guillermo
Ciego de Ávila Province
This three-star, economically priced resort is the oldest hotel on the Sabana-Camagüey archipelago (opened in 1993) and has had more name changes than the…
Must-see hotels in Cuba
Santa Clara
Long popular with tour groups, this out-of-town option should be a serious consideration, particularly if you like peace and quiet. A mock-indigenous…
Playa Girón
The first house on the left (if entering Playa Girón from the west), Ivette and Ronel's benefits from having a casa-owner-cum-dive-master at the helm…
Habana Vieja
This pastel-pink Havana institution was Hemingway's hotel of choice before he bought a house in Havana in 1939 (he's said to have penned his seminal…
Havana
A casa particular in one of Centro Habana’s arterial streets, this place has grown to take on minihotel proportions. It now has 11 rooms, but you’ll still…
Artemisa & Mayabeque Provinces
A romantic faux-European castle with a circular tower on a hilltop 1.5km up a rough road beyond the Orquideario Soroa, the Castillo de las Nubes was built…
Matanzas
Inhabiting an enchanting perch on Matanzas’ main square, the Louvre is a new rendition of an old hotel that remained closed for over a decade before…
Santiago de Cuba
This elegant 1914 hotel, artfully described by Graham Greene in his book Our Man in Havana, has 58 rooms and classic atmosphere. Greene stayed here in the…
Villa Clara Province
Sharing prime frontage on Remedios' main square along with four of the town's historic hotels, the rooms in this private home date from 1875 and share…
Isla de la Juventud & Cayo Largo del Sur
The Marinera, a cohort of the Bella Isla Resort, is a little different from other Cayo Largo resorts. Rather than hugging the wide southern beach, it…
Havana
There's no doubt that the Inglaterra is a Havana icon: it's the city's oldest hotel, where José Martí once stayed the night. But while the tiled Moorish…
Trinidad
A stunning colonial home with courteous, English-speaking assistance. There are three huge rooms and a two-level apartment. Book early as it's insanely…
Habana del Este
The Arenal is undoubtedly Playas del Este's best hotel and the nearest decent all-inclusive resort to Havana. Situated by a small lagoon with boardwalk…
Vedado
Magnificently retro or dog-eared and dated – the hotel that mobster Meyer Lansky built in 1957 is a bit of both. The lobby, with its sharp modernist lines…
Cuba
This is one of Cubamar's most luxurious campismos (rustic accommodations). The 51 multi-colored cabins with their idyllic seaside setting have facilities…
Habana Vieja
In the Loma del Ángel, Habana Vieja’s emerging chic quarter, this white-and-blue house has an interesting mélange of rooms furnished with elegant side…
Villa Clara Province
Run by the Spanish H10 chain, the Ocean, with its gleaming modern three-story blocks, resembles a plush Miami suburb. There are some interesting touches…
Havana
Marrying sharp professionalism and excellent service without compromising the warmth and generosity that make Cuba so special, this venerable…
Camagüey
Tropical minimalism sets the tone for this sleek renovated colonial. Cleverly designed by a local architect, it wouldn't look out of place in a Miami loft…
Villa Clara Province
The resort furthest east on the cayo is the adults-only Valentín, a 1020-room mini-town that is split into two areas, one reserved for tranquility seekers…
Cayo Levisa
With an idyllic tropical beach just outside your front door, you won't worry about the outdated cabañas (cabins) and dull food choices here. Expanded to a…
Havana
This 427-room giant built in 2000 is one of Miramar's better hotels, roughly equivalent to a four-star place in Varadero. Rooms are large and comfortable,…
Cienfuegos
Providing fresh competition for the long-established Hotel La Unión, this newcomer is under the tutelage of the Spanish Meliá chain. While the façade is…
Viñales
Nenita's has quietly become one of Cuba's top private homestays. While its out-of-center location might deter some, the eight rooms are above par and,…
Las Tunas
A Las Tunas hotel that doesn't give you flashbacks to the Khrushchev and Brezhnev years. Opened in 2009, this rehabilitated, centrally located 1940s…
Pinar del Río Province
Right on Pinar del Río's main street, this place is run by a Cuban who has lived in Brussels (hence the Belgian flag outside). There are six rooms and a…
Habana Vieja
Considered one of Havana's finest hotels as well as one of its oldest (operations began in 1867), the Santa Isabel is housed in the Palacio de Los Condes…
Guantánamo Province
Like many guantanameras, Lissett speaks perfect English, and her house is polished, comfortable and decked out with the kind of plush fittings that wouldn…
Santiago de Cuba
The hotel that once served as a pre-raid base for the Moncadistas in 1953 has been reborn as a comfortable midrange accommodations option. Suspended above…
Varadero
Giant chess set, thatched beach parasols, swim-up pool bar; it's all here at the 4½-star Península (one of 11 Meliás in Varadero). In case you get them…
Cayo Coco
Backpackers aren't well catered for on Cuba's resort islands, except perhaps at this imitation of an erstwhile charcoal-burner's camp. Four pseudo-rustic…
Holguín
The alma (soul) bubbles over at this smart bungalow evoking a 1950s North American suburb. At the center are welcoming hosts: Jorge is a modern-day Pablo…
Santiago de Cuba Province
One of two handy campismos situated along this route (the other is La Mula). This is one of Cubamar's top campismos, the closest to Santiago (30km) and…
Cayo Coco
The family choice. Tryp is a quintessential all-inclusive with a meandering pool, myriad bars and nightly tourist shows. Facilities are good, although…
Sancti Spíritus
Not content to rest on them, Los Laureles lines its laurel trees up along a shady entrance drive that beckons visitors into a surprisingly classy Islazul…
Habana Vieja
The Ricla (named for a Spanish count) is a seven-room family-run hotel with a to-die-for location at the corner of Plaza Vieja. Rooms are gleaming white,…
Matanzas
The aptly named 'villa of dreams,' set four blocks north of Matanzas' main square, has an attractive facade topped by a huge terrace guarded by sculpted…
Camagüey
This time-warped, city center hotel classic dates from 1939. A haughty prerevolutionary atmosphere stalks the 72 clean rooms reached by a marble staircase…
Varadero
Varadero’s erstwhile art deco hotel, the Continental was regrettably knocked down a couple of years ago to make way for this high-rise giant. Granted, it…
Matanzas
A house with mucha alma (a lot of soul), Mayra’s place has Seville-invoking azulejos (tiles), relaxing rocking chairs, and rainbow vitrales (stained-glass…
