Santiago de Cuba Province
This 22-room lodge spreads over three blocks, nestled like hidden tree houses amid thick foliage. Invigorating extras include a sauna, hot tub, massage…
Must-see hotels in Cuba
Sancti Spíritus Province
It's all about location, in this case, a verdant park setting. With 29 Swiss-chalet-style cabins (some under renovation), all with solar panels, this is a…
Habana del Este
Occupying a great spot on Guanabo’s main drag, right by the beach, this place – rather unusually for a casa particular – benefits from its own pool, a…
Holguín Province
This two-in-one hotel is an amalgamation of two resorts, though its presentation is a bit stale. There's nearly 500 large rooms featuring a few extras…
Vedado
Don't be put off by the out-of-the-way location (western Vedado): there's plenty going on in this neck of the woods, and the highly professional Casa de…
Trinidad
This gorgeous casa was one of Trinidad's first, listed in Lonely Planet's 1st-edition Cuba guidebook in 1997. Marvel at the noble arches, religious…
Cienfuegos
Casa Verde (yes, it’s bottle green from the facade down to the bedspreads) has eight lovely rooms, tall ceilings, gorgeous original tile work and a…
Habana Vieja
At this old-school casa you'll have to walk through the family sitting area, ducking deftly beneath the TV, in order to get to your room. Inside, the…
Vedado
A relatively modern self-contained house with private entry in western Vedado, a block from the Malecón and handily placed for nearby restaurants and the…
Villa Clara Province
One of Remedios' smaller boutiques, this colonial-style hotel on Parque Martí is intimate, authentic and tastefully done, promoting Remedios as one of the…
Varadero
'Sleeping in the waves' is how the name of this beach-fronting house translates and you almost are – at least, you're far closer to them than you would be…
La Ocean Varadero El Patriarca
Varadero
Named for a nearby giant cactus that the hotel developers mercifully didn't bulldoze, the Patriarca has some worthy quirks. The room units are wooden…
Santa Clara
Sandwiched into the city core, the 27-room América is still young enough to have kept its opening shine, although it can’t quite claim a ‘boutique’…
Camagüey
In a gorgeous 1920s mansion decked with stained glass and chandeliers. Great spaces include a huge courtyard with a spurting fountain and a rooftop…
Baracoa
The year 1511 is Baracoa's foundation date, and this diminutive place is a landmark, too, for offering dead-central accommodations with an abundant…
Guantánamo Province
Hotel Guantánamo is something approaching comfortable. The generic rooms are clean, the pool has water in it, and there's a good lobby bar-cafe mixing up…
Santiago de Cuba
In a lovely, well-preserved colonial, this home features seven rooms gathered around a huge interior patio with original tiles. Rooms feature bright satin…
Vedado
It's unusual to find a house this old in western Vedado, so make the most of the 1861, whose five private rooms (one is family size) are a riot of wrought…
Santiago de Cuba
With a large private garden crowned by a gazebo, who needs plaza chill-out time? The young resident hosts go out of their way to be helpful. Rooms are…
Cayo Levisa
Ideal for resort-phobes or people who miss the last boat to the key, Mario and Antonia's place is a simple and rustic place where genuine Cuban…
Trinidad
A homey place that leaves you struggling for superlatives. Although the house dates from the 1830s, it has a definitive modern touch, giving you the…
Habana Vieja
This lovely 2nd-floor casa steps from Plaza Vieja is dripping with Cuban character, from its antique chandeliers to its lurid curtains and bedspreads…
Vedado
Mercy's four rooms at this long-standing rental spread across two 2nd-floor apartments just off Av de los Presidentes have a passionate following. The…
Playa Larga
Reap the full benefits of being right on the beach at this sunny place in rambling Caletón. Five rooms (a couple with sea views) cater for all your basic…
Matanzas
This house is owned by the parents of Joel, star of nearby Hostal Azul; the overriding color here is amarillo (yellow) rather than Joel's azul (blue)…
Bayamo
Bayamo's most central hotel has 33 rooms upgraded to boutique standard with power showers and flat-screen TVs; there's also a roof terrace. Downstairs an…
Varadero
A treat of a house, Papo's is modest on the outside but surprisingly elegant within with antique Louis XV furniture – and that includes in the bedrooms…
Cienfuegos
Established as one of Cienfuegos' leading restaurants, the Lagarto also rents out three rooms cocooned on a delightful terrace, all with king-sized beds,…
Casa Teresa Hernández Martínez
Pinar del Río Province
The charismatic Teresa is as colorful as her six bright and clean rooms furnished in lurid pink, blue and green. She also runs a private restaurant in a…
Vedado
Opposite the Museo de Artes Decorativas, this unassuming 1st-floor casa is in a pleasant tucked-away nook. There's one rented room, located upstairs in a…
Santiago de Cuba Province
At 1225m, Cuba's highest hotel has plain but comfortable wooden cabins with tile floors and sparse furniture. The cabins' best feature is the abundant…
Villa Clara Province
The original of Remedios' boutique hotels (there are now six), the Mascotte oozes colonial character if not luxury with 10 charming rooms with cathedral…
Playa Girón
Host Ricardo is a former chef at Villa Playa Girón, now trying out his seafood specialties on his casa guests. The two-bedroom abode (with roof terrace)…
Holguín
With great spaces, Janeth's clean, spacious house is a solid choice. Guests have the run of a full floor with balcony. There's classic Cuban style: one…
Viñales
One of the first houses in town on the road from Pinar del Río, Hilda's house has three rooms with porches and rockers. This unpretentious place is…
Camagüey Province
Gran Club is one of the better options on the hotel strip, with 249 colorfully painted rooms in well-maintained two-story blocks. There's also prettily…
Villa Clara Province
Rimmed by its own mini-moat, the 4½-star Meliá impresses from the off, with four pools, Chinese and Italian restaurants, a games room and theater, a spa…
Holguín
With only four rooms, this petite boutique hotel – part of the high-end Encanto chain – sits prettily alongside Parque San José. While super central and…
Varadero
Two rooms, one with its own neat little breakfast bar, front a peaceful private courtyard below, whilst up and round the corner, Betty will cook for you …
Isla de la Juventud & Cayo Largo del Sur
Salvaged from the wreckage of Hurricane Michelle in 2001 and reopened after 15 years in 2016, the Iguana is a small, modest place by modern Cuban all…
