Playa Girón
The second house on the road to Cienfuegos is Playa Girón's premier casa, and arguably one of Cuba's best. Set back from the road with two stone lions…
Must-see hotels in Matanzas Province
Playa Girón
Owner Julio is the most experienced dive instructor hereabouts, meaning his modern house with three plush rooms is a useful option for divers. The huge…
Varadero
Wood and thatch combined with vast public areas with babbling water features lend a mellifluous air to this undeniable slice of Varadero luxury run by the…
Matanzas
With a front door large enough to ride a stagecoach through, this handsome blue house dating from the 1890s has original tiled floors, an antique wooden…
Varadero
Why would you want to blow hundreds of dollars on an all-inclusive when you can pay CUC$45 a night to stay at Beny's house? It's within spitting distance…
Varadero
Always one of Varadero’s more salubrious offerings, this attractive low-rise resort at the end of the peninsula has recently changed brands from Spanish…
Varadero
Twice as big as its sister hotel Meliá Las Américas, and happy to cater to families, the 490-room Meliá Varadero immediately impresses with its…
Varadero
Suspend your judgment on Varadero’s tallest and most architecturally unsubtle resort. Trying hard to imitate an Aztec pyramid from the outside (why?), the…
Varadero
The five-star Paradisus has recently carved a new campus out of what's left of Varadero's fallow land and renovated its original complex. They join a…
Varadero
With a big asking price, you're going to have high expectations of this adults-only Meliá resort. Despite its size (630 rooms), it's certainly heavy on…
Varadero
The array of shady terraces at this leading private homestay option will have hotels hereabouts looking enviously over their shoulders – as will the three…
Varadero
The smaller, more grown-up alternative to the Meliá Marina Varadero next door, Las Américas has a no-kids policy, a nice slice of palm-tree-embellished…
Playa Larga
OK, it's not abutting the beach, but the modernity, cleanliness and attention to detail at this bright orange house make up for the short walk. Three…
Matanzas
This lovely period hotel harks back to the early years of the Cuban Republic – the original 1902 fin-de-siècle style blends seamlessly with the horses,…
Matanzas Province
Possibly the best rural hideout in Cuba. Two simple but lovely rooms on an ecological farm and ceramics workshop where pretty much everything (including…
Matanzas Province
This place was built in 1963 on the east side of the Laguna del Tesoro, about 8km from Boca de Guamá by boat (cars can be left at the crocodile farm; CUC…
Varadero
No, that's not a beached cruise liner, but a five-star Meliá! Part of the plushly redeveloped Marina Gaviota, this has several key advantages over its…
Varadero
Varadero's most intimate lodging is in the grand former residence of US chemical-entrepreneur Irenée Du Pont, where eight fairly simple art deco–era rooms…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
Matanzas
Gone are the days when hotel rooms in Matanzas were luxuries you had to be 50 years old to remember. Tying in with the city’s recent beautification, this…
Varadero
Part of the Meliá group's cheaper 'Sol' brand, this 3½-star dates from 1990. While the architecture doesn't exactly take your breath away, the hotel has…
Varadero
Concrete-block architecture and palm-fringed beaches make jarring bedfellows that are all too common in Varadero. But the Tuxpán is famous for other…
Varadero
By the time you reach the end of the peninsula, all of the strung-out resorts appear to merge into one – this one. The Memories (not to be confused with…
Matanzas Province
Don’t let the tatty street setting put you off here. Inside are two comfortable doubles and a plush apartment with private entrance, garage, salubrious…
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…
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)…
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…
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)…
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 …
Matanzas
This gated house with green foliage close to the water has three rooms and a large garden overlooking the bay. A narrow spiral staircase built into the…
Matanzas Province
Ricardo's place is 1.5km northwest of Parque Echeverría and worth tracking down. The spick-and-span white terracotta-roofed house is cocooned within a…
Varadero
Red-roofed villas, a palm-fringed walkway leading down to the beach, numerous bars, restaurants, beauty salons and kids clubs, and a rather plush wood…
Varadero
Handy little homestay right next to the Víazul bus station with one independent apartment (with bunk beds and ideal for families) and another normal…
