Hostal Azul
This is the type of fine colonial house that once made Matanzas a cultural tour de force, with three vast, muy azul (very blue) rooms.
Matanzas hotels and hostels
Hotel Canimao
Perched above the Río Canímar 8km east of Matanzas, the Canimao has 160 comfortable rooms with little balconies. It's handy for Río Canímar excursions, the Cuevas de Bellamar, or to visit the Tropicana Matanzas, but otherwise you're isolated here.
Roberto Chaves Llerena & Margarita Romero
Big colonial house, meals, bike storage.
Paraíso Díaz Duque
This excellent house boasts two bedrooms with baths and congenial hosts in the shape of Anita and Luís Alberto, who are full of the exuberant Matanzas spirit.
Hostal Alma
Vying with the 'Azul' next door for the title of best city digs, this mid-19th-century colonial house has baths, sun loungers, balconies and two huge terraces (the higher one has stunning 360-degree views of Matanzas).
Costa Bella
Out in Playa, 3km from the center with the sweeping bayside views that go hand in hand, this place has two large rooms (try to bag the top one) with private entrances in a block at the end of a garden studded with coconut trees.
Hotel Velazco
Finally! After over a decade in the pipeline, painstaking renovation is complete and the splendid colonial Hotel Velazco has reopened.
Evelio & Isel
Rooms at this 2nd-floor apartment have TV, security boxes, balconies and underground parking. The owner is a font of knowledge on the Matanzas music scene.