Must-see hotels in Cuba

  • Hotel Pasacaballo

    Cuba

    A strong contender for Cuba's 'ugliest hotel,' the Pasacaballo looks like it got catapulted over from a Moscow housing estate in the mid-1970s. Worn-out…

  • Villa Gaviota

    Santiago de Cuba

    Santiago's quiet suburban Vista Alegre district is either an oasis of calm – or a ghost town. Odd duck Villa Gaviota has a number of attractive clustered…

  • Campismo La Mula

    Santiago de Cuba Province

    On a remote pebble beach 12km east of the Pico Turquino trailhead, La Mula has 50 small cabins popular with holidaying Cubans, hikers destined for…

  • Four Points by Sheraton Havana

    Havana

    One of the few Havana hotels that Americans can legally stay at, the Sheraton is a bizarre amalgamation of US-owned Marriott and Cuba’s state-run Gaviota …

  • Hotel Balcón del Caribe

    Santiago de Cuba

    The tremendous setting next to El Morro fort is counterbalanced by the usual humdrum Islazul hotel-chain foibles: flowery curtains, ancient mattresses and…

  • Hotel Club Kawama

    Varadero

    A venerable old 1930s hacienda-style building, the sprawling Kawama was the first of the 60-plus hotels to inhabit this once-deserted peninsula more than…

  • Hotel Deauville

    Havana

    Despite its perfect location on the Malecón, this dowager is just that. A former Mafia gambling den, the Deauville doesn't offer much these days apart…

  • Villa Los Pinos

    Habana del Este

    Los Pinos is a collection of little two- to four-bedroom houses with kitchens and TVs that were holiday homes before the revolution. Some of them have…

  • Casa Colonial Lucy

    Baracoa

    This welcoming home from 1840 exudes character with patios, porches and flowering begonias, though cleanliness could score a little higher. There are two…

  • Villa Playa Larga

    Playa Larga

    On a small scimitar of white-sand beach by the road, just east of the village of Caletón, this hotel has huge rooms in detached bungalows with bathroom,…

  • Hotel Palco

    Havana

    Attached to the Palacio de las Convenciones, the Palco is a business hotel normally block-booked by visitors in town to attend a conference/symposium…

  • Hotel Pernik

    Holguín

    The nearest conventional hotel to the city center is a dose of Soviet-inspired '70s nostalgia. Its dour reputation is partially offset by edgy art by…

  • Campismo Dos Hermanas

    Valle de Viñales

    Trapped between the sheer-sided jaws of two mogotes (limestone monoliths), and in view of the Mural de la Prehistoria, is one of Cubamar’s best…

  • Hostal Enrique

    Playa Larga

    Located smack in the middle of the village of Caletón is this humongous place with 14 rooms, all with private bathrooms. There's a dining area (serving…

  • Hotel Porto Santo

    Baracoa

    On the bay where Columbus allegedly planted his first cross is this peaceful, well-integrated low-rise hotel. Situated 4km from the town center and 200m…

  • Hotel Starfish Cuatro Palmas

    Varadero

    One wonders if this former personal residence of dictator Fulgencio Batista would still appeal to his opulent taste. The first of what could be termed the…

  • Be Live Experience Varadero

    Varadero

    Settling for a could-do-better 'C' grade, Be Live looks suspiciously like the airport you just left to come here (right down to the observation tower),…

  • Hotel Club Acuario

    Havana

    Havana's only all-inclusive option outside Playas del Este is splayed between two harbor channels in Marina Hemingway. Its potential is huge, but – rather…

  • Complejo Cultural La Vitrola

    Havana

    Imagine staying at London's Abbey Road recording studios. Well, this is the Cuban equivalent. The EGREM studios – working space for Cuba's top musical…

  • Hostal Las Terrazas Casa Nilson

    Baracoa

    With elaborate woodwork, imagery and symbolism of Santería and Baracoan culture, this super-clean house has three quirky rooms over several floors. Ideal…

  • Gran Hotel San Felix

    Santiago de Cuba

    Opened in 2016, this remake of a classic downtown hotel falls slightly short. The 42 rooms are generally large, and there's a pleasant roof terrace and…

  • Hotel Marazul

    Habana del Este

    Despite numerous renovations, rebrandings and paint jobs, the architecturally unlovely Marazul can't escape its grim shell, strive as it may to resemble a…

  • Villa Playa Girón

    Playa Girón

    On a beach imbued with historical significance lies this pretty mediocre hotel. The preserve of divers and holidaying Cubans these days, the villa has…

  • Chateau Miramar by Be Live

    Havana

    It's marketed as a boutique hotel, but this château ain't no Loire Valley retreat. Built in an era when Cuba's architects seem to have been on hiatus, it…

  • Casa Yoyi

    Santiago de Cuba

    A 10-minute walk from the center in the Los Hoyos neighborhood, cheerful Casa Yoyi is modern and tranquil. There are large 1st-floor rooms and an…

  • Hotel Colón

    Camagüey

    This central mainstay has been outshone by newer offerings. The classic mahogany bar, tile walls and a stained-glass portrait of Christopher Columbus over…

  • Complejo Atlántico – Las Terrazas

    Habana del Este

    An amalgamation of a beach hotel and an old aparthotel, this place offers 60 or so apartments (with kitchenettes) along with the fair-to-middling…

  • Hotel Costa Morena

    Santiago de Cuba Province

    Partly renovated, this longtime hotel has attractive architecture and a large terrace with pool right on the cliffs but no direct beach access. There is…

  • Hotel Acuazul

    Varadero

    Not fussy? Then head for this all-inclusive at the west end of the peninsula, whose architecture is a little Russian and where the ambience is more Cuban…

  • Casa Yaneva

    Camagüey

    A gleaming option that's a bit of a walk from the center, perhaps best for those with a rental car. Eva knows tourism and provides three very clean and…

  • Casa Mili

    Santiago de Cuba

    If you can't bear the motorcycle madness of the city center, escape to the residential quarter of Vista Alegre and this spacious, high-ceiling casa with…

  • Villa Sunset

    Varadero

    The sedate four-room Villa Sunset comes with a large well-appointed sitting room and front porch and the absence of on-site owners (not uncommon in…

  • Be Live Copacabana

    Havana

    Slightly better than some of its tired Playa competitors thanks to a recent refurbishment, the Copacabana nonetheless retains an inherent dankness,…

  • Memories Holguín

    Holguín Province

    Slightly apart from the other resorts on its own clean scoop of beach (known as Playa Yuraguanal), Memories writes the word 'privacy' into its four stars…

  • Hostal Angelito

    Camagüey

    Angelito jokes that he's the cozier, cheaper alternative to the Gran Hotel in front. Climb the stairs to this 2nd-floor accommodation with small, modest…

  • Hotel Kohly

    Havana

    In western Playa, the Kohly tries hard to impress, with an array of handy extras including swimming pool, gym, on-site pizzeria and Havana's only bowling…

  • Villa Juanito El Joyero

    Viñales

    If you just want a simple, decent house replete with traditional Viñales hospitality away from the main street bustle, this bright-orange bungalow will…

  • Casa Alba Ferraz

    Camagüey

    A home with lovely multigenerational hosts. Two rooms open onto a grand colonial courtyard bedecked with plants. There's a roof terrace, and the host,…

  • María Elena González

    Santiago de Cuba Province

    Three slightly disheveled rooms are outshone by the terrace with rockers and giant sea views. The swimming pool may or may not be operating. With busy…

  • Hotel Río Miel

    Baracoa

    Stylish and sturdy, this hotel withstood Hurricane Matthew with honors. It's on the Malecón where it faces some of the most inclement weather in Cuba. Run…

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