8 Best Hotels in Central Cuba, Cuba

Wooden buildings scattered along a coral bluff house this intimate resort's spacious rooms. Tiles, drapes, and cushions throughout are done in earth tones that evoke the surrounding landscape; abundant windows and balconies allow sun and sea breezes inside. All guest rooms have original art, wicker furniture, and satellite TV; most have ocean views. The thatch-roof restaurant ($–$$) has a panorama of beach and sea; the menu is short and dominated by seafood.

The architecture here is a mix of Cuban and Spanish, with arches, marble floors, barrel-tile and thatched roofs, and murals by Camagüey artists. Rooms are in two-story buildings scattered around vast, luxuriant grounds. They have white tile floors, hardwood furniture, large baths with tubs, and sliding glass doors that open either onto balconies or porches with views of the gardens, pool, or sea.

Buffet meals are included in rates, as are drinks at the main bar; but you must pay your own way at the beach grill and discotheque.

Its many colonial-style arches, columns, Spanish tiles, and pastel colors give this all-inclusive resort a Disneyesque look. Rooms have tile floors, small balconies, and paintings of Trinidad street scenes on the walls. About half the rooms face the ocean, most of the rest have views of a pool that's surrounded by palm trees and lounge chairs. As is the case with many Cuban resorts, the main restaurant serves a mediocre buffet; the evening seafood beach grill is a better option (reservations are required).

This massive beachfront complex has the appearance of two hotels, and you want to choose the right section. Rooms in the main building are unattractive little boxes, the best of which have tiny balconies overlooking the sea. Those in the Módulo Nuevo—the newer, two-story buildings next door—are spacious, tastefully furnished, and have large balconies.

All rooms cost the same, so request one (with an ocean view) in the Módulo Nuevo.

The beach is a long, narrow strip of white sand shaded by thatched parasols in a stunning location on the tip of the peninsula. The restaurants are on the ground floor of the main building, next to which are a large pool, tennis courts, and other facilities.

Although this resort lines a wide swath of sugary sand shaded by palms and thatched parasols, few of its rooms have ocean views. The Coral Suites—spacious, beachfront bungalows with large balconies—are the best rooms by far. Junior suites are big but are set back from the beach in two-story buildings; standard rooms are so far from the sea that most have views only of the road. The bar, two restaurants, and amphitheater surround a large, blue-tile pool with a rocky waterfall at one end.

Though billed as all-inclusive, you have to pay for meals in two of the five restaurants (the one that serves seafood and the pizzeria) and to enter the dance club.

This stately, five-story lodging in Camagüey's historic center has served guests in style since 1939. Its bright lobby has chandeliers hung from high ceilings and various other antiques, the elevator being one of them. Rooms are small and a little on the dark side and have high ceilings and old tile floors; those facing the street are the biggest, but they can be noisy at night. Although the fifth-floor restaurant is lovely (it's furnished with antiques and surrounded by windows and glass doors that open onto a wraparound balcony); you come here for the atmosphere more so than the food. Even if you stay elsewhere, stopping in for a sunset drink at the rooftop bar is one of those when-in-Camagüey must-dos.

This modern six-story structure dates from the 1950s and looks out of place among the palacios of Punta Gorda, but rooms sparkle and service is top-notch here. Rooms view the bay and the city—a more pleasant sight at night than by day thanks to an oil refinery and other industry. The decor is bright and modern, with white-tile floors and colorful bedspreads. The restaurant has buffets—serving Italian food one time, Cuban another—when there are groups and offers a Continental menu when it's quiet.

On a grassy hill at the northern edge of town, this collection of cement duplexes enjoys a sweeping panorama of Trinidad's red-tile roofs, the Península de Ancón, and the blue Caribbean beyond. The name means "the caves," and caverns riddle the ground beneath the hotel; one of them is a museum, another holds the discotheque. Rooms are above and below the modern reception area; next door is the main restaurant, which usually serves buffets; a smaller café overlooks the pool atop the hill.

Try to get a room away from the restaurant if you don't want to hear the nightly folklore show.