5 Best Hotels in Western Cuba, Cuba

Sunrises and sunsets viewed from this elegant hotel's hilltop setting are unequaled. Overlooking the valley and the town, you're not likely to miss the sunrise once roosters down in the valley start crowing at first light. The hotel's 62 rooms are arranged in two-story wings, each with shuttered French doors leading out to a small private terrace. Columns, arched transom windows, and red-tile roofs add a Spanish flavor to the yellow-brick buildings. The rooms are on the small size, as are the bathrooms, but they have quiet air-conditioning, safes, minibars, and satellite TV. The rooms with the best views are Nos. 57 to 64, but everyone has a spectacular sunset view from the restaurant at dinner. A good-size swimming pool is in the center of carefully groomed lawns. There are well-kept tennis courts, as well as riding and hiking excursions around the valley. The restaurant ($) serves passable fare (breakfast is excellent), and the staff is attentive.

Be sure to take an early-morning walk along the dirt roads between La Ermita and the center of Viñales to see how the locals really live.

This quiet, castaway-island resort is devoted to diving and snorkeling. Rooms, in wooden bungalows facing the beach, are modest and decorated motel-style, with air-conditioning and ceiling fans. More important, every room has a veranda with ocean views and breezes. The restaurant ($) serves passable Cuban specialties, fresh-caught lobster and pargo (red snapper) foremost among them. The bar is a lively spot after hours, and in the true castaway spirit you'll meet all of your fellow guests; Spain and Italy are especially well represented in summer. This is a good place if what you're seeking is sun, sea, diving, and snorkeling.

One of the best values in Varadero, this cheerfully retro property is right in the center of town, though it nevertheless has a great beachfront. The round pool is small but well designed, reminiscent of Cuba's glamorous, 1940s heyday. Rooms are simple but decorated in a riot of tropical colors. Along with the usual resort activities, this friendly place offers dancing and Spanish-language lessons.

Western Cuba's grande dame of hotels is painted rosy pink and is highlighted by arcs of stained glass windows over shuttered French doors that open onto balconies with spectacular, panoramic views of the valley and its limestone mogotes (steep-sided hills). All the hotel's rooms have air-conditioning, satellite TV, and safes. The 14 original rooms on the main building's top three floors have fresh, contemporary white-tile bathrooms with tubs and are tastefully decorated in subdued shades of yellow. There are no elevators, so if stairs are a problem, the next best rooms are the 14 large tropical bungalow suites on a slight slope below the main building, with verandas overlooking the valley. Newer, smaller rooms are arranged in a two-story 1990s addition that faces the huge pool, which is in need of some paint and repair. Comfortable poolside lounges are perfect perches for enjoying the view. The restaurant ($) is better than average, and the bar is gorgeous, with a carved-wood ceiling and more stained glass. There's Wi-Fi in the public areas of the main building.

On the highest forested part of Las Terrazas Biosphere Reserve, this "ecologically" designed hotel makes its point with a huge carob tree growing in the lobby, its branches escaping through skylights. The red-tile roof, green wood railings, and white walls echo the colors of the Cuban flag. The 21 original rooms on two levels have floor-to-ceiling windows looking on to private terraces, and come equipped with minibar, safe, and flat-screen TV. Modern bathrooms have tub/showers with leafy views. Sixteen newer rooms have higher, slanted ceilings and are a little more spacious. There are also five self-contained, modern rooms attached to community houses nearby. There's Wi-Fi in the lobby (extra charge) and in the restaurant, which has tables on two terraces suspended over the valley's edge, as well as a cozy inside dining room. Try the roasted Moka chicken bathed in a coffee liqueur sauce ($). This singular spot in the middle of a forest is still less than an hour from Havana. Activities include an 11-platform zip line (CUC$20) or a three-hour scenic walk. There's also a smallish pool in a forest setting.