As close to a real Spanish tavern as you are likely to find in Havana, there are five rooms in this restored 19th century inn. Comfortable clean rooms make this a good option as long as you like flamenco, which plays nightly until 11pm. Indeed, one suspects that its clientele may be composed of those challenged by walking a straight line to their more distant accommodation.

The Hostal Valencia was the first Old Havana mansion to be converted by the Office of the City Historian into a hotel. Originally constructed for Alderman Sotolongo, a member of Havana´s Town Council, a large part of the building had actually collapsed by the time it reached the head of the queue for restoration.

This comfortable 14—room little hotel, which shares some facilities with the adjoining Hostal Valencia, is housed in an eighteenth—century building which belonged to the family of Don Pedro Regalado Pedroso y Zayas, who was a “Comendador de la Orden de Isabel la Católica.”

The Frailes reopened in 2001 within a few steps of the old St Francis Monastery in what used to be the residence of Marquis Don Pedro Claudio Duquesne in the 19th century. The friar theme is maintained with both the décor and the uniforms of staff. This is a quirky but popular place from which we have received good feedback.
Some of the rooms can be a little musty and most do not have windows (which at least makes it mercifully quiet).

This mansion, which was restored and converted by the Office of the City Historian of Havana in 2002 into the Hotel Beltrán de Santa Cruz, is only a moment´s walk down San Ignacio Street from one of Old Havana´s most beautiful squares, the Plaza Vieja. The other side away from the square is a different story with Old Havana´s crumbling edifices in full flow.

A delightfully small and intimate establishment in what was once the mansion of Claudio Martínez de Pinillos, Count of Villanueva, the leader of Cuban Creole society in the nineteenth century. A great favorite with cigar aficionados and useful for private weekend parties. One of Old Havana´s best cigar shops, with private humidors to rent, is tucked away in the old slave quarters on its mezzanine floor.

The Florida opened in 1885 and swiftly became renowned as one of the city´s better hotels. It was restored to its original 19th-century charm in 1999 and has a lot of style. The Hotel stands on Calle Obispo, Old Havana´s liveliest street, currently being restored by the Office of the City Historian of Havana as the district´s principal shopping area.

The Raquel opened in June 2003 following extensive renovation work in the heart of Old Havana. Located in a wonderfully idiosyncratic building with a neo—Churrigueresque façade and tendrils of Art Nouveau wrought iron decoration, the Hotel Raquel contains further delightful design eccentricities including a vast stained glass canopy roof and a watchtower from which one can look out over the streets and squares of Old Havana.

The Santa Isabel is the grandest of Old Havana´s hotels, and its location is perfect: it stands on the eastern side of the Plaza de Armas, Havana´s earliest and most beautiful colonial square. The building is an eighteenth century mansion which was constructed for the Countess of San Juan de Jaruco but was later bought by the Count of Santovenia. It was converted to a hotel in the late nineteenth century.

Up till recently, discerning visitors have bemoaned the lack of a really luxurious hotel in Havana. The Saratoga, which opened in November 2005, has rectified the situation. Standing on the western edge of the Historical Centre of the city, its elegant façade overlooks the other nineteenth—century architectural glories of the Prado and Parque Central.

The Nacional is a magnificent hotel, fully deserving the ranking that places it amongst the world´s best. It is Havana´s signature hotel soaked in history which you will tangibly feel as soon as you are ushered into the South-of-Spain inspired lobby with its mosaics, deep leather couches, chandeliers and precious hardwood ceilings.

This is one of our favorite provincial hotels. The lovely neo-classical building dating from 1818 sits on tiny Plazoleta Honorato del Castillo and looks out directly toward the 17th-century Parroquia Mayor del Espíritu Santo church—a great setting. However, traffic noise echoing through the streets can be a problem for late sleepers.

This could well be Cuba´s finest provincial hotel. Offering a much-needed deluxe option for visitors to this most popular of Cuban colonial cities, the Iberostar opened in 2006 and has justifiably earned plaudits as a true five-star hotel. The hotel is a conversion of an unassuming, two-story, mint-green 19th-century mansion on the north side of Parque Céspedes. Beyond the front doors, however, and…

This little hotel is housed in an 18th-century building overlooking the main square. It was here, on February 1, 1899, that General Máximo Gómez and Robert P. Porter (the U.S. Commissioner) met to negotiate the terms of the dissolution of Cuban forces at the end of the Spanish-American War. Now run by Cubanacán, the hotel is popular with tour groups and individuals and makes a splendid base for exploring Remedios and beyond.

This is one of those hotels that get your hopes up for from afar, or at least from the second you walk in the door. You´ll love it´s position at the south end of town, where it rises over the waters of Cienfuegos Bay—take a south-facing room for the panoramic vistas over the bay and the Mughal-style Palacio del Valle. Built in Modernist style in the 1950s, it was recently revamped in sophisticated contemporary style.

This is one of Cuba´s provincial gems. First, take the location just one block from the main plaza in the heart of downtown. Then there´s the thoughtful remodel of this three-story, neoclassical 19th-century hotel, which exudes elegant yesteryear airs thanks to its antiques and quality antique reproductions.

The latest colonial—era offering from Hoteles Habaguanex, this gracious hotel (opened in March 2008) occupies an 18th—century mansion built for the Marqués de Prado Ameno. Backing up to the popular and elegant Hotel Florida, this smaller boutique hotel offers greater intimacy.

Erected in 1907 to serve the railway station across the street, this hotel is perfect for travelers with early morning train departures or late night arrivals. And it´s just a 20-minute walk down Avenida República to reach the core of the colonial city. It´s the oldest of Camagüey´s hotels and retains its original architecture while benefitting from at least two recent refits by the Islazul hotel chain.