Trinidad

By the early 19th century, however, the growth of nearby Cienfuegos, with its vastly superior harbor, began to eclipse Casilda. Trinidad sank into decline, hastened by tumult in the slave trade and sugar industry. By the close of the century, its wealth had vanished, and only the beauty of the baroque churches and cobbled plazas remained. It has ever since been pickled in aspic. Today this aging and romantic jewel of colonial architecture is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Nowhere else in Cuba quite compares. Just exploring the streets here is reward enough.

The forested Sierra Escambray mountains that drop down to the dancing teal–blue Caribbean Sea form an impressive backdrop for the city – a major center for Afro–Cuban religion – which occupies a breeze–swept hillside about seven km inland of the Caribbean Sea.

Begin your exploration in Plaza Mayor, the cobbled main plaza ringed with quaint colonial mansions. Most are now museums, including the Palacio Brunet, which today houses the Museo Romántico replicating a fashionable 18th–century home. Adjacent, the Iglesia Parroquial cathedral dates only from 1894. The Antiguo Convento de San Francisco de Asís and Museo Histórico are additional sites not to miss by day. At night, seek out performances of traditional Afro–Cuban music and dance, such as those of the Conjunto Folklórico de Trinidad. And the town's Casa de la Trova is one of Cuba's liveliest venues for enjoying son and traditional ballads.

The superbly run deluxe Iberostar Gran Trinidad is the place to stay for those with deep pockets; otherwise select a casa particular (private room rental), such as Casa Colonial Muñoz. After dinner at Paladar Estela, you'll want to take in traditional music at the Casa de la Trova then get in the groove at Disco Ayala, inside a cave. An organized excursion to the Salto de Caburní waterfall in the Sierra Escambray or a steam train ride through the Valle de los Ingenios are fun side trips, as is time spent on nearby Playa Ancón, a lovely beach with a dive center.

Playa Ancon, 12km south of Trinidad, got its name from a black rock on Punta Maria Aguilar that one served as landmark for sailors. Because it seemed to resemble the leg of a horse, it was nicknamed ancona (hind leg). Over the centuries, ocean currents have built up 4km of soft, white beach here, and a few hundred meters offshore is an excellent reef for snorkeling and scuba diving.

Since the late 1980s, Playa Ancon has been developed for international tourism and now hosts several large hotels facing the warm Caribbean. Many visitors arrive on package tours and stay at one of these resorts. Playa Ancon makes an ideal base from which to explore the architectural treasures of nearby Trinidad and the forested Sierra del Escambray. Not as overwhelmed by tourism as Varadero or Guardalavaca, it's a good choice for a Cuban holiday.

Topes de Collantes located just 5 km above Trinidad. It is a natural park with more than 12,000 acres of land, where mountains, the sea and cultural attractions come together in one high quality tourist product of international demand. It is a place of extraordinary beauty and of great scientific value for Cuban botanic, zoology and ecology. This constitutes a protected area of 200 square kilometers with a great number of endemic species of flora and fauna.

Sancti Spíritus City

Sancti Spiritus was another of Velazquez's original townships. From the town's pleasant main square wander two blocks south to the Parroquial Mayor, a venerable yellow towered church whose early 16th–century origins make it the country's oldest, and across to the nearby Museo de Arte Colonial. This is not our favorite provincial capital but if you are passing by there are some sights of interest.

Embalse Zaza is a man made lake studded with flooded forest, known for extraordinary numbers of trout and world record breaking bass. Marsh birds flock in from far and wide. Zaza is a favorite spot for bird watchers, anglers and hunters.