We give this hotel two thumbs up for its dramatic clifftop location that offers sensational sunset vistas along the coast. Perched high above the Caribbean near Parque Histórico El Morro, it offers few other advantages in terms of location, however: You´ll need wheels (cars and rather beaten-up scooters can be rented) to explore the city, a 15 minute drive or taxi ride away.

Tucked away in the quite Vista Alegre residential area full of fine Modernist homes and decaying centenary mansions, this twin-level, two-star (it´s billed as a three-star) hotel avoids the hurly-burly of the city center, a 30-minute walk away. Run by Cuba´s Gaviota group, it makes a nice first appearance with its handsome post-Modernist facade featuring glazed hardwoods and green marble trim.

This five-star high-rise hotel is the real class act in town, although its eyebrow-raising, Cubist-inspired post-modernist architecture stops many arrivers dead in their tracks. We actually like it, despite its gaudy blood-red and flamboyant sky-blue paint job framing the towering walls of glass. The vast atrium lobby gleams with marble beneath a soaring plate-glass ceiling.

Recently transferred to the Cubanacán brand, this small and intimate hotel enjoys a tremendous position just two blocks from the main square in downtown Santiago de Cuba. It opened as an eight-room hotel in 2004 after being converted from a colonial mansion. The hotel retains its colonial ambience thanks to thoughtful antique reproduction furnishings. Needless to say, facilities here are limited to the tiny lobby bar and adjoining restaurant. But you´re not here for a spa, etc.

An institution for almost a century (Graham Greene was one famous figure who featured the hotel in his novels), this grande-dame hotel stands over Parque Céspedes. A more enviable setting is hard to imagine! We like this hotel on almost every level, although many of the staff seem indifferent, there´s no on-site parking, and despite a recent refurbishing in 2005, this hotel already looks weary and overdue for yet another face-lift.

This small hotel began life as a no-frills budget option catering mainly to Cubans and backpacking tourists. In 2004 it reopened after Islazul invested in a thoughtful upgrade, and it is now perhaps the premier budget hotel in town. We like its location too, on the south side of Parque Marte, with the historic quarter just steps away to the west

At first exterior sighting, this hotel built in 1975 causes a sinking heart with its ungainly Bauhaus-style Soviet-inspired design. Rising four stories over Avenida de las Américas, the oblong concrete monstrosity is fronted by an equally ungainly car-park. Otherwise, the location at the junction with the main road into the historic city center and to the Autopista Nacional is a plus, with the intriguing mansions of Vista Alegre just steps away.

Popular with tour groups, but also open to Cubans, this mid-size property on the eastern outskirts of the city is a reasonable mid-priced option. Although it´s a long (and sweaty) walk to downtown, nearby sites of interest include the city zoo plus San Juan Hill—site of the famous battle in the Spanish-American War.

Perched atop a hill—Altos de Quintero—to the north of the city, this hotel has two unique advantages over local competitors. First are the lovely views south over the city and bay toward the El Morro Castle and coastal mountains. Second are the breezes that flow down the hill, bringing relief from Santiago´s ferocious summer heat.

Seeking a place to relax in a tranquil and intimate suburban retreat without crowds? Then check in to Hacienda El Caney. Situated behind a bushy fence beside the Carretera del Caney, in the time-worn village of El Caney, just three kilometers east of the city center, this former summer home for a wealthy family offers a peaceful retreat from the hubbub of Cuba´s second city.

This hilltop hotel on the southern outskirts of Santiago reopened to tourists at the end of 2007 after serving as a medical–hotel facility for Operación Milagro, which provided free eye operations to impoverished Latin Americans. It has been newly refurbished. A major draw is the lovely views north and west over the city and bay, and it gets the breezes. It’s also quite handsome.