Much is made of Ernest Hemingway´s predilection for staying at the Hotel Ambos Mundos. He wrote the first few chapters of “For Whom the Bell Tolls” in room 551, which is now maintained as something of a shrine. Given the constant stream of tourists this is difficult to get away from and may become somewhat grating.

The Hotel Armadores de Santander (which means “Shipowners of Santander”) overlooks the port of Havana. The building´s façade, with its stone reliefs of the coat of arms of Santander surrounded by maritime motifs, is wonderfully evocative of the city´s seagoing past.While the overall building is quite impressive the ambience can be a little cold and impersonal especially compared to some of Old Havana´s smaller Habaguanex places.

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.

Caimanera Hotel is located in the fishing village of the same name, which is in the heart of the Bahía de Guantanamo, better known as Guantanamo Bay. The South of the village is actually bordered by the Guantanamo Bay US Naval Base.

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.

A tiny boutique gem, this hotel close to the colonial center stands out as one of Cuba´s finest provincial hotels thanks to a recent and thoughtful restoration and sound management. The building first opened as a hotel in 1927 and is today part of the Islazul chain, serving both Cubans and tourists. A key element here is the gracious lobby, with its gleaming mahogany fixtures, colorful colonial-style tilework, and handsome marble staircase.

This hotel, which opened in 1952, was formerly a school for art instructors and was later used by the Central Committee of the Communist Party as its headquarters. Today, it is an attractively designed Cubanacán hotel with a choice of rooms in the main building or bungalows in the hotel gardens, some with their own kitchen.

The five-story Hotel Copacabana is a 168-room hotel complex right on the coast, and although there´s no beach, a seawall creates a large protected sea-pool which is a real attraction for dedicated swimmers. This has recently undergone a renovation following a spell with Operación Milagro and we are happy to report that it has emerged well from this process with some moderate improvements to the decor.

The Deauville Hotel isn´t smart or luxurious and leaves quite a lot to be desired on the aesthetic front, but it has one of the best views in Havana. It overlooks the wide sweep of the Malecón, a huge expanse of ocean and the romantic Morro Castle and its famous lighthouse.

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.