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.

Take a tiny coral isle fringed by a talcum-white beach that shelves into bathtub-warm turquoise waters. Add palm trees for shade. Build 35 simple cabins. Service the cay with twice daily ferry service. And, voila! You have the ingredients for a perfect tropical paradise. So how does Cayo Levisa, off the north coast of Pinar del Río, shape up?

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.

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.

At Chivírico, about one hour drive west of Santiago de Cuba, this all-inclusive hotel comprises two very distinct entities about one mile apart. Both are cliff-top, with sensational views down over the Caribbean Sea and towards the Sierra Maestra mountains. The main complex—Brisas Sierra Mar—has the lion´s share of facilities, plus 200 rooms; the 34-room Los Galeones is an entirely more intimate experience.

About the only game in town between Manzanillo and Marea del Portillo, this hotel in the fly-blown port town of Niquero makes a good base for exploring the extreme west of Granma province. The town is intriguing for its wooden buildings in a uniquely Cuban vernacular. Not too many tourists pass through Niquero, which was battered about by Hurricane Dennis.

We love this hotel for its unique architecture and situation. Built atop a craggy massif rising over the semi-arid plains of Granma province, east of Bayamo, it makes good use of the natural limestone studded with cactus and with shade trees festooned with Spanish moss or “old man´s beard.” It offers spectacular views and will especially appeal to nature lovers, particularly birders.

This charming and budget-priced little hotel on the main street, just steps from the main plaza, is housed in a recently restored colonial-era building dating from 1867. For better or worse, the original colonial tile-work has been replaced with rather soulless contemporary ceramics, but beautiful hardwood doors are a lovely touch.

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.

The yin to the Kurhotel´s yang, this hotel lies literally in the latter´s shadow and offers a much smaller, intimate and—at first sight—more appealing alternative. Surrounded by woodland at Topes de Collantes, in the heart of the Sierra del Escambray, it´s a perfect base for exploring the mountains. Several hiking trails begin within a stone´s throw of the hotel.

The central north coast of Cuba between Varadero and Cayo Coco is a bit of a no-man´s-land when it comes to accommodations. Options are thin on the ground, which makes an arrival at Villa Islazul San José del Lago all the more pleasurable while exploring along the Circuito Norte—the north coast road.