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Originally built by the Countess of San Juan de Jaruco who subsequently sold it to the Count of Santovenia, this grand eighteenth-century palace overlooks Havana's oldest and most beautiful colonial square, the Plaza de Armas. The pretty central courtyard has a fountain which is often filled with fresh tuberoses. Some of the beds are pretty squeaky so it's perhaps not the best place for nuits passionelles , but the cocktails are among the city's best and we defy you to get up from the mahogany and leather armchairs in the courtyard after more than 2 mojitos. Stay in the Santovenia Suite for a serious aesthetic treat.

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 favourite 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 suite overlooking the junction of Lamparilla and Mercaderes Streets is probably the most inviting hotel room in Havana.

Great for business trips if you need to be near Old Havana or Vedado; pretty disappointing if you want to feel the heart of Havana. A large, polished establishment with good service and food, big comfortable rooms, a huge air conditioned lobby bar/restaurant area and an excellent (and mercifully quiet) rooftop pool. It's a perfect place to recuperate after long, hot working days in Havana.

The Nacional is a magnificent hotel, fully deserving the ranking that places it amongst the world's best hotels. Unfortunately, the shabby rooms, patchy service and unexceptional food do not do justice to the general ambience. [For business visitors the executive floor is better. ] Savour the beautiful gardens, enjoy the history and relax by the pool but don't try and get a dry martini with a rocket and walnut salad delivered to your room in the early hours of the morning.

This is the quintessential business hotel in which great facilities and impressive service take you away from the hustle of Havana. The fantastic buffet breakfast and attractive pool, and choice of 5 restaurants, are great advantages. Do not expect any real indication whilst languishing in these marble halls that you are actually in Cuba, but if you want service and efficiency it's a good option.

If you wish to see Varadero's white sands and yet avoid the all-inclusive beach resorts then Xanadu's the place for you. This is the beautifully finished former DuPont house which boasts the best bar, a great restaurant and offers you as much free golf at the adjacent 18-hole course as you can play. What more could you ask for?

Reached by a winding road through thickly-wooded hills in a UNESCO biosphere, a little over an hour from Havana. A haven of cool in summer with lots to do: rowing on the lake, swimming in the river, frolicking in waterfalls, riding or hiking through the hills, birdwatching or just chilling out up to your ears in nature. The hotel isn't luxurious but is agreeably designed around the natural features of the site, including a huge tree which grows rather startlingly straight through the lobby and out through the roof.

Those who only do day trips to the Valley of Viñales are missing out. The best moments there are at dawn, when the royal palms are wreathed in milky mist, and dusk, when the strange rock formations are bathed in rosy sunset light. The pool at Jazmines is unbeatable and makes up for the average rooms. The main building is painted an apparently incongruous pink which rather strangely complements the landscape.

Attractive neoclassical edifice with comfortable rooms furnished in colonial style, facing the house of Diego Velázquez, Cuba's first governor. Superb views from the rooftop bar over the city, the harbour and the mountains. The only real option for discerning visitors to Santiago; the city's other hotels are vilely ugly.