The best hotels in Cuba

Old Havana (La Habana Vieja) is where you want to be. specifically within a 5-minute walk of Calle Obispo or Plaza de Armas. You get the colonial architecture, the best paladares, and you can walk to the Malecón in 10 minutes. Vedado is a solid second choice if you want a quieter, more residential feel with rooms running $80–160/night at places like Casa Particular Havana 1932.

Casas particulares in Centro Habana run $40–80/night. Casa Verde Hostal on Calle Industria is a good benchmark. Mid-range options in Old Havana like Hotel Mercure Sevilla on Calle Trocadero start around $150/night. Luxury at Gran Hotel Manzana Kempinski on Parque Central will set you back $320–620/night, and it's worth every peso for at least one splurge night.

Yes. and honestly, staying in a casa particular is often the better experience. Hosts at places like Casa Particular Havana 1932 in Vedado know every good paladar and which taxi drivers won't rip you off. The government licenses them all, so you're not flying blind. We'd pick a rated casa over a mid-tier state-run hotel every single time.

November through March is the sweet spot. temperatures sit around 20–26°C and hurricane season is done. January and February see the most tourists, so hotels in Old Havana spike to $280–620/night for the better properties. March and November give you almost identical weather with 20–30% lower rates. Avoid June through October unless you genuinely like the idea of a Category 4 hurricane.

Most state-run hotels accept cards, but US-issued cards still don't work at all. bring cash, full stop. Euros and Canadian dollars convert reasonably well at CADECA exchange offices on Calle Obispo and at José Martí Airport. Budget $50–100/day in cash on top of your hotel costs for food, taxis, and entry fees. Don't count on ATMs being reliable; they run out regularly.

Hotels. especially the big ones on Paseo del Prado. are mostly state-run and can feel formulaic. Casas particulares are private homes licensed for tourism, and they're often cleaner, friendlier, and better located. Casa Particular Trinidad 1800 in Trinidad's Centro Histórico, for example, sits 2 minutes from Plaza Mayor and costs $60–120/night. You'll also get a home-cooked breakfast that no hotel buffet can match.

Centro Habana can feel rough east of Calle Belascoaín. petty theft is a real issue there after dark, and the accommodation quality drops sharply. Cerro and Diez de Octubre are purely residential with zero tourist infrastructure, so getting a reliable taxi back to Old Havana after 10pm becomes a genuine ordeal. Stick to La Habana Vieja, Vedado, and the western stretch of Centro Habana near Parque de la Fraternidad.

Víazul buses are the reliable option. Havana to Trinidad takes about 6 hours and costs roughly $25 per person, departing from the terminal on Avenida 26 in Nuevo Vedado. Havana to Viñales runs about 3 hours for $12. Collective taxis (shared vintage American cars) are faster but harder to coordinate and run $15–30 per seat depending on the route. Don't bother renting a car unless you're very comfortable navigating unmarked roads with near-zero signage.

At the Iberostar Grand Packard on Paseo del Prado, yes. the rooftop pool and the included bar tab actually make sense given that cocktails in Havana add up fast at $5–8 each. For beach resorts in Varadero, all-inclusive is the standard model and often the only option. But if you're in Old Havana or Trinidad, eating at paladares like San Cristóbal or La Guarida is a huge part of the experience. don't let an all-inclusive lock you out of that.

Casa Verde Hostal in Centro Habana runs $40–80/night and punches way above that price point. It's a 10-minute walk from the Malecón and about 15 minutes on foot to El Capitolio. The staff will book your Víazul tickets and arrange casa-to-casa accommodation for your whole trip, which saves you hours of hassle. For anything cheaper than $40/night, you're looking at very basic rooms with shared bathrooms. fine for backpackers, tough for anyone else.

Absolutely. the Valle de Viñales is one of the few places in Cuba that looks nothing like anywhere else on earth. Villa Los Pandaderos sits right in the valley at $35–70/night with mogote views from the porch. The town itself is a 3-minute walk from the main road on Calle Salvador Cisneros, and you can hire a local guide for a tobacco farm tour for about $15. Go for at least 2 nights. one day is not enough.

Casas particulares almost always include breakfast. usually eggs, fruit, fresh juice, and strong Cuban coffee. for an extra $5–8 per person. State-run hotels sometimes include it in the rate and sometimes don't, so always confirm before booking. At the Gran Hotel Manzana Kempinski, breakfast is a proper spread in the La Manzana restaurant and is typically included in higher room tiers. Skip the hotel breakfast at mid-range state hotels and hit a local café on Calle Mercaderes instead. better food, a quarter of the price.