Cuba - Lonely Planet [131]
Sleeping
GUANABO
Casas Particulares
Guanabo has dozens of casas, and if one’s full they readily recommend somewhere else.
Elena Morina ( 796-7975; Calle 472 No 7B11 btwn Avs 7B & 9; r CUC$25-30; ) Hay Perro reads the sign, but don’t worry, the pit bull that lives here is friendly (really) as is the hostess Elena who once lived in Italy. The chatty host makes great coffee and rents two decent rooms with a leafy patio a few blocks back from the beach.
Pablo M Durán Jubiel & Rosario Redonda ( 796-5281; Calle 476 No 905 btwn Avs 9 & 9B; r CUC$25-30; ) This little house five blocks from the beach comes with a kitchen and patio; there are also rooms at Nos 906 and 9B01 nearby.
Hotels
Villa Playa Hermosa (Islazul; 796-2774; Av 5D btwn Calles 472 & 474; s/d CUC$22/26; ) This unpretentious villa has 47 rooms in small single-story bungalows with shared bath and TV. It’s a popular spot with vacationing Cubans, so expect music, dancing and drinking to all hours; the beach is nearby.
SANTA MARíA DEL MAR
None of Santa María’s hotels are knockout and some are downright ugly. The Blau Club Arenal is the closest the strip gets to Varadero levels of comfort.
Complejo Atlántico – Las Terrazas (Islazul; 797-1494; Av de las Terrazas btwn Calles 11 & 12;
1-/2-/3-bedroom apt CUC$50/75/88; ) An amalgamation of two old aparthotels, the 60 or so apartments (with kitchenettes) here are mainly the preserve of families. The two-bedroom units sleep four people and the three-bedrooms accommodate six, so it’s great for a group. Ask specifically if your unit will have a fridge, as not all of them do. This is a decent-value choice that is just 100m from the beach.
Hotel Tropicoco (Cubanacán; 797-1371; btwn Avs del Sur & de las Terrazas; s/d all-inclusive CUC$69/99; ) Picked up by Cubanacán from the now-defunct Horizontes chain, this big blue monster is an architectural disaster both inside and out. Pity the poor Canadians who book this on-line without looking at the photos first. The main (only) benefit for the terribly unfussy is the price (cheap) and the location – you could hit a (big) home run onto the beach from here.
Hotel Blau Club Arenal (Cubanacán; 797-1272; s/d all-inclusive CUC$95/150; ) Playas del Este’s most stylish option, this modern hotel is on the Laguna Itabo, between Boca Ciega and Santa María del Mar. It has 166 rooms set around a translucent pool. Ground-floor rooms have patios, but suites are much larger and cost about 20% more. The beach is just 150m away via a wooden footbridge suspended over the lagoon (which you can explore by rowboat).
Club Atlántico – Los Pinos (Gran Caribe; 797-1085; Av de las Terrazas btwn Calles 11 & 12; s/d/2-bed house all-inclusive CUC$105/150/160; ) Another amalgamation of two of Playas del Este’s better resorts, the Atlántico is a 92-room hotel right on the beach, and Los Pinos a collection of little houses (two to four bedrooms) with kitchens and TVs that were holiday homes before the Revolution. Collectively, they’re one of the resort’s best bets. Extra facilities include tennis courts, a swimming pool, cabaret and a Club Náutica point renting boats etc on the beach.
BACURANAO
Villa Bacuranao (Islazul; 65-76-45; s/d CUC$38/44) On the Vía Blanca, 18km east of Havana, this is the closest beach resort to Havana. There’s a long sandy beach between the resort and mouth of the Río Bacuranao, across which is the old Torreón de Bacuranao (inside the compound of the military academy and inaccessible). The beach here isn’t as nice as its more easterly counterparts, but the price is nice.
Eating
GUANABO
Paladar El Piccolo ( 796-4300; cnr Av 5 & Calle 502; noon-11pm) This paladar is considered by many Habaneros to be the best pizza restaurant in Cuba, and they’re not far wrong. Out of the way and a little more expensive than Playas