Cuba - Lonely Planet [242]
Casa del Historiador – Liliana Zerquera Gallardo ( 99-36-34; Echerri No 54 btwn Piro Guinart & Simón Bolívar; r CUC$20-25; ) On the corner of Plaza Mayor, this place could (should) be a museum. Instead it’s the home of the octogenarian city historian whose wife lets out a couple of rooms in this classic 1808 sugar-merchant’s house. The fine accommodation is complemented by a huge rear terrace adorned with a grand terra-cotta staircase and signature Trinidadian aljibe (water-storage well).
Casa de Araceli ( 99-35-58; General Lino Pérez No 207 btwn Frank País & Miguel Calzada; r CUC$20-25; ) Had enough of the colonial splendor? Head away from the tourist frenzy to General Lino Pérez, where Araceli rents two upstairs rooms with a private entrance and a very quiet flower-bedecked terrace.
Casa Arandia ( 99-32-40; Antonio Maceo No 438 btwn Colón & Zerquera; r CUC$20-25; ) Another Trinidad dream home that comes with a loft room, a terrace and views.
‘Hospedaje Yolanda’ – Yolanda María Alvarez ( 99-30-51; yolimar56@yahoo.com; Piro Guinart No 227; r CUC$25-30) This isn’t a casa; it’s a palace! There are eight rooms for starters, though only two can be rented at one time. Dating from the 1700s, its dazzling interior makes the Museo Romántico look like a jumble sale. Take the Italian tiles, the French frescoes, the rare Mexican spiral staircase, the fabulous terrace views; the list goes on…
Hostal Colina ( 99-23-19; Antonio Maceo No 374 btwn General Lino Pérez & Colón; r CUC$25-35; ) Another place that leaves you struggling for superlatives. Although the house dates from the 1830s, it’s got a definitive modern touch, giving one the feeling of being in a plush Mexican hacienda. Two pastel-yellow rooms give out onto a patio where you can sit at the plush wooden bar and catch mangos and avocados as they fall from the trees.
Hotels
Trinidad also has four in-town hotels, one for every price bracket.
Casa de la Amistad (amistur@ceniai.inf.cu; Zerquera btwn José Martí & Frank País; r CUC$25) This hostel, run by the Instituto Cubano de la Amistad, is popular among visitors politically sympathetic to Cuba. It has six clean and well-equipped rooms with brand-new showers and TVs, plus a small eating area and patio out the back. It’s a decent budget option in the center of town.
Hotel La Ronda (Cubanacán; 99-61-33; José Martí No 238; r CUC$46; ) A boutique hotel that never really deserved its classification, the centrally located La Ronda has always struggled to compete with the scores of better-run, more comfortably attired casas particulares nearby. Aware perhaps of their predicament, state owners Cubanacán were giving this former Islazul-run crash-pad a face-lift at the time of writing. With 19 rooms and a great location there’s plenty of potential.
Motel Las Cuevas (Cubanacán; 99-61-33; s/d with breakfast CUC$80/100; ) Perched on a hill above town, Las Cuevas is more hotel than motel with bus tours being the main drive-by clientele. While the setting’s lush, the rooms – which are arranged in scattered two-storied units – are a little less memorable, as is the breakfast. Value is added with a swimming pool, well-maintained gardens, panoramic views and the murky Cueva La Maravillosa, accessible down a stairway, where you’ll see a huge tree growing out of a cavern (entry CUC$1).
Iberostar Grand Hotel (Gran Caribe; 99-60-70; cnr José Martí & General Lino Pérez; s/d CUC$141/172; ) Look out, Habaguanex! One in a trio of Spanish-run Iberostar’s Cuban hotels, the five-star Grand oozes luxury the moment you arrive in its fern-filled, tile-embellished lobby. Clearing another hurdle is the service, which is as sleek as the fittings are flash. Maintaining 36 classy rooms in a remodeled 19th-century building, the Grand shies away from the standard all-inclusive tourist tattle, preferring to press privacy, refinement and an appreciation of history (you are, after all, in Trinidad).
OUTSIDE TOWN