Cuba - Lonely Planet [270]
Alex & Yanitze ( 29-78-97; Ramón Guerrero No 104 btwn San Ramón & Oscar Primelles; r CUC$20-25). A huge bath, along with a TV and a comfortable bed. The room might be small, but the welcome’s huge.
Manolo Banegas ( 29-46-06; Independencia No 251 altos, btwn Hermanos Agüero & General Gómez; r CUC$20-25) Great expectations spring to mind with this place (think Mrs Havisham’s house) and, mostly, they’re fulfilled. There are some seriously valuable antiques, including the bed you’ll be sleeping in, plus an amazing roof terrace overlooking intimate Plaza Maceo. If it’s full, try the house of Dalgis Fernández Hernández ( 28-57-32) next door, which shares the same stairway and roof terrace.
Yamilet & Edgar ( 25-29-91; San Ramón No 209 btwn El Solitario & Heredia; r CUC$20-25) Edgar is a maletero (porter) in the Gran Hotel by day, and a casa-owner by night, running this inviting place just northwest of the center with his wife Yamilet. There’s one pleasant room with private bath, plus meals and access to a comfortable sitting area.
Carmen González Fonseca ( 29-69-30; Av Agramonte No 229 btwn Padre Ollalo & Alegría; r CUC$20-25; ) A well-equipped self-contained room on the top floor with its own terrace and fridge. Daredevil drivers who have already negotiated the confusing Camagüeyan maze ought to have no problem reversing into the tight-fitting garage (a rarity here).
Hotels
Hotel Isla de Cuba (Islazul; 28-15-14; Oscar Primelles No 453 cnr Ramón Guerrero; s/d incl breakfast CUC$25/32; ) An often overlooked bargain bang in the center of town, the Isla de Cuba is cheap, friendly and keen to please – and because tour groups tend to shun it in favor of the Gran or Colón it’s usually half-empty. Budget backpackers, look no further.
Hotel Plaza (Islazul; 28-24-13; Van Horne No 1; s/d/tr incl breakfast CUC$27/38/42; ) No two rooms are alike in this rough-around-the-edges colonial hotel built in the dying days of the Spanish era, so peek inside a few to see what’s on offer. All have sitting areas, TVs and big fridges – and you can’t argue with the price. Its location opposite the station makes it a logical spot for brutally early train departures (the 5:07am to Santiago, for instance).
Hotel Colón (Islazul; 28-11-85; República No 472 btwn J Ramón Silva & San Martín; s/d incl breakfast CUC$36/44; ) A classic long mahogany bar, colorful tile-flanked walls, and a stained-glass portrait of Christopher Columbus over the lobby door give this place a mixed colonial/fin-de-siècle feel. Sandwiched between shops on busy República, the Colón is both a good base for exploring and a good place to relax; there are rocking chairs on the upstairs balcony and a sheltered colonial patio out back.
Gran Hotel (Islazul; 29-20-93; Maceo No 67 btwn Av Agramonte & General Gómez; s/d incl breakfast CUC$50/58; ) For amenities and charm in the heart of the city, this hotel dating from 1939 is the place. The 72 clean rooms are reached by a worn marble staircase or ancient lift replete with cap-doffing attendants and antique gate. There are bird’s-eye citywide views from the 5th-floor restaurant or you can brave the frenzy in the downstairs street-side snack bar. A jinetera-friendly piano bar is accessed through the lobby and an elegant renaissance-style swimming pool shimmers out back.
OUTSIDE TOWN
Hotel Camagüey (Islazul; 28-72-67; Carretera Central Este Km 4.5; s/d incl buffet breakfast CUC$36/42; ) A built-to-spec Islazul out-of-towner 5km southeast of the center, the Camagüey presents that all-too-familiar mix of dodgy architecture, noisy disco and tacky 1970s furnishings. On the plus side, it’s cheap, clean and relatively friendly.
Eating
RESTAURANTS
With restaurants specializing in Italian and Spanish fare, and another offering a Cuban rarity, lamb, Camagüey has an up-and-coming selection of eating establishments. The bars are equally eclectic.
La Mandarina Roja ( 29-02-67; Padre Olalla