There’d not been a flicker of luxury like it in the Cuban capital since the erstwhile Habana Hilton opened on the eve of Fidel Castro’s revolution in 1959. The first five-star hotel in Havana caused a splash when it opened in 2017.

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We also feature properties and itineraries from a specially selected list of trusted operators. Our travel journalism is written and edited by independent experts to inform, inspire and advise our readers about the best choices for your holidays. Main photo: The rooftop terrace at Malecon 663 Outside of the capital, B&B hosts run beautiful city rooms and rural hideaways found across the country. Making waves is the exciting private boutique hotel scene redefining stays in Havana. All of them are all-inclusives bar one and are scattered across the sandy 13 miles of Varadero, the largest resort area in Cuba, and the offshore coral cays of Cayo Santa Maria, Cayo Guillermo, Cayo Coco, and Cayo Cruz in the centre of the island at the other end of the island are the more secluded beach hotels of Guardalavaca north of the eastern city of Holguin. Beach resorts are generally run by international players - Melia, Iberostar, Accor and Blue Diamond - and range from stark and mega with huge numbers of rooms to those that are more human in scale and intimate by design. The drab and dour are making way for design-led city hotels, boutique bolt holes and beach resorts with a stylish vibe and thoughtful facilities. Cuba’s hotel scene has blossomed in the past ten years.

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