Casas Particulares

Trinidad has about 300 casas particulares. Owners will call around to help you find a place if you don’t have a reservation.

My favorite place by far is Casa Colonial Muñoz (Calle Martí #401, esq. Santiago Escobar, tel./fax 041/99-3673, www.casa.trinidadphoto.com, CUC35), a venerable home built in 1800 and featured in National Geographic (Oct. 1999, p. 102).

The timeworn house has period furnishings, including swords, old clocks, and centenary prints. Its two lofty-ceilinged bedrooms each have two double beds and fans, and modern, private bathrooms.There’s secure parking, and a stable with horse. Dog-lovers will be in heaven. You can reserve by credit card. Some other casa particular owners pretend to be Julio Muñoz to steal his business, and jineteros are known to steer you to such houses for a commission.

Casa de Carlos Sotalongo (Calle Ruben Mártinez Villena #33, tel. 041/99-4169, CUC25), on the southeast corner of Plaza Mayor, is another atmospheric winner. Vast front doors open to a cavernous lounge with antiques, modern art, and a colonial tile floor. Local art critic Carlos Sotalongo rents two rooms with terra-cotta floors, metal-frame beds, and private hot-water bathrooms.

The antiquities are even more impressive at Casa Sara Sanjua Álvarez (Simón Bolívar #266, e/ Frank País y Martí, tel. 041/99-3997, CUC25), a well-kept, beautifully furnished colonial home that opens to an exquisite rose garden with rockers. Two rooms have fans, refrigerators, and modern bathrooms. There’s secure parking.

Hostal Sandra y Victor (Antonio Maceo #613, e/ Piro Guinart y Pablo Pichs, tel. 041/99-6444, www.hostalsandra.com, CUC20), just 100 meters from the bus station, has three upstairs rooms with private bathrooms and hot water. A spacious lounge has rockers, and a delightful rooftop terrace features artistic ceramic walls and a bar.

I enjoyed my stay at Casa de Nelson y Marilú (Santiago Escobar #172, e/ Frank País y Martí, tel. 041/99-2899, hostalmarilu [at] yahoo [dot] es, CUC25), with a pleasant cross-ventilated rooftop chamber with a small modern bathroom. Meals are served on the rooftop terrace with rockers and hammock.

Hotels

The Instituto Cubano de la Amistad runs the Casa de la Amistad (Zerquera, e/ Martí and Francisco Peterson, tel. 041/99-3824, icaptdad [at] icap [dot] cu, CUC25 s/d), which offers simply furnished rooms with private baths. Normally, it hosts “solidarity” groups, but you might try your luck.

Cubanacán’s Hotel La Ronda (Calle Martí #239), 50 meters west of Parque Céspedes, had been gutted for a complete renovation as a deluxe Hotel E at my last visit, and Spanish parador–style Mesón del Regidor (Simón Bolívar #20, tel. 041/99-6572), one block southwest of Plaza Mayor, with four rooms, was also closed for renovation.

The 114 modest air-conditioned rooms at Hotel Cubanacán Las Cuevas (Calle General Lino Pérez final, tel. 041/99-6133, fax 041/99-6161, reservas [at] cuevas [dot] co [dot] cu, CUC54 s, CUC68 d low season, CUC62 s, CUC85 d high season, including breakfast), on the hillside above town, are pricey for what you get. It has a thatched restaurant and bar (the food is mediocre), a swimming pool, car rental, Internet, game room, and nightly cabaret.

Cubanacán’s riverside Horizontes MaDolores (tel. 041/99-6481, fax 041/99-6579, commercial [at] dolores [dot] co [dot] cu, CUC37 s, CUC46 d low season, CUC42 s, CUC52 d high season, including breakfast), two kilometers west of Trinidad, enjoys an appealing rustic setting and offers 19 rooms, plus 26 cabins with kitchen. Criollo meals are served in an open-sided thatched restaurant. It has a swimming pool.

In 2006, the old Hotel Canada, on Parque Céspedes, metamorphosed into the gorgeous Iberostar Gran Hotel Trinidad (Martí 262, esq. Lino Pérez, tel. 041/99-6070, fax 041/99-6077, commercial [at] iberostar [dot] trinidad [dot] co [dot] cu, from CUC141 s, CUC172 d year-round), perhaps the finest urban hotel outside Havana. It mixes colonial elegance with sumptuous contemporary refinements. Highlights include a clubby cigar lounge, game room with pool table, and a chic bar and restaurant.

© Christopher P. Baker from Moon Cuba, 5th Edition