2 Best Hotels in Valle de Viñales, Western Cuba

Sunrises and sunsets viewed from this elegant hotel's hilltop setting are unequaled. Overlooking the valley and the town, you're not likely to miss the sunrise once roosters down in the valley start crowing at first light. The hotel's 62 rooms are arranged in two-story wings, each with shuttered French doors leading out to a small private terrace. Columns, arched transom windows, and red-tile roofs add a Spanish flavor to the yellow-brick buildings. The rooms are on the small size, as are the bathrooms, but they have quiet air-conditioning, safes, minibars, and satellite TV. The rooms with the best views are Nos. 57 to 64, but everyone has a spectacular sunset view from the restaurant at dinner. A good-size swimming pool is in the center of carefully groomed lawns. There are well-kept tennis courts, as well as riding and hiking excursions around the valley. The restaurant ($) serves passable fare (breakfast is excellent), and the staff is attentive.

Be sure to take an early-morning walk along the dirt roads between La Ermita and the center of Viñales to see how the locals really live.

Western Cuba's grande dame of hotels is painted rosy pink and is highlighted by arcs of stained glass windows over shuttered French doors that open onto balconies with spectacular, panoramic views of the valley and its limestone mogotes (steep-sided hills). All the hotel's rooms have air-conditioning, satellite TV, and safes. The 14 original rooms on the main building's top three floors have fresh, contemporary white-tile bathrooms with tubs and are tastefully decorated in subdued shades of yellow. There are no elevators, so if stairs are a problem, the next best rooms are the 14 large tropical bungalow suites on a slight slope below the main building, with verandas overlooking the valley. Newer, smaller rooms are arranged in a two-story 1990s addition that faces the huge pool, which is in need of some paint and repair. Comfortable poolside lounges are perfect perches for enjoying the view. The restaurant ($) is better than average, and the bar is gorgeous, with a carved-wood ceiling and more stained glass. There's Wi-Fi in the public areas of the main building.