5 Best Bars in Western Cuba, Cuba

If you're in a swashbuckling mood, check out the pirate-themed floor show in this natural cave, followed by a very loud disco that doesn't stop till 3 am, Monday through Saturday. The dance floor is usually packed with a young crowd. Cover charge is CUC$10.

Reminiscent of the heyday of '50s Latin nightclubs, this nostalgic venue still has the dramatic two-level stage for dancers to descend. The entire place is, in fact, a throwback to the '50s and if you're lucky to be here on a crowded night, the mambo rhythms emanating from the orchestra will have everyone up dancing. If you don't know how, there's an instructor on hand. Drinks are included in the entrance fee.

Just outside town, this Afro-Cuban restaurant and nightclub puts on a cabaret show on an outdoor stage with 20 high-energy, sexy dancers (male and female) plus singers on Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday nights. The bar opens at 9 and the hour-long show (CUC$5) starts at 11. You can dine first at the adjoining airy, all-wood and bamboo, bohío-style restaurant that's decorated with huge African masks. Also open for lunch, the restaurant is famed for its pollo ahumado (smoked chicken). The bar and cabaret are the city's top nightspots.