Cuba hotels awards: a way through excellence

Looking for more than good-value hotels in Cuba? Discover a selection of Cuba hotels that have received several prizes and awards, granted by international tour operators and tourism specialists. These leading facilities could be a fine choice for your perfect Cuba holiday or vacation if you trust well-known experts’ criteria.

One of the most prestigious lists of the best hotels worldwide is The Gold List of Condé Nast Traveller. This annual list includes a selection of the hotels around the world that have the best service, rooms, food, ambience and design, location and leisure facilities. The Saratoga hotel, one of Old Havana hotels, received a high rating in the readers’ travel awards 2006 survey, since it was at 24 in the hot list 2006 of the 60 best new hotels in the world within the category “Best for Ambience/Design”. You can find this distinguished facility in a prime location opposite the Capitol at Havana City. Art lovers will appreciate the Cuban art in all the public spaces of the property and the “mélange” of colonial and contemporary styles at bedrooms and lounges.

If you look further examples of hotel excellence then you should consider the World Travel Awards, voted by travel agents worldwide. They were established in 1993 to acknowledge, reward and celebrate the achievements in all sectors of the global travel industry. These awards are regarded as the “Oscars” of the tourism industry by The Wall Street Journal. Cuba hotels winners at 2007 and 2008 were Hotel Nacional de Cuba as Cuba’s Leading Hotel and Sandals Royal Hicacos Resort & Spa was the Leading Resort. A classy Cuban hotel at the Cuban capitol city and a gorgeous beach resort in one of the best beaches of the island and of the Caribbean, these are the choices of tens of thousands of travel experts, such as travel agents and other travel professionals.

Also Thomas Cook, one of the most important tour operators in the world, recently accorded its Marque of Excellence Award to Paradisus Rio de Oro Resort & Spa, a hotel which received several important prizes in 2008. For those seeking blissful vacations, here you will find a piece of your own paradise. This elegant resort, located right alongside Playa Esmeralda beach in the province of Holguin, has received for the fifth time the Marque of Excellence Award (2002, 2004, 2005, 2007 and 2008) due to the quality ratings granted by clients among holguin hotels. Since it is a 5-star Ultra All-Inclusive hotel that was conceived for adults over 18 years, it is more suitable for romantic getaways, weddings, honeymoons, events and vacations with group of friends.

Plus, Trip Advisor, the largest travel destinations and tips guide in the Web, granted this Cuba hotel two Travelers Choice 2008 Awards (The Best All-Inclusive in the World and the Most Romantic Hotel in Latin America and the Caribbean). These popular distinctions in the tourist industry represent the views of millions of travelers that have selected this hotel for its outstanding service.

Moreover, Paradisus Río de Oro hotel received the Gold Medal 2008 Award accorded by clients of First Choice, the leading British wholesale company. Also in 2006, the Paradisus Rio de Oro was awarded the Travelers’ Choice Prize in the category of Most Outstanding Hidden Jewels of the Caribbean. Want a better reason to go there in your next Cuba vacations?

If you prefer more responsible and ecologic hotels then you should try Brisas Guardalavaca hotel at Holguín province. This Cuba hotel has won the important award “Green Planet Award” presented by the European Tour Operator Kuoni. This distinction is given to the hotels contracted by this tour operator with relevant results in terms of Environmental Care. This facility has also received the National Basic Environmental Award presented by the Ministry of Technology and Environment in Cuba. So if your catchphrase is “a better and a greener world is possible” then you should consider Brisas Guardalavaca in the top of your Cuba hotels choices.

Also for environment enthusiasts there is a fine resort at Varadero hotels, the Iberostar Tainos hotel, which has won an Environmental Hotel Award among the available varadero hotels in 2004/05. Singles, couples and families will appreciate the good four-star value of this recently built hotel, set on a beautiful stretch of beach surrounded by tropical gardens.

Other Cuba hotels have won international distinctions like Meliá Las Antillas, which was awarded the Primo Neckermann Reisen 2008 Award thanks to the rankings given by clients of the important German tour operator Neckermann, part of Thomas Cook group. This property ranked among the 100 best and most popular hotels in the world in 2008! So if you want to experience a truly unforgettable holiday you should look after this offer, an All-Inclusive Superior 4-star resort especially recommended for weddings, honeymoons, tourist groups and circuits.

Also the magnificent Paradisus Princesa del Mar hotel was granted the Marque of Excellence Award 2007 by leading tour operator Thomas Cook, in recognition of the hotel’s high service standards and quality of its accommodations. What’s important about this award is that clients are the ones who assess the hotels by responding to Thomas Cook’s satisfaction polls, which measure the service, facilities and quality of the accommodations. It is conceived for adults aged 18 and over and it is highly recommended for those who want to spend some time in romantic environments with extraordinary scenic views and total privacy.

Coastal Cities. Matanzas, the Athens of Cuba

In this city and its surroundings, it is recommended to take not only tours of the city sections between the rivers Yumurí and San Juan but also to do some cycling, bird watching and fluvial tours.

Cycling: For those who take cycling seriously, a cycling tour in this area would ideally begin in Havana and end in Varadero. The optimal is to take the Via Blanca highway but not up to Matanzas City. Instead take a small road to the right about 5 km after the bridge over the Bacunayagua River and descend till the Yumurí Valley.

Bird watching: The Yumurí Valley offers some good areas for bird watching, with best population density by the trees next to the heights that border the Valley.

Fluvial Tours: Although not located by the city center, the River Canímar, the most copious of all 4 rivers that opens at the Matanzas Bay, is located at a few kilometers away from the city. It is a navigable river for smaller draught boats. Navigation begins by the bridge that crosses the Canímar River, by the road that links Matanzas and Varadero, towards rustic restaurant by the river and covers some 13 km. During this trajectory, views are quite beautiful with its best sites being those by the road that communicates Matanzas and Varadero where the river meanders can be observed. At the end of the course there is a line of Real Palm trees leading to the restaurant. In this site besides having lunch, you can take horseback tours. The fluvial trips can be taken in boat either ways or half the trip by bus and return by navigating the river.

Boats are roofless so it is recommended to take a raincoat and umbrella to protect you from the sun or casual rain.

The City of Matanzas: The city is only modestly visited by groups of tourists in organized tours. The Historic Center can be visited by foot and has good architectonic and cultural value.

Bachelor in French Language, Mr. José Antonio Martínez Coronel, poet and experienced guide, recommends some very interesting proposals to visit the city. One of them consists in parting by foot from the Sauto Theatre (formerly the Esteban Theatre), for a gradual discovery of this architectonic and artistic jewel of the Cuban identity with guided explanations of the places and sites.

This walking tour covers many places of interest like the Park or Plaza of Independence where the city Hall and the Velasco ad Louvre Hotels are located as well as the Provincial Library Gener y del Monte. Nearby are the Pharmaceutical Museum (drugstore established in 1864) a must visit in this urban and architectonic ensemble and one of the best pharmaceutical museums of the occident and the birth home of José White, where the Cuban dance called the Danzón was ever first played and danced around 1879 and the same place where some years later, in 1920, the “Danzonete” would be played by musician Aniceto Diaz. The tour also covers the Cathedral of Matanzas and the Palacio del Junco (Historical Museum of the Province).

Other tours would include very interesting places like the house where the distinguished poet Gertrudis Gómez de Avellaneda lived, the Presbyterian Church and the Hershey electrical train station, the only of its type functioning in Cuba. They also cover the Parque del Escudom the Catholic Church of Versalles and the Monserrat hill, an elavation used as an excellent viewpoint, especially of the Yumurí Valley, from where Domingo Ramos, the artist who made famous the Valley of Viñales, painted several linens including one of the Valley and one of the City of Matanzas and its bay. Here can also be found the Monserrat hermitage where the well-known Spanish poet Federico García Lorca visited and stated his preference for the Valley of Viñales.

If you wish to visit a beach in this area, you can go to the Playita del Tennis. From there a road can be taken that leads to the intersection with the highway Habana – Varadero.

Once in Varadero, it is recommended to go all the way to the furthest extreme of the peninsula de Hicacos, some 22 km long, where the Ecological Reserve known as Varahicacos is located. This reserve covers about 30% of the peninsulas area, with trails where very interesting Cuban coastal vegetation can be observed, especially the catus.

Varadero is also Cuba’s best known beach and counts with over 22 kms of the mentioned north peninsula; an open port with three international marinas: Marina Gaviota, Marina Chapelín and Marina Dársena which can provide the necessary supplies for arriving crafts.