Hotel Villa Islazul Mirador de Mayabe

An unsung hotel about a 30-minutes drive from downtown Holguín, this is one of our favorite regional hotels. It combines many of the qualities you could hope for: great atmosphere, modern comforts, and killer views – the latter courtesy the hotel's clifftop position overlooking the Mayabe valley. It's part of a faux-finca (farmstead) made famous by Panchito, the beer-swigging burro (donkey).

After looping up the mountain driveway, you arrive at an open-air lobby with him-and-her swing seats and fanciful contemporary wooden sculptures. To one side, an inviting swimming pool and sundeck are suspended at the very cliff edge. (Be warned that the place gets flooded with local families on weekends.) Behind, the thatched open-air restaurant adorned with country decor serves tremendous traditional meals, and folkloric performers entertain.

The 24 air-conditioned bungalows were totally refitted in 2002 for tourists. The modern bathrooms even got marble countertops!.