Winning tip: Remedios

To experience an old Cuban town off the main tourist trail, spend a few days in Remedios, which celebrates its 500th anniversary this June. It is a good base for a day trip to the northern cayos for a swim and a snorkel. Just before Christmas, everyone joins in the festival of Las Parrandas.

For a Bucanero beer or a cocktail, El Louvre on the main square is reputedly the oldest bar in Cuba. Stay in one of the casas particulares: Hostal Buen Viaje just off the square is run by a very welcoming couple.
Janet Holmes

The waterfalls at El Nicho

If you’re travelling between Cienfuegos and Trinidad, take a day trip to the El Nicho waterfalls. You’ll drive well off the beaten track – up a mountain and deep into baking jungle. Hike the trails and you’ll get breathtaking views of the crystal clear waterfalls cascading into deep pools. Continue on the trail to cool off under waterfalls in the Poceta de Cristal, a small lagoon with translucent emerald water.
GeneralMotors

La Boca

Just south of Trinidad lies a tiny seaside village called La Boca. Cute casas line the road on the rocky coast, and the village has only a pizza shack, a convenience store and a few bars. The beaches of Playa Ancon are a short drive away. Spend your evenings strolling the water front or watching sunset the hammocks on the porch of your casa, drinking a beer from the honesty fridge.
pestyface

Guanayara national park

An hour from the historic town of Trinidad is the verdant Guanayara national park. You’ll find yourself in a sub-tropical world, enjoying stories from an experienced guide. The route is easy to walk and you’ll see coffee plantations, towering bamboos, countless varieties of plant, waterfalls and cool tranquil pools. You may even catch a glimpse of tocororo, the national bird of Cuba.
Diana Vajda

Cuba by bike

I travelled Cuba by bike, and the greatest part was the two-hour ride on the gravel road from Viñales to the Cuevas de los Portales, the caves that were Che Guevara’s shelter during the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962. The caves were well-explained by a local historian with not too much ideological distortion. The impressive Cuban landscape, with its red shining soil and small farms, offers great views. It was my favourite excursion in Cuba, with a mix of outdoor experience and impressions about real life, versus communist ideology.
Moctezumatz

Hotel Maria la Gorda

Maria la Gorda is at the western tip of Cuba, a good hour’s drive from the nearest town – just getting there is an adventure. Most people go for the scuba diving, which makes it perfect for anyone wanting some peace and quiet. Most guests pile on to a boat after breakfast, giving non-divers the run of the place including a secluded white beach.
villamarialagorda.com, rooms from £29 a night
dyfrigj

Salsa Festival, Varadero

Every year in Cuba, the nation’s love for this sensual style of dance is harnessed at the International Festival of Salsa, known as Varadero Baila. With a selection of dance classes and workshops around the city, you can either enrol to master the basics or watch a live show. We travelled to La Comparsita, an open-air venue where one of Cuba’s most renowned salsa acts, Yumuri y Sus Hermanos took to the stage and everyone got up to dance. If you’re a salsa novice, learn some simple steps and give it a try to absorb the true salsa culture.
varaderobaila.com
WhyWasteAnnualLeave

Hotel Ambos Mundos, Havana

Hotel Ambos Mundos is not a place for a quiet break – it’s on a lively pedestrianised street – but it has some great art deco fittings. The large rooftop bar and restaurant has great views of the port and old town. It’s also the hotel where Hemmingway lived, and you can even see his room (number 511).
hotelambosmundos-cuba.com, standard rooms from £57 per night
MigraineJones

Trinidad de Cuba

A Unesco world heritage site, this town has beautiful streets and beautiful beaches a short bus ride away. It was a real surprise, visited on the spur of the moment. Take a horse ride through the hills to a hidden freshwater pool – just remember long trousers, your swimming gear and some cash for the mojito shack!
whc.unesco.org/en/list/460
MikeLymane

Valle de Viñales

Cuba has some fantastic national parks with unique scenery that will really inspire the adventurer in you. Our highlights includes the ethereal limestone peaks of Viñales national park and Valle de Viñales, which we explored by bike. This area is also steeped in tradition and history, offering a great insight into the “real” Cuba, with many tobacco plantations and agricultural land still being tilled as it was hundreds of years ago.
skedaddle.co.uk
Fran Wilson