Cuba's tourist industry, which benefits from the island's privileged location in the Caribbean region, offers a wide range of natural, cultural and historic options to meet the needs of the most demanding tourists.
Traditional tourist options, including dozens of kilometers of excellent beaches, are complemented by a hotel infrastructure that provides accommodation, excellent cuisine and extrahotel activities.
In addition to world-renowned establishments such as the Hotel Nacional de Cuba, in Havana, and establishments run by foreign hotel chains, other facilities provide excellent services in developing areas.
One of those destinations is Covarrubias beach, in the eastern province of Las Tunas, where the villa of the same name has become a one-of-a-kind option for thousands of nature lovers who stay there every year.
The beach offers a six-kilometer coral reef that is 1.5 kilometers off the coast, so it is an excellent choice for diving enthusiasts.
East of Covarrubias is Laguna Real (Royal Lagoon), which has pink water due to the pigmentation of microorganisms living in it. The lagoon is shallow and is a source of food for several flocks of birds, including gannets, pink flamingos and American herons.
Also in eastern Cuba is the Hotel La Gran Piedra, the only establishment in the country that accommodates guests at 1,225 meters above sea level. It is surrounded by a breathtakingly beautiful natural environment.
Considered a cozy tourist complex in the mountain, the hotel has the additional attraction of being surrounded by the ruins of ancient coffee farms that were declared Humankind's Cultural Heritage by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
In Ciego de Avila province, the city of Morón offers the hotel of the same name, which specializes in incentive tourism and is 18 kilometers from the local international airport.
Laguna de la Leche (Milk Lagoon) is three kilometers from the Morón Hotel. It covers an area of 66 square kilometers, so it is Cuba's largest reservoir.
The lagoon is a safe haven for pink flamingos and other aquatic birds, and it is an excellent choice to hold regattas and carnivals.
In Holguín, the attractions of the province's north coast are complemented by the Pernik Hotel, which was inaugurated in 1980 and was named after the Bulgarian city of the same name.
Tourists can also stay at La Rusa Hotel, in Baracoa, the first village founded by the Spanish conquistadors in Cuba. It is a cozy and familiar 12-room establishment by the sea.
The hotel was named after the former owner, a Russian woman who settled in Baracoa after traveling the world. She inspired Cuban author Alejo Carpentier when he wrote the novel "The Consecration of the Spring".