Hotels and Hostals in Cuba

General Introduction to Villa Clara, Cuba

Just a few years ago Villa Clara was a virtually unknown place for tourists, visited only by any unusual excursion, where at best, one would stay so as to go to visit the famous Ernesto Che Guevara's Memorial or to discover any of the others charms of this province in the middle of Cuba.

The construction of a stone road which communicates the mainland with Cayo Santa María, a very small isle only some 13 kilometers long and no wider than a mile, changed all this. Santa María Cay has an excellent beach (and which key of Cuba would not have it?), a charming landscape and an interesting flora which makes this place perfect for diving.

Until 1975, Villa Clara was part of the provincial block called Las Villas, made up also of the Sancti Spíritus and Cienfuegos provinces.

The northernmost part of the province also includes the Cays Ensenacho and Las Brujas.

The city of San Juan de los Remedios, whose historical centre was declared as national monument, is only 37 miles (60 Km) away from Santa María Cay. The capital of the province, Santa Clara, has many places of historical and cultural interest and the people living there is known by their hospitality. The city is also most celebrated because it was precisely there where Commnader Ernesto Ché Guevara, almost at the very end of the Cuban Revolution derailed an armoured train which transported weapons for the army of the Fulgencio Batista government (the one before the Fidel Castro regime), which marked a decisive turning point in the struggle against that government. The carcass of this train and many others relics are kept in the city museum.

Part of the Escambray mountains are located in the province of Villa Clara and contribute to make it one of the best places for ecotourism. Besides, the thermal and medicinal waters of the Elguea Spa help visitors to improve their health.