The Cuban archipelago, a fast-growing tourist destination in the Caribbean region that benefits from its privileged geographic location, offers a wide range of recreational options that are complemented by the country's nature, culture and history.

Dozens of excellent beaches are distributed throughout the island and are accessible from the cities, which treasure valuable cultural, historic and traditional elements.

One of those cities is the Cuban capital, whose traditions, architecture, culture and Caribbean climate are complemented by hotels and facilities linked to the tourism industry.

Many buildings that are Havana's landmarks, like the hotels Riviera and Nacional, are on the Malecón.

The Riviera, which is close to the Meliá Cohíba Hotel, provides entertainment options such as the legendary Copa Room Cabaret, where tourists can enjoy good Cuban music.

Those who prefer to enjoy a good meal by the sea can visit the 1830 Restaurant, which is on the westernmost tip of the Malecón and which might become a flag restaurant in Havana in a short term.

A sort of sentinel of the city is the Hotel Nacional de Cuba, owned by the group Gran Caribe and the flag hotel in Cuba's tourism industry. The hotel was declared a National Monument.

Havana's historic heart holds most of the city's museums, churches, cultural centers and buildings from the Spanish colonial period, including 33,000 buildings, most of which were built from the 18th to the 19th centuries.

Those who like to venture into the winding streets and alleys of Old Havana can stay in a network of small hotels where time seems to have stopped centuries ago and where they can enjoy all amenities of modern tourism.

In central Cuba, Cienfuegos offers a score of libraries, 11 museums, more than 30 movie halls and five theaters, in addition to houses of culture, art galleries and monuments, are visited by both national and foreign tourists every year.

Among the city's many attractions is the José Martí Park, built on the site where the village of Fernandina de Sagua was founded in April 1819. In the park, there are bronze and stone busts of the most relevant personalities of the city.

Surrounding the park are the only Arc of Triumph in Cuba, built in 1902, and the Tomás Terry Theater, one of Cuba's three major theaters in the 19th century, where prominent artists such as Enrico Caruso performed.

In the west, vacationers can visit the city of Matanzas, the capital of the western province of the same name and also known as the Athens of Cuba or the Venice of the Americas, due to the many rivers running through it, where both commerce and culture flourished during the Spanish colonial period.