WHERE TO STAY

Hotels in Trinidad are a little thin on the ground - especially if you are looking for anything upmarket. However, if you do decide to stay, the Hotel Ancon, the Horizontes Club Costa Sur, the Hostal Dona Maria, the Motel Las Cuevas, and the Costasur are all clean, spacious and well worth a night or two.

WHERE TO EAT AND PARTY

Many of Trinidad's restaurants and bars are located in old Spanish mansions that were at one time or another the homes of some of the towns leading families (before the town's fortunes began to wane). These picturesque surroundings make dining out (usually on seafood) in the town a pleasure beyond words. And, after that, there's always the good-hearted Cuban nightlife to look out for:

· Ayala - Trinidad's most famous discotheque is built is a beautiful underground grotto. A chance to meet up with the younger crowd of Trinidad can be found here

· Bar Casa de la Musica - a restaurant-come-bar, the Bar Casa de la Musica is set in rambling open-air surroundings, which give it both a rustic and relaxing afternoon feel. Good for a late lunch or early dinner

· Bar Colonial - Another of Trinidad's more relaxing bars, this theme-related bar tries to recapture the feeling of late Nineteenth Century Cuba

· Bar Pegaduro - this bar overlook the town from one of its highest vantage-points. You also get a spectacular view of the Valle de los Ingenios from here. More of a bar than a nightclub, a pleasant place for sundowners!

· Restaurante El Jigue - This restaurant is worth a mention purely because its house specialty is not seafood! Here they specialize in serving chicken - so could be a good one to go to if you want a change from all that seafood!

· Restaurante Don Anontio - Probably the most popular restaurant in Trinidad. Again though, it does specialize in seafood, but does a mean Paella to boot!

· Restaurante Meson del Regidor - the house specialties here are the Langosta El Regidor and the Coctel de langosta y camarones but the highlight of this restaurant, built in 1801, is its fantastic Spanish Inn style and decor

· Restaurante Plaza Mayor - this restaurant is known as being a family orientated restaurant. As with other restaurants in the town, it is built around historic Spanish colonial buildings and verandas. Again, seafood is the house specialty - this time it's the Langosta Mariposa.