The top-floor restaurant, cross-ventilated through French doors, exudes

yesteryear charm and has the same stupendous views. Its therefore easy

to forgive the ho-hum food. The mahogany bar tempts you to light up a

cigar and quaff a mojito. There's also a disco here, but forget it.

You're here for the scenery and Viñales' pickled-in-aspic lifestyle. The

Los Jazmines main building is graced with tilework, wrought-iron

balconies, and stained-glass mediopuntos (half-moon windows), all in

elegant traditional fashion. Bedrooms here are larger than the newer

units in the modern adjunct on the hillside; either way, ask for an

upper-story room to guarantee the best views. We also like the 16 more

rustic duplex cabañas beneath the pool. But furnishings (especially the

tired fabrics) screamed out for upgrading at our last visit.