Cuba - Lonely Planet [118]
Hotels
Hostal Costa Sol ( 202-8269; Calle 60 No 307, Miramar; s/d CUC$25/36) Operated by the Ministerio de Educación Superior, this small cheap place with 11 rooms is Miramar’s only true bargain. Cubans are the premier guests, so don’t expect tourist-style luxuries, though there’s an OK restaurant and the staff is friendly enough. Phone ahead rather than turn up as this place is sometimes block-booked.
Hotel El Bosque (Gaviota; 204-9232; Calle 28A btwn Calles 49A & 49B, Kohly; s/d CUC$45/60; ) Economical and grossly underrated, El Bosque is the better and less costly arm of the Gaviota-run Kohly-Bosque complejo (complex). Clean and friendly, the hotel lies on the banks of the Río Almendares surrounded by the Bosque de La Habana – the city’s green lungs – and is a good (and rare) midrange choice in this neck of the woods. The 54 rooms are small but functional, there’s 24-hour internet, and out back a pleasant terrace overlooks the wooded slopes of the nearby river.
Hotel Kohly (Gaviota; 204-0240; cnr Calles 49A & 36, Kohly; s/d CUC$50/65; ) Just up the road, the Kohly is similarly priced to El Bosque and makes up for its utilitarian exterior with an inviting swimming pool and excellent pizza restaurant which is often open until late.
Aparthotel Montehabana (Gaviota; 206-9595; Calle 70 btwn Avs 5A & 7, Playa; s/d/tr CUC$60/80/110; ) This modern Gaviota giant opened in December 2005 with the promise of something a little different. One hundred and one of the rooms here are apartments with living rooms and fully equipped kitchens – a great opportunity to hit the Havana markets and find out how the Cubans cook. To help you in the kitchen there are microwaves, refrigerators, toasters and coffee machines – even your own cutlery. If you’re not up to cooking, the restaurant does a CUC$8 breakfast and a CUC$15 dinner buffet. Elsewhere the facilities are shiny and new with 24-hour internet, car rental and an on-site minimarket. Guests can use the pool at the Hotel Occidental Miramar next door.
Hotel El Comodoro (Cubanacán; 204-5551; cnr Av 3 & Calle 84, Playa; s/d CUC$65/90; ) Right on the coast with its own man-made beach (and ugly sea wall), this sprawling complex is a maze of shops, restaurants and accommodation, both old and new. The tatty main four-story building dates from 1952 and was last refurbished in 1987 (it shows). Elsewhere the two-story cabañas and bungalows, interspersed with a seemingly endless mishmash of swimming pools, are rather more attractive. There’s a tangible resort atmosphere here and with its varied shops and reputable spa, the Comodoro is pretty self-contained.
Hotel Chateau Miramar (Cubanacán; 204-0224; Av 1 btwn Calles 60 & 70, Playa; s/d CUC$90/125; ) It’s marketed as a ‘boutique hotel,’ but read between the lines – this château ain’t no Loire Valley retreat. Still, techno addicts will appreciate the free internet, flat-screen TV and direct international phone service that come with the otherwise mediocre rooms.
Panorama Hotel Habana (Gaviota; 204-0100; cnr Av 3 & Calle 70; s/d CUC$95/120; ) Gaviota’s flashy ‘glass cathedral’ on Playa’s rapidly developing hotel strip opened in 2003. The rather strange aesthetics – acres of blue-tinted glass – improve once you step inside the monumental lobby where ultramodern elevators whisk you promptly up to one of 317 airy rooms that offer great views over Miramar and beyond. Extra facilities include a business center, a photo shop, numerous restaurants and a spacious and shapely swimming pool. But, shrinking you in its scale, the Panorama is almost too big, giving the place a rather deserted and antiseptic feel.
Occidental Miramar (Gaviota; 204-3584; fax 204-3583; cnr Av 5 & Calle 74; s/d CUC$100/130; ) Formerly the Novotel, this 427-room colossus was taken over by Gaviota a few years back and has benefited as a result. Professional staff, great business facilities and high standards of service throughout are par for the course here. There are also plenty of sporty extras if the isolated location starts to grate, including tennis courts, a swimming