Cuba - Lonely Planet [119]
Hotel Meliá Habana (Cubanacán; 204-8500; Av 3 btwn Calles 76 & 80; r CUC$220; ) Ugly outside but beautiful within, Miramar’s gorgeous Hotel Meliá Habana, which opened in 1998, is one of the city’s best run and best equipped accommodation options. The 409 rooms (four of which are wheelchair-accessible) are positioned around a salubrious lobby abundant in hanging vines, marble statues and gushing water features, while outside Cuba’s largest and most beautiful swimming pool stands next to a desolate, rocky shore. Throw in polite, punchy service, an excellent buffet restaurant, and the occasional room discount, and you could be swayed.
CUBANACáN
There are two hotels in this neighborhood where you might end up if you’re here for an organized activity/conference.
Hotel Bello Caribe (Cubanacán; 273-9906; cnr Av 31 & Calle 158; s/d CUC$50/67; ) Next to the huge Centro de Ingenería Genética y Biotecnología, this hotel has 120 rooms often used by foreigners undergoing treatment at the nearby medical facilities.
Hotel Palco (Cubanacán; 204-7235; Calle 146 btwn Avs 11 & 13; s/d CUC$91/111; ) Two kilometers to the north and attached to the Palacio de las Convenciones, the Palco is a top business hotel normally block-booked by foreigners in town to attend a conference/symposium/product launch.
MARINA HEMINGWAY
Hotel Acuario (Cubanacán; 204-6336; cnr Aviota & Calle 248; s/d CUC$60/90; ) You really shouldn’t come to Marina Hemingway for the hotels. With the El Viejo y el Mar currently hosting medical patients from Venezuela, the only real option for foreign travelers is the strung-out Acuario, splayed between two of the harbor channels and infested with cheap out-of-date furnishings. If you’re booked for an early morning diving excursion, this place might just qualify, otherwise stay in Havana and count your blessings.
Eating
Playa contains some of Havana’s and Cuba’s best paladares, most of them situated in beautiful early 20th-century mansions with alfresco dining options. There are also some surprisingly good state-run restaurants. It’s worth the CUC$5 to CUC$10 taxi fare from the city center to eat out here.
PLAYA & MARIANAO
Paladar Los Cactus de 33 ( 203-5139; Av 33 No 3405 btwn Calles 34 & 36, Playa; noon-midnight) Reviewed in international lifestyle magazines and used as a setting on Cuban TV, this place has impeccable service, elegant surroundings, well-prepared food and outrageous prices, once you’ve factored in the taxi fare (it’s well out of the way). Bank on a minimum of CUC$20 for the house special, chicken breast with mushrooms, olives and cheese.
MIRAMAR
Pan.com ( 204-4232; cnr Av 7 & Calle 26; 10am-midnight) Not an internet cafe but a haven of Havana comfort food with hearty sandwiches, fantastic burgers and ice-cream milkshakes to die for. Join the diplomats under the airy front canopy.
Casa Española ( 206-9644; cnr Calle 26 & Av 7; noon-midnight) A medieval parody built in the Batista-era by the silly-rich Gustavo Guitérrez y Sánchez, this crenellated castle in Miramar recently found new life as a Spanish-themed restaurant cashing in on the Don Quijote legend. The ambience is rather fine, if you don’t mind suits of armor watching you as you tuck into paella, Spanish omelet or lanja cerdo al Jerez (Jerez-style pork fillet).
Dos Gardenias ( 204-2353; cnr Av 7 & Calle 28; noon-midnight) You can choose from grill, Chinese and pasta restaurants in this complex, which is also famous as a bolero hot spot. Stick around to hear the singers belting out the ballads later on.
Paladar Mi Jardín ( 203-4627; Calle 66 No 517; noon-midnight) The rare Cuban menu that offers chicken mole or tacos and quesadillas makes this Mexican place a keeper. Dining beneath the vine-covered trellis in the garden is recommended, as is the house special, fish Veracruz.
El Aljibe ( 204-1583/4; Av 7 btwn Calles 24 & 26; noon-midnight) On paper a humble Palmares restaurant, but in reality a rip-roaring culinary extravaganza, El Aljibe has been delighting both Cuban and foreign diplomatic taste buds for years.