Cuba - Lonely Planet [92]
Hotel Deauville (Hotetur; 866-8812; Av de Italia No 1 cnr Malecón; s/d/tr CUC$61/88/99; ) The Deauville is housed in a kitschy seafront high-rise that sharp-eyed Havana-watchers will recognize from picturesque Malecón-at-sunset postcards. But while the location might be postcard-perfect, the facilities inside this former Mafia gambling den don’t quite match up to the stellar views. Currently reborn in peach and red and already showing the effects of the corrosive sea water, the Deauville’s handy facilities (money exchange and car rental) and reasonably priced restaurant are ever popular with the mid-priced tour-circuit crowd; plus it’s great for an early morning Malecón stroll.
TOP END
Hotel Inglaterra (Gran Caribe; 860-8595; Paseo de Martí No 416; s/d/tr CUC$84/120/168; ) It’s José Martí’s one-time Havana hotel of choice and it’s still playing on the fact – which says something about the current state of affairs. The Inglaterra is a better place to hang out than actually to stay in, with its exquisite Moorish lobby and crusty colonial interior easily outshining the lackluster and often viewless rooms. The rooftop bar’s a popular watering hole and the downstairs foyer is a hive of bustling activity where there’s always music blaring. Beware of the streets outside which are full of overzealous hustlers waiting to pounce.
Hotel Telégrafo (Habaguanex; 861-1010, 861-4741; Paseo de Martí No 408; s/d from CUC$100/160; ) A bold royal-blue charmer on the northwest corner of Parque Central, this Habaguanex beauty juxtaposes old-style architectural features (the original building hails from 1888) with futuristic design flourishes that include shiny silver sofas, a huge winding central staircase and an amazingly intricate tile mosaic emblazoned on the wall of the downstairs cafe. The rooms are equally spiffy.
Hotel Sevilla (Gran Caribe; 860-8560; Trocadero No 55 btwn Paseo de Martí & Agramonte; s/d incl breakfast CUC$150/210; ) Al Capone once hired out the whole 6th floor, Graham Greene used it as a setting for his novel Our Man in Havana and the Mafia requisitioned it as operations centre for their prerevolutionary North American drugs racket. Refurbished by the French Sofitel group in 2002, the Hotel Sevilla now sparkles like the colonial jewel of old with large spacious rooms, comfortable beds and a lobby straight out of the Alhambra.
Hotel Saratoga (Habaguanex; 868-1000; Paseo de Martí No 603; s/d CUC$200/275; ) One of Havana’s newest, ritziest and most dramatic hotels, the glittering Saratoga is an architectural work-of-art that stands imposingly at the intersection of Prado and Dragones with fantastic views over toward the Capitolio. Sharp, if officious, service is a premium here, as are the extra-comfortable beds, power showers and a truly decadent rooftop swimming pool. Not surprisingly, there’s a price for all this luxury. The Saratoga is Havana’s most expensive hotel and, while its facilities impress, its service can’t quite match up to the marginally cheaper Meliás.
Hotel NH Parque Central (NH Hotels; 860-6627; www.nh-hotels.com; Neptuno btwn Agramonte & Paseo de Martí; s/d CUC$205/270; ) If you have a penchant for hanging out – but not staying – in expensive five-star hotel lobbies sipping mojitos, the Parque Central could fill a vacuum. Reserving a room’s another (more expensive) matter. Outside Havana’s two Meliás, the NH is, without a doubt, Havana’s best international-standard hotel with service and business facilities on a par with top-ranking five-star facilities elsewhere in the Caribbean. Although the fancy lobby and classily furnished rooms may lack the historical