Cuba - Lonely Planet [93]
Vedado
BUDGET
Casas Particulares
Nelsy Alemán Machado ( 832-8467; Calle 25 No 361 apt 1 btwn Calles K & L; r CUC$25) Nelsy is one of two renters in this house up by the university and a stone’s throw from the Hotel Habana Libre. Geographically, it’s one of Vedado’s better options; safe and secure but within close proximity to most of the main action.
Basilia Pérez Castro ( 832-3953; bpcdt@hotmail.com; Calle 25 No 361 apt 7 Bajos btwn Calles K & L; r CUC$25) Basilia rents out two more rooms with independent entrances in the same house as Nelsy. It’s a mellow scene and good value.
Eddy Gutiérrez Bouza ( 832-5207; Calle 21 No 408 btwn Calles F & G; r CUC$30; ) Eddy is a fantastic host with a great knowledge of Havana and his huge colonial house has hosted many visitors over the years. It’s an inviting abode with a well-kept garden, grand exterior and Eddy’s 1974 Argentinian-made Dodge parked in the driveway. Guests are accommodated out back in comfortable quarters, and one room comes equipped with a kitchenette.
Guillermina & Roberto Abreu ( 833-6401; Paseo No 126 apt 13A btwn Calle 5 & Calzada; r CUC$30; ) On the 13th floor of a Vedado apartment block built in 1958, this is another ‘view’ property with two rooms, private baths and plush china furnishings. Hold your breath as you take the clunking elevator from the ground floor up.
Melba Piñeda Bermudez ( 832-5929; lienafp@yahoo.com; Calle 11 No 802 btwn Calles 2 & 4; r CUC$30) This 100-year-old villa in a shady Vedado street would be a millionaire’s pad anywhere else. But here in Havana, it’s a casa particular with two large rooms and decent meals served (handy as you’re more detached here). The front room is the brightest with a tranquil terrace overlooking a street thick with laurel trees.
Mercedes González ( 832-5840; mercylupe@hotmail.com; Calle 21 No 360 apt 2A btwn Calles G & H; r CUC$30-35) One of the most welcoming hosts in Havana, Mercedes comes highly recommended by readers, fellow travelers, other casa owners, you name it. Her lovely art-deco abode is a classic Vedado apartment with two fine rooms, an airy terrace and top-notch five-star service.
Manuel Martínez ( 832-6713; Calle 21 No 4 apt 22 btwn Calles N & O; r CUC$30-35) There are 10 to 12 casas in this magnificent art-deco building constructed in 1945 opposite the Hotel Nacional, so if you don’t get lucky here look for the blue sign and try again. This one overlooks the hotel gardens; about as close as you can get to Cuba’s famous five-star without having to pay the five-star rates.
Marta Vitorte ( 832-6475; martavitorte@hotmail.com; Calle G No 301 apt 14 btwn Calles 13 & 15; r CUC$35-40) Marta has lived in this sinuous apartment on Av de los Presidentes since 1960 – one look at the view and you’ll see why; it’s as if you’re standing atop the Martí monument with a glass-fronted wraparound terrace that soaks up 270° of Havana’s stunning panorama. Not surprisingly, the two rooms are deluxe with lovely furnishings, minibars and safes. Then there are the breakfasts, the laundry, the parking space, the lift attendant…get the drift?
Hotels
Hotel Bruzón (Islazul; 877-5684; Bruzón No 217 btwn Pozos Dulces & Av de la Independencia; s/d CUC$26/36; ) There are only two reasons to stay at the lackluster Bruzón: you’ve got an early morning bus to catch (the terminal is a handy 400m around the corner), or everywhere else is full. Otherwise, the claustrophobic rooms, lumpy beds and out-of-the-way location aren’t worth it.
MIDRANGE
Hotel Colina (Islazul; 836-4071; cnr Calles L & 27; s/d CUC$46/60; ) The friendliest and least