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Cuba
Cuba is great and part of the fun is discovering places to stay by yourself - we stayed in many casas particulares (private homes) - some better (and friendlier) than others, but none were dire. A great way to meet locals, especially if you find ones where you can communicate with the owner (ie if you speak Spanish, or they speak English).
When travelling around, taxi drivers (some licensed, some not) hang around bus stations to offer shared rides - which can be cheaper and get you to your destination much quicker.
Remember to take cash - cards don't work in ATMs and changing money on a card, or buying anything on a card is punitively expensive - around 12% charge.
Avoid Varadero if you can - you may as well go to the Costa Del Sol.
If you want to experience great Cuban hospitality with a lovely family in central Havana I would highly recommend Casa Mer.
Wilfred and his family share their sweet art deco villa for a very affordable price and it's just a stroll or taxi away from the jazz clubs, the Malecon and central Havana shopping and night life. They also recommended to us other Cuban families to stay with in other towns which worked out well as the local government hotels aren't so great and cost about five times the price!
Casa Mer
calle 28 # 206
entre 21 y 19
Vedado Habana Cuba
telefono (537) 833 44 12
www.casamer.justincuba.com/
If you like photography then taking photos of people and places in Havana is amazing. If you can learn the Spanish for "may I take your photo" you will be rewarded with some really great shots:
www.alib.co.uk/photos/index_cuba06_people.htm
Stay at least one night in the Hotel National just for the history. The view from the garden is amazing. Grab a drink and watch the sun set over the old city.
For more personal tips see my guide with a couple of suggestions:
www.alib.co.uk/guides/index.htm
This hotel is part of the Habaguanex group which a friend recommended to me. You should pre-book in the UK as you will get a better rate than you will otherwise. Located close to the Plaza Vieja it is an art nouveau style building - we had a beautifully furnished room on the top floor which was vast. Breakfast was good too. It was very tranquil in the first week in November but at peak times it might be less so. Good view from the roof terrace.
Hotel Nacional is well worth just the one night at least. The breakfast is amazing (all world cuisines covered in one room). Mojitos in the garden with bands serenading and the sea view in front - it's an amazing way to start (or end your visit).
A Casa particular in Vedado (Habana). We stayed with Horacio and his wife, and were made to feel very welcome. He speaks fluent English, is extremely enthusiastic about his city - making recommendations, made good (but simple) breakfasts, and as we were three (one couple) travelling, the fact that there were two rooms to hire was ideal.
However, the outstanding feature was the house itself, with (as the name suggests) antiques abounding, a lovely balcony, grand piano and huge four poster beds. We were stuck in the house during Hurricane Charley (2004) and despite this, it was such a memorable end to our month in Cuba. Highly Recommended.
Staying at Casa Antigua gives you first-hand experience of how the Cubans live. Horatio and Marta run their “casa particular” (the Cuban version of a B&B) with a great deal of pride. They have managed to restore their 1940s villa, replacing once-lost original features, and have rescued their family's antique furniture to create a fascinating environment for their guests. With limited resources, they offer a warm welcome, good breakfast and tips and ideas for how to make the most of your stay in Cuba. Speaking excellent English, they are happy to talk about the history and politics of Cuba as well as recommending the best bars, restaurants and things to do in and around Havana. To get the best out of Cuba, stay with a family - it's an experience you'll never forget and much cheaper than staying in impersonal hotels.
The casa is in the district of Vedado, Havana;
www.casantigua.justincuba.com/casaen/
Staying in a homestay is a great way to meet people.. There are a few websites that offer information though you can also just have a little wander when you get there, and it's cheap. The family will cook for you (often way too much food!) and help you out with all other stuff. Learn some Spanish as it is a fantastic way to chat to locals and find out more. The Cubans are perhaps some of the warmest people I have ever encounteredand and are very interesting to talk to.
This hotel is perfectly positioned across the square from Hotel Inglaterra if you want to drink in old Havana, and viewing the town centre from its rooftop pool is worth the stay.
Neptuno, esquina Prado y Zulueta Habana Vieja (Cuba), Havana;
tel: +53 78 606627; fax: +53 78 606630;
email: nhparcen@nh-hoteles.cu;
www.nh-hotels.com
I highly recommend Parque Central Hotel. It gets too hot to stay out in the middle of the day and it is in a very convenient location for popping in and out.
Neptuno, esquina Prado y Zulueta, Havana;
tel: 7 860 6627;
www.nh-hotels.com
Recently rennovated, it's one of the nicest hotels in Havana for its price range. Looks great and if you ask nicely you can stay in the room mentioned in 'Our Man in Havana'.
Calle Trocadero 55, between Prado and Zulueta, Havana
It's not easy to find gay-friendly casas particulares in Cuba, but I have a great time in Havana, thanks largely to the owner of the apartment I stay in. He goes out of his way to help, and I really feel at home there. The place really is gay-friendly and I feel completely at ease there. It's in Havana Centro, just 15 minutes from the Malecon and from Coppelia, two areas where people gather to meet friends and stroll about (and which are also the two most popular cruising areas). Habana Vieja (Old Havana), where there are many historical monuments, theatres, museums etc. is also within walking distance. He charges 25 CUC a day per room, with AC, a private bathroom and a fridge in your room. He speaks English too. If you've never been to Havana before Jorge will also show you around these places the first time you go there, if you want. He doesn't normally offer meals but I asked and he does for me, and I am very satisfied with the food. I thoroughly recommend the place, it really makes my trips extra special! Of course, women are very welcome there too.
San Jose 875, entre Oquendo y Soledad, Centro Habana;
email: bojimor@yahoo.es;
casajorge.50webs.com
Reading reviews of Havana and seeing the repetitious recommendations for the Nacional or the Inglaterra makes me wonder if the reviewers visited anywhere else. OK, so both have a 'history', but then so do several others if you're a Hemingway or Graham Greene buff, but that's no reason to actually stay there. No, in Havana there are two primary considerations: location and functionality.
The Nacional is a characterful hotel which is great to visit and sip a mojito overlooking the Malecon, but it is miles from the centre of things and a taxi ride to everywhere. The Inglaterra is certainly well-located but if you're going to stay on the edge of both the old town and central park there is no better choice than the eponymous Parque Central.
Because of its location you can break your day up and dive back to the hotel between forays; a major benefit when it's hot and humid. It's modern (translation: the architecture is out of step with the fine old buildings around it) and so everything works and after a hard day's sightseeing the rooftop pool is THE place for a cooling dip, with fabulous views towards the Capitolio.
Neptuno, esquina Prado y Zulueta Habana Vieja, Havana;
tel: +53 78 606627; fax: +53 78 606630;
email: nhparcen@nh-hoteles.cu;
www.nh-hotels.com
If you’re looking for a place in Havana then stay at a casa particular. They are much more interesting and comfortable than staying in a government hotel.
A great one for the area of Vedado is that run by Armando Guiterrez. The apartment is modern, and the room to rent is ensuite, very clean, a good size with air conditioning and right in the centre of Vedado - and all at reasonable cost for Havana.
He speaks fantastic English and French and is more than happy to help with anything that needs to be sorted out for your holiday as well as explain how to solve any problems that the Cuban system presents. We stayed for 2 nights at the end of our holiday and wished that we could have stayed for longer. To leave Cuba from here really left us with an amazingly positive feeling about people.
Calle 21 No 62, Apartment No 7 between Calle M & N, in Vedado Havana;
tel: +53 7 832 1876
If you are staying at the Hotel Nacional in Havana, pay the extra 30 USD per night for a room on the Executive Floor. A few perks, and a separate breakfast room; the rooms seem bigger than on the other floor, too.
Hotel Nacional de Cuba, Calle 21 y O, Vedado, Plaza, Ciudad de la Habana 10400;
tel: (53-7) 33 3564 al 67. www.hotelnacionaldecuba.com
Based on the Malekon, overlooking the sea and the bay, this is the best hotel in Havana - full of history and atmosphere. A tour of the hotel is a must, as you can see the trenches and bunkers built in the early 60s in preparation for a possible US invasion.
Calle 21 y O, Vedado, Plaza, Ciudad de la Habana, Cuba, 10400;
tel: (53-7) 836 3564 al 67;
www.hotelnacionaldecuba.com
On the Malekon - cannot miss it
We stayed in the wonderful Sevilla Hotel in Havana and then 2 Casa Particulars (people's houses) in Trinidad and then back in Havana. In retrospect I would probably have finished with the hotel as after 2 weeks in Cuba you really need a bit of luxury! The casas are great however, as you get to stay with a proper Cuban family and they love kids.
Carrie found us all the casas, and she was invaluable. Her site is www.cuba-particular.com and you can contact her at carrie@cuba-particular.com
The Parque Central area is the place to stay when visiting Havana. A cheaper alternative to the Parque Central Hotel is the adjoining Hotel Plaza, which was built circa 1905 and has since been renovated, with a marvellous entrance and lobby. Rooms are small and dark, but you only use them for sleeping. No pool but you can use the one down the street at the Hotel Sevilla for a few CUCs (1.08 $ U.S.) One should visit the rooftop dining room at the Sevilla, have a drink at the sidewalk cafe of the Inglaterra, and see what's happening on the Inglaterra roof, Friday or Saturday (all within 1 minute from the hotel). The roof of the Plaza gives the best view of the Bacardi building just to the east. The Sevilla and the Telegrafo are intermediate in quality and price, between the Plaza and the Parque Central. Also, it’s very close to the two art museums (don't miss the modern one of Cuban art, in between the Sevilla and the Museum of the Revolution).
Ingnacio Agramonte 267, Habana Vieja, Havana, in the north east corner of Parque Centrale, adjacent to Hotel Parque Central. Food, drinks, bottled water, bank just across the street
Casa Rosita is a casa particular on the fifth storey of a typical communist, cement apartment block with a fantastic view of the city. Located in Vedado on Ave.23 it is easy to get around from there. Rooms are very big and comfortable with air conditioning and hot water.
Nearby is the paladar 'el hueco' which gives big portions for reasonable prices. They will also cook you delicious lobster at Rosita's if you wish.
Ave. 23, No. 1516, Apto. 10, 5to piso, e/ 24 y 26, Vedado, Habana
tel: 7 830 2584
The Nacional - where else would one stay? The perfectly concocted mojito served on the terrace with the warm breeze off the Gulf of Mexico was a travel moment to savour. Also Hotel Ingleterra is a safe, central bet. Unlike most places in Havana it has the merit of not being on the Ernest Hemingway circuit.
Both in central Havana;
www.hotelnacionaldecuba.com;
www.hotelinglaterracuba.com
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