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"You are best writer in the whole damn universe!!! You are the Holy Typewriter of consumerism, and the understated Barcode of reviewers. in my opinion" Timbo3107
Member since:22.02.2004
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For our recent holiday in Cuba we had opted for a two centre stay as a way of combining some relaxation with a chance to sample the culture of the country. For me the part of the trip I was most eagerly anticipating was the time we were to spend in Havana and as part of that I was looking forward to staying at the Hotel Nacional De Cuba, after all if it was good enough for Sinatra then it must be good enough for my own version of the rat pack although for some reason the family were not keen on the rodent description.
One of the reasons behind choosing the Nacional was the long rather impressive lists of celebrities that had stayed there particularly in its hey day before the revolution and the rule of Fidel Castro but even more recently it has attracted some top names including Colin Farrell to add to the former history of Hollywood A listers, politicians, sports stars like Ali and mafia bosses. The booking was made through Virgin Holidays so I do not have an individual breakdown of the cost of the room however when booking we were told that the only room available was an Executive Room on the sixth floor which would cost an additional £20 per night but did come with some benefits. At the time I was a bit dubious of the claims but actually the extra £20 was well worth it. I do think that Virgin must only have a limited access to rooms or I was being misled as given the size of the hotel and the fact that someone I later to spoke to had booked well after we had and was not restricted to a booking on the sixth floor I find it hard to believe that only one room was free at the time I booked.
According to the hotels website the room rates currently range from 120 CUC for a single room to 1000 CUC for the Presidential suite. Our room on the 6th floor is priced at 245 CUC which includes breakfast and converts to about £140 per night so it is not that expensive for a five star hotel
and reflects the fact that Cuba as a destination can represent great value. In total there are 457 rooms at the Nacional and 15 suites, you will pay extra if you want to stay in any of the rooms where someone like Sinatra is supposed to have stayed.
The Nacional is located in the area of Havana called Vedado and is a tourist attraction in its own right. It is certainly an impressive building with some lovely grounds and our room had a wonderful view of the ocean as well as the Memorial a la victimas del Maine. From the rear of the hotel you can access the Malecon, the long coastal road on which the people of Havana gather on a summers evening to strut their stuff and hang out. It is certainly worth spending some of your visit exploring the hotel, the tiled lobby is spectacular and is a very active bustling part of the hotel with guests coming and going all through the day, passing through this you enter out onto the lovely veranda, the place where you should go to enjoy your first mojito after the rigours of your journey. Getting at wicker sofa to recline on is a delight especially if some live music is being played and the gardens are well set out with some wild birds strutting their stuff. The hotel has a rich history and there are exhibits to see as well and also within the grounds are the Taganana cave which is worth a visit.
I mentioned earlier there were some benefits to be had with staying on the sixth floor and the first of these is that you have your own check in desk, upon arriving we were able to avoid the long queues for both check in and a second one to convert money to the local tourist currency, instead we merely identified our bags to the concierge and took the lift straight to the sixth floor. This was much appreciated after a long flight and the hassle of Cuban immigration and we were in our room within five minutes of setting foot in the hotel and our bags were there ten minutes later. The whole process was very efficient and polite and the receptionist was very friendly. You also have your own porter on the sixth and the reception desk staff are able to arrange bookings for the restaurants as well.
Having not seen a standard room I'm not sure whether the executive rooms are a lot different to the standard rooms, I would guess not, on the plus side our room was large and well appointed with a sea view as well as looking down on one of the two pools at the hotel. There was a slightly musty smell to the room however that cleared once the air conditioner kicked in, this was a rather dated looking system but it certainly did the job and was not too noisy. The room was very clean and had a lovely writing desk. The bathroom was very modern and well fitted with a huge mirror in it and loads of toiletries. There was a separate hanging area and a walk in storage room for your luggage. The one thing the room lacked was adequate draws to store clothes however after seeing the quality of carpentry at the modern resort we stayed at next this absence was explained. Instead we made do with the shelf used to store additional blankets which we did not need. Overall I was pleased with the room, it had a sense of style and did not reflect a modern clinical hotel room, I liked the two rocking chairs and the writing desk while the kids appreciated the large TV. The beds were very comfortable and the room was quiet at night allowing for a good nights sleep assisted by a lot of walking and a couple or three mojitos. There is also a safe in the room for your belongings which costs 3cuc to hire out per day.
It would have been quite possible to eat in a different place within the hotel every night of our four night stay however in total we sampled two of the available restaurants. There is a large buffet restaurant where we dined the first night, this has a huge selection of European and Cuban dishes and you can go up as many times as you like on a self service basis. I was impressed with the quality and range of food and also the staff were quick to top up drinks and clear plates. If memory serves me right it was 25cuc a head. It was also big enough that it did not feel overly crowded however people who also used it for breakfast said it was a bit of a scrum at times. The other big benefit of being on the sixth floor was your own breakfast area which made it very relaxing with a nice view out over Havana and also lots of fresh food to eat. I loved having mango for breakfast as it was so refreshing. The breakfast buffet was quite unusual as it catered for a wide range of tastes so for the first time ever I found myself eating Chinese food in the morning as well on one occasion.
The other restaurant we tried was set out in the gardens and served traditional Cuban dishes; this was very nice and pleasant as it was an open style restaurant with the night sounds of the wildlife mingling with the human made sounds of Havana. There is also a posh restaurant serving an a la carte menu however this one we did not try as it looked too European in what it offered. Finally there is a pizza and burger restaurant tucked away which is based on a film set style and would be popular with small children or people looking for something quick.
The hotel is packed full of facilities. The pool is well set out and very popular after a hard days sight seeing with plenty of sun lounges and a bar area that also serves food. There are a few shops in the hotel with an impressive cigar shop and rum emporium as well as clothes shops and souvenir stores. All of the porters are very helpful and there are always a long line of cabs waiting outside to whisk you off into Havana, indeed you can opt for the standard modern cabs and there are a few of the 50's style cars as well or you can go with the horse and carriage option. Once out of the grounds of the hotel Vedado is a vibrant part of the city which is great to explore both at day and at night where it is pretty safe as long as you have your wits about you, something that applies to all tourist destinations around the world.
I was really looking forward to staying at the Nacional and it did not disappoint, sure these days other hotels in Havana will cost more and have better facilities but no matter how much they spend building these new hotels you cannot construct a sense of history, the hotel manages to keep a good balance of exploiting its past and the famous people who have stayed there without going overboard and being tacky. The service was always friendly without being pushy and a tip is a good way of showing your appreciation. It was also the only place that actually recognised the fact that I was celebrating my birthday while on holiday with a nice bottle of bubbly and a card. In doing that they put to shame Virgin Airlines and Tryp PeninsulaResort. If I ever return to Havana I will certainly want to stay there again as it was a great experience.
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