Hannahshorizons
Google
My husband, our eleven-year-old daughter and I really enjoyed our stay in this hotel. We wanted somewhere that kept the old Cuban style decor, not somewhere really modern and without character, but a swimming pool was also important to us for entertainment and for cooling off.||We arrived at the hotel (in a vintage American Chevrolet, no less) very late in the evening and were greeted with a warm welcome, by security and reception. Check in was quick and easy and we were shown to our rooms, trying to take in as much of the interior and the live music as we could along the way to the lifts.||The rooms were spacious and simple but the views of the Havana skyline were beautiful! We had a corner room so were lucky to have a window overlooking the pool and another looking down on to the main road (which doesn't sound promising but, trust me, it was perfect!). We could see El Capitolio and the Inglaterra to our left, the sea in front and, just about, the Malecón to our right. The room was incredibly hot on our first night so sleep was difficult but I think this was the only thing that stopped us resting, as the bed was huge and comfortable. The air con only let out a sigh of warm air, which wasn't enough to combat the 30+ outdoor temperature.||This air con issue was very quickly attended to, during our welcome meeting with our Love Cuba Havana rep, Arte. He spoke with reception and the problem was fixed by bedtime that day. Thank you, again!||I've been reading about Cuba for around 20 years and I'm well aware of the problems they face. Problems which, sadly seem to be worsening by the day. However, breakfasts were included and, despite the juice seemingly being watered down to make it go further, had plenty of variety. There were different flavoured juices, yoghurts, cereal, prepped fruit, meat and eggs and pastries. We never saw cows milk in our five night stay but that wasn't an issue for us. We understand 'real' milk is hard to come by. It was a relief to see that staff were able to have their own breakfast at the hotel, as we know the difficulties locals face with rations, etc. I'd hate to think of food going to waste if the guests didn't eat it all. Service was quick and polite. One waiter even offered to add chocolate syrup to our daughter's milk that she'd requested and she was so happy!||The lobby area is really thoughtfully decorated, with comfortable seating, art (Havana does love their art), books and ornaments, plants and the tiles are so pretty. One of the best things though, is the arched windows, which don't actually have glass in, so you can lean out and do more people watching.||The patio area, to the right of the reception desk is open air and stunning with sweeping palm trees, pillars, a marble statue water feature and string lights. We loved sitting there on our last night, having dinner under the stars and palm leaves. The food is quite nice, we wouldn't say it was anything special, but it is Cuba and they have to work with what they can get. One thing a trip to Cuba should teach you is gratitude. The food may not be up to your standards when it comes to four star accommodation BUT they've done their best with limited means and you will not go hungry. The locals can't say the same. Be mindful of this.||The pool area is great! It was low season so there were always plenty of loungers available, the only thing is there are no shaded areas. They were working on an area by the pool during our stay so it was a bit noisy at times but it's nice to see they are able to make improvements, a lot of Havana's buildings are crumbling. I guess, where there are tourists to look after, things are different. The pool was warm, there's only quiet music coming from the pool bar, nothing loud and overbearing, you can enjoy the sounds of the rumbling of American cars, birds and distant chatter from the surrounding streets. Plus, more people watching! We had lunch at the pool bar a few times; the menu isn't too limited, the exchange rate is government, as it's a hotel, so not the best but it's ok.||There is a really nice outdoor lounge area before the steps down to the pool but we couldn't use it. The lounger cushions are already in place so they're scorching hot, you can't touch them! A polite suggestion would be that they are stored indoors somewhere and guests can just take one when they're ready to use it, rather than having them bake in the sun all morning! ||The internet is fine, for Cuban standards. I think you can use it most places around the hotel, it's not just restricted to public areas. The only weird thing is the password seems to expire regularly, even though they enter the departure date on your ticket. It's a quick fix by letting reception know, so not a big deal, just a heads up.||I'm not sure what other facilities are available here, as we didn't use anything else. There is another restaurant and a separate, small bar upstairs somewhere, where one of the windows perfectly frames El Capitolio. I can't comment on anything else there though.||The staff were nice but Nadia was the best. We'd like her to be recognised for this. She was always smiling, seemed genuinely happy to see us, ask about our day and our plans for the next. She gave us some tips on how to get to Calle Obispo (walking street for souvenirs and cafes). Thank you again, Nadia. Xx||The hotel is within walking distance of some good restaurants - we went to La, Familia and ChaChaChá. There's also the Malecón a few minutes away. You can watch people swimming and fishing and have a chat with the locals. Be sure to have some small notes, preferably $1, handy for the street vendors selling doughnuts and guava biscuits. It's also a good idea to prepare some packs to give out to those you wish to, containing things they can't get hold of, like painkillers, tissues, hair accessories, plasters, etc. Just be careful as beggars are everywhere, sadly. If only we could help everyone!
