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The Best Hotels in Cuba
Once limited in lodging options, travelers now have a choice of top-flight accommodations
From the Print Edition:
The Cuba Issue, May/Jun 01
(continued from page 8)
574 rooms
Rates: $150 to $230
Formerly the Havana Hilton, this late-1950s hotel could one day be the hippest, most happening hotel in Cuba if Spain's Sol Meliá group renovates it properly after taking over the management of the property last November. It is a complete gem of Miami Art Deco architecture, with loads of glass, stainless steel and wood paneling, not to mention the sculpture and paintings in many of the communal areas and suites designed by some of the biggest names of the period. The large swimming pool is a dream, with its glassed-in bar and tiled sunbathing area. You almost expect to see the Rat Pack sipping mojitos with their feet dangling in the pool. This is also where CNN has its offices in Cuba. The only place worth staying in the hotel at the moment, however, is on the executive floor, since rooms on the other floors resemble a cheap motel on any interstate. The Castellana suite is phenomenal (at about $1,350 a night, it ought to be), with four bedrooms, a living room, dining room, office and private kitchen. It's furnished with 1950s furniture and paintings, including a number from Rene Portocarrero and Cundo Bermudas. This is where Fidel Castro stayed in the early 1960s while organizing his revolutionary government, and it seems to have remained unchanged since.
Hotel Nacional
Calle O, esq. 21
Vedado
Tel: 33 35 62 or 33 35 64
Fax: 33 50 54
E-mail: reservas@gcnacio.gca.cma.net
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