... Hotels in Havana, Cuba

• Cuban Embassies

Cancellation Terms

Cancellation 8-4 working days before arrival - 2 nights penalty including any meal plan.
Cancellation 3-0 working days before arrival - 100% cancellation penalty including any meal plan.

Overview - Hotel Nacional, Havana

The 4 star Hotel Nacional de Cuba is arguably the most distinguished hotel in Cuba. Situated in a privileged location in the middle of Vedado, the centre of Havana, overlooking the ‘Malecon’ and Havana coastline, the hotel is set amidst landscaped gardens and is in the centre of the city, within easy reach of the major areas of interest. Dating back to the 1930s, the Nacional continues to play host to a procession of celebrities, who come to enjoy its colonial ambience, exquisite décor and good facilities. Notable guests include British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, artists Frank Sinatra, Ava Gardner, Johnny Weismuller, Maria Félix, Jorge Negrete, and scientist Alexander Flemming.

Accommodation - Hotel Nacional, Havana

At Hotel Nacional de Cuba all 431 standard rooms are well equipped for the comfort and convenience of guests. Amenities inlude the following:-

- fully air-conditioned
- private bathroom with bath and shower
- hairdryer
- satellite TV
- telephone
- radio
- safety box
- minibar option
- and 24-hour room service.

For a small supplement, suites and an executive floor are also available.

Rates for children sharing are available on request.
Hotel will accept 2 adults and 2 children in the 2 bedroom suite or 2 bedroom executive suite.

Restaurants and Bars - Hotel Nacional, Havana

Comedor de Aguiar Restaurant:
The most fancy and exclusive restaurant in Havana offers the best of the national and international cuisine and an extensive wine list.

La Veranda Restaurant:
The most exquisite choice of Cuban and international food awaits you at the Buffet service of this prestigious restaurant

Bars:
The Hotel has 6 bars with a wide variety of Cuban and international cocktails.
Bar Opening hours:
Vista al Golfo 24 hours
Habano Bar 9 a.m.- 9 p.m.
Aire Mar Bar 12 a.m. - 12 p.m.
Galería Bar 10 a.m. - 11 p.m.
Billar Bar 8 a.m. - 3 a.m.
Piscina Bar 10 a.m. - 7 p.m.

Cabaret Parisién:
Famous for its colorful shows and Cuban Music, Cabaret Parisién has always been a favorite among visitors from all over the world.

Gardens:
Every Sunday there is a folk show in the beautiful setting of the hotel gardens, where you can also enjoy lunch from the barbecue.

On Fridays and Mondays the main swimming pool offers a colorful water ballet that can be enjoyed while partaking of selections from an excellent barbecue menu.

Leisure facilities - Hotel Nacional, Havana

Leisure facilities at the Nacional include the following:-

- Two swimming pools
- fitness centre
- massage
- physiotherapy
- sauna

All week round there are various cultural and recreational events.

Other Facilities

Other facilities for the comfort and convenience of guests include:-

- Shops
- business centre
- gift shop
- hairdresser
- car hire
- money exchange
- beauty salon
- laundry service
- night club
- Parisian cabaret

A Little History

“A worldly hotel"
On the coastal salient of Punta Brava, on the Taganana hill, toward the far end of the San Lazaro cove --customary site of pirate landings-- rises the Hotel Nacional de Cuba. Since December 30, 1930, the flagship of Gran Caribe Hotels.

During the 19th century, the hill on which the hotel stands held the famous battery of Santa Clara. The Ordoñez cannon, one of the largest of its time, still lies in the hotel’s gardens. On the headland of Punta Brava, Corregidor Don Luis Aguilar chastised the British during the seige and assault of Havana. The hotel’s most famous and luxurious restaurant is named after him.

The project and construction of this majestic building was completed in two years by the US companies McKim, Mead & White and Purdy Henderson Co.

Visitors are captivated by the galleries of the gardens that recollect monastic cloisters of Moorish-Spanish arcades, the main hall resembling three parallel aisles of a Medieval church, or the simulated beams of the ceiling that recall an old Catalan monastery with Arab reminiscences. Its eclectic architecture combining Art-Deco, neoclassic and neocolonial designs, the handsome Apartment of the Republic with its direct entrance and the necessary privacy for state guests, and its comfortable Presidential Suite have, time and again, attracted many distinguished personalities from the fields of art, literature, politics, commerce, science and business.

Among its first illustrious guests were artists, actors and writers such as Johny Weissmuller, Buster Keaton, Jose Mujica, Jorge Negrete, Agustin Lara, Tyrone Power, Romulo Gallegos, Errol Flyn, Marlon Brando and the famous Ernest Hemingway, who donated a blue fish specimen to the Sirena bar. The guestlist includes well known Italian American gangsters Santos Traficante, Meyer Lansky, Lucky Luciano and Frank Costello. The hotel’s reputation as a deluxe host is backed by patrons such as Winston Churchill, the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, scientist Alexander Flemming, and innumerable Ibero American Heads of State and European monarchs.

The hotel was refurbished in the late 50’s, when all the comforts that make it competitive were added without altering the original layout.

The protagonism of the Hotel Nacional goes on, welcoming distinguished businessmen and ordinary folk from all over the world, hosting important international events and still remaining that 'Enchanted Castle' that Carpentier spoke of, as dazzling as it was on its opening night.