I have never stayed in this hotel but have been here many times for one reason or another. Friends of mine have stayed here but everyone's opinion on a topic is different than the next guys so I won't use their impression. In my opinion, this is one of the nicest hotel lobbies in Havana. It's expansive, has great stores (not cheap), a couple of nice bar areas (again, not cheap), restaurants and of course the 'La Casa de Habano' on the second floor.
I've had the opportunity to be there for several cigar events both upstairs in one of the banquet rooms and out back by the pool area and can tell you they do them well. The set up of the spaces, the food & service is A1. The decor in all the spaces is modern with the use of lots of marble. On this particular trip they had over 60 paintings displayed, all from different Cuban artists. Almost every wall in the hotel lobby had one or more paintings of some kind hanging on it. It was like an Art Gallery.
The Cigar shop was one floor up. Take the visible escalators up one floor and double back. It would be to the left, to the right is a restaurant. On this day they had the roller set up outside the shop. Upon entering you'll see the humidor directly in front of you and the bar is to your immediate right. They have a decent selection of cigars and I picked a Boli Gold Medal. It was one of the best I've smoked. If you can get your hands on some now, do it. They've stopped production on them for now and when they run out at the stores, that's it. This one was spectacular. I had it with a Havana Club Anejo Especial. The bar was very well stocked with a variety of cocktails available. Even a sangria (surprise) which is the drink my guest had. We were lucky enough to have an actual bartender available. The place is never too busy and the lounge area is quite large and comfortable. There's a stage and on occasion they have live music playing. A rum, two espresso and a Sangria was around 8cuc (not including the cigar). Not bad, the rum was 3.50 and was a double shot by Canadian standards.
After all is said and done, it's just a hotel lobby but if you need to buy an emergency dress or pair of shoes, this is a good place to start. Let's not forget the LCDH, if you're looking for something in the way of cigars it's also worth a visit.
The Shops
I've had the opportunity to be there for several cigar events both upstairs in one of the banquet rooms and out back by the pool area and can tell you they do them well. The set up of the spaces, the food & service is A1. The decor in all the spaces is modern with the use of lots of marble. On this particular trip they had over 60 paintings displayed, all from different Cuban artists. Almost every wall in the hotel lobby had one or more paintings of some kind hanging on it. It was like an Art Gallery.
The Cigar shop was one floor up. Take the visible escalators up one floor and double back. It would be to the left, to the right is a restaurant. On this day they had the roller set up outside the shop. Upon entering you'll see the humidor directly in front of you and the bar is to your immediate right. They have a decent selection of cigars and I picked a Boli Gold Medal. It was one of the best I've smoked. If you can get your hands on some now, do it. They've stopped production on them for now and when they run out at the stores, that's it. This one was spectacular. I had it with a Havana Club Anejo Especial. The bar was very well stocked with a variety of cocktails available. Even a sangria (surprise) which is the drink my guest had. We were lucky enough to have an actual bartender available. The place is never too busy and the lounge area is quite large and comfortable. There's a stage and on occasion they have live music playing. A rum, two espresso and a Sangria was around 8cuc (not including the cigar). Not bad, the rum was 3.50 and was a double shot by Canadian standards.
After all is said and done, it's just a hotel lobby but if you need to buy an emergency dress or pair of shoes, this is a good place to start. Let's not forget the LCDH, if you're looking for something in the way of cigars it's also worth a visit.
Lobby Bar
Lounge and Bar
The Shops
Bar in La Casa de Habano
La Casa de Habano
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