Hi! My husband and I are going to Cuba in February 2004, and will be staying for a couple of days in Havana, and then going to a beach for a week. We are organizing this trip ourselves, and not travelling as part of a package. We are trying to decide where to stay. I've done lots of homework, and have narrowed it down to: Hotel Florida or Hotel del Tejadillo in Old Havana; and then either Sol Cayo Largo or Sol Cayo Santa Maria. Does anyone have any opinions as to which ones we should choose? Do you have any other suggestions re: places to stay in Old Havana?
Thanks!!
New visitor to cuba
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Hola Jeet:
Well as I simply love Havana I can say that either hotel would be nice. I haven't stayed at either one of them, though I have walked thru them on my travels. The Florida Hotel (on Calle Obispo) is very elegant and has a lovely interior court. Old, historic and charming.
One other hotel (if you budget can stand it) that would be my ideal hotel if budget was no problem would be the Santa Isabel. It is located at the bottom of Calle Obispo directly on Plaza Armas. It is 5 star and my dream is to stay there one day in the future.
All of these hotels have the advantage of locating you directly in Habana Vieja (Old Havana) where you can spend days wandering around seeing the sights, trying your the various cafes and ejoying the various galleries and museums. Everything is within walkable distance or a short cab ride away.
I will say that in Havana, I stay at a Casa Particular (legal, private guest home) in the suburb of Altabana. This is about a 15 to 20 minute cab ride from Habana Vieja, but it gives me the chance to stay with a lovely Cuban couple in their home. Something totally different than staying at a hotel.
I have stayed at the Melia Sol Club Cayo Largo and for purely a rest and relaxation resort, on IMHO the BEST beach in all of Cuba, it is wonderful. However being on a small island off the coast, there is really no chance to explore Cuban culture or nightlife other than at the resort. But the island is neat to see and you can explor it on scooters, bikes or just walking the miles of beaches.
Splitting your vacation between the culture and experience of Havana and the relaxation of Cayo Largo will give you a wonderful taste of Cuba. The danger is that like many of us, you will want to go back.... again and again.
You can check out some of my photos of Cuba (with full info) on my Cuban website at...
http://photopilot.tripod.com
note that there is NO www in the URL. The site is bandwidth limited (its a free site afterall) so if you can't get into it today, try again later. There's photos of Havana and area, Sol Club Cayo Largo, plus some other stuff.
Enjoy the Cuban experience and if you need to ask more, feel free to post your questions or use the direct email link on the website.
Steve
Oooops.... me again.
Forgot to give you this direct link to a Cuban website on Cayo Largo.
http://www.cayolargodelsur.cu/
Enjoy
Steve