33 Best Hotels in Havana, Cuba

If you're looking for a smaller Miramar hotel, this is one of the most viable options. Although the rooms have a somewhat dated decor, the place is so close to the Gulf of Mexico that sea spray reaches the windows; rooms on the gulf side have wonderful terraces overlooking the water. The reception area is less than impressive, but the poolside views are spectacular.

Named for a mesón (tavern) frequented by Spanish sailors in colonial times, this hotel in the heart of the Old City has five rooms with every modern amenity and spotless bathrooms. The bar's nightly flamenco performances are worth a look, and the restaurant's Spanish cooking offers respite from Antillean fare.

It won't take your breath away, but this modern, all-inclusive hotel has acceptably furnished and equipped bungalows. It also has sports facilities, water-sport equipment for rent, a swimming pool, and kids' play area. Plus, it's on a beach less than 20 minutes from the city.

A vast complex overlooking the Caribbean Sea, the hotel is close to the National Aquarium and is a few hundred meters from the Miramar Trade Center. A lively colorful entryway leads to the reception area, which is lighted from above where hanging plants dangle. The property has three main restaurants and two pools. Rooms are pretty standard here but have lovely views. Book one of the Privilege Suites for the best vistas.

Although it's large, impersonal, and inefficient, the Riviera provides fantastic sea views and a large swimming pool. Rooms here look tired and in need of renewal. If you end up staying here, take comfort in the fact that Esther Williams and Ginger Rogers once splashed about in the pool and the notion that you're not far from some of the city's best music venues and paladares.

Although the bougainvillea-draped central patio is more reminiscent of Seville and Andalusia, the theme at this restored 18th-century mansion is really Valencia. Each room is named after a Valencian village or town—such as Jijona, Silia, or Alzira.

Request the Morella Room, which has a private rooftop patio.

Filled with beautiful colonial-style furniture and original ceramic tiles, the hotel makes quite an impression. Following the eastern Spain theme, the on-site restaurant is known (and named) for its paella.

Hemingway stayed here in 1928 on his first trip to Havana; he went on to make it his hideaway before moving to Finca Vigía in 1939. The piano bar overshadows the small reception area, behind which you find a small pond. Room 511 is kept as it was in 1938, when Hemingway lived here while writing For Whom the Bell Tolls. In one of the magazine articles collected here, you can read Hemingway's description of the sun rising over eastern Havana "to wake you up fresh, no matter where you've been the night before." The tasteful rooftop restaurant is a must-see, offering beautiful vistas. Avoid rooms with inside views in favor of the 27-odd units with a view of Plaza de Armas.

Although it's no Shangri-la, this budget option is ideally located on the border of La Habana Vieja and Centro. Now part of the Islazul brand, guest rooms have air-conditioning, TVs, and private baths, which isn't half bad for something in this price range. Top-floor rooms are the best.

Set on and named for the famous hill occupied by the Universidad de la Habana, the Colina has a down-at-the-heel 1950s-era charm and a drop or two of student (read: revolutionary) chic that seems to attract a predominately French clientele. Rooms are small and humbly furnished, but you can't beat the value for the money and convenient location. There's also a pretty outdoor terrace where you can sit and enjoy a cool drink under the colorful awning.

Although popular with package tours, the Comodoro isn't as impersonal as you might expect from a hotel that routinely houses hundreds of guests. Quarters here are in modern rooms or condominium bungalows, and there are swimming pools, as well as four buffet restaurants. Like many hotels in Havana though, the facilities are tired and have certainly seen better days.

In a 19th-century house that once belonged to a Spanish financier, this is a far cry from your typical cookie-cutter-style hotel. It was designed as the private enclave for cigar aficionados, so there's an on-site smoke shop and cigar club with leather chairs and cigar-related memorabilia, as well as lockers for important guests. The theme throughout is a nod to the Vuelta Abajo, the Western Cuba region where the world's finest leaves grow. The restaurant, Vuelta Abajo, specializes in country cooking from Pinar del Río and Viñales. Rooms are impeccable, comfortable, and spacious.

Just a block from the harbor, a few steps from the cathedral, and very near Plaza de la Catedral, this hotel is made up of three houses from the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries. Located on the site of an old religious college, rooms are equipped with many modern amenities. Decorative details include Spanish ceramic tiles, wrought-iron grates, and lathed-wood trim.

Before becoming the home of Don Pedro Regalado Pedroso y Zayas in 1801, this building—one of the earliest in the original town of San Cristóbal de La Habana—served as a cabildo, a jailhouse, a butcher shop, and then a fish market. It's now an intimate hotel overlooking Havana's harbor. Rooms are tastefully restored and have the full complement of modern amenities, such as the next door Bodegón Onda tapas bar. The hotel shares its reception area with Hostal Valencia around the corner.

Today a light, elegant reception area leads onto a colonial archway that gives the hotel an old-world atmosphere, making it one of the top choices in Habana Vieja. Originally built by Joaquín Gómez, a wealthy merchant, in 1836, it functioned as a hotel from 1885 to 1950, reopening in 1999 after a complete restoration. Its simple room design, lovely architecture, and quality fixtures give it an edge over many of the district hotel picks, although some rooms are far superior to others, and some need to be painted. Rooms facing the colorful Calle Obispo are your best bet. The hotel also has a lively piano bar featuring live Cuban music every night from 7 pm to 1 am.

Inaugurated in 1875, this is Cuba's oldest hotel and there's much to admire here—photographs of old Havana, intricate Andalusian tiles, the shield of Spain's Catholic kings behind the bar. Rooms are gloomy, but they seem more "real" than those in the glass-and-steel high-rises; Graham Greene stayed here when he last visited Havana in 1958. The ground-floor Gran Café del Louvre is a great people-watching spot, the roof-terrace restaurant has unparalleled views, and all the sights of Centro and La Habana Vieja are a short walk away.

This 18th-century town house is a more private and tranquil property than others in the area—the inner courtyard's hanging tropical plants make it feel like a real private hideaway from the busy, crowded surrounding streets. The decor here is rustic and the rooms small, but they still have a quality finish. The hotel's signature restaurant is the Taberna El Molino, serving Spanish and Cuban favorites.

This mammoth glass-and-steel hotel looms over the western end of the Malecón and has very little to do with the Havana of Baroque churches and colonial palaces, but it also rates among Cuba's best. It does a superb job of providing efficient service and support for executives on the move. The staff—from the bellhops and busboys to the receptionists and concierges—are highly professional, and everything in the place functions impeccably. Rooms are modern and stylish, offering stunning city or sea views, as well as all the mod cons you need—coffeemakers, minibars, and satellite TV and air-conditioning. Hotel facilities are a cut above the rest, and include everything from an international clinic and pharmacy to a sports and fitness center and a lagoon-like swimming pool with hydromassage. All the hotel's four restaurants are top-notch.

Located in a distant corner of Havana, this is one of the city's stellar, modern properties frequented by business and leisure travelers. The reception area looks like a film set, with a large Venus-like sculpture watching over a series of small ponds. Several gourmet restaurants offer a wide variety of cuisine. The property hosts Havana's most spacious pool, tennis courts, massage, sauna, and manicure and pedicure facilities.

This adults-only resort, now owned by the Memories hotel group, is one of Cuba's best. Located between the mountains and the sea, and just steps from the beach, there are activities aplenty offered including diving, snorkeling, volleyball, and basketball. Dining options include three specialty restaurants and one international buffet. The staff members are helpful, intelligent, and cheerful; the rooms are clean, and the beaches are impeccable.

Officially the Hotel Nacional de Cuba, this elegant establishment recalls another era, as it's filled with memorabilia of such famous (and infamous) guests as Winston Churchill, Ava Gardner, Frank Sinatra, and Meyer Lansky—the Nacional still buzzes. Although rooms are disappointing and the service is only fair, the historic Galería bar is a great place for a mojito, as is the clifftop garden, with its magnificent views of the Malecón and the Straits of Florida beyond. A peacock strolls graciously as you sip lemonade at the bar under the shade of a majestic palm tree. Invariably there's a hot trio playing son, a genre of Cuban music and the perfect accompaniment to the movements of visitors from all over the world as they wander in and out of this national monument.

There's something charming about the entrance way of the Plaza, despite its cavernous, tourist-packed hallways. Although the rooms aren't very distinguished and facilities have definitely seen better days, the early-20th-century Spanish architecture has inspiring overtones of pre–civil war Madrid. This hotel is no Madrid Ritz, but it does have all the facilities you need for a comfortable stay. It boasts no less than three restaurants and three bars, so you're never too far away from a decent meal or a mojito. Albert Einstein and Babe Ruth were both once guests of this grand hotel.

If the shady lobby bar and a refreshing beverage don't soothe your weary traveler's soul, then head immediately to your comfortable room overlooking the pool and the Straits of Florida beyond. The artwork in the traditionally appointed rooms is a nice touch, but we would hope for better quality furnishings in a hotel of this class and style. Step back in time at the hotel's restaurant, Chez Merito, which has a good wine list and serves delicious pizzas and pastas cooked by an Italian chef. The breakfast room next to the pool is bright and cheery, and breakfast is generous, enough to get you through to a late dinner in a nearby paladar.

Carrara-marble floors, intricate plaster carvings, and rich woodwork make this one of Habaguanex's best La Habana Vieja restoration projects; the discreet reception area is an architectural jewel. Built in the mid-19th century, the house was bought in 1923 by Antonio San Miguel, a well-to-do journalist who financed some of the building's eclectic architectural details. The Belle Epoque decor, creature comforts, and modern facilities guarantee your stay here will be pleasant.

Roof terrace offers a panoramic view of El Morro fortress and sweeping seascapes.

This 17th-century building is so stately that the Counts of Santovenia made it their home until 1867, when it became one of Habana Vieja's most elegant hotels; today, it's one of the neighborhood's most modern lodging options. Rooms have Spanish-colonial furniture and contemporary works by Cuban artists like Zaida del Río. Most overlook the Plaza de Armas, though some have port views. Best views here are to be had in rooms and junior suites that overlook the popular Plaza de Armas, with its many booksellers, artists, and restaurants. There's also a lovely lounge-bar area for cocktails and a decent on-site restaurant.

Located right across from the Capitolio and overlooking the Parque de la Fraternidad, this is easily the best international-class business hotel in Cuba. The owners of this independent hostelry have spared no expense in creating a first-class environment. The award-winning design elements, constant care, refurbishments, and the sheer quality of each element, from mattresses to fixtures, means accolades are well deserved. A pool, rooftop bar, and two fine restaurants further add to the appeal. Beyoncé and Jay-Z chose to make it their home while in Havana, so if it's good enough for them, it's good enough for most.

A few blocks from the Malecón, this Gran Caribe hotel may be modest, but it has much to recommend it. One of Vedado's few intimate establishments, rooms are small but well equipped, the restaurant is passable, and you can't help but make a new friend or two at the pocket-size swimming pool. The Victoria's clientele tends to return faithfully, so reserve well in advance.

This vast hotel, which is right on the park for which it's named, offers many modern creature comforts as well as a convenient location. It may not be as charming as other area hotels, but it has spacious, well-equipped rooms, and the suites are truly luxurious. The pool area, bars, and restaurants—of which there are several, including a steak house and an Italian restaurant—are lively. There's also an on-site cigar bar.

The setting for several episodes in Graham Greene's Our Man in Havana, this hotel is technically in Centro Habana but right on the edge of La Habana Vieja. Although it has a pleasant, club-like atmosphere and an appealing garden surrounding its swimming pool, the rooms are small and disappointing. Famous guests that once have stayed here include dancer Josephine Baker, gangster Al Capone, and the Spanish flamenco dancer Lola Flores, as well as Mexican muralist David Alfaro Siqueiros.