Meliá Cohiba

Rooms and decor

Picture a white-and-grey contemporary tower rising 23 storeys on Paseo street in Vedado — that is Meliá Cohiba, a Spanish Meliá hotel that has been open since 1995, back when Cuba was just beginning to welcome foreign travelers. What sets it apart from other Havana hotels is the sheer scale and completeness of an international business property, with around 462 rooms and suites. Most rooms run a warm palette of brown wood and dark curtains, soft beds; open the curtains in a high-floor room on the bay side and you get the sea and the Malecón stretching into the distance — the Havana postcard. Plenty of reviews say the high floors are worth choosing on purpose. The interiors carry a 90s flavor, but they feel warm in that Caribbean way, and stepping into the room you can tell it is a real place where people come to work or see the city, not a resort cut off from it.

Food and amenities

If anything makes Meliá Cohiba stand out from most of Havana, it is the food — especially the breakfast buffet, which reviews agree is fuller than many expect from Cuba. Fresh items and a wide drinks spread, with eggs cooked to order, fresh fruit, pastries, charcuterie, and morning cocktails to try. There are 6 restaurants on site: El Abanico for the international buffet, La Piazza for Italian, El Trofeo for grills, and a seafood spot serving Cuban lobster at prices that suit a hotel of this level. The headliner is Habana Café, the ground-floor nightclub and cabaret done up in 1950s Havana style with live music, dance acts, and classic Cuban shows — a famous city nightspot that even outside guests come for, and a genuinely lively scene you do not have to go far to find. Beyond that there is an outdoor pool, a spa, a 24-hour gym, a lobby bar, a cigar lounge for anyone who wants to try a real Cuban cigar, and a late-night lobby spot serving mocktails and coffee after a night out.

Location and getting there

The location is the thing many people overlook but it is genuinely the hotel's best card. It sits in Vedado, the poshest district of 1950s Havana, right on Paseo street. Step out of the lobby and it is only about a 5-minute walk to the Malecón, the legendary seafront wall that runs nearly 8 kilometres and has become a symbol of the city. In the evening Havanans come out to talk, play guitar, and sip rum along the wall — something worth doing at least once. Another 5 minutes on foot brings you to the Hotel Nacional de Cuba, the 1930s icon with a sea-facing garden made for a Mojito at sunset. Habana Vieja, the UNESCO old town, is about a 15-minute drive, and you can take a taxi or a brightly colored classic American car for the atmosphere. From José Martí airport (HAV) it is a 25-30 minute drive. For anyone who likes walking a safe district with good restaurants nearby, this works better than a hotel in the old town, where some spots can get a little too busy at night.

Things to know before booking

Straight talk to help you decide — the most common gripe is the 90s building and decor. Some reviews feel the lobby and parts of the corridors are kept usable rather than properly renovated, and some rooms have not had the latest update; showers and fixtures can look dated and hot water is inconsistent, with a few reviews noting a faint musty smell in rooms shut up for a while. If you can, ask for a recently renovated room or a high floor on the bay side, which are in the best shape. The second issue is the country's, not the hotel's: slow, unreliable Wi-Fi by the standard across all of Cuba. At times you will buy an extra ETECSA Nauta card at the counter, and the in-room signal can drop often, so go in knowing Cuba is not yet an easy place to work online. Last is payment — credit cards from American banks (Visa/Mastercard issued in the US) do not work in Cuba at all, and some cards from elsewhere work but unreliably. Bring EUR or CAD cash to change into CUP (avoid changing USD, which carries a special fee), and book a Habana Café table through the concierge, as the late shows fill up fast.

Our take

After reading through plenty of real reviews, Meliá Cohiba is the hotel that gets Havana closest to international standard in a city where everything else is still analog. It sells the Vedado location on Paseo, a short walk to the Malecón, professional English-speaking staff, food and amenities fuller than the city average, and a Habana Café nightclub that has become a destination in itself. If the trip in your head is an evening stroll on the Malecón, then a mocktail in the lobby bar, dinner in a hotel restaurant, and a cabaret show in Habana Café to close it out, this is a very tidy fit. But if you expect a hotel renovated to the last square inch, the 90s design here may feel a touch older than the price. Overall we give it 8.4/10 — best for business travelers, couples, and sightseers who value convenience, safety, and international service on a first stay in Cuba.