Meliá Habana

Rooms and decor

Picture a cream-and-brown beachfront resort in Havana's embassy district, where opening your door leads to a balcony with the Caribbean stretching off as far as you can see — that's Meliá Habana, part of the Spanish Meliá group. The long building wraps into a U around the big pool zone in the middle. All 397 rooms run a palette of cream, soft brown and warm wood for a contemporary Spanish-Cuban colonial feel. Inside you get a small sitting area with a work desk, a soft king bed that plenty of reviewers call easy to sleep in, and a bathroom with a separate tub and shower plus standard toiletries. Premium rooms on the upper floors face the sea with a balcony wide enough to sip morning coffee, and if you want to go a step further, The Level is a special floor with its own lobby, private check-in and breakfast in the rate. Most reviews praise the rooms as clean and roomy enough for a family to spread out, even if the decor in some rooms is starting to show its age — though it reads more as a charming Cuban patina you won't find elsewhere.

Food and amenities

If one thing pulls people here, it's the 3 connected freshwater pools — among the largest hotel pools in Havana, ringed by rows of palms and a thatched tropical palapa bar. Plenty of reviewers say they settled into a poolside chair, ordered mojitos and didn't want to move all day; it feels like a Caribbean island resort. The hotel has 4 restaurants covering every style, from La Pergola, an international breakfast buffet with eggs cooked to order, Cuban sweets, tropical fruit and strong Cuban coffee, through to Mediterranean and Cuban à la carte rooms for dinner. The lobby bar runs live Cuban music most evenings, so you feel the island's musical pull from the moment you walk in. There's also a spa doing traditional Cuban treatments, a 24-hour fitness room, a tennis court, and a shop selling local cigars and rum in the building. It suits anyone who wants the full Cuban experience in one place, without having to head out all day.

Location and getting there

The hotel sits on Avenida 3ra in the Miramar/Playa district on the western side of Havana, right on the seafront. This is an embassy zone where moneyed locals live, so it's quiet, with wide tree-lined streets — a clear contrast to the buzz of Habana Vieja (Old Havana). Close by are the Convention Center and the National Aquarium, and if you like to shop, the Miramar Trade Center isn't far. From José Martí airport (HAV) it's about a 20-minute drive, handy if you land late and want to check in fast. The thing that worries many people is the distance into Old Havana, about 10 km — but the hotel handles that with a free shuttle several times a day, carrying guests into the old plazas and back in the evening, around 15 to 20 minutes a trip. Miss a run and you can grab a taxi out front anytime (agree the fare first). The short version: if your trip is about waking up to the sea, soaking in the pool all afternoon, then taking the shuttle into the old town for dinner, this location lands perfectly.

Things to know before booking

Straight talk to help you decide. The issue that comes up most is the distance to the main tourist area. If you're the type who walks the old town all day and wants to stroll back to your room without a car ride, this may not be your pick, because reaching Plaza de la Catedral or Plaza Vieja means a 15 to 20-minute ride each time. The next gripe reviewers share is the in-room Wi-Fi, which is shaky and slower than you'd expect — many end up working in the lobby for a usable signal. That really reflects Cuba's limited internet nationwide rather than the hotel's fault, so buy an ETECSA card as a backup. Third, some of the decor is aging with the building; furniture, bathrooms or fittings in certain rooms can look more worn than you'd expect from a European 5-star standard, depending on the floor and room type. Paying to upgrade to a Premium or The Level gets you a more recently refurbished room. Finally, on paying in Cuba: credit cards from US banks don't work anywhere in the country, so bring USD or EUR cash to change into CUC at the hotel or a nearby bank, and note that ATMs are scarce in Miramar. Plan to carry enough cash from your first days.

Our take

After reading through hundreds of real guest reviews, Meliá Habana lands as a 5-star resort that sells the quiet of the embassy district, its 3 big pools, and the convenience of a free shuttle into the old town — and pulls it off impressively for the price. If your mental picture of Havana is coming to relax, soaking in the pool all afternoon, sipping mojitos beside the palms, catching live Cuban music in the evening, then easing into the old town in stretches, this is a very good answer — especially for couples and the more upscale traveler who wants to dodge the crush of Habana Vieja. But if you're a walk-all-day tourist who wants the old plazas and street art the second you leave your room, an old-town hotel may suit you better. Overall we give it 8.4/10, best suited to couples, families and business travelers at the Convention Center who value quiet and a beachfront-resort feel more than being steps from the main sights.