Firstly a Warning always book your hotels in Havana or Cuba before you actually arrive in the country !
At the very least 72 hours before hand .
My partner never heeded my warnings , expected Cuba to be like everywere else we have ever had a holiday and found to his absolute horror ( his wallet ended up severly depleted as the cost of the hotel was double it was advertised on the internet ) Plus it was near on impossible to get access to the internet whilst we were in Varadero - comps were down , we did'nt know you needed a passport , when we got online it was as slow as in 1995 and none of the hotels did bookings up to 72 hours away from arrival ) it took an £8 phonecall to sort a room ............
Anyway we decided that we did'nt want to do the typical tourist tour and do it all ourselves . There is a tourist bus that go's from Varadero to Havana pretty good timings etc really reasonable cost but once again try and pre book as it was bloody full when we arrived at the station !!! So we had met up with a fellow traveller and the three of us decided to go to Varadero by Taxi ! this was an adventure in itself . The taxi driver took us for 75 cuc's which was'nt very much when you consider the journey was 2 hours . Between 3 of us it worked out quite well .
Ironcically we stayed in the Gran Caribe Barlevento hotel in Varadero which is a sister hotel of the above gran caribe owned Hotel Nacional . Not once did we think to ask if there was any type ov SHUTTLE BUS between the 2 hotels !!!
There was and we got it all the way back from the Nacional for 25 cuc's each ! straight to the door of our hotel in Varadero . Thats Cuba for ya !!!
The taxi ride was a hoot ! our driver was pretty cool , chilled out , takin it easy - got to see alot on the way in to Havavna - stopped off for drinks etc . Felt like a film star actually - especially when he pulled up at the Nacional . What an Incredible building . unbelievable . took my breath away at the grandeur of it all .
Considering that booking the room was a nightmare checkin was pretty easy - we had to pay a whopping £200 = £100 a night per room with breaky included and i could have got it for £120 for 2 nights if i had booked it in the uk with an online hotel site . That may not seem expensive to you guys but figure this - in the 7 days before arriving in Havana me and my partner had only managed to spend £40 in Varadero !
Our Room was ok - i was a bit disapointed because it seemed very modern compared to the actual building - although the doors were original pretty much else of the historic interior had been ripped out . It was clean , comfortable , modern but nothing special . The rest of the hotel to me though was something pretty special . History just oozed out ov the walls . it was everywere . the bars , the grounds , the resteraunts , the theatre . I adored this hotel its Opulence , its Grandeur , its soul - yes i did say soul because the building felt alive to me . every room , nook and cranny had a story to tell .Ever so slightly Faded and a little worn out but still full of ambience .
The breakfast was very , very good- however the breakfast room was too small for the size of the hotel - and some of the other guests did'nt have very good manners - just cause your drippin with diamonds and wearinn gucci don't give you first place in every que !!! yes there was a certain air of snobbery hanging around . The staff were pleasant enough but it was a bit of a rat run in the morning - a free for all when the doors opened - and a rush on omelettes and pancakes !!!
Two swimming pools - one very modern , the other pure art deco . both great for chillin out around but every one seemed to head for the modern - probably because it was heated . i loved the outside pool tho - i could imagine Sophia Loren , Frank Sinatra etc etc all the stars of years gone by dippin the tootsys into its wellcoming water .
The bars were excellent and service fab . the internet facilitys and business faciltys in this hotel were excellent - especially compared to other areas of Cuba - in particular Varadero .
The grounds and the views were stunning . I really did feel like a superstar , swanning around with my mohijto in hand - or relaxin by the pool eatin the most amazin icecream .
Prices were a little steeper than other hotels but hey you do have to pay to be part of history .
Hotel is in a pretty good location but sayin that it was a shock to the system to see just how vast a city Havan really is . You could never do it justice in 2 days - never .
We had a very enjoyable stay at this hotel but the highlight of it was going to the Parisian show and having a meal . That was fantastic and my friend who has been the tropicana said it was a much more intimate experience . The singers , dancers and musicians were unbelievable . The meal which was included in the price was a feast for sore eyes - lobster , smoked salmon , steak , sea bream . the pina coladas were the best i have ever tasted in my life . We had a fantatstic night here and i will never forget it .
All in all i would probably stay in this hotel again but because there is so much choice of wonderfull accomadation in Havana and all the exciting and very different districts it has i think i will more likely end up staying else where .
For Example we visited the Saratoga for a drink and fell in love with it . The rooftop pool was incredible . so i think thats my next stop in Havana .
But Long live the Nacional Hotel .May she forever be queen of Havana . Hurrah !