Miramar is in the quiet Embassy district some miles from the Old Town of Havana. Travel to and fro was provided by Kuoni a bit iffy and in taxis without seat belts in the back. This service was essential as it would cost you 16 - 20 CUP per return trip to the Old Town. One particularly awkward driver left us stranded in the 35 degree heat one afternoon. Room was of a good size but marred by faults with the doors sticking. Staff a bit lacksidaisicle, breakfast orders forgotten etc. There is a nice seawater pool with towels provided for you and a pool bar & snack service.

Stayed for 2 nights at the end of a longer holiday. Our 4th floor room had been recently refurbished, had a sea view and was satisfactory in all respects. The public areas were also fine. The location of the hotel was a bit bleak, though the fresh sea breeze was very welcome. Breakfast was uninspiring, but poolside drinks and snacks were reasonably priced. Most of the staff were not particularly friendly. A twice-daily shuttle to old Havana is provided free for Kuoni group clients - we found the evening shuttle which left at 7pm and returned at 11 pm conveniently timed.

There is a nice paladar restaurant called La Fontana in easy walking distance - turn up Calle 60 and take the 3rd left. But beware of the wine list - they don't have any of the cheaper bottles listed - stick to beer!

My hubby and I used one of the rooms to freshen up while on a Havana tour from Varadero. The supper buffet was very small, not alot of selection and not very good, but oh well. The room had 2 beds in it, with a mishmash of unmatching furniture and old dingy comforters that were badly stained and no curtains. There was no hot water. And the doors didn't close!! You had to lift and slam the room door to close it, and the bathroom door just didn't close at all. Disgustingly enough, there was a mini-fridge in the room, that still had someone's old rotten takeout food in it (God only knows HOW long it had been there). I'm wondering if perhaps the crappy rooms are left for the people who only use them for the Cubanacam tours, and the good rooms are for official guests. Either way, I don't think I could bring myself to stay there again.

This hotel has been refurbished fairly recently and to a good standard. The rooms are spacious and ours had two king sized beds (probably queen size in US). The bathroom was also very spacious and had a combined bath/shower. Our room overlooked the National Aquarium - which is handy if you like watching seals. The breakfast was of the usual buffet style but very comprehensive. There was also a chef on hand to make omelettes to order. All the staff that we came into contact with were friendly and very helpful - especially when we found that we had left our souvenirs on a tour bus. The hotel is in the very attractive embassy district of Havana. There is a large (for Cuba) supermarket a short walk away - prices are in Cuban convertible pesos. I wouldn't quibble with the 4 star rating for this hotel, we had a comfortable stay and found only positives.