Due to Cubana Airlines overbooking a flight back to the UK we, and six other travellers were booked into deluxe rooms on the 18th floor in the Melia Cohiba by the travel company. The hotel is definitely 5 star until it came to levels of service and friendliness of the staff. Admittly we only ate in the buffet twice but on both occassions I found the staff unhelpful and nearly downright rude. Compared to the Blau Varadero in which the staff were excellent,which we had spent a week prior to this overnight stay in the Cohiba, this hotel was disappointting.

If you are looking for a comfortable 4-5 star European style hotel in Havana, then this hotel is perfect. It does not have the history of the Nacional or the central, if noisy and fumey, position of the Parque Central, but it is extremely comfortable. It is a 5 CUC taxi trip to Old Havana or, if the weather isn't too hot, you could walk along the Malecon if you are fit.

We toured Havana pretty intensively for 5 days and it was nice to retreat to the Melia Cohiba at the end of the day. Eating out in Havana is a bit hit and miss but if you want a decent meal (though not with Cuban street atmosphere of course) you will find it in one of the Cohiba's 4 or 5 restaurants. The Italian is particularly good. Otherwise take your luck in the old town restaurants and get a taxi home (there are loads of taxis about). There are also shopping opportunities around the hotel, boutique type places, not exactly brilliant but possibly the best you will find in Havana. There is also a small supermarket in the shopping "mall" opposite the hotel.

Breakfast is good, plenty of choice. Our room was a junior suite with panoramic views over Havana, it was a bit dated but not too bad, didn't have problems with the lifts, laptop worked in the lobby bar, they have Wifi, trying to think of negatives but can't !

We stayed for three days. The hotel was extremely busy and lifts were almost impossible to use. Although on the 11th floor we used the stairs as it was quicker than waiting for the lifts. Our room looked towards Old Havana and sunrise was lovely. The room was large, clean, but the decor was dated. We had an extra bed tucked round the corner from the main room giving us even more space in addition to the large wardrobes. The bathroom was fine. Breakfast was in the buffet restaurant and catered for all needs. The selection was vast. We ate here one night and again, the food was excellent and although a buffet, steaks were cooked to order. The pool was large - split into two separate areas of either shallow or deep water. You can exchange money here. We found the hotel to be a little too far out of town for our needs. If you want to be in centre of Havana this is not the hotel for you. The taxi ride into town took about 10-12 minutes and cost between 5 or 7CUC depending upon the time of day. We walked beside the sea on the Malacon and it is a great place to sit on the sea wall and people watch as the sun goes down. We also went to the Habana Cafe which is located under the hotel and for a mid week show, was very good.

I stayed at the Melia Cohiba with a group of 35. This is by far the most modern and deluxe hotel in the city. Rooms are well maintained and even the smaller ones were a good size. Staff was helpful and attentive.
A few drawbacks: parts of the hotel look like they need a fresh coat of paint. The pool area in particular needed some new equipment and the sunshades were moldy. The other downside is that it is far from the attractions of the city (by this I mean a ten minute cab ride at most). From other hotels you can walk out the door and be in the middle of everything; the Melia Cohiba is next to the Riviera and the Malecon, but otherwise somewhat off the beaten track.
Next time I go to Cuba (?) I might try the Parque Central.