Hotel Sevilla, Havana and Havana experience.

We stayed at the hotel Sevilla close to the Parque Central in the Old Town for the first three nights of a two-centre visit to Cuba. We travelled with First Choice holidays, setting out on 13th May. The transfer from Varadero airport to Havana took around 1 hour 45 minutes and we were entertained on the way by a local rep, stopping en route for a first taste of the Pina Colada.

Although we arrived at the hotel around 5pm on the Saturday, the meeting with our rep did not take place until late the following morning. This meant that we had effectively lost half of our three days, though we did walk out ensuring we stayed in the close vicinity of the hotel. Not wishing to lose time sight-seeing, we ventured out ourselves as a couple on the Sunday morning and were immediately approached by a seemingly ‘friendly’ helpful local. It was clear that he wanted to make some sort of proposition to us and this was the normal situation you would find whenever, as an obvious tourist, you stood to consult a map. This was somewhat unnerving in on our first visit to the country.

To be harassed, however non-threatening in unfamiliar surroundings, is unsettling. We had our meeting with the rep, Christina on the Sunday morning just before lunch.

We stayed at the Sevilla hotel on a bed and breakfast basis. The hotel is full of character, with a ‘colonial’ style. Old-fashioned décor and a musty but not too off-putting odour in the rooms, added to the ambience, but is in need of re-decoration. We opted for the Sevilla because of its position adjacent to the old town and the fact that it had a pool. The signs at the hotel indicated that the pool was situated on the first floor. In fact it was situated directly adjacent to the main road, which wasn’t too bad, except for during rush hour when the poorly maintained vehicles that pass for public transport (the aptly-named ‘camel’ stuffed to the gills with a mass of humanity), the immediate post-war Russian made cars and the gas guzzling monsters that are one of the main attractions of Cuba in general and Havana in particular – the fifties American sedans, cadillacs and the like. Apparently every one who wants to own a vehicle has to seek and be granted permission to do so. Why anyone would want to drive some of the obviously dangerously under-maintained wrecks that pass for transport is not obvious to the visitor. We much preferred to watch than ride in them!

Dining at the Sevilla is not a wholly memorable experience but not offensive either. The hotel has a good lounge, serving snack meals at around £3 per portion. The buffet evening meal is priced at around £9 per head, which is quite reasonable. The hotel boasts a rooftop restaurant but it was not open on Saturday. Reports say it has the best views over Havana town of any building but we couldn’t see this. Breakfast is not really a good experience. Food runs out and is not replenished unless someone seeks out a member of staff to attend to the issue. Variety of breakfast food is good and addressing the supply issue would improve the situation and people’s impression measurably for sure.

On Sunday afternoon we took part in a guided tour of Havana, led by a very knowledgeable and informative ex-university lecturer, obviously proud of his country’s history. It is clear that much of the city is under regeneration and refurbishment, thanks to part of the old town’s designation as an international centre of historical interest. It just seems a pity that so much of the clearly beautiful architecture of the area has been neglected to the point where it appears in many places to be beyond redemption. Well maintained buildings stand next door to those looking like slums. An example in point is the Tobacco company building immediately behind the Capitol building. Next door are tenements housing local families, who keep hens on balconies three stories high. We were told by our guide that the Capitol building was built as an exact replica of the Washington Capitol building, except bigger, as an attempt to ‘get one over’ on the Americans. Regretfully, the building itself is in a state of disrepair, with lower floor windows broken and you are not allowed to enter it from the front.

Typical of the old town is the apparent poverty existing adjacent to regenerated areas. As an example, O’Reilly leading down from Parque Central to a section around where O’Reilly’s bar is situated is particularly poorly kept, with families seemingly living in one room unkempt apartments, with little room to accommodate more than a sofa/bed and dresser with cooking facilities. The street surface is in poor repair. In contrast and running immediately in parallel with this is Obispa. This is currently under refurbishment and has been designated pedestrianised. Many brighter and varied shops are situated in this thoroughfare, through which most people walk from Parque Central to the area around the Cathedral.

Once you have found your way around the old town of Havana, you not only feel more comfortable and able to deal in a firm but polite way with those apparently helpful locals, you can find a good range of restaurants serving a range of international fare.
Sunday evening we ventured out ourselves to dine at the La Dominica Italian restaurant at the bottom end of O’Reilly. This has been recommended by other Tripadvisor reviewers. Excellent food and a great band: In fact the bands were a feature of most restaurants and hotels in old Havana. Some really good professional outfits. Most wanted tips (and deserved them it has to be said) and also had CDs of their music to sell. No two that we saw were the same.

On Monday, we booked at the famous Tropicana Night Club, a renowned nightspot in new Havana. A group of around ten of us went and ate at the restaurant at the club. The meal was very good value as was the show. True to his word, the taxi driver who had driven us to the club turned up exactly on time to take us back to our hotel. A great evening.

The following morning, the day of our transfer to the Tryp Peninsula hotel, Varadero, we woke to heavy rain, which was to persist all day. We were told that it heralded the start of the rainy season.

There is much that may be said about Havana. Perhaps the guide books and travel company brochures tend to over emphasise the quaintness of the colonial nature of the area, leaving the visitor with a preconception of a highly desirable place to visit. Example: ' Why not payh a visit to Havana, where you can stand in Revolution Square in the morning, sip a cool Cuba Libra in one of Hemingway's favourite bars ......etc'. This conjures up vivid pictures of a romantic area with great character. If you weren't told you were in Revolution Square you would think you were in the middle of an open car park devoid of cars or an area where you might find a jumble sale or flea market! Call me a philistine but everyone is entitled to an opinion. We were left feeling somewhat disappointed and that the current administration has much to answer for. It is accepted, however, that three nights cannot provide a full insight to the capital of this unusual country. For the tourist though three nights is felt to be enough.