You absolutely must…
Must Try:
Cuba is noted for Mojito cocktails and the Santovenia bar at the Santa Isabel provides a top notch version.
Must See:
On the western side of the harbour, visit the oldest fort in Havana, El Morro, and the biggest fort, La Cabana.
Must Experience:
Take the short walk down Calle Garibaldi to Floridita, a bar and restaurant Hemingway used to drink at.
• Set on historic Plaza de Armas-it was the first hotel in Havana.
• Cool interiors with fountains and traditional art work.
• The hotel has preserved its original stately elegance and comfort.
• Views across Havana from the pretty terrace.
The Whole Story
If you decide to visit Floridita, a bar Hemingway used to drink at, and you should, you will find yourself at the start of Calle Garibaldi, the beautiful street leading down to Hotel Santa Isabel at the mouth of Havana’s harbour. On the way, on every corner there is a bar with live music, and not just one guy with a guitar, but bands that number on average eight. It makes you realise what people used to do before they invented television. And these are musicians who are all trained jazz musicians able to play many different instruments. To wander around from bar to bar and take in the music is a treat and a privilege, a privilege unique to Old Havana. The overwhelming impression is that people in Cuba focus on having fun.
Vieja Habana (Old Havana) is popular with visitors, and for good reason. In comparison with other Caribbean islands, Cuba has a lot of history and intact culture expressed in its architecture, and a lot of this architecture has thankfully survived. Havana is authentic, even if the odd building could do with a lick of paint. For fans of colonial Cuba, the place to stay is the Hotel Santa Isabel. As the name suggests, it was once home to an order of nuns, and in typical fashion the Catholic Church was more than adept at picking the best location. Situated at the entrance to Havana’s harbour, the building has a view of the Spanish battery and the old city wall, with a massive statue of Jesus Christ (à la Rio) on the opposite end of the water. In short it is a building with the right bones for conversion into a hotel. The ceilings are very high, the cloistered courtyard is spectacular, and the colour is a vivid reminder that you are in the Caribbean. My favourite room was the restaurant, or more accurately the two rooms that make up the restaurant. One is a dusty pink and the other is painted a shade of blue somewhere between royal and navy. In this hotel it is easy to imagine life in the city when its plantations supplied the world with sugar, tobacco and mahogany
The Rooms
The Hotel Santa Isabel has 27 rooms, 17 are standard rooms and 9 are Junior Suites.