Paseo Habana

Lousy hotel, there was no water, they only put it half an hour, impossible to stay like this Breakfast included very bad or napkins there

I stayed at the Hotel Paseo Habana for a week in April 2024. The hotel is run by Islazul Hoteles, a relatively cheap state-owned hotel chain owned by the Ministry of Tourism (note that most high-level hotels are owned by Gaviota, part of the business unit of the armed forces). This was my third visit to Cuba - I decided to stay here for the first time as I got a very good rate that included breakfast and wanted to stay in Vedado. The location was excellent for me. Vedado is leafy, quiet and beautiful, full of mansions that were built by the creme de la creme of Cuban society in early-mid 20th Century. The Paseo is no exception, the lovely front building sitting proudly on the corner of 17 and A. The rooms are located in an attached taller building that's clearly a later addition, but it doesn't spoil the aesthetics. I was happy to be away from the craziness of Habana Vieja, and took taxis around using the app La Nave (Havana's best Uber equivalent). I arrived on an early flight, so got to the hotel before 10AM. Naturally I couldn't quite check in then, so I dropped my bags at reception and came back about 1PM, when they allowed me to check in. The hotel has been recently refurbished. The refurbishment significantly improves the experience judging from older photos online, but do note that Islazul does not have access to any significant resources or any financing, so please do not expect any Islazul hotel to be at the level of international hotels. Having said that, I was more than happy with my room for the price I paid. The air conditioning was brand new and excellent, the fridge was good, the bed was comfortable and the bathroom was clean and smart. The iron didn't work, so I took it down to reception and they told me housekeeping would replace it the next day (unsure why that takes a day to walk to a cupboard, but the new one worked). The only thing missing really was the toilet seat, but housekeeping kept the loo roll stocked, which isn't always reliable in Cuba - they took small old rolls and wound them together, creating new full rolls. Excellent stuff, no waste. I slept very well in quiet Vedado on the comfortable beds. The room was perfectly clean when I checked in, and turned down daily to a good standard. Somewhat surprisingly, there was hot water. I couldn't quite get it to be 'hot' hot every day, but also I didn't want to run the water for too long to see if it became hot due to how water-stressed Havana is in the dry season. Often it did get hot part way through the shower. Pressure was decent. When turning off, the head did fall out of the holder, dropping it to the floor - this will break soon. The hairdryer did work. Quite a lot of the lighting did not have light bulbs. There was a smart TV, but smart functions were not possible, due to the internet connection being via a portal. This was no issue as I didn't go all the way to Cuba to watch TV. WiFi was available in the room and common areas. This was charged at 50 CUP per hour (about 0.15 USD at street rate). The connection was marginally better downstairs on the veranda, which was lovely to sit at when I needed to do some work. I had no issues with the connection, and it was stable enough for VOIP calls. In the room, VOIP calls weren't as reliable, but browsing and even streaming was possible. Breakfast is included in the room rate, and was perfectly acceptable for Cuba. There was no buffet or options - I believe the only option was 'yes' or 'no' for an omelette. The food was prepared fresh there and brought out quickly. I had one lunch here whilst I was doing some work. It was very simple, but perfectly fine, and very cheap. Whilst I was there, the main restaurant upstairs did not open at all. On the Veranda, some days there was beer for sale until the barrel ran out. None of the bars/restaurants had any drinks for sale at all, except the fruit juice at breakfast. This was disappointing. The reception staff were consistently lovely. English level among all staff varied, but was at no point a hinderance to anything. I was able to change Euros to CUP at the reception. The rate offered was significantly better than the official CADECA rate, but not as good as could be found on the street. But I used this facility multiple times, due to ease of use to top up my funds. I was on the third floor and the lift functioned fine whilst I was there. I have only one gripe with this hotel. Their policy is very strict that no guests are allowed up to the rooms, not even during the daytime. I have travelled extensively around the world and have never experienced such a policy. At one point, I wished to share a drink in my room with my friend, given that the bar has no stock, but security came knocking at the door telling him to leave. At some point I needed help with carrying various bags of goods and luggage up to my room in the daytime, but security did not allow my friend to assist me, nor offer help from themselves or any other member of staff. I have no idea why this policy exists. I know of a few hotels who enforce this rule at night to ensure that all those staying are paid for, but even that is very rare. I cannot think what they are concerned about. Is it some kind of moral rule so that people cannot hook up with someone whilst staying there? Whilst this categorically was not what I was trying to do, I don't see how what guests are doing is any of their business, as long as it's not disturbing anyone else. This is very poor customer service and soured my experience. Overall, I enjoyed my stay at the Paseo Habana, and probably will stay there again next time, as long as I can get a good rate again. I tipped the reception and breakfast staff with Euros on checkout. They could get that fifth star from me by: - Having a toilet seat and light bulbs in the fittings. - Having the bars and restaurants open with stock and options. This surely could make them money. - Removing, or applying more sensibly, their policy on guests.

Our stay was great. The hotel and in particular the very attentive staff especially Sergio of the service was wonderful with us, looking for restaurant for lunch and even lending his own umbrella on a rainy day among other things. Recommended in all aspects.