We tried staying at the Havanita a few times before, but each time we entered the reception, it was so insufficiently lit, we could barely see anything. We’d try to ask the somewhat dour and barely-English-speaking reception staff about the rooms, the rates etc, but ultimately ended back outside a few minutes later. The dark reception, the lost in translation confusion, the barely interested staff, it was all a bit too much to bear.
But the hotel's Spanish-sounding name and quaint style never stopped intriguing us. So we tried staying at Havanita again a few weeks ago.
Well, the reception was as dark as before. And as before, the staff, three 20-something chaps, had a hard time tearing themselves away from their mobile phones. But we persevered and decided to give the place a try all the same.
Now, I'm not sure why, but it's not just the reception that's poorly lit. The corridors and the lounges, too, are dark. And it's not as if there are no lamps or lights at all, because there are. It's just that they barely light the place up.
The hotel's interior is pretty retro, with a bit of colonial slant. It's kinda different, given that most hotels in Mersing are quite nondescript. I can't say the decor was chosen deliberately but at least it isn't boring.
The room we stayed in was of the same mould, kind of boudoirish in fact. But it was rather generous in size and there was a comfy couch, a flat screen and a queen size bed, as well as all the usual basic accoutrements.
And it was clean.
The aircon, unfortunately, is real noisy, however. Luckily, there's a ceiling fan for relief, although this isn’t that much less noisy.
Do note that if you're the kind that likes to take a nice, warm relaxing shower in the morning, you're out of luck at Havanita. It looks like they've fixed the hot water faucet temperature such that it's lukewarm at best. No amount of adjusting makes any difference; that is to say, you can only make it come out colder, not warmer.
We'd booked online, so breakfast was included. But it was iconically pathetic: sliced white bread, optionally toasted, scrambled eggs, 2 sausages and a few baked beans from a can, all of it served "a la carte", so don't assume it's buffet style - it most certainly isn't. The coffee, though free-flow, was seriously below par. We didn't sample the tea. It was time to go.
All told, the Havanita is not a particularly bad hotel perse. But I suggest you only stay there if you enjoy overpaying for your accommodation. We paid 175 Ringgit for a night, but really, that should be a lot closer to 100 Ringgit, particularly since the place is quite a long walk from Mersing Harbour Centre (there's no shuttle at Havanita, free or otherwise) and also given the run-down state of the hotel's exterior.
Additionally, we should note that we never saw a single other guest in the hotel whilst we were there, and this includes the previous occasions we were there only for inquiries. Just sayin.
Our quest for a decent, fairly-priced hotel in Mersing continues...
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