Best location for Old Havana!
Jan 17, 2020 Ellen B London, Canada
We just returned from a week in Havana and couldn't be happier with our stay at the Parque Central Iberostar. Check in was lightening quick. We were dropped off at the colonial section but the room was in the modern building. No problem, just walked in the well lit little walkway tunnel and we were there to check in. We were put in a room on…
Read more
We just returned from a week in Havana and couldn't be happier with our stay at the Parque Central Iberostar. Check in was lightening quick. We were dropped off at the colonial section but the room was in the modern building. No problem, just walked in the well lit little walkway tunnel and we were there to check in. We were put in a room on the 5th floor which seems to be the only floor in that building with balconies, which was a nice touch since we ordered just a standard room. There appears to be about 12 rooms that face out with balconies. We faced east and had a perfect view of the Bacardi building and nice morning sun.
The elevators were a bit of an issue but only for the first couple of days. There was only one of three working but they did get one more going and were working on the third. The problem is always getting parts needed so please keep this in mind with everything in Cuba. They are really trying their best to make it comfortable for tourists. We didn't mind the wait for the elevator at all.
We can't say enough about the friendliness and helpfulness of the staff at this hotel. From the doormen (very sharply dressed) to the concierge to the room attendants. All very, very friendly and professional. The servers in the lobby bars were terrific. Don't forget the tips, it goes a long way. The items that we ordered while in the lobby were really good too and not overly priced. The burgers were massive! We had breakfast included in our package and there was a good and plentiful variety of items every day.
The room itself was well laid out. Mini fridge and safe were well appreciated. There are items in the mini fridge and they will be added to your bill at the end, if you drink or eat any of it. Standard. Just know that when you check out, they will send someone into your room to do the tally on the fridge items before your bill is closed off, so keep this extra amount of time in mind for your check-out process. The beds and pillows were fine enough. I like my soft bed and squishy pillow so for me, the bed was a little hard, but that's just my preference. The sheets were nice and fresh as were the towels in the bathroom. Two robes were provided in the bathroom as well. There was lots of space for your stuff but not really a lot of drawer space, but you make due, right? Two really big closets in the room and a really big bathroom with two sinks, separate toilet room, nice shower and tub. There are nice darkening curtains if you want to sleep in. TV worked just great with lots of channels, if you really need to watch tv. :-(
Pools on top of both buildings were very nice with lots of friendly staff. They provided incredible views of the city but the water was pretty cold in both of them. It's the time of year, for sure. We liked the colonial one just a little more though because you can get in the hot tub(which isn't hot at all, just cool) and take a picture of the city in the background. The hot tub is right up on the corner of the building with a fancy domed top. Very cool!!
In summary, I can say that this is a great hotel, and was glad we chose to stay here. You can walk all over Old Havana from this location. Check out Obispo Street to the east and San Rafael Street to the west for food and entertainment. Havana is extremely safe in all areas and we did not feel uncomfortable anywhere we walked, day or night. If you're considering going to the Buena Vista Social Club just know that it's not just a 2 hour music packed show. I would say it was 30-40% audience participation event which was kind of corny and in paying $60cuc PP, it wasn't of good value, in my opinion. That said, it did include dinner and 3 drinks pp. and the players have won some Grammy's and two or three of them are still musicians/singers from the original group so you have to decide what's important to you. The musicians in the bars and restaurants all over town are crazy good, so we enjoyed giving tips to them. If musicians stop you in the street to play for you, you will need to pay them. Only take rides in cars that have a bonafide taxi symbol on them. Horse and buggies are wonderful. Hop-on hop-off bus is $10cuc PP and you can ride all day. Beware when crossing the street, always! On the road, the cars have the right of way, not pedestrians, and they will honk at you.
Enjoy La Habana!!
Ellen and Karl
Read less
