Meliá Cohiba *****

DGDV, CA, 2007-05-17
we stayed here or 3 nights, found that it served its purpose, clean, tidy, nice reception, huge bedroom suite. a bit away from old havana but cabs are safe and cheap, its closer to tropicana club which is fantastic. highly recommend it for a few nights.

Anónimo, CA, 2005-04-26
My boyfriend and I stayed at the Melia Cohiba for 3 nights, from April 4 to April 7, as part of an 8-day Havana/Varadero trip from Vancouver, Canada. The hotel is 5-stars by Cuban standards, 4.5-stars by North American standards. Our room was great. We were able to get a room with a king-size bed on the 15th floor (we were initially booked up for two twin-sized beds, but the check-in guy was able to find us a room with a king-size bed instead) and had an excellent view of the ocean and the Malecon.

The location of the hotel was great, only a $4-$5 cab ride to Old Havana, and within 2 blocks of the flea market on the Malecon. There is also a supermarket across the street and another one on the way to the flea market, where you can pick up snacks and bottles of water. The restaurants in the hotel were good but very pricey in comparison to food that you can get elsewhere, like the Jazz Café restaurant in the shopping center across the street, so I strongly advise not to eat at the hotel unless you are starving and do not want to look for a place to eat, which was what happened to us on the flight over from Vancouver. This was because we arrived in Varadero at 6pm, after eating only a light brunch on the flight over, and then had to endure a 2-hour bus ride to Havana. I strongly advise you to bring food with you, lots of snacks and granola bars, because we didn’t end up eating our second meal of the day until 9:30pm and by then, my boyfriend and I had stomach aches due to lack of food. Those just going to Varadero don’t worry because the hotels are only 30 minutes away from the airport.

The complimentary breakfast buffet was good in general, you should be able to find stuff that you like to eat, and there is a pleasant live band that plays there as well during your meal.

Toiletries are available at the hotel, but you might want to bring your own toilet paper because their paper is a bit rough. The hotel room was extremely clean and décor was great. I will definitely come back to the Melia Cohiba if I go back to Havana.

Anónimo, CA, 2004-12-26
My husband and I traveled to Cuba for our honeymoon during the second week of November. We had a fabulous time and were treated very well. We purchased the combo-vacation, spending 3 days in Havana at the Melia Cohiba and 4 days in Varadero at the Melia Varadero. The flight from Vancouver was just over five hours and jammed packed. The meal was very light and so we suggest bringing some small snacks. The wait to get through customs at the Cuba airport was over one hour and the wait for the luggage was another 90 minutes. Patience is a virtue, but we were prepared for this and didn’t mind it too much. Upon arrival at the Melia Cohiba, we were upgraded to a larger room that had a fruit basket, flowers, rum, cigars and desserts waiting for us. The hotel is older, and not a 5-star by North American standards, but still nice. The food there was so-so, but that encouraged us to get out more and experience Havana’s culture.

On our second day, we went on the Cubanacan five-hour city tour. I’m not a huge fan of bus tours, especially one this long, but this trip was great and a steal at just 15 pesos. Our guide was terrific and she showed us a combination of touristy spots and favorite local hangouts. I’d highly recommend this tour and it gave us a good sense of where to travel on our own.

The Melia Varadero was also a nice hotel and we had no problems there. We couldn’t, however, book any dinners at the specialty restaurants, with the exception of the Trinidad, because they were already booked up. You can have your travel agent book these in advance and in retrospect, I would have preferred to do that. This would also avoid standing in long lines at reception. For our honeymoon, we were also treated to a bottle of rum, fruit basket, breakfast in bed, and special dinner.

The beach at the Varadero was very nice. There is some exposed coral at the beginning of the beach, but if you walk further down, it’s not a problem. It was a little windy while we there and on the last day, the wind was so strong, swimming was not allowed. This made for great storm watching though and the pool was still open for swimmers.

We thought the food at the Varadero was great, especially the dessert. Yes, it was the same stuff every day, but there is enough food that you don’t have to eat everything at once! The staff was also very nice and friendly.

Overall, we had a wonderful time. We enjoyed the city of Havana much more than Varadero, because of it’s culture, friendly locals, and history. Varadero was a beautiful, relaxing beach vacation, but not especially unique from any other beach vacation in the Caribbean.