Starfish Montehabana

We only had a short stop over here to spend last days of vacation in Havana. We wanted a clean place that was central....this was it!

Staff was very courteous and was always available to help us and guide us on where to go and what to do.

If you need a nice clean central place...this is it. New renos are a bonus! [Details]

Utensils, pots, and pans are not clean at the start of the stay. Asked for a shower cap and was told that the cleaning staff will bring it up to your room. Only to find out 1 or 2 days later that the item is not available. Toilette paper is only available in your room, but, not available in any washroom within the hotel complex. We like to use the balcony in our room, but, it is dirty. Asked the front desk for cleaning and the answer was "yes, we will tell the cleaning staff", yet, the next day things are still not cleaned. Got charged 1.5 CUC (CS2.00) for a slice of cheddar cheese on a hamburger. The hamburger initial cost was 3.5CUC, but, end up costing more. It seems that you as a customer MUST ALWAYS ask if there is a charge for every condiments you ask for. There is no mention of additional cost for condiments (cheese, butter, etc.) on the menu. Paid (5.00 CUC for an hour) internet access is available thru hotel computers. However, internet access from your cell phone is restrained/controlled by intervals, by Cuban government?, e.g. it's available for a few minutes then off for a few hours, don't know how long, then it's back on for a few minutes. [Details]

Two hotels in one, great pool and clean room. lots of very hot water. Supermarket in hotel and larger one two blocks away.
Live music every night in main hotel till 12 mid. [Details]

Hotel is part of the complex with Miramar and tat is good combination. Food at Miramar is just better! My room was clean and quiet! This is great place to see old Havana, not for a beach lovers.
Sea coast is in walking distance but the shore is all rock and water is not accessible. [Details]

I have stayed in the Montehabana many times almost always renting the 1 bedroom apartment.
The apartment is an amazing value for both short and long term stays. The area around the hotel is quite beautiful and abounds with new restaurants.
This is not Old Havana and that should be taken into consideration if you book here.
Montehabana is in Miramar area of Havana, this is the Embassy district, some would call it a suburb of Havana. [Details]

The best part of the hotel is that you can use the adjoining Occidental Miramar facilities. Miramar is a business/ Embassy area so if you are looking for beach or old Havana the location is a bit too far. If you like to walk around there are many restaurants near by. There are shuttle bus from Occidental Miramar to Old Havana 3 times a day. If you go by star ratings this will be a 2 star Canadian/ European hotel. They have WIFI for 8 CUC/ Hour and the speed is acceptable. The people are friendly. [Details]

We had an apartment and since we stayed for 2 weeks it was ideal. The only complaint is that we did not get any phone messages and we could not use the phone in our room. Otherwise, all was good. friendly staff for the most part, clean, comfortable, and quiet but it was low season so not many tourists.There was a free shuttle bus into Havana city so we liked this since we have friends all over Havana!We did not have the meal plan but lots of places to eat and the cafe always served great ham and cheese sandwiches. Pool that we used at the Miramar was in a good location. We enjoyed walking in the area and it is much quieter than staying in the old city. We could also use the computers/phones at the Miramar. [Details]

the receptionists were rude and would attend and speak longer with spanish guests checking in. very un professional, would be talking with us and then divert attention to another guest, maid or security guard. we then had to explain everything again and get misunderstood. not because they couldnt understand, but because they wouldnt focus and pay attention. at night it would be very noisy with furniture being dragged around and loud staff. [Details]

I have stayed in the Montehabana 6 times I have rented the apartement 5 times. I love the area (Miramar) the connecting grounds offer you full access to the Occidental Miramar Hotel facilities ao that is a huge plus. There are large supermarkets close by and the area is full of great restaurants and Paladars (private restaurants)I love the place and will return again. [Details]

The hotel was advertised as a 4 star, then once I booked it, it showed as a 3 star, but at best, I'd give it a 2.5. We arrived and were given a room with a broken lock. We noticed it upon entering and decided we would ask to have it looked at. Unfortunately, we couldn't exit the room due to the broken lock! When we called down to reception to have someone come let us out, it took about an hour before they responded. We were then moved to a room with two single beds (we are a couple and specifically requested a king bed) so we had to push the beds together. The only positive thing I can say was the room was clean and basic.

The hotel never replenished toilet paper until you were absolutely out. This was clearly a problem for us on a number of ocassions, having two people in the room. We understand the situation in Cuba, but we are guests at the hotel and did pay to at least have sufficient tp in our rooms.

The snack bar was the only restaurant in the hotel, and had a very limited menu. Three types of sandwiches and hamburgers. On the bright side, there was a small grocery store attached to the hotel.

The internet didn't work the first three nights we were there. Once it did, it was an okay speed for Cuba.

The staff weren't overly friendly or nice. They weren't rude, but they weren't really anything, to be honest.

I suppose for the price it was okay. In Miramar, close to all the nice hotels. In hindsight though, next time I would pay the extra $200 to stay somewhere where at least staff were more pleasant like the Panorama or the Occidental. [Details]

Hotel room was very big and clean. Beds were comfortable. Snack bar was very, very reasonable and the use of the pool and gym at the hotel through the path was awesome! [Details]

The hotel itself was clean, airy, and comfortable. The rooms were clean, and the staff were kind and professional. However, despite the cheap prices at the snack bar, I would say that restaurant should be avoided if possible. The food was not great, and many items on the menu will not be available on any given day. Restaurants in the neighbouring restaurants are far better. [Details]

Overall a friendly hotel. Quiet and well-heeled staff. Most will be very helpful, but it only takes one or two to make you feel you are an intruder. [Details]

We had a one bedroom apartment plus another bedroom for our sons. The apartment was nice and spacious. It was equipped with dishes etc. but only one pot. There was no coffee maker but there was a nice sandwich grill and microwave. No meals are included and we never looked at the restaurant. The pool you can use next door at the Occidental is very large and looked nice. It was cool so we didn't use it. It is impossible to get a legal taxi at the front door. Some of the illegal ones are okay some not. Our phone didn't work and when we had a wallet stolen and needed to call the credit card company the front desk refused to help us. It is not possible to call collect. The shuttle bus to downtown which we read about does not leave from this hotel - we walked 5 blocks to where it was supposed to be but it wasn't leaving for another few hours. This hotel is best for travellers who are pretty independent, don't expect much in the way of help from the hotel but want a nice quiet hotel room as a base. It is a 10CUC taxi ride into old Havana. [Details]

Hotel was good. Staff were friendly and helpful. Location is OK but not great. [Details]

Here s some comments on our stay at the hotel:

- Money changing booth very convenient
- 1 bd apt nice size
- Nice walk in closet/large bedroom
- No dish soap/cloths provided in the kitchen (no dish soap sold at the hotel store)
- 2 lights outside the unit (outside corridor) were burnt out the whole week we were there
- We had unseasonably weather - there was one heavy blanket supplied, but when I asked for another on our last night was refused as "the chambermaids had gone at 4 pm". We layered up in extra clothes to go to bed! [Details]

For the money, this hotel was alright. The apartment itself was excellent, especially for what we paid, and they honored our request for a top floor room facing the water. If not for the quality of the apartment I would be leaving a bad review in general. The cleaning staff were pretty good, although we had little interaction with them. The front desk staff were basically useless. Seemed to resent anything asked of them, and offered nothing by ways of help. At times they were outright rude (rolling their eyes at basic requests) This seems to be a common experience when we spoke with other guests. Some staff were better than others, but there were some of them we came to not bother speaking with at all. The cafe staff were not much better. The food was as bad as the service (Its terrible). The girl who works the money exchange, when awake, also left a poor impression with many people. The hotel itself, while pretty nice, has basically nothing in terms of ammenities, and I dont understand why its sometimes referred to as 4 star. There is no swimming pool, no restaurant, no facilities etc...It is possible to use the facilities at the adjoining Occidental Miramar, and this was not inconvenient in any way. However you do have to pay extra for most of their services (Ie 5 CUC to use the sauna). The use of the pool was free.

The internet access was a joke. Either 8 cuc per half hour for wifi, or you could, in theory, purchase time on the 4 computers they have by the front desk. We asked SEVERAL times to do so, and were told continuously that they were booked, even though they were almost always empty. We asked when we might be able to use it and they just said they didn't know - no offer to make a reservation, or perhaps drop us a line when one freed up. In fact I asked for this and was told no. 4 days in we gave up and never did manage to use it.

Make a note that there is NO beach anywhere near this hotel. Although it is close to the water, there is no sand and it is not possible to swim there.

This would be a good setup if you were familiar with the city and just needed a good room to get you through your trip. If your planning on spending alot of time around the hotel and relaxing there are better choices.

Overall I would stay there again, but only after making sure I did not have to rely on the staff for anything. [Details]

This hotel is a bit outside of the downtown core of the city. You'll need to spend 8-10 bucks in a cab to get downtown. With scooters rentable for $20 a day in Cuba, you'll save money if you rent one. The area is nice, and full of embassies, so the hotel area is a Havana form of 'suburban.'

The hotel next door is very nice, and both this hotel and the neighbour have cheap restaurants. As with all of Cuba, all the food is better if you bring your own jug of Heinz ketchup. That's not a joke - BRING HEINZ!

The hotel was total Cuba, meaning it was really nice, but could have been much nicer if maintained just a bit better. There was a nice 'moat' that would have been really nice, but it had deteriorated and was turned off. Too bad, because it would have been really romantic. They have a great, big, huge chandelier in the lobby, but it was covered in dust. Again, just the standard Cuba stuff - people tend to be a tad too lazy to really make things tip top. But you find that everywhere.

The rooms were clean and a good size. It's not the Marriot in Vaughan, but the washroom was clean, two beds were a decent size, and the pillows weren't bad either. TV had about 30 channels, with about 4 in the Queens English.

I looked for bugs but didn't find any. It looked very clean to me. Nobody stole anything, and I wasn't charged for anything 'extra' when I checked out.

They hotel has four computers for Internet access, but not once when I was there did the front desk have an 'internet card' which is $6 for half an hour. However, I did see alot of Cubans on the computes. I think the hotel workers sell the card to friends in the city so local cubans have Internet access. So, ask for a card every morning, afternoon and evening, and when they have some, buy a couple. It's funny, but in Cuba, even the Internet seems to be a rationed resource.

Oh, the washrooms didn't have any toiled paper in them, so again, pack your own next to your ketchup. They do have a grocery store in the building that has reasonable prices, and there is some TP to purchase in there. However, the store closes at 3pm on Sunday, so if you fly in on the weekend, you might not be able to hit the grocer until the Monday.

It's 120km from Varadero airport. Sunwing had us driven to and from the airport in Varadero, and by bus it was about a 3 hour trek. We taxied out to Varadero during our stay, which took about 2 hours and cost us $100 by taxi.

Next time around, I'd either rent a scooter, or maybe find a hotel closer to the downtown core, as you will spend $20 a day in cabs going back and forth. There's no beach anywhere around, so if it's a beach vacation you want, this isn't the right hotel. But I'd have no problem staying here again. It's a good, solid, Cuban hotel. [Details]

Other than location away from Old Havana I can't say anything even a little negative. Near the hotel is a great food market with everything you can normally get in Havana. In another direction, a quick walk away are various hotels and one with a great mall. If you are into shopping all the clothing brands are here. It was also the only place we could find where we could buy a pen! The pool to which you have access is nice, clean and well maintained. We would stay again. [Details]