Mary Gostelow says: Go to Havana

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Gran Hotel Manzana Kempinski La Habana alone is a reason to head to Cuba, as quickly as you can. Many of those staying at this 246-room beauty seem to congregate on the sixth-floor rooftop for its outdoor pool and views of the city in all directions. Also up there is the Albear by Resense spa, named for engineer Francisco de Albear (1816–1887) whose main lasting claim to fame was installing a system to bring in water from the Vento springs via what is still known as the Albear aqueduct. Upon arriving at the hotel you are met by cheerful Ladies in Red, the Kempinski signifier. Running a hotel in Cuba, you might (correctly) assume, is not easy, but here the hotel has its own much-needed herb garden – out of the sight of guests, but also on the rooftop. (Sometimes, says the hotel’s GM Xavier Destribats, the chefs are extraordinarily creative). What undoubtedly helps lift this entire luxury operation is the stunning building, dating back to 1894 with today’s interiors by South Africa-based Arno Joubert, cleverly masking extraordinarily high ceilings with a palette of soft greys enlivened by bursts of purple. The exception is one bar: a riot of bright apple green walls and Rousseau-type paintings. I also loved another high-ceilinged space, Evocación Tobacco Lounge, with eight French windows leading to oriel mini terraces overlooking the square outside. I was also impressed by the main floor lobby, always abuzz with people coming and going. But it is the rooftop that is particularly spectacular. Guests seem to be eating up there, inside or outside, at any hour. We lunched outside, and coincidentally met up with Henry Taic, the Israeli developer who already owns Tel Aviv’s David InterContinental and part of its Hilton (and his Kempinski Tel Aviv, which opens shortly). Our lunch was superb: Xavier Destribats had ordered several local specialties, of which my favourite was definitely chunks of baby suckling pig, cooked for at least four hours. Staying at this luxury hotel makes a trip to Havana not only agreeable but also really stylish: it has its own ATM and integral shopping mall. Its bedrooms are graciously understated, with differentiators in the form of clear glass walls between the bathtub and the main rooms that can, for privacy’s sake, be transformed immediately to opaque simply by the touch of a button. Ceiling-hung light bulbs are sheltered in silver frames. There is, by the way, arguably the best Wi-Fi in Havana. Xavier Destribats is a real on-the-job leader who came with serious customer service knowledge when he moved to Kempinski from Hyatt, with a stop at Morgan Grenfell to perfect asset management. To start the day with what many say is the best buffet breakfast in the whole of the Caribbean, go sightseeing and return to the welcome-home feeling of your room here – that is the way to ‘do’ Havana, even if you only have a few days, say for a side-trip from Miami. So what does a visitor experience on a quick trip to Cuba? As many are forewarned, this is an island where time has stood still, at least since 1960. I was picked up in a fuschia 1962 convertible. There was no opportunity, sadly, to see under the bonnet; it might well have been powered by a Soviet-era lawn mower. We were taken on a short tour, including along Avenue 5, the non-tourist area which is mainly a wide double-thoroughfare with an odd assortment of embassies dotted about. Many Cubans must be holding their breath in this time of new year. In April 2018 Raúl Castro, brother of Fidel, stepped down as President, though he retained Chairmanship of the Communist Party. His successor as President, Míguel Diaz Canel, is obviously putting caution ahead of making an immediate impact, but what can he do? There is little overseas economic help from previous donors Russia and Venezuela, and neighbours are sometimes scathing: The Financial Times, 9 April 2018, quoted former Mexican Foreign Minister Jorge Castañeda saying “Cuba no longer matters to anyone any more – except to Cubans”. Cubans simply have to put up with what is sometimes history-plus-decay, as some of the buildings on the right show. At the same time, Cubans are also looking forward to this November, when Havana celebrates its 500th birthday. A museum is scheduled to open on the exact date, 18 November 2019, and there are massive restoration plans throughout the city, augmented by such mundane, but much-appreciated gestures as better street lighting and garbage disposal. Cruise ships, which can generally navigate around the current US embargo on doing business with Cuba, are certainly helping spread the word that tourism helps this island considerably. Even if the stop is only a few hours, that is enough time for passengers to get off and take a tour. Yes, even if you are short of time, do head for Havana.

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