“dissapointing”
Reading the other reviews tells me that we all seem to be in agreement that this hotel is not 4* but at best 3*. There are refurbished rooms facing the Aquarium try to get into those as the rooms on the sea side are in need of a serous overhall. Ther are also some fast food outlets where the locals eat nearby so go to these for a quick tasty meal.Be warned though that the local music is played rather loudly. Our room had all the faults that other visitors complained about but was clean and the beds comfortable. Staff were pleasant and helpful. Pool was clean but had many local children in it. Plenty of sun beds. Breakfast was waiter service and the food and drink uneatable.

“Not Too Great For Havana Old Town ”
Miramar is in the quiet Embassy district some miles from the Old Town of Havana. Travel to and fro was provided by Kuoni a bit iffy and in taxis without seat belts in the back. This service was essential as it would cost you 16 - 20 CUP per return trip to the Old Town. One particularly awkward driver left us stranded in the 35 degree heat one afternoon. Room was of a good size but marred by faults with the doors sticking. Staff a bit lacksidaisicle, breakfast orders forgotten etc. There is a nice seawater pool with towels provided for you and a pool bar & snack service.

“Reasonable hotel but location not great ”
Stayed for 2 nights at the end of a longer holiday. Our 4th floor room had been recently refurbished, had a sea view and was satisfactory in all respects. The public areas were also fine. The location of the hotel was a bit bleak, though the fresh sea breeze was very welcome. Breakfast was uninspiring, but poolside drinks and snacks were reasonably priced. Most of the staff were not particularly friendly. A twice-daily shuttle to old Havana is provided free for Kuoni group clients - we found the evening shuttle which left at 7pm and returned at 11 pm conveniently timed. There is a nice paladar restaurant called La Fontana in easy walking distance - turn up Calle 60 and take the 3rd left. But beware of the wine list - they don't have any of the cheaper bottles listed - stick to beer!

“Thank God I didn't stay here ”
My hubby and I used one of the rooms to freshen up while on a Havana tour from Varadero. The supper buffet was very small, not alot of selection and not very good, but oh well. The room had 2 beds in it, with a mishmash of unmatching furniture and old dingy comforters that were badly stained and no curtains. There was no hot water. And the doors didn't close!! You had to lift and slam the room door to close it, and the bathroom door just didn't close at all. Disgustingly enough, there was a mini-fridge in the room, that still had someone's old rotten takeout food in it (God only knows HOW long it had been there). I'm wondering if perhaps the crappy rooms are left for the people who only use them for the Cubanacam tours, and the good rooms are for official guests. Either way, I don't think I could bring myself to stay there again.

“Pleasantly surprised ”
This hotel has been refurbished fairly recently and to a good standard. The rooms are spacious and ours had two king sized beds (probably queen size in US). The bathroom was also very spacious and had a combined bath/shower. Our room overlooked the National Aquarium - which is handy if you like watching seals. The breakfast was of the usual buffet style but very comprehensive. There was also a chef on hand to make omelettes to order. All the staff that we came into contact with were friendly and very helpful - especially when we found that we had left our souvenirs on a tour bus. The hotel is in the very attractive embassy district of Havana. There is a large (for Cuba) supermarket a short walk away - prices are in Cuban convertible pesos. I wouldn't quibble with the 4 star rating for this hotel, we had a comfortable stay and found only positives.

“Too Far Out of Old Havana ”
My husband and I stayed for three nights in this hotel mid June on a package incorporating Havana and a beach resort. It overlooks the National Aquarium, and since nearly all of the rooms and balconies overlook this, it can be noisy when there is a show taking place. So saying, we were delighted to see performing seals almost opposite our balcony and across the road but would not want to stay for too long there. The room was pleasant enough. There is a fridge which is locked, and you have to pay a deposit at reception for a key. You can then use it for your own drinks if you want, as well as what there is on offer to buy inside. Beware of the safety deposit box which is free in the room. Ours was quite difficult sometimes to open and one day we took all the belongings out of it, shut it to test it and it never opened again!!! The other thing to beware of is the self-closing balcony from the outside. My husband joined me on the balcony and shut the door to keep it cool and we found ourselves locked out. I won't go into how we got back in again but it took some time! There were no plugs in the bathroom for either the sink or the bath but if you ask at reception they will supply one which fits both. The food was very average. For breakfast you could have cooked egg of your choice like omelette or fried egg but the rest was pretty boring. We also ate there for two of the evenings, simply because it was so hot and we could not be bothered to wander the streets trying to find something. The first night was fine as we were able to choose from a menu, but the second time they had a conference on at the hotel and had a buffet and it was very average and I ended up hungry for not finding something to my liking, and I am not fussy! The staff also speak hardly any English and we had the same problem at breakfast with them not understanding tea or hot water. They brought a cup to the table so you could not do it for yourself. We went to the supermarket. We took a rucksack with us which was duly taken from us and held outside at a sort of left luggage office, where we were given a ticket to retrieve it. Also after paying for our goods, when we went to go to the exit we were stopped and we had to produce the receipt and they checked this against all our goods, such as they were. We were not amused at this and felt rather intimidated. However, we did go back a second time and it seemed to be the norm when we looked around so did not mind so much the next time. If you are doing the same trip as us with a two-centre holiday, it is worth going to the supermarket to get some presents to take home like the rum, coffee and "foreign" biscuits etc as there was absolutely nothing at the beach resort and we were glad we had shopped in this way. With hindsight we would have preferred to go straight to the beach resort and done either a day trip or an overnight to Havana. We took a taxi to Havana once. It is 10CUC one way which is roughly £5. We only went the once, as that was enough. We did not use the free shuttle service as the timing was not convenient either in the morning or evening. We would not choose to stay in this hotel again if we came back to Havana as it was too far out of the main old city.

“Bit too far out of town ”
Have just returned from Cuba - stayed for four nights in the Chateau Miramar in Havana. Hotel is fine - big rooms with balconies and clean. Only had breakfast so couldn't comment on the food, but what we had was OK. To the hotel's credit we asked to move rooms to get a bit of a sea view and they moved us with no problem. The hotel is a 10 CUC taxi ride from the centre and previous reviewers comments about the shuttle bus are right - too early at 09:10 am. There are places to eat in this area tho - try the Paladar Vistamar - a private eating place about ten mins walk away overlooking the sea fantastic fish, fried plantains, taro etc.. The supermarket is fine - if you need snacks - prices in convertible pasos - mostly frequented by foreigners.

“not the best”
we spent 2 nights at this hotel in january. the rooms were spacious and very clean, they look as though they have recently been refurbished. we had a large balcony but the view wasnt great, other people on our tour had ocean views, but i wasnt there to admire the view! the staff werent as friendly as the staff we had at the other 2 hotels we stayed in. there is a free shuttle bus into havana twice a day, but the timings arent brilliant, you either have to rush back, get a cab back, or stay out a really long time! the 2 meals we had were very nice, but staffs understanding was limited, we asked for tea but we were served coffee, hardly the end of the world. i was travelling with my mother (74) she had a nasty fall in the hotel, tripped on one of the very small hard to see steps on the floor, one of the hotel managers was standing around at the time, he picked her up, gave her a very worried look, and vanished, he didnt ask if she was ok or offer any more help! if i returned to havana i would choose to stay elsewhere, having said that, its not the worst hotel you could choose

“Chateau Too Far ”
4* claimed; hardly. Refurbished pool is good, but too shallow for those who like to dive. Functional rooms, adequate and repetitious buffet breakfast. Some Reception and Concierge staff are fine. The location is excellent for the diplomatic area of HAV. For those needing Old HAV, not only is it 20 mins away, but also the shuttle bus runs unreliably to its infrequent schedule. A 10CUC one way taxi journey is readily available. The hi-tech interactive TV with Internet connection is not yet running. Back in the small 'business centre' costs a pre-paid 6CUC for one hour of access.

“Good Base In Havana ”
We were lucky when we arrived - without asking we were given a huge suite overlooking the ocean, with a huge balcony and luxurious spa bath. However, even our less lucky travelling companions were happy with the quality of their standard rooms. Service everywhere in the hotel was excellent. When we visited (early February) the pool was out of commission and there was no sign that any repair work was due to start, the whole area next to the ocean had been badly mauled by Hurricane Wilma. I think it will be some time before you can swim at the hotel, although there is a hotel along the way that will let you use their pool. Minus points - 1 the food in the hotel was very average and 2 the timings of the shuttle bus into town were quite inconvenient.

“Very peaceful, and very nice location. ”
I stayed at Chateau Miramar for 3 nights. It is a small hotel, but I was very happy to live there after one week at downtown Havana in a hotel I did not find so good. But at Miramar I found the peace and the good time I had been coming to Cuba for. The only problem was that I could not let my girlfriend stay over in my room, so I had to find some private arrangement for her. The location of the hotel is very close to the sea, and loved to lay on the terasse and feel the nice breeze in the afternoon. and have my lunch there with my lovely cuban girlfriend. I can recomend this hotel to everyone who will have a peacefull place away from all the noice and the trafick and exhaust. Here you a seaview and fresh air, so what else do you want? The roomss are clean. the staff very friendly and the food very good.

intime
Small comfortable hotel in the heart of Havana Miramar neighbourhood, overlooking Havana's seafront.