Lovely Stay at NH Capri Hotel, Havana, Cuba

Lovely Stay at NH Capri Hotel, Havana, Cuba

Hi everyone

Welcoming August, my birth month, I am still sharing the joy of my trip to Havana, Cuba. As I have warned you before, I still have so much to share indeed.

After writing about Hotel Nacional de Cuba , Floridita Cafe, Obispo Area, Santa Maria del Mare beach and Museo de la Revolucion as well as Mesquita Abdallah in Havana, Cuba, I now have NH Capri Hotel to share with you.

For our 4-day-3 night trip to Havana, Cuba from New York City, we decided to stay at NH Capri Hotel. The hotel is strategically located  I love this place because it is not far from many interesting landmarks in the area, including the famous Hotel Nacional de Cuba and the famous promenade Maleçon where we can enjoy the lovely view of Havana Bay.

Frankly, before flying to Cuba we read a lot of references and tips & tricks from other fellow travelers. Many have suggested some things, including the importance to choose the right hotel, the special international currency for tourists, as well as the fact that we might need to bring some basic supplies, like toilet papers, because simple things like that can be very rare and expensive. It all is caused by the prolonged embargo by one of their immediate neighboring countries. I did read it with mixed feelings, between not (or perhaps cannot) believe it and do not want to take any risks. So, we did bring enough supplies for our stay.

Welcome to NH Capri Havana

Well, as we arrived in Jose Marti International airport and went to the hotel directly, we were happy that we made the right choice. We really wanted to stay in Hotel Nacional de Cuba nut as it's the biggest hotel in the country and very famous as well as historical, the room rate is also fantastic. We prefer to use the money for other experience, like our Salsa class and walking tour with the local guide.

So, when we arrived, we waited at the lobby and the check in was very smooth. NH Capri is part of NH Hotel chain adn as I have used their services many times while in Europe, I know they have a good standard and affordable prices as well. 

the sleek, elegant lobby

They had everything ready and we just have to wait for a while. The hotel is nice although it is not that big or 'modern'. I am not saying it's a classic hotel but more like an art-deco one. 

In the lobby, they also have the cigar corner, where you can get many brands of famous cigars here. Perfect for souvenir! They have this small corner selling all those famous cigars, which we have put on our long list from our NYC bosses and colleagues LOL. So it immediately attracted our attention and we certainly bought some. Speaking about impulsive buying.

When we get to the room, we now that hotel's facilities are nice. 

The room is lovely and clean, not too spacious but it's enough for 2 people staying comfortably. I have no issues with the bed, linens and the pillows, which are crucial indeed.

The amenities are complete, like NH Hotel standard. It has free shampoo, conditioner and the bath gel. You also get free tooth brush, lotion, shower cap and tissues. We also have bathrobe and slippers. So, the amenities is complete.

The bed is comfy. The pillows are nice as well. 

The room is beautifully decorated in mint color. It is very cool and calming. 

And we had free wine, as a welcome gift for us! Not to mention free coffee, tea, and water bottles. 

The staff is very friendly and they are very helpful indeed. It has pool, rooftop and the breakfast is nice. I do enjoy the warm food they have for breakfast as well. 

the pool is packed!

in front of the hotel, there will always be classic, beautiful taxi is waiting

We spent around USD 360 for 3 nights of deluxe room with breakfast for 2 people. Not bad at all! It is only 5 minutes walk to the famous Hotel Nacional de Cuba and 10 minutes to Maleçon, where you can take pictures with the big Cuba sign on the hill.

I flew to Havana from New York City, using direct flight from Jet Blue. The flight was smooth and at that time, really packed with tourists like us. 

Here's my little video about our trip to Havana, Cuba, day 1!

 

Obviously, since our trip was taken in 2018, we stayed here before the pandemic hit the country and the world. So, I guess a lot of arrangement are changing nowadays. But that's my little review of our lovely stay at NH Capri Hotel, Havana, Cuba. 

Will you stay here as well if visiting Havana, Cuba? Tell me what you think about the hotel and what will you do if you visited Havana, Cuba!

Cheers and stay save, happy and healthy, everyone!

WW: Museo de la Revolucion, Havana, Cuba

Museo de la Revolucion, Havana, Cuba

 I do have a soft spot for museums.

This hobby of mine is definitely developed when I lived in New York City, as this city is simply bustling with world class museum

Whenever I travel, I try to sneak a visit to local museum in my itinerary. Every country will always have its signature museums or at least one national museum. When I visited Havana, Cuba, I spent some time at Museo de la Revolucion or the museum of the revolution. This museum is indeed a living history of the journey Cuba as a nation.

Besides the fascinating stories about the revolutionary period of Cuba, which highlights the significant roles of Fidel Castro, Camilo Cienfuegos and Ernesto 'Che' Guevara, this museum is located in a grand building with magnificent architecture.

As we came here straight from Santa Del Maria beach, we were a bit tired in the beginning. But then, as we arrived in this lovely museum, we spent at least 2.5 hours exploring this place and adoring its details as well as abundant information and history it displays.

the photo of the fascinating ceiling!

Here are some photos I took during my visit.

Me and Che in the background... fascinating stories about him indeed

Check out these photos and tell me what you think.

all the photos and stories are very informative

even mini - me enjoyed the visit to Museo de la Revolucion, Havana, Cuba

one of the beautiful rooms in the museum

Look at the marble stairs, the elegant columns, chandelier, and the facade at Museo de la Revolucion, Havana, Cuba

The three musketeers ..

Quite a display indeed and I guess many will definitely visit this place. As I said, we spent quite sometimes here and admired every single details they have in this museum.

Check out more story about Museo de la Revolucion, Havana, Cuba here.

Join us on (almost) Wordless Wednesday and have fun with the linky party

WW: Obispo Havana Cuba - Havana Revisited

Hi, everyone.

Welcome back! I trust you all are well and sound amidst the unnerving circumstance we all have. Positive vibes will definitely help.

So, let me take you virtually to Havana, Cuba again. This time, we are heading to Obispo, one of the areas in the middle of Havana boasting with elegant shops, cafes and some tourist attractions. Many said that this place is very touristy and way more expensive for day to day activities. I just enjoy strolling around the area and stopped by here and there to see more interesting places along the street. 

The walk started at El Floridita, the famous restaurant where Daiquiri was invented! EL FLORIDITA, La cuna del daiquiri! No wonder many famous people love spending some times here. I will surely share that on a different post, as we had lovely lunch here and I had so much to share!

As we walked around, we saw beautiful, elegant alleys lines with small but cute buildings and shops, mostly with pretty iron-wrenched balconies, unique door, and bright painted window sills and panes.

don't you just love it!

I love the cute ceramics and tiles they have here

I love the colors and the details

We passed some book stores, more cafes and soda shops (I like that), mores shops and drugstores as well. 

This soda shop is really popping

As we were looking for local souvenirs as well, our local tour guide took us to Artesania Cubana, patio de las artenos. I am so in love with those cute souvenirs you can bring home.

We visited the patio de los artesanos to get some souvenirs

all these cute fridge magnets!

all these colorful mementos!

Some that I brought home

I came across on lovely bookstore with many interesting English books, like you can see in this photo. 

Oh, I also stopped by at this traditional and famous drogueria or drugstore, Drogueria Johnson, which happens to be the Museo de Farmacia. 

And finally, we stopped by at the local boutique to buy Guayabera, the traditional top for latinos, including in Cuba, I bought the white one made of cotton, for my hubby. 

Guayabera, the traditional top for Cuban man. I got one for my hubby :)

So, do you enjoy it so far? What do you like the most about this area? Do you think you will stroll around here as well?

Join us on (almost) Wordless Wednesday and have fun with the linky party!

WW: Hotel Nacional de Cuba - Havana Revisited

Welcome to Havana, Cuba

Hi everyone.

Hope everyone is well and remains calm, cool and collected during this pandemic. Things are a bit out of control again these days and we do have to remain positive!

One way to keep me happy is by looking at my traveling journal and photo as well as video collections. I fully realize that I haven't really shared many of them in my blog. I stumbled upon my files from my trip to Havana, Cuba, in summer 2018. 

Boy, how I miss traveling and how much I haven' t shared about Havana in my 4-day trip. It was done on my last days in the US, before heading back home to Indonesia in August 2018. Together with my dearest sista in NYC, Erma, I took the liberty to explore Havana. Well, 4 days is obviously not enough but we tried to enjoy what we can. 

One beautiful corner at Hotel Nacional de Cuba, Havana

So, on the first day, we arrived already midday. We went directly to the hotel, NH Capri. After getting out of the airport and change the local currency as they have a separate monetary unit for international tourists, we headed to the hotel and after checked in and rest for a while, we walked around the area and went to Hotel Nacional de Cuba.

Being around since 1930s, the hotel is indeed an icon for Cuban splendid and colorful history. Its elegance is outstanding, you can easily spot it from afar, even from the famous highway El Moleçon. It has been graced by famous names and big personalities from all over the place, including Prime Minister Winston Churchil, Frank Sinatra, Ava Gradner, and more. 

Overlooking the backyard of Hotel Nacional de Cuba, Havana

Here are some more photos you can enjoy. 

These ones were taken  around Hotel Nacional de Cuba, one of the beautiful and historical landmarks in Havana, Cuba.

After strolling around the area, we sat down at the bar and chilled. I guess the one that visited was View Bar or the Hall of Fame. The place is cozy and surely filled with many memorabilia from the past.

I am writing more piece about my trip there as well. It was indeed a memorable trip for me and Erma. Hope more stories will be ready soon.

Join us on (almost) Wordless Wednesday and have fun with the linky party.