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Cubanacan Comodoro, Havana 07/17/2004
Reviewers Rating:  Great
I stayed at the Hotel Comodoro for two-week period from April to May 2004 and thought that I should share my experience at this hotel with you.
Hotel Comodoro is located in the suburbs of Havana in the Miramar neighbourhood, which is located on the North West Coast of Cuba. Next door to the Comodoro is the Melia Habana Hotel and there are also other hotels in the area. The south side of the main building of Hotel Comodoro faces the sea but only has a man-made beach. Miramar is a very nice suburb and you will not find the buildings old and dilapidated like those in some parts of the older areas in Havana. The streets are wide and pleasant.
Hotel Comodoro is rated as a 4 star hotel (Cuba standards) but may be considered both as a 3 star and 4 star for various reasons. I will first list the 3 star part of the hotel. The hotel comprises a main building and two bungalow sections. The bungalows are pretty nice for big crowds and families or lovers who want to be cosy in their own world but does not work out to be very reasonable if you are going alone. They were built about 10 years ago. I don't know if I could rate the bungalows as 3 or 4 stars. I did visit a one bedroom and two-bedroom bungalow and felt like if I were in an apartment. My version of a 3 star is where I stayed (the hotel room on the 4th floor of the main building). I loved the view from my room as it faced the sea. The downside: the bathroom tub and sink needed upgrading because they were worn and the counter around the sink always seemed to be flooded. The room was very comfortable and clean. If there were two of us, there would not have been enough room for accommodating our folded clothes because there was only a little chest of drawers that contained three drawers, located in the clothes cupboard. The corridor carpet did need either shampooing or upgrading. This is the 4th floor. I cannot say what the 2nd and 3rd floors were like. So I rated my bedroom as a 3 star.
I did pay $2.00 U.S. a night for the safety deposit box in my room. I don’t know if they charge the same amount for the bungalows.
The main floor of the main building, which was built 50 years ago, is very nice. There is the main cafeteria, a Cuban restaurant, an Italian restaurant and a 24-hour bar that also serves coffee and tea. The food at the Italian restaurant was acceptable and the Cuban food menu could have been better. They also served fries (called roasted potatoes – which one would not want in a restaurant at a hotel for dinner) with the chicken, which seemed to be a bit tough. I would have preferred my potatoes boiled, mashed or roasted in the oven. I did not care very much for the Cuban restaurant. The breakfast buffet was O.K. They tried to have a variety of things, so you could take your pick and there was always a freshly made omelet if you needed one. The fruit was varied but I have found that in Cuba you tend to get sliced fruit and nothing is done fancy as I am used too. The fruit except for the oranges were not very sweet. The oranges were the best that I have ever had. Usually when you get fruit in the tropics they are sweet. It must be the type of soil in Cuba. We can’t do anything about that – that’s nature. The yogurt was excellent (which is not thick like what we get in Canada), cereal, lovely tropical juices made from guava and mango and breads. There were also sweet things like donuts and fruit flans to have with breakfast (could have been for some foreigners from the European countries).
There are lots of chairs in the lobby area to relax. This area is definitely 4 star. At the bar which is opened for 24 hours, you can pick up a cup of coffee or tea during the night or hot water for your thermos, which you could be found in your room.
There are a few grills at the hotel but at this time of the year, there were only two of them opened. One by the man-made beach and the other in the bungalow area to the right of the main building, where the pools weave their way through the complex. The food was cheap here and very good. A burger with salad and fries cost $4.50 to $5.00. The chicken was also softer and tastier than at the Cuban Restaurant. It is opened for 24 hours every day. The grill which is located in the bungalow area to the left side of the main building was closed as that area was closed and seemed to need some renovations which were in the works. There is an ice cream parlour and kids section in the main lobby of that section which was opened until late at night. The meals in the hotel averaged around $10.00 to $11.00 a night. The buffet in the cafeteria at night was $15.00. I only went to the buffet once and there was a lot of food to choose from and looked very good. I am not a big eater and could not take advantage of what they had to offer.
The Comodoro does not only contain a hotel and bungalows but has a very large shopping complex. This is definitely a 4 star feature for the hotel. There is a grocery store with lots of imports, drinks, alcohol and some local food. Along the street are also many shops besides those in the mall. The clothes, shoes, etc. in the shopping center are quite reasonable and come in from China, Spain and Brazil (and maybe other places). They are cheaper than in Canada and some are quite nice and of good quality. So you can come to this Mall to shop if you are in Havana. They have a bit of everything that you would find in any mall elsewhere. There is also a fitness centre and beauty salon where you could have your hair done, facial (one of the best that I have had), pedicures, massages, etc. You do have to pay for the use of the Gym and tennis court. They were charging me $30.00 for two weeks for the use of the tennis court, gym and sauna. You also have to pay a $10.00 registration fee. There is also an eating place next door but I was never able find the entrance but it is part of the complex. If you want to sip a Cerveza, there is a beer garden on the street. The entrance to this street and along the street has security. Comodoro has no lack of security. I would walk around the complex at any hour of the night and feel safe. There are also security booths at some of the corners on the streets in the area. I felt very safe in the area.
Staff: The staff of the hotel is a plus to the hotel. 90% of the people are very nice. That does not say that the others are not but they are very nice people and make your stay very comfortable and make you feel like you belong there.
The Internet service in the office at the hotel is not very good. There is also an Internet café in the lobby in the bungalow lounge but I did not remember to go there so I went next door to the Melia Habana to use theirs. They do not stop you from entering the hotel. Just ask where the Internet café is and you will be directed where to go. The Melia Habana charges $3.00 for 15 min. and $5.00 for 30 min. and their Internet works very fast. This is the same rate at Comodoro, but I wish you luck at the latter.
The shuttle service, which is free, runs 5 times a day. They leave the hotel at 9 a.m., 10:30 a.m., 3:00 p.m., 6:00 p.m. returning from Havana 45 min. after each trip with the exception of the 9 p.m. trip to Havana which returns from Havana at 11:30 p.m. If you take a taxi, it should cost no more than $7.00. There is a private taxi, without a meter. owned by the guy who hangs around the lobby area who took me to Havana twice for $7.00. You can get a metered taxi at the front door also.
Entertainment: Because it was low season there was not much entertainment going on. There was karaoke most nights. They did not find it practical to bring in the entertainers to play for a few people, but three nights before I left there was a lot of guests and there were two fashion shows. At one of the shows, singers also entertained us. David and his co-worker from the animation team were very nice people. They are responsible for the beach and night entertainment, salsa and Spanish lessons (the Spanish and salsa lessons are free).
Travellers Cheques. Comodoro Hotel does not change traveller’s cheques. If you have to change traveller’s cheques you have to go to the Banco de Metropolitano which is located on Third Avenue about 10 blocks from the hotel and it costs $7.00 to $8.00 return by taxi. The bank will not change your traveller’s cheque without the numbered receipt when purchased, even if you have your passport. You can also withdraw money from the banking machine at the bank, which is located opposite the Melia Habana (which is located next door). Reception does not take travellers cheques but will change your pesos from the banking machine to U.S. dollars.
There is no beach towel service like the resorts, so bring you own beach towel.
I think I have given you a lot of info. Regardless of my comments, I plan to stay at the Comodoro on my next trip to Havana, as I prefer to stay in the suburbs. If you speak English and have a problem, Rolando and Valdez, two of the doormen speak English very well and are very intelligent people and can answer all of your questions. Sonia, the Cubanacan representative, is also very fluent in English.
Have a good trip.
Ginger
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