Hotell Havanna

’Great that you’ll be staying with us’, is how the staff welcomes you. The warm and pleasant reception sets the atmosphere, along with red-yellow-orange interiors, oriental carpets in every space, and the music. Every room has a shelf full of books, and if you don’t have time to finish one you’re encouraged to take it home. The mini-bar has Cuban chocolate and Cuban beer and rum. Cuban cigars are available to buy, and may be enjoyed in one of the smoking room’s comfy armchairs. The bar stocks a great variety of rums. From the roof terrace you can see the sea and the horizon. The founder, Lasse Diding, isn’t coy about his political views – the wifi password is Castro, and revolutionary posters from a bygone era share the wall space with more than 2000 beautiful paintings and photographs from Cuba. Among the many guests are couples and conference-goers, and aficionados for the popular rum tastings. Some come only for the restaurant. The spa, whose pretty tiles have won awards, is well worth a visit – as is the fine garden and the room dedicated to Ernest Hemingway.