Iberostar Selection La Habana

Rooms and decor

The hotel has around 600 rooms spread across all 42 floors, done in modern minimalist white, grey and soft gold — clean-lined and comfortable rather than showy. The floor-to-ceiling glass is the star, especially in the sea-facing rooms. Open the curtains in the morning and you get the curve of the Malecon running along the Caribbean shore, deep-blue waves breaking white against the old stone wall — exactly the scene Havana lovers daydream about. Bathrooms come in warm sand-colored tile with rain showers, and suites add a tub. Beds are soft, and the rooms stay dead quiet because the double-glazed glass seals out the traffic on Calle 23 below. For a bit more, go for a Star Prestige room on a high floor, which adds an exclusive lounge with drinks, snacks and a breakfast kept separate from the general guests — a real gift in a city where the dining options around the hotel are still thin.

Food and amenities

The heart of a stay here is up top. Take the lift to the SkyBar on floor 41 and step out to a view of Havana almost nobody has seen before, because the city has never had a tower this tall. It opens 360 degrees — one side shows the Malecon stretching out of sight, the other the tiled roofs of the old town and the gold dome of the Capitol in the distance, with the Caribbean painting the horizon clear blue. The bar pours classic Cuban cocktails — mojito, daiquiri and Cuba Libre — to live music, and it's already the best sunset drink-and-photo spot in town. There are two pools: the big one on floor 3 with sun loungers and a poolside bar for all-day lazing, and the plunge pool on the floor-42 rooftop for a soak with the most open view in the city. A floor down sits a large spa running a full range of treatments, from straightforward aromatherapy massages to face-and-body treatments using renowned products. With several restaurants, meeting rooms and a fitness center, you'd barely need to leave the building on a pure rest day.

Location and getting there

The hotel stands on Calle 23 in the heart of Vedado, Havana's old business-and-entertainment street, where 1950s concrete blocks half a century old line both sides — and then this 42-floor glass tower suddenly rises, catching the Cuban sun. It's an easy walk to the Hotel Habana Libre (about 3 minutes), John Lennon Park (about 8 minutes), and down to the Malecon (about 10 minutes). There's no metro in Havana, but a Linea 23 bus stop sits right in front, and taxis and Coco Taxis are around at all hours. Jose Marti airport (HAV) is a 30 to 40-minute taxi ride away.

Things to know before booking

To make the decision easier, some straight talk. First, the hotel only opened in early 2025, so everything is still in its tuning phase — some reviews say the staff service isn't as settled as at long-running hotels, check-in can run long on busy days, some requests get a slow reply, and a few staff aren't fluent in English. Be patient. Second, the Wi-Fi — frankly, across all of Cuba the internet is slow and unreliable as a national standard. That's not the hotel's fault but the country's infrastructure. They do their best, but don't expect it to run as smoothly as in other cities; lobby and common-area Wi-Fi tends to beat the rooms, so pack a local SIM if you have important work. Third, food and drink inside the hotel cost several times the prices outside, and reviewers find some buffet meals a touch bland for the rate — worth walking out for tapas and real Cuban food at the paladar spots in this neighborhood, which taste better and cost far less. Lastly, a small one: if you come during storm season (August to October), strong Cuban wind and rain can make the rooftop pool and SkyBar hard to use, so keep a backup plan for the windy days.

Our take

From reading real reviews and guest photos from the first half of 2025, Iberostar Selection La Habana is genuinely an experience you can't find anywhere else in Cuba — staying in a brand-new tower, the tallest in the country, with a 41st-floor SkyBar and a rooftop pool where you can soak while watching the Malecon run out of sight, in a city where most buildings are over a hundred years old. No other hotel will match that for years to come. If your trip in your head is soaking up old Havana on foot along the Malecon, riding a Coco Taxi to hear the Buena Vista Social Club, then coming back for a rooftop dip and a sunset mojito, this is the most fitting base there is. But if you expect flawless service and rocket-fast Wi-Fi, dial expectations down a notch, given the fresh opening and the country's limits. Overall we give it 8.3/10 — best for couples and luxury travelers who want a modern base in a classic city and come ready to accept that in Cuba everything moves a little slower than the global standard.