Free Fun and Amazing Lookout At the Hotel Nacional in Vedado, Havana, Cuba.

Sit back and relax. Sip your drink, enjoy the sunshine, listen to a live band playing in the background. And it’s all free. Just go to the Hotel Nacional in Vedado, Havana, Cuba and walk in through the front doors and out onto the enormous terrace and esplanade. You will be surrounded by locals and tourist. Everybody is having fun. You will feel like a star. If you are lucky, you will be able to enjoy a free show, life music and sometimes even watch a professional photo shoot with lovely Cuban models.

The Hotel Nacional is an amazing place to come to when you just want to get away from the Havana noise and bustle. The drinks are a bit more expensive than average, but you can still get a domestic Cuban beer for just a few dollars. Click on this link if you want to learn about more fantastic, cheap places like this in Havana, just check out my Real Havana travel guide book.

Here is a Brief History lesson on the Hotel Nacional de Cuba

The New York architectural firm of McKim, Mead and White designed the hotel, which features a mix of styles. It opened in 1930, when Cuba was a prime travel destination for Americans, long before the United States embargo against Cuba. In its 80+ years of existence, the hotel has had many important guests.

The hotel was built on the site of the Santa Clara Battery, which dates back to 1797. Part of the battery has been preserved in the hotel’s gardens, including two large coastal guns dating from the late 19th Century. There is also a small museum there featuring the 1962 Cuban missile crisis. During the crisis, Fidel Castro and Che Guevara set up their headquarters there to prepare the defence of Havana from aerial attack.

The Hotel Nacional de Cuba is a World Heritage Site and a National Monument, and it was inscribed in the World Memory Register.

For more History, simply check out the wikipedia page on the Hotel Nacional.

Learn About more about Cheap Attractions in Havana and Vedado.

If you are interested in learning more about Cuban history and finding other cheap or free attractions and hot spots to see in Havana and Vedado, download the best Cuban travel guide on the Internet. You can even download the free Havana Tips and Tricks guide book! Learn how to explore Cuba like a local and save money!