Using the Internet And Enjoying the Free Lobby At The Habana Libre Hotel, Havana, Cuba

Relax, use the internet, have a drink, in the air condition, Habana Libre Hotel lobby. It’s absolutely free to enter the lobby and relax on the lounge chairs. You can even walk up to the mezzanine and just chill. You can even use the WIFI for only $10 (CUC) per hour. It’s not the cheapest, but it works well enough and the hotel is very conveniently located in Vedado. If you are interested in finding some cheap places to use the internet in Havana, including a casa particular apartment which offers free internet, just check out the Real Havana Casas Particulares section

Here is some more info on the Habana Libre Hotel. For the full history, just check out the wikipedia page.

The hotel was built as the Habana Hilton at a cost of $24 million under the personal auspices of President Fulgencio Batista, as an investment by the pension plan of the Cuban Catering Workers Union, and was operated by the American Hilton Hotels group. The hotel was designed by the well-known Los Angeles architect Welton Becket, who had previously designed the Beverly Hilton for the chain, in collaboration with the Havana-based architects Lin Arroyo and Gabriela Menéndez.

Opened on March 22, 1958 with Conrad Hilton himself in attendance, following four days of festivities, the Habana Hilton was Latin America’s tallest and largest hotel. It boasted a Trader Vic’s, as well as a casino, supper club, pool and rooftop bar.

Following the entry of Fidel Castro into Havana, on January 8, 1959, the hotel became his headquarters, with Castro residing for three months in suite 2324. The casinos throughout the city were briefly closed, but protests by Havana casino workers led to their reopening in February.