Ambos Mundos

Address: Calle Obispo No. 153 esq. a Mercaderes, Havana, Cuba
Website: view Ambos Mundos’ website
Door: Open door
Style: Hotel bar
Food: Set menu

Review

Ambos Mundos is a nice old-school hotel with a colonial feel. There's a nice looking bar in the lobby but the real selling point here is the rooftop bar and restaurant. Brace yourself and another dose of Hemingway history - is there anywhere he didn't live in Havana? He resided here in room 511 for the last ten years of his life and apparently wrote For Whom the Bell Tolls here.

Ascend to the rooftop via a rickety lift, complete with attendant operator. Sit under a shady canopy, surrounded by displays of climbing flowers. Get a table near the edge so your view is uninterrupted, don't worry about sitting near the bar - a tiny little thing at the rear where the bottles on the back bar are dusty and look like they haven't been touched in ages: the rums are really the only spirits that seem to be used and they are on the bar-top. Go here for an enchanting view over Havana's rooftops and a nice breeze if not the drinks.