I hope you had a great Memorial Day weekend!  Mine was very relaxing.  I caught up with a few friends for delicious meals, put together this bookcase, finally started training for the 10K I’m running in a month, and finished this book.  It was the final one in the Crazy Rich Asians trilogy and a great beach read.  I guess I actually had a very productive weekend!

We are going back to Cuba today on the blog.  Going back through these posts makes me so nostalgic for our trip!   Watching the sunset at the Hotel Nacional in Havana is definitely one of my favorite memories from Cuba.  We went on my last night, but my parents were lucky enough to have a few more days in Cuba.  Some of us had to get back to work….

The Hotel Nacional is one of the most historic hotels in Havana, dating back to 1930.  It was the site of a bloody siege between warring factions of the Cuban army in the 1930s.  It later served as a getaway for mobsters.  In the 1940s, Lucky Luciano and Meyer Lanskey hosted an infamous mob conference, “The Havana Conference”, at the hotel.  The conference was apparently reenacted in the Godfather, Part II.

Top: Self-Portrait, sold out, dress version here / Jeans: Joe’s, similar / Earrings: J. Crew, red sold out, but available in other colors / Shoes: Joie, similar

Today the hotel is famous for its history and for being one of the best places in Havana to have a mojito and watch the sunset.  The hotel itself is gorgeous.  The mix of Spanish and Art Deco architectures is stunning.   I wish I had taken more pictures of the inside.  As soon as you walk into the hotel gardens, you are stuck by the view of the ocean.  Well, that and the 2 peacocks.  I tried to get a picture of them spreading their tails, but they didn’t feel like putting on a show that night.

Grab a table when you walk out and prepare for a relaxing evening before dinner.  The service is a little slow, but who cares when you have this view?!

After taking a few pictures, my parents and I settled in to reminisce about our trip and enjoy one last night of vacation.  I always learn so much about my parents and their experiences when we travel together.

The drinks are the most expensive we had in Cuba ($7.50 for a mojito compared to $2-3 everywhere else), but they were also among the best!

My mom and I also couldn’t resist taking a few fun selfies.

I highly recommend drinks at the Hotel Nacional next time you are in Cuba.  The sun sets and leaves plenty of time to get to dinner in Old Havana.

Thanks for reading and have a great day!

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