This hotel is differently good for short stay to see Havana. We stayed for two days. Spacious, clean rooms. All our requests were done immediately: extra towels, open closed bathroom door, e.t.c.
Few tips: this 3* hotel shares facilities with nearest 4* hotel (Occidental Miramar):
buffet, pool, tennis court, even night band.
If you stay in Montehabana and go to dinner buffet to Occidental Miramar - pay 14$ in Montehabana reception. The same dinner buffet in Occidental will cost 18$.

I'm a travel writer, so I might know what I'm talking about, However, this trip was personal (to get away from my girlfriend).

The Monte Habana is listed as three stars on most websites but I would give it four. The reason is that you can rent a huge apartment (make sure it's on the second or third floors facing west) with full kitchen, walk-in closet, free safe, clean bathroom and one bedroom with balcony for the same price as a hotel room (also comes with excellent breakfast). The upgrade to the Monte Habana is that it is owned and located right beside the Miramar Orientale Hotel which is four to five stars. Only two minutes away, you can use their large pools, tennis courts, restaurants and gym. Don't be fooled by the huge appearance of the Monte Habana which is covered in yellow and green paint and looks like a gigantic cement elephant. They have spent the money to rennovate the apartments and that's where you be living. Price is around $500 (with airfare) and well worth it.

Returned on November 23rd. Place was clean. Staff was friendly, although it helps if you speak Spanish. Shopping is about a ten minute walk away so you can stock your fridge with bread, cheese, cold cuts, etc. No charge for use of nearby hotel's swimming pools. Free shuttle bus three times daily into Centro and Old Havana. Taxi fare...about 12-15 dollars. Coco Taxi a little cheaper. You can get a good omelette and toast for a dollar fifty and a great burger for 3 bucks. This is a great place to use as a base to explore Havana. It's quiet and not your typical cookie cutter hotel...very eclectic achitecture. Located in MIramar...spendid old buildings and embassies. You have to pay 3 dollars to use the internet for half an hour and they charge you for all local phone calls. For example a five minute local call cost me about 4 bucks.If you are a princessa, impatient, high maintenance, spoiled, a picky eater or snobbish..stay away. It's like the Holiday Inn compared to the Hilton.

My partner and I have stayed at this hotel twice (December 2008 and 2009). I fell in love with the architecture of this place - the open, modern, unpretentious feeling. Other great features are: its location close to the water, the gorgeous 5th avenue, the snackback open 24/7, and the use of the pool at the other hotel. We are both vegetarians and we found that we could have a delicious breakfast and cheese sandwiches there - but I admit it would be a challenge for vegans. As per going downtown, lets say, Vedado or Nuevo Vedado, we walk! It's a wonderful way to discover Habana and its people, especially when walking through the back streets. Now, where to improve: 1. I find that the tables in the lobby are very dirty - it wouldn't cost a lot to have someone wipe them with soapy water once in a while. 2. Fixing the amazingly beautiful common bathrooms in the lobby would be a plus. 3. Improving service; latino culture or not, service should be prompt and courteous. Sometimes at the snackbar I have to wait a long time (for Canadian standards) to even make eye contact with a staff member. Some of the staff don't seem to take their jobs too seriously. I couldn't understand at first why they would serve me eggs and ham while I had clearly stated (I speak Spanish) that as a vegetarian I only wanted eggs - until I realized the staff was serving the breakfast plates at random! 4. The most serious inconvenient was that the non-smoking laws are not implemented. Last December, the smoke was a huge problem for me - the guys next door where smokers and I would wake up in the middle of the night because of the smoke. European and Canadian tourists, sadly, take advantage of this. However, although we are returning this year as a test, we'll have to go back to Melia Cohiba in the future if the non-smoking rules are not applied. As a last note: please don't expect coffee machines and the like in Cuban hotel rooms - it isn't fair. You are not in the US and Canada anymore - and you are getting a good deal for what you pay for in Cuba in general. Cubans rude? Yes sometimes but then, look at their situation - one staff last year had two full time jobs and she could barely keep awake...Viva Cuba nevertheless!