Xanadu Mansion (Dupont House)

My husband and I visited for some drinks at sunset. We were greeted and directed up to the 3rd floor by stairs or lift - we took the lift which although old worked just fine. We were the only people in this grand looking bar when we arrived and initially sat inside where there are great views out to sea, we then moved outside overlooking the golf course and opposite coast and we also enjoyed the fabulous Cuban sunset. The barman took great care making our drinks - fresh lemonade and daiquiris (strawberry and mango) which were exceptionally good, the best drinks we had in our two week stay in Cuba. By the time we left a few more people had arrived and the restaurant downstairs seemed busy while we sat in a lovely lounge room waiting for a taxi arranged by one of the staff for us. I would definitely recommend a visit to this bar. We would have liked to have eaten here too but the menu has virtually no vegetarian food so didn't suit us.

Maison Xanadu is situated on the golf course of Melia Americanas. We walked in and made a dinner reservation but as we were walking away we were told no credit cards were accepted only American dollars. The policy in Cuba is that Visa and Master Card are accepted provided that they have not been issued by a U.S bank therefore we did not bring a lot of cash. We had some Cuban pesos but to to our astonishment they were not accepted. This is the first time I have been in a country that does not accept its own currency. We complained at the hotel who told us the internet was "broken" which i doubt since it worked in our room and the hotel relies on it for payment in full for the all inclusive. We later spoke to people that had made their reservation on line and paid with a credit card. We could of tried again but the experience had soured us on the place.

We had a drink at the terrace bar, unfortunately we cannot afford to stay in one of the 8 rooms at the moment. The building is so beautiful, the drinks were very nice and the barman had been working there for many years, explained to us the history and particulars of the mansion. It was a really special evening and I can recommend it to all visitors.