Have you ever thought that a wonderful city as Havana was linked to the mafia and organized crime?
We already know that Havana looks like the setting of a movie, with its elegant cars and the decadent luxury of its facades. And just so it seemed in the 1920s, 30s, 40s and 50s:
A film, but real, starring gangsters, where corruption, gambling, casinos, drugs, alcohol and the organized mafia were a natural part of the scene of debauchery that existed in the city.
When the most dangerous gangsters roamed Havana
The organized mafia in the United States began its activities in Cuba in the early 1920s, trafficking rum and other alcoholic beverages.
Many of the most dangerous gangsters of the 20th century walked the streets of the city of Havana. The operations were organized under the supervision of four families led by Corsican Amleto Battisti, Amadeo Barletta Barletta, Santo Trafficante (father) and Meyer Lansky himself.
Malecón from Hotel Nacional
In this way, the mafia in Cuba was losing its main figures, who left in search of new destinations to create their empires, although nothing could ever be compared to Havana.
If you ask what to do in Cuba, in your stay in the Cuban capital, do not forget to visit these emblematic sites that we propose below, because even today they preserve, their architecture, decoration and even atmosphere of an era and the controversial characters that starred in it.
1 Hotel Nacional, gangster headquarters in Cuba
The Hotel Nacional de Cuba, which has been chosen as the best hotel in Cuba by the World Travel Awards in 2020, is like going back in time to fully enter into the golden age of Hollywoood and the Cuba of the 50s.
This National Monument of colonial and historical appearance is our special recommendation to start a tour around modern Havana.
The Hotel Nacional de Cuba was built in the early 1930s inspired by the design of the Hotel Breakers in Palm Beach, Florida.
Famous figures such as Winston Churchill or great figures of the North American mafia have stayed here. It has also hosted the Prince of Wales Edward VIII, the writer Rómulo Gallegos, María Félix, Fred Astaire, Nat King Cole and a long list still ongoing in the present day.
It was 1946 when the Hotel Nacional de Cuba hosted what was called the great meeting of the mafia. The hotel closed its doors under the guise of a Frank Sinatra concert to host the most famous families of the American mafia. Among those present were Lucky Luciano, Meyer Lansky and Frank Costello.
The casino located in this hotel, which was one of the most recognized and lucrative in all of Cuba, was converted into the Cabaret Parisién, opened by the famous American singer and actress Eartha Kittm.
2 Hotel Capri, movie set
The Hotel Capri, located about 200 meters from the Hotel Nacional and very close to what was the Hotel Havana Hilton (now Habana Libre), was also built with money from the mafia and following the modernist pattern that prevailed in the 50s.
Later, the hotel and the panoramic pool bar on the rooftop were the setting for films such as "Our Man in Havana" by Carol Reed and "Soy Cuba" by Mikhail Kalatazov. Another of the monumental and historical hotels in Cuba that you cannot miss.
Today, it is a 4-star hotel operated by NH.
3 Hotel Riviera, Meyer Lansky's favorite modern giant
The Hotel Riviera, now operated by the Iberostar chain and one of the oldest in the Cuban capital, was the site chosen by the American mobster Meyer Lansky to establish his headquarters in Havana.
It was the best luxury hotel in Cuba in the 1950s and one of the accommodations for couples which are most popular on the island.
Its opening was celebrated in December 1957, with a musical performance presented at the Cabaret Copa Room with Ginger Rogers on stage.
The Riviera hotel has been visited by celebrities from different fields such as Alain Delon, Olga Guillot, Chucho Valdés, Alicia Alonso, the poet Roque Dalton, Rocky Marciano, Kid Chocolate, Gabriel García Márquez, the American Ángela Davis and the first woman cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova , among others.
4 Casa Dupont, a mafia paradise in Varadero
The iconic and imposing Xanadú Mansion or Dupont House, as it is also known, is an icon of Varadero, the most famous resort in Cuba.
It is said that this man allied with the mafia to establish in Varadero “a multimillion-dollar era of tourism, with dozens of luxurious hotels overlooking the Florida Straits, with private clubs for the great families of the north, with roulette, baccarat and poker, with private docks without customs. A paradise for the Mafia and the American industrial aristocracy, where everything burned in the bluish flame of brandy. "
It was built almost a century ago in the Peña San Bernardino, the highest point of the town, very close to the beautiful “Playa Las Américas”, it is a place full of wonders and stories that surround the visitor.
Xanadú Mansion in the background
It is claimed that, when viewed from the coast, the building resembles a ship. At its two edges it shows the green and red lanterns that in nautical language indicate port and starboard.
In 1997 it was chosen as Varadero Golf Club, having 18 holes of 72 par, in about 6,856 yards.
When you imagine yourself enjoying a delicious fresh lobster, on a charming terrace, by the sea, this is the place you must visit.
5 Cabaret Tropicana, trending night club forever
It is considered as the most famous nightclub in Cuba. Tropicana is an identity product of the country and in some way represents Cuban's own sensuality.
A night club that welcomed, during the Republican period, Hollywood gangsters, politicians and artists who attended to gamble, drink and seal their deals.
Many of you may think that it is an unnecessary waste of money to attend a show at Tropicana, or that you are not going to witness an authentic representation of Cuban culture. But the fact is that this cabaret is as linked to Cuba as coffee, rum or tobacco.
This site is unique to enjoy Cuban folklore to the fullest, as it is one of the most popular Cuban musical shows in the world.
When you talk about dance in Havana, to the rhythm of live music on a frenetic night, Tropicana is that paradise under the stars that you cannot miss.
Of the price packages that the cabaret offers, we will arrange the best option for you, so that you can watch the show from a privileged spot.
While the stunning dancers of Tropicana wear just the minimum amount of clothing on their bodies, there is a rigorous dress code for the audience. Formal wear is imperative.
6 Hotel Sevilla, traces of the mafia in the heart of Havana
This Mudejar-style building, which was inaugurated in 1908, stands very close to Central Park and overlooking Paseo del Prado.
In 1930 Amletto Battisti, a Uruguayan of Italian origin, acquired the hotel, in which he built a casino, which he partially traded to Santo Trafficante Jr.
Various personalities were guests of this jewel of Cuban architecture: the Spanish painter José Maria López Mesquita; Al Capone, who stayed with his entire entourage on the sixth floor of the hotel; or the Italian singer Enrico Caruso.
If you are walking around colonial Havana, come to the Sevillian patio of this hotel, or to its restaurant Roof Garden, so you can enjoy an amazing view, and if you want to discover the coolest rooftops in Havana, follow the link.
TRAVEL TO CUBA
So, if you are thinking of organizing a trip to Cuba, whether to travel with your family, with your group of friends or with your classmates, with your couple or even in your honey moon, on your own or in one of our tailor made trips, don't miss any of our recommendations to travel to Cuba without complications and to know about the evolution of COVID-19 situation in Cuba.
Article written by Gabriela Rodríguez, independent Cuban guide.
Video produced and edited by Javier Ernesto Hernández-López.
