This ultra-modern hotel is for travellers who want to combine the sultry Spanish Colonial charms of Havana with contemporary comforts – a rare find in the city. Three new floors crown the grand façade of an old hotel, cutting an eye-catching design close to the seafront. A lofty terrace houses the stunning infinity pool (grab one of the part-submerged sun loungers for a cooling dip), and the inviting spa is filled with saunas and steam rooms – a cool and calming haven from the city’s buzz. Interiors are atomic-age bright: acres of white and soft neon lights, with little nods to 1950s Havana, from vintage car signs to a classic cigar room.   There’s no better location to reflect IBEROSTAR Grand Packard’s mix of old and new: the waterfront hotel sits at the northern end of Paseo del Prado, a leafy boulevard straddling the border between Central Habana and Old Havana. The location is perfect for exploring: the hotel is close to the Velasco Palace and the National Capitol Building and is just around the corner from the dome-topped Museo de la Revolución. Wander the knot of candy-coloured streets to stumble across once grandiose palaces and colonial squares, eyeing up the vintage cars and discovering the city’s emerging art scene and café culture – then take it all in from above back at the hotel. Set back from the Malecón, the Packard has wide-reaching views across the bay, the city, the Moro fortress, the Florida Straits.