Paco and Mercy are very nice people, I stayed in their casa in Vedado, Havana for 10 days in April/May 2011.Very nice casa, clean room, en-suite bathroom with hot&cold water, beautiful patio garden, air-con, fridge/freezer.
The entrance is completely private, from the gate on Calle 20 through a patio garden. I stayed in a smaller double room but it has plenty of space, the other room has its own small kitchen, too.The room was very nice and clean, cleaning every day, change of sheets/towels every 2-3 days.
Breakfast was very good, served in the patio, omelette with ham, coffee/milk, toast and butter, and bowl of fresh fruits.
Breakfast costs 5CUC and is well worth it, coffee and sandwich in nearby cafe on Avenida 23 was about 4cuc and not so good.
You can also have your clothes washed and ironed for a small charge.
Vedado is probably the nicest area to stay in Havana. Taxi to Old Havana is about 5CUC, or 1-2CUC with a line taxi (old American cars picking up people along the way). There are cafes, restaurants/paladares, shops, banks, within walking distance. Vedado and Havana in general are very safe, probably safer than London. I walked the streets in the night, never seen any problems.
I can recommend this casa, much better than staying in a hotel.
Website: http://casapacoymercy.cjb.net/ Address:
Calle 19. Nro.1216 esquina 20. Vedado. Havana. Cuba. Phone: (53 7) 833-5815