We were unable to get into the hotel we'd booked as there was some problem with the water, so we were moved to San Miguel. We initially thought we'd only stay for one night but then the management offered us the chance to stay for the full three nights we were happy to accept.

This is a beautiful little hotel in a great location between the waterfront and the old town and walking distance from most of Havana's sites. The building itself has recently been restored and is all marble and gilded mirrors. Its a bit over the top in places but it certainly has charm. Our room had a very high ceiling which made it look a little out of proportion and was full of old fashioned Cuban family photos and portraits. I thought this was quirky but my girlfriend found it a bit spooky!

The room wasn't amazingly clean but at least everything worked - particularly the air conditioning which was extremely effective. We had a small, yet functional bathroom but as our room was at the back we had no view. The views from the front of the building, especially from the breakfast room and the terrace bar, are fantastic.

The staff were very helpful and friendly. When our safe didn't work they managed to replace the faulty door within a day and in the meantime kept our valuables in the hotel safe for us.

Breakfast was basically a choice of style of eggs every day with some mixed fruit, bread and marvellous coffee. It was delicious and absolutely perfect for us but I could see how you'd tire of this after more than three nights.

I have only one gripe; avoid changing money at this hotel as the exchange rate was awful and they charged a lot of commission!

Overall this had the feel of a small hotel that had been carefully restored and was well managed. Despite the colonial fittings and décor it felt modern and airy and the staff were very helpful. I would certainly stay here again.

We stayed here just one night while passing through Havana and liked it a lot. It's a relatively recent refurbishment of a fine old building, done wth tact and fidelity to the original strucure. We were upgraded to a junior suite - a spacious room in the front of the hotel, where everything worked (not always the case in Cuba...). The position gave us good views, though there was a certain amount of traffic/street noise from quite early in the morning. Breakfast average for the Cuban hotels we used. Staff seemed keen and on the ball.

Later in our trip we stayed at the nearby Florida hotel - a place to avoid. Stay here instead.

I got moved here on my first night after being told the hotel I had booked was full. This seems quite common in Havana.

Room was a good size, clean, high ceilinged, two sets of doors with balconies with a great view of the castles across the harbour.

Road a bit noisy outside. Breakfast uninspiring. I found the communal areas a bit soul-less.

An average hotel

The hotel is very beautiful, the high ceilings, stunning staircases and modern bathrooms. However, the pushy staff here left me with a bad taste in my mouth after my stay. There was 1 staff member who tried to charge us 2 pesos for absolutely everything, and we constantly felt we were being ripped off by this staff member. When we queried all of the 'additional' costs with another staff member, we discovered there weren't fees associated with these sevices after all.

Also stayed at Hostal Valencia while in Havana, and thought it was much better value.