We stayed here starting & finishing a cycle tour. Whilst I understand that Cuba is a poor country, without doubt this was the worst Hotel we stayed in our two weeks in Cuba. Most has been said in previous reviews, here's a few other points;

- Our pre-booked room wasn't ready at check in ( 6.30pm! )
- Location poor for tourists. It's a 15min taxi journey into central Havana.
- The breakfast was our worst in Cuba. It's a bunfight! As said before, the coffee was an experience!
- The lobby is smart enough, but the corridors and rooms need a makeover.
- If you're a tourist looking for real Havana, avoid this Hotel. If you're just on a stopover it's just about acceptable.

We stayed at this hotel for a week back in September 2011. Because we were visiting relatives in Havana and were fortunate enough to have home-cooked meals. Based on some of these reviews, it seems we didn't miss out on much. This hotel was basically in the location we wanted and was a place for us to sleep. We were not there most of the time.

That being said, for those staying at this hotel without the all-inclusive package, here are a few tips:

1) The breakfast options are terrible. Either you pay something like 8-10CUC (can't remember the price) for the buffet or have to resort to ordering overpriced ham sandwiches from the lobby. If neither of those options sound appealing, you will have a very difficult time finding a nearby restaurant serving fried eggs, omlets, fresh fruit, etc... We ate a lot of ham sandwiches for breakfast that week.

2) The immediate area around the hotel does not have very good restaurants. You are probably better off eating in Vedado, Habana Vieja, or making arrangements to have meals at a Cuban's house (casa particular). The latter option usually gives you the most value for your money.

3) Drinks are overpriced. I believe a beer was around 2.50CUC or 2.75CUC at the hotel (sorry, my memory is a bit fuzzy). This might seem cheap to a North American or European, but it is insanely expensive in Cuba given that most restaurants will charge only 2CUC at most for a beer. If you are truly dedicated towards saving a few dollars, just cross the street, pay for it at 1CUC per can, and bring it back to the hotel. No one cares.

Additionally, if you want to save a few extra dollars on taxi fares going to other parts of Havana, you may want to skip taking the taxis parked right in front of the hotel or the plaza across the street because they are overpriced. If you walk a couple of blocks away from the hotel and flag one down on your own, you will probably get it at half the price.

We stayed here on the first and last nights of a 2-week cycling tour.
Most of my points have been covered by others recently:
Mattresses appear to vary, because the first night it was unbearably thin/hard, but the next time it seemed much more comfortable - though by then perhaps I was accustomed to what was generally available in Cuba. Rooms were clean.
Breakfast was the worst experienced in Cuba - especially the coffee!
General service/helpfulness also the worst.
Location means it's a taxi ride to anywhere.
Can't comment on room tariffs because it was included in our tour price.

We stayed here on the last night of our holiday as we booked the overnight Havana tour. The lobby was nice but the rest was a disaster. As soon as you left the lobby and got the lift to your room floor, it was dark, dingy, grubby, dirty and smelly. The bed was a joke with the thinnest mattress ever and the carpet was threadbare in parts and held together with masking tape. We visited the pool area and it was a health hazard with broken tiles and bird crap on the sunbeds. We also had dinner in here. I know Cuba isnt renowned for its food but jeezo this was terrible. My husband had 2 bits of pork which turned out to be bones with no meat. I stayed with the bread and as for breakfast the pancakes tasted like rubber. I spoke to Virgin about this hotel as it was an excursion booked through them but they took no responsibility for the hotel saying it was the tour operator which picked it and was not one of their's. The tour itself was good and good value for money but go to another hotel!