We visited this hotel as part of a tour of Cuba and were rather wary given previous comments. We need not have worried it was fine. The corridors are rather drab but our room No. 466 was big, bright & clean. The food was acceptable and plentiful although perhaps the choice was not to all western tastes. The hotel is used by tour groups and at busy times it is often hard to find plates, glasses & cups etc in the restaurant. This is not 5 star accomodation by any means but it was better than we expected and met our all requriements comfortably. It is rather a long way from central Havana though

Only stayed for one night as we were staying elsewhere in Varadero for a beach holiday with Virgin.
They put us up here for our last night as we were seeing the Tropicana show and spent our last day in Havana.

The buffet is very limited and the food of poor quality.
The room is gaudy looking with 2 beds pushed together.
No water or drinks in the room.
Bathroom dirty, the waste bin had what I can only assume was rust all over it.
When our bath plug got stuck, no one came to fix this even after repeated calls so we had to shower with last nights bath water in it... yuk.
The pool has cracked tiles all around it.
Rude staff who dont speak any English. I believe it's because not many British people stay here and if they do then it's only for 1 or 2 nights.
Do not be fooled by the entrance lobby which is immaculate. It's a shame the rest of the hotel isnt especially all the floors which have threadbare carpets held together with stickytape....need I go on?

Do not stay here. It's a shambles.

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.