After reading reviews, I reserved and stayed at El Bosque my first two nights in Havana. El Bosque is away from the hurly-burly of Habana Vieja and the Vedado, tucked away in the upscale neighborhood of Kohly, just across the Almendares River from the Vedado. The staff was courteous and knowledgable, the room clean, with nice local views from my balcony, and the on-site restaurant fine for breakfast. I never had to wait to use one of the three computers, each in its own private booth, just off the lobby. Never got to use the pool, as I spent most days at my friends' home out in San Augustin, but it looked inviting. In October, the place was very quiet, with only about half the rooms occupied. Although the hotel is a bit down-at-the-heels and in need of a good rehab, nevertheless, it was fine for me, and up to three-star standards. If not pressed for time, it was a pleasant walk to La Rampa and other centers of action in the Vedado, and only a short walk to catch my bus to the western suburbs. The price was very good--for as much as you'd pay for a second- or thrid-rate motel where I live, here in Vermont.

Several of the photos shown for this hotel are actually Hotel Kohly, which is about 10 minutes walk away. In particular, all the pool photos are from Hotel Kohly. Hotel El Bosque does not have a pool of its own, but guests here can use the pool at Club Almendares, a short hike down the hill from Hotel El Bosque.

Note that several of the reviews on this page are for Hotel Kohly, not for Hotel El Bosque. The two hotels are near each other and owned by the same company. I've never stayed at the Hotel Kohly but I heard that it's not good.

I've stayed at the Hotel El Bosque twice, and was pleased both stays. The rooms were clean, the beds comfortable (unusual in Cuba!) and the staff was friendly and helpful. They all spoke English. It's close to the Viazul bus station, the neighborhood is quiet and safe, and you're on the river, which is a big tropical park, so you breathe clean air. The prices are reasonable. Best of all, IMHO, it doesn't feel like you're in Havana. It feels like the countryside. Of course, if you want nightlife and jiniteras, this isn't the hotel for you.

My complaints? The outdoor bar had loud music until after midnight, but after that it was as quiet. Also one night the hotel was full and all the phone lines were busy, so I couldn't make a call.

I stayed at this hotel for a total of 3 nights with my family on an Explore Family tour. The hotel is ok in some ways for a budget hotel. However, it is dirty, the bathrooms were unclean, the room fridges either smelt horrible when they worked & the walls were mouldly. On the plus side the beds were very comfortable & the rooms had air conditioners, which worked to a fashion.

The swimming pool & surrounding areas are nice. The water is very cold at this time of year. The main areas of the hotel are fair. There were noticeably a small number of prostitutes walking the hotel each evening, but this was not a problem.

Take earplugs. The music in the bar blares out every evening until 1am, even though the bar is invariably almost empty. The next door Italian restaurant/snack bar is cheap & the food edible (with the possible exception of what seemed to be deep fried pizzas!). The hotel breakfast is well documented in other reviews!

The hotel s a long way out from Havanna Vieja (30min taxi ride) but the fares are cheap by Western standards. The local area of Kohly is reasonably upmarket & safe.

Explore usually make good value choices on their hotels. The rest of the hotels we stayed in were good or excellent. I assume they chose this hotel because of the swimming pool, as there is not much else to recommend it.