This may be the best hotel in Havana to really experience the Old Havana flavour. Yes, the breakfast was poor, the plumbing bad and the service "different" from what I expect from top hotels around the world, but the same can be said for the other 20 plus hotels I've stayed in all over Cuba. One year ago we stayed in a "modern Hotel" out in Vedado and guess what? Poor breakfast, plumbing and "different" service was there as well. If you want everything to be like home, stay home!! If you want to experience old Havana, stay at the Raquel and wander the exotic streets of the old town. Rant over, back to the review.
The location of this hotel is among the best in Havana. Just two blocks from the Plaza San Francisco, one block from Plaza Vieja and an easy stroll to the Plaza des Armes to watch the tours come in from Veradero to gawk at the buildings and try not to touch anything (the CIA says you can catch anything from mild socialist idealism to full blown terrorist fanaticism just from sniffing the air here!!) I highly recommend a walk through the nieghbourhood at night. The lighting on the hotel and on the buildings in the plazas just has to be seen. Also the restoration work on the buildings (sponsored by UNESCO) is proceeding at a great rate. We were surprised by the changes in just one year.
If you are a light sleeper, try one of the rooms on the back of the hotel. They have no outside windows and are very quiet (and dark). Rooms on the front are slightly noisier, but you are within the pedestrian area, so there's not much noise other than the odd motorcycle and rooster. Don't miss the rooftop patio. You can enjoy the sun, a drink and a nice view of the old Havana skyline.
I should try to explain the Cuban concept of service. There's no bowing or scraping that seems to be expected at most high end hotels these days, but if they can provide a service to you, they go out of their way to help. The night before our departure I asked our doorman to arrange a taxi for 4:30 AM as we had an early flight. He confirmed that he had done this when we got back from dinner, no problem. When we came downstairs the next morning, there he was (now off duty is his street clothes) just waiting to help us. Yes, he was hoping for (and got) a tip, but more than that he wanted to be sure that we got what we had asked him for and that we were happy with the arrangements.
There were four of us in our party and we all agreed that the Hotel Raquel was a great Havana experience. The staff, the rooms and the location are all great. The food is even good for Cuba. If you want to experience Cuba as it was 60 years ago, this is about as close as you can get. Don't miss it, it won't last forever.

Just returned from Havana and spent first 3 nights at the Raquel. Highly recommend it for location in Vieja. Beautifully restored old bank with original old lift, art deco glass ceiling and impressive marble hall. They honoured our booking (more than can be said for other Vieja hotels), were courteous, helpful & efficient. First room had no window (problem with many of these old hotels in the centre as the buildings are deep) but they moved us to a lovely room with a balcony as soon as they could. Plumbing was a bit leaky and some of the fittings a little worn but not a problem. And despite other comments they made a real effort with breakfast - take a look in the local foodstores and see what Cubans eat and be grateful for the choice!

This hotel has great potential to become one of the best boutique hotel in Havana. The location is unbeatable for sure. The hotel was restored in 2003 and the interior of the lobby will take your breath away. It's beautiful and caged elevator adds more to the old fashioned style of the hotel.

Some of the staff were really helpful with above average english compared to the other hotels in Havana. We were trying to find a room during busy period in the last minute and one of the lady was really helpful. At the end we got the top floor room which I guess it's supposed to be the suite room. The room is huge with furniture that start to show some wears and tears. I guess they are only good in restoring the building but not maintaining them. Just like the other places in Havana, you can forget about water pressure in the shower and the bathtub looked dirty with all the stains.

The breakfast was awful but the hotel is so close to Cafe el Escorial at Plaza Viaje which has excellent coffee and good sandwich.

Overall, I would still recommend this hotel for short stay in the city if you can get good price. The 200 CUC that we paid is definitely too much for this hotel.

This hotel is very well located (in Vieja Habana, yards from Plaza Vieja) and looks quite spectacular, especially at night when the outside of the building and the mouldings are illuminated. Inside, the illuminations from the first and second floor are also lovely. For the money, I felt I got a good deal - yes the showers were disappointing but they worked well enough. In Cuba don't expect boiling hot water. The furniture was fine - antiques and wrought iron, although don't knock your shin on the bed frame, ouch! People at reception were very helpful. They let me store my bag when I came back from a few days in Vinales on my last afternoon before I flew back to Europe. I had sorted it out before I left the hotel and it was no problem whatsoever. A good tip ensured good service and I'd like to mention the bellboy Yan (not sure of spelling) in particular who ordered taxis and negotiated decent prices on my behalf. Breakfast was fine (loved the wee pancakes), there was enough to keep you going until mid-afternoon, although the choice of teas was a bit weird - no 'proper' tea or green tea, only herbal stuff. I didn't try the bar. In the building at the opposite corner of Amargura and San Ignacio people have hens and a rooster on their roof. So I was wakened by the rooster in the early mornings... But that's the charm of Havana (and Cuba) so it was fine. I left a tip and a couple of notepads for the cleaners because they did a great job. The roof garden was a little disappointing - there was no bar and it was quite blowy, so not very warm (evenings are cool in December). But great views and I'm sure that in the very hot season it's lovely in the evenings. Note that some bedrooms have no windows. I personally didn't like the one I was given on the first night (Room 101 I think) although I take the point about not being bothered by the light. And no noise from the street. However the fridge and air conditioning were noisy and a nuisance. I prefer natural light and the crowing cockerel! If you prefer natural light, ask at reception for a change of room.