During our 11 days long Cuban trip, this hotel was by far the best that matched my expectations: all over the place, you can feel the past, you can feel the Cuban spirit. The room we stayed in was spacious, very confortable, very clean, with a modern TV and all other amenities you might need in a hotel room and yet offering a very authentic experience in terms of its decoration and architecture. I loved especially tiles on the floor and the large windows. Lobby is impressive in terms of its decoration, so is the dining hall at 5th floor. The roof bar offers a unique view of the city. Taking the antique elevator makes you feel as if you are in a time travel machine. The courtyard of the hotel is a great spot to have drinks. The small swimming pool stages water ballet performances at night time (tough not very impressive). The entrance to the hotel is currently from the back side as there is a pedestrian street construction in front of the hotel currently, so your first impression is not that high when you first step in to the hotel but once you reach the courtyard and the lobby, that disappointment turns into a nice surprise. The only downside to me were the meals: all the food served in the open buffet both at dinner and at breakfast were Cuban and by that time in our trip, I had not yet accustomed to Cuban cuisine and I really had difficulty in finding something to eat.... But other than this personal flaw, I can easily say it was the best hotel we stayed in in Cuba....

Me and my girlfriend really enjoyed this hotel. Checkin was quick, rooms are very spacious, water pressure was great and the bed was excellent. Breakfast on the 5th floor was excellent.
The pool is a bit small but acceptable, prices in all area f&b outlets in the hotel are excellent. they don't take advantage like other hotels do.

Would definitely return to this hotel when visiting Camaguey, the best hotel in the city centre.

My parents (60) and I (23) did a tailor-made tour of Cuba in July/August 2010. We stayed in Camaguey for 1 night, using it primarily as a half-way point between Trinidad and Santiago de Cuba. The Gran Hotel Camaguey was, in my opinion, a good 4* hotel, but the service really let it down, which is why I’ve given it 3. I’ll break my review into sections:

Check-in/front desk staff: we had booked, and paid for, a double room and a single room, but on check-in they tried to place us in a triple room. My mum accepted at first, but I insisted on the rooms we had booked and paid for, and suddenly, it wasn’t an issue. It may have been a genuine error, but my feeling is that they were trying it on; and they nearly got away with it. We were not told what time breakfast was, or given any info on the hotel facilities (eg pool opening hours). There were two porters/bell boys in the lobby, who completely ignored us, leaving us to take our own cases and bags (not great after 5 hours on the road; plus I have back and pelvic pain). I’m sure we could have asked, but really, this service should be offered.

Rooms: we had a single and a double. The double was very compact; the single much more spacious, but with a much more compact bathroom. Rooms were nice and clean with comfy beds; AC (when I got it to work) was very efficient. Satellite TV in all rooms. Decent wardrobe space, plus bedside tables and a dressing table. Bathroom was fully functioning with a good hairdryer and rainforest showerhead. There are no safes in the rooms, which may put some people off; we locked valuables in our case and had no issues. The rooms were not at all soundproofed and I was disturbed by people banging doors, shouting, etc: I would strongly advise bringing earplugs!

Amenities: the hotel offered very good amenities IMO. They have a small pool, which was nicely set out and very clean, with a poolside bar. There is a ‘piano bar’ leading onto a pretty courtyard, which is very pleasant for drinks. There is a roof-top bar with stunning views open late afternoon until late at night, with plenty of seating. There is also an adjoining snack bar, which we thought we be expensive, but was unbelievably cheap (80 cent for a sandwich; 2 CUC for fried chicken and chips).

Breakfast: along with the staff, this also let the hotel down. The selection was poor: eggs cooked to order, very small amount of fruit, a couple of pastries, and a couple of hot items. One type of juice, and tea and coffee. OK, but not as good as other breakfasts we’ve had.

Location: excellent, very central: close to sights, bars, and restaurants.

I really liked this hotel overall; I loved the traditional decor, and thought it offered very good amenities (like the pool and bars) for a city hotel. Were it not for the room issue, the noisy rooms, and the unhelpful staff, I would probably have given this hotel 4/5.

If anyone would like any further info, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

Hotel is centrally located within a decent part of the city, however it is not so easy to find. The Lobby is boringly styled, but thats not the problem The problem lay with the staff. The people working there generally did not want to help you with much, and smiling was definitly something that happened rarely for the hotel staff. The room located on the fourth floor was decent. The loud air conditioning unit taking up the only window was not so nice. I didn't realize till later that night that the loudness of the air conditioner was not as bad as the loudness of the street. The bathroom was very acceptable and probably the only redeeming quality. Breakfast in the morning was served upstairs, and had what you would expect from a cuban hotel. The views from that room were nice, but I guess they were only available during the breakfast hour. The Lobby piano bar which I read about in the lonely planet, was lacking a piano. and the adjoining restaurant was frequented too much by locals and like the rest of the hotel Noone smiles. On checkout day the elevator was broken so that meant 4 floors down to lobby with luggage in the narrow stairwell.