We organised our own city break during a 2 week all inclusive in Guardalavca. We travelled by Taxi from Guardalavca with a wonderful taxi driver called Oro (if you are in Guardalavaca and need an English speaking driver to take you on a tour, ask around for Oro - he is great).

We loved this hotel as it was Cuban, Wanted a break from Europeans and Canadians at the all inclusive buffets and this hotel did not disappoint. The hotel is simple but clean, the building has an old sytle charm. Best of all for us was that there was entertainment on the rooftop bar on the Friday night and we got to enjoy and evening with Cubans, cooling their heels on a Friday night,

Santiago itself is a lovely city and if you do need to get away from the package holiday layout for a bit, this hotel is a good and cheap option.

We stayed at Hotel Libertad in Santiago de Cuba and enjoyed he "experience". It was a doddle to find. We came in on the motorway and kept going straight and that led us into the Plaza de Marte here the hotel is located, without the need to enter the one way system. You can park your car directly in front of the hotel on the Square.

I would preface any of the things I have to say about Cuban hotels that one has to remember that they are "Cuban" hotels staffed by Cubans, and you have to think of them in that light. Frommers say of the Libertad. "Fronting the busy Plaza de Marte...Only half of the rooms here have windows, and you will definitely want a room with a window. No. 214 is the hotel's largest and best room. All have simple furnishings, and small, but functional bathrooms "

Well we were in the said room 214 and that is certainly the room you want. It has a window overlooking La Plaza de Marte, and is great for people watching from your window. On the downside the room is noisy at night from traffic- Cubans tend to use their car horns a lot, and in addition the old engines do make a great deal of din. You would not call room 214 "luxurious" by European standards, but by Cuban standards it was. The hotel foyer had bags of character and had been well restored.

Hotel Libertad is on the edge of the town centre, about 800 meters from the main square, but is conveniently place for most things, and you will not have to walk too far to cover all that the centre of Santiago has to offer

The only problem we had was in the restaurant, where with only one other table and a waiting staff of 4, they managed to avoid coming near us for 15 minutes, and in the end we just left and ate in town. Breakfast was really "standard" Cuban, unmemorable, neither good nor bad.

Location. Central.

Rooms. Our room (incl. bathroom) was abt. 20 m2 – too small for 2 people with baggage. No fridge, no safe, lack of water and exhaust gas from the street.

Restaurants. Some breakfast menus to choose between. However, the staff did not understand English, so if you got what you asked for you felt lucky.

Bars. A good bar on the roof top.

Service. In the reception and restaurant - a catastrophe.

I had a lovely time im hotel Libertad. It's a two star hotel. It has been renovate in the old style. They used wooddecoration (old times). Very nice. It's clean, good service. rate 25 dollar, inclusieve breakfast. There's a restaurant. On the roof a bar. Near centrum. I had a lovely time in Santiago. I met new friends. Very kind people. I want to stay more time in Santiago. This is what I like.