Have spent many visits to Cuba at the Nacional. Unless you can appreciate the history and the legacy (if only the walls could talk) of this Majestic Hotel don't stay there. It captures past glories and records a little bit of its history (in the back bar). They try and keep everything in top shape without modernizing this Grand Ol Lady. It has a charm that only few have. The Garden with the Rattan furniture, the Sea in front of you, the constant Music playing is worth the price of entry. Try the Tuna sandwich with Cucumbers and Tomatoes on French Bread. For $4.50 its one of the best deals in Cuba, delicious! The staff is wonderful, friendly and very helpful. Lissy is a sweetheart and will go far to satisfy the customer. The breakfast buffet with its variety of sweetbreads and Fruit is one of a kind.Truly a great hotel for those who can appreciate its past and present.

We had a wonderful time in Cuba and hope to go back. We will definately spend MORE time in Havana rather than the 3 days we did last time and tour the real Cuba. Varadero was nice and relaxing, but not the real Cuba.

Cuba ia absolutely amazing. we went in 2001 and it was the most fantastic experience we have ever had. The nacional was a great retreat but it was expensive - and the endless tipping was tire some - lm perfectly capable of carrying a bag 10 metres without paying someone to do it for me. We went to a bar, where there were no other foreigners, and they could not have made us feel more welcome. An incredibly hospitable nation - they may not have the same as us in possesions, but they seem to have a lot more in the form of community & happiness. We will return in a few years time to see how tourism changes the face of Havana, and Cuba, l just hope we wont be too dissapointed.

My expectations from the descriptions I had read were probably too much. This really is not a 5 star hotel as the seasoned traveller would come to expect. A 5 star hotel would not charge you $5 to use a pool towel. A 5 star hotel would not charge you $5 for a flimsy one page map of the town. A five star hotel doesn't generally charge you $5 to use their (slow) internet facility when you're paying an extra $80 a night to stay on their executive floor. A 5 star hotel doesn't charge you extra if you want a cappachino for breakfast. Quite simply, this is a very faded hotel that feels like an airport hotel, ie. very busy and not relaxing in the least. However, it may prove to be the "best of a bad bunch" insofar that I also checked out the Santa Isabel (Lonely Planet suggested this is the best) but would confirm that there is no swimming pool at this hotel which was important to me. If it's not important to you then I strongly advise Santa Isabel, small and elegant.