I went here on my honeymoon and LOVED the beauty of the hotel, the grounds and the location. We enjoyed the historic Havana tour as well as the day trip to Pinar del Rio.

HOWEVER, I would not recommend staying in the Hotel Nacional as the rooms were dank and mouldy. I recommend staying at a nearby hotel and spending at least an afternoon at this hotel. Enjoy drinks in the garden or grab a bite to eat in the outside restaurant. Don't expect it to be cheap though.

If you are Canadian, you should expect everything in Cuba to be 30% more expensive than the Canadian dollar. Thier "peso" is worth 20% more and they will gouge you with sevice fees anytime you withdraw money. If you can, bring $1000 CAD and exchange it as you go.

Stayed 4 days,early June.From the moment I arrived I felt so much at home it was spooky.The atmosphere of this hotel is amazing.I found all staff to be friendly and engaging and its proximity to everything is helpful in daily adventures.I found it difficult to leave the hotel most days and thoroughly enjoyed relaxing on the wide verandahs with the odd rum!!Pool is great and one of the best buffet breakfasts I encountered on my trip.

Stayed here from 11th sept for 3 nights when we arrived we was taken aback by the splendour of this hotel. We only stayed b&b but eat the rest of our meals here, we couldnt complain about anything the restaurant in the garden is small and cosy i would go to say romantic. The birds in the cages are well looked after cleaned out and fed regular, the view from bottom of garden over the malecon are brilliant. A must to do is get a convertible outside the hotel for a hour its a eye opener in some parts of havana. It cost only 30 pesos and worth every penny, ask to go to havana wood its so beautiful. Remember when booking this is a old hotel and there is a fusty smell but that soon disperses. The hall of fame is well worth a look plus look for the locals with there ages. the staff all seem to helpful,polite and proffesional not as said in other reviews cant do enough for you. all rooms are beautiful big and clean. WELL WORTH A STAY !!

We spent a week here in June and for the same money we could have had two weeks at the Deauville instead,

The entrance hall and terrace just beyond are wonderful , stay late, enjoy a cocktail and listen to the singing of the (caged) birds.
All of this you can do without staying.
The room was basic with ancient air conditioning and not that much space. We would have loved a balcony in that heat (but made do with sitting by the window with the air con off.)

The location is in the city as such but away from the old town so you get more bars etc used by locals.

The pool was ok but again it was well used by visitors so you could do the same.