I have to say the Inglaterra lives upto many of the poor reviews. Yes, it is the oldest hotel in Havana and the public areas are grand in a historic rather than opulent sense. However you don't (normally) sleep in the lobby. I was checked into a room in the centre of the hotel which was dark and dingy. there were no windows (the only opening was onto an interior space) and the blinds would not open. I would have had to survive on the 60 watt lightbulb all week. The shower was not attached to the wall and you had to hose yourself down.I was able to be moved the following evening when I got a room right on the front of the hotel. Very noisy and somewhat better but still more hostel than 4 star hotel. The tiles are missing and cracked in the bathroom. There are chunks out of the plaster and two days there was no hot water. I have attached a picture of the bathroom. I understand the things that are going on in Cuba and the difficulties but unfortunately the standard of the accomodation was poor. On the positive side you are in the best possible spot and many of the staff are extremely pleasant and helpful.

Stayed here recently for 3 nights, the best thing about the hotel is the location. Most of the attractions are within walking distance and Floridita's, the best bar in cuba is just 2-3 min walk away. Although the walls and the tiling needed a bit of work, otherwise the rooms were clean. We had a room with a balcony overlooking the street and was quite nice. The AC worked well albeit some noise. As for the service in the restaurants, its a mixed review. If looking forward to staying in a national monument, this is worth it otherwise the parque central down the road looks like a much better option.

I was a little bit leery booking this hotel after reading some of the reviews for the Inlaterra. However, when we got there the check in was friendly, fast and hassle free. I booked on the internet and prepaid, so when we checked out all we had to pay for was whatever we used from the mini bar. The room was simple, clean and adequate. The bathroom was a bit worn out, but clean and functional. The air conditioner worked there was a mini bar and TV [not that you spend much time in your room when you are in Havana]. There were 4 computers available to hotel guests and the connection was good enough [$6 CUC per hour/card). Most of the other complaints posted were about the food. The breakfast [which is included] was great! Fresh fruit, breads, pastries, eggs, salads, coffee, tea and juice. What else would you need? The Louvre cafe outside the hotel was a great place to have a drink and people watch. The drinks are cheap and the food is actually very good. Sandwiches for lunch are a great deal and very good. Beware at night though, usually after 10 pm when the "working girls" come out and take their place in the cafe. All of a sudden we looked around and realized the cafe was full of young girls and older men [tourists] talking and making plans. That was a bit uncomfortable, and yet the staff at the hotel [guards, wait staff] all seemed to know the girls and ignored what was happening. They did not bother anyone, but if you are a single female traveler you might not want to sit there after 10 pm as to not be mistaken for a working girl. Also be prepared when you sit in the cafe to keep your belongings close [as you should always anyway] and have people begging from outside the cafe trying to catch your eye so you will give them money. Once you leave the hotel be prepared to have throngs of people begging you for money or trying to sell you Spanish newspapers. These were all things we expected when we read the books, etc so it was no surprise. On the 4th floor [the rooftop] there is a bar at night that serves drinks and appetizers. It had a neat atmosphere and great night views of the city. Over all the hotel was friendly, the food was good and the environment was comfortable. The rooms were clean [we left the chamber maid a $5.00 CUC tip each morning when we left the hotel] and came back to a very clean room and interesting and cute towel display each day. Inglaterra is a good, cheap hotel to say in for a few days.

We stayed one night at the Inglaterra, the final night of our holiday, having been booked in four the first four nights too, but were sent to the Plaza as they said they had problems with the water supply on one floor, so couldn’t fit us in. (We met a couple who had been told this about a different hotel – maybe it’s true, maybe they overbook, I don’t know.) Anyway, we had been to the cayos and to Trinidad and now they had apparently fixed the water. As it turned out, the Plaza compares well to the Inglaterra. Perhaps if we had been here for four nights, we would have had a nicer room, I certainly would have asked for an upgrade, but as we were here only for one, it hardly seemed worth it. The room had no outside window, only one onto an internal air-shaft type space and another on to the corridor. At least this meant it was quiet! It was a perfectly decent size, although the bathroom was very compact. No fridge and the safe didn’t work, nor was the air-conditioning very effective, but we coped! We booked the place because we wanted history, not luxury and I was delighted to find that Federico García Lorca had stayed here!

The ground floor terrace was a good place to watch the world go by, and listen to the band, but you were rather aware of the traffic fumes. Good views from the top floor terrace. Staff were fine, but the tourist desk people weren’t prepared to book you into a restaurant other than the Bodeguita del Medio, so, having been travelling all day, back from Trinidad, we copped out of going to find a restaurant, and ate in the hotel restaurant as it did roast meat which made a change from fried or grilled and we could have a glass of wine. The bar and restaurant have great tiled decoration.
Breakfast the next day wasn’t great – no one cooking you eggs to order, as there was at the Plaza and the rest of the stuff was a bit limited. I can imagine staying here again, if it was in a more superior-type room, although that wouldn’t improve the breakfast. However, for history and a good position, this would take some beating. The square it looks out onto is pleasant and you can go down Calle Obispo for shops, banks and bars with fabulous music.