We stayed at the Parque Central hotel for 4 nights. Two at the start of our honeymoon and two at the end following some time at the beach in Cayo Coco.

We cannot fault this hotel 1 bit. Both stays were superb, the rooms of high quality with excellent city/park views and friendly staff.

The one thing that seems to be a trend in reviews of Cuba is expectation. Cuba is a laid back place and that adds to the charm, if you want London, Paris or New York luxury and service delivered in a cold,polite and clinical manner go to those locations. If you want friendly, relaxed luxury in what is still a Socialist country then go to Cuba!!!

We used most services in the hotel and all were great, the concierge was extremely helpful when we lost a bag with some postcards in by the pool(which he found for us). The tour desk helped us book a show and recommended an alternative when our chosen one was fully booked and the reception staff were fantastic when we tried to check in 4 hours early( they looked after our luggage and had everything ready for us when we returned from a morning sightseeing)

We were also greeted in our room with a lovely cake for our honeymoon.

Hustlers are on the streets outside the hotel offering cigars, taxis and tours. Just be firm and polite. On the taxi front if you rate your negotiating skills get a price if not simply ask for the meter. If you do get into an old 50'S American car the price will be 4 times that of a regular taxi but worth it as an experience.

The breakfast is great with massive choice. I don't want to do the hotel down but don't eat in the restaurant at other times. Get out into Havana to eat, there are a few restaurants and paladars( essentially peoples dining rooms opened as restaurants) in central Havana and many more in Miramar(5 CUC cab ride) and Vedado(5 CUC cab ride) which will serve more authentic food and provide an excellent experience and at a fraction of the cost of a meal in any of the central hotels. If you need to research these look at any Lonely Planet/Rough Guide and there are plenty to choose from.

Overall a brilliant central hotel, rooms good, service superb and excellent views of the city from the rooftop pool.

We stayed here for three nights and then went to Sandals in Vardero for 4 nights as part of a package. I wished that Sandals would take some lessons from this property!!

We had a lovely room with a large outdoor terrace on the fourth floor that overlooked the park (room 447). It reminded me of a good quality European hotel. The staff were always attentive and helpful. The location was excellent with an easy walk to Old Habana.

The breakfasts were excellent, but we eat elsewhere for lunch and dinner so I can't comment on them.

Normally I don't write reviews but I guess what I want to say is that this should be your choice for Habana. Carefully read all the other review and see if what they complain about really matters to you. In most cases it shouldn't..

P.S. We checked out the National and there is no comparison.

This hotel is great with a fab position in the centre of the Old Town and with many restaraunts and places of interest within walking distance. The roof pool is really good as is the pool bar and terrace, both with ample seating. The room we had was spacious and comfortable and service on the whole was very good. It is such a pity this class of hotel is let down by a simple thing of not having enough irons and ironing boards to meet guests needs. I remembered noting a previous reviewer's comments about having to wait some time for an iron/board but assumed it may have been a one-off, not so unfortunately.
I requested one at 18.30 as I wanted to prepare to dine in the hotel's best restaurant. I was told that reception would request one from house-keeping. At 20.00 I was on the phone again to be told 'we don't have any available'.. At 22.00 I rang and said I was coming down to see the duty manager. On arrival at the desk I was told an iron/board was on its way to my room so I returned in anticipation. However, at 22.25 I was back at reception asking where it was! Eventually, at 22.35 it turned up. As it was, the board that turned up was in poor condition anyway. This is simply not good enough for this standard of hotel and the management should invest in a bulk buy of irons and boards.

We stayed in Parque Central for four nights in the hotel. Staff are very helpful and friendly. The pool on top of the hotel was great , especially since it was so hot during the day. It was lovely to chill out by the pool. The view was superb. The lobby is very spacious and great for a cup of coffee or a drink. It would be have been great to have a band or some live music in the evening as it would have added some extra atmosphere. Our room was at the back near the building works but we didn't hear it because the double glazing was good. Breakfast was great.

We went on a half day tour around the Havana which was good for getting to know your bearings. The shop in the fort was very good value for rum and cigars. In the evenings we went bar hopping to watch all the live bands, that was fantastic. The entertainment was superb. Just what we came to Havana for. We went to see the Cuban Allstars and a member of the Beuna Vista Club in the National Hotel. The performance was absolutely superb, we also had a meal which gave us front seats for the performance, great! The hotel was superb, with beautiful grounds. It cost about 5 convertable pesos to get there.

Lots of people stopped us in the street trying to sell us cigars, just say non gracias if you don't want them and they will go away eventually, just be firm! On the whole found Havana is a very friendly and safe place, the police keep the main touts away from people.

The money was a bit confusing at first. One convertable Peso is worth approx 25 cuban pesos, making a convertable Peso quite a lot of money to Cuban People. It is strange having tourists prices, it would be unacceptable in the UK to charge more for visitors!

We continued our travels onward to Varadero for 10 nights.