I stayed at the hotel for two nights. My room was not cleaned during that time. The breakfast is nithing to write about.

The best thing about the hotel is the location.

We stayed four nights at the Hotel Plaza having been told that the Inglaterra, which we were booked into, 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 chosen the Inglaterra because we wanted a historic hotel, not home comforts and this is what you get at the Plaza too. (We spent one night at the Inglaterra at the end of our holiday in a much worse room than the one at the Plaza, although as it was only one night we didn’t ask to change rooms – maybe we could have had a nicer one.) The Plaza has a spacious, airy lobby with internet and tourist office. Our room was on the second floor and was pretty spacious. The beds and pillows were more comfortable than many posher places and although the shower head was a bit rubbish, there was ample hot water. It was good to have a fridge and a safe (didn’t get a fridge at the Inglaterra and the safe didn’t work) and if you wanted you could sit on the tea terrace which was quiet. In the room the street noise was quite bad, but if you want double-glazing, go to a modern hotel!

The staff were all either absolutely fine or smiley and pleasant. Simply saying ‘Hola’ to people really helps (as it happens, I speak Spanish which I’m sure helps a lot). It was good to have a drink on the fifth-floor terrace (nice wine!) and watch the lightening in the distance. It was also good to sit there in the morning and have breakfast. We were there at a busy time, the Easter holidays, but unless you hit the room at the wrong moment, there was usually plenty of space. There was a lot of choice – a guy would cook you an omelette or fried eggs while you waited, there was ham and cheese or hard boiled eggs, cereal, bread, yogurt and fruit. OK, so the fruit juice and coffee weren’t always great, but that happens elsewhere too. There were also masses of pastries, some of which were delicious.

Some of the reviews on here sound like people were expecting luxury – if that’s what you want stick to foreign chain hotels. If you want a Cuban experience, you could do a lot worse than stay here, although to many Cubans this is probably unimaginable luxury. Try the nearby paladar La Julia on O’Reilly for a real Cuban meal – the black beans were delicious. The location of the Plaza is great – go down Calle Obispo for shops, banks and bars with fabulous music.

3 of us have just returned from an extensive trip to Cuba. We spent 2 nights at the beginning and 1 night at the end and sampled 4 rooms between us. They were all very clean, airy and comfortable. The location is excellent and considering that everyone has a ration book we thought the breakfasts were very good, replenished regularly and more than adequate. You should not visit Cuba (or even leave home) if you do not understand the social, economic and political situation of your destination. You can see from the architecture that Havana was once a beautiful city and the Plaza hotel had many famous guests. It has now seen better days but is still above average in a country that is struggling to live, let alone one that can afford to refurbish and replace its crumbling infrastructure. The country relies on tourists so go and visit this wonderful country and enjoy an adventure while you can. Don't expect hot water (you need to cool down not have a power shower), the cocktails are not great but enjoy the rum and most of all embrace a culture so different from anywhere else. Take lots of gifts (pens, clothes, treats) they will be greatly appreciated - if you can afford to go you can afford to help the people who are so friendly despite their awful living conditions and don't compare your life with theirs. I am a 62 year old female who has travelled extensively - we trekked up to Fidel and Che's mountain hideout, through valleys and mountains and slept under the stars on 2 hacienda verandahs and yet this was the most exciting, different and wonderful adventures of my life. Go while you can, enjoy and don't many petty comparisons. Cuba is Cuba - it is not a Caribbean island it is a way of life.

great location for exploring havana found the staff some friendly & smiley and some that look like they have never smiled in there lives.... but same in most hotels.
we changed our first room which was on the main street side .traffic sounds a nightmare
i would put money on it that they were waiting for me to come back once i had seen the first room to get it changed but she did,nt bat an eyelid and was dead nice , second room was quiter apart from aircon which sounded like the space shuttle on take off...
breakfast ...... have an extra 1hr in bed
this hotel is in a great location and if your only stopping 1 0r 2 nights then fine price is £65.00 per room