We had a great room - really high ceilings, lovely old furniture. It's not a modern business hotel which is why we really liked it and I suspect why many people don't. It couldn't have been more convenient for the malecon and for walking around old Havana, and I really wouldn't worry about people saying you get hassled. The worst we had was people asking us where we were from and whether we'd like a ride in a horse and carriage. Everyone took a smile and "no" in good heart. Don't hesitate if you like interesting places to stay. You get a really great atmosphere in the hotel foyer / bar and the roof top restaurant is really beautiful. Probably better to go when you can benefit from the view though as we felt we'd missed something.

We arrived at the Sevilla for 3 nights as part of a 2 part holiday which was followed by a beach hotel in Varadero. Our first room was like a prison cell; to look out of the window one had to stand on the chair and then the only view was the air con system. The bedspreads and pillows were stained, the toilet was leaking and the wardrobe had a damp patch which made the whole place smell of urine.

Needless to say we moved rooms, I have to say, without any fuss. Our second room faced onto the promenade and was bigger with French windows. No leaking toilet but the shower took 25 minutes to manage to get to warm and then came out in little more than a dribble. On the third night I flushed the toilet and it continued to flush for the next 9 hours! The bedspreads still could have done with laundering. The place smelled fusty, which one can expect from a hotel of this age.

The breakfast was adequate but nothing special. The fruit selection was a little disappointing and on two mornings consisted of just oranges and grapefruit. The service was slow and on one morning the coffee machine was broken.

The bar in the lobby has very pleasant staff and there is a wide and authentic range of local entertainment.

Beware that if you use your credit card for either goods or drawing cash you will be charged a whopping 11%. We travelled with First Choice and the reps throughout our holiday were excellent and the trips we booked were great value for money.

Visit the restaurant on the roof top for great views of the city. The food is acceptable but over priced and the service is very slow.

Beware there are no hair dryers supplied so its first come first served.

Having said all of that the hotel is very well located and once you have seen how everyone else is living in Havana you may think that the Sevilla is a little haven. If you do decide to book this hotel don't build up your hopes. I don't know if there is a hotel which would be nicer; it's probably the best you'll get and at least you don't have to travel far to see everything in the city. But just go with the thought that you'll only really be there to sleep and then you'll be off on a trip somewhere and take a pillow case cover!

We stayed at the Sevillia for 4 nights during October. The faded grandeur of the hotel was amazing, especially all the photographs in the lobby. When we first arrived we were given a small room with no view on the third floor, I was a little disappointed as I had seen photos on this site about some of the amazing views from the hotel and asked if we could be moved. They did move us the next day, still the 3rd floor but a much bigger room with a view.

The rooms were comfortable (they did smell fusty, I think that was the air con) and very clean. There was a safe in each room that you opened with your room key, this worried me as anyone with a key could open the safe!

The lobby was lovely, the patio bar was a really nice place to sit with a mojito.

Breakfast - I passed on that but my boyfriend assures me it was edible.

The pool was a nice retreat after a days sightseeing.

I did feel a bit unwelcome by the staff, (apart from security who always said hello) but after 2 week in Cuba we realised this was normal.

The most amazing thing about the hotel is the roof top restaurant, even if you don’t stay here go to the restaurant. The food was average and overpriced, but that really did not matter. The view over Havana at night was sensational, we were lucky to have a table that has a balcony and I really could have looked out of the open window for ever.

Location - Perfect, within walking distance of everything we wanted to see.

Overall we enjoyed the hotel, and its location and we would go back if we ever return to Havana.

We had a very different experience to the previous reviewer. Arrived in havana early evening to be told we were getting a free evening meal. Great we thought until we realised it was because the air conditioning had broken down! We were allocated our room on the second floor and when we opened the door I just burst into tears. The room was about nine foot square with literally a bed and a cupboard. The high level window had a brick wall directly behind it and the heat was unbelievable. It really did feel like a prison cell. We were on our honeymoon and expected better than this. My husband went down to see if we could get a different room and eventually after a lot of huffing and puffing by the reception staff was given a key to another room. It was a corner room with big french doors onto a small balcony. The heat in the room was still stifling but at least we had a bit of fresh air. We left the doors open on the first night but unfortunately there was a disco directly opposite which continued until about 3am. As it was our first night we were so tired it didnt bother us too much, but it might have done on subsequent nights. Fortunately the air con was working on the second evening so we were able to sleep with the french window closed.
The public areas of the hotel were really very nice with a colonial feel and quite cool. Dining room was in the same style but there was a lot of flys. We sat by the window for our meals but unfortunately had an extra guest. An old beggar would stand watching us eat and putting his hand out for food. It made us feel very uncomfortable. However he was well dressed and very clean. We were told later that the beggars made a very good living! The pool was really nice and relaxing, although it was a bit disconcerting to be relaxing there surrounded by derelict buildings, with very impoverished people watching from the windows.
One good thing thing about this hotel is its vicinity. Right opposite to the revolution museum, 100metres to the malecon (promenade) and 100 metres the other direction to the main square with the capitol building. We got a horse drawn carriage outside the hotel on the first evening, and although the drivers english was not too good it was a great way to get our bearings.Its astounding to see those beautiful buildings with such fabulous architecture just falling down. If money was spent on this city it really could be the most beautiful in the world, literally.
We have seen havana now and wont go again but we were very glad we went, as it made us appreciate more the 5* luxury we got in varadero, which was definitely not the real cuba