Was't too sure what to expect from other reviews but the hotel was fine - fantastic location, very friendly staff who made a big fuss of our kids (2 & 4), nice big rooms, great views, perfectly clean. The little cafe / bar downstairs was fine and there is a lot of history in and around the place which adds to the atmosphere. The food was not brilliant but there was plenty of it. There were a lot of negative comments about breakfast on the website before we went but we never had any problems.

I stayed at the Sofitel Sevilla for three nights (6 to 9 December 2006) and was allocated room 211 for the night of Wednesday 6th and room 418 for the remaining two nights (7th and 8th).

ROOM 211: at first glance the room appeared acceptable, until I drew back the curtains. The view being a dusty-peach coloured wall about 15 to 20 feet from the window spanning one width of the hotel elevation rising up past the third floor. However, I did not notice this until the morning, having arrived after 23h00 on 6th. The room measured approximately 10ft X 15ft comprised a double bed, a chest of drawers, cupboard/wardrobe with an electronic safety-deposit box, a desk upon which sat a TV that provided a limited selection of satellite channels in both Spanish and English and also incorporated a mini-bar, but the min-bar had been removed. The room was unbearably cold, had a musty and dank odour. The air-conditioning unit blew cool air only. The water temperature did not rise above tepid. I contacted reception and asked for maintenance personnel. No one came.

However, the Kuoni travel representative protested on my behalf and I was allocated ROOM 418 which comprised two single beds, a dressing table, a walk-in cupboard/wardrobe, a desk, a TV unit with a built-in empty mini-bar and a rocking chair. The French-doors opened onto a small balcony above the Paseo de Marti (del Prado). The vista from the balcony to the right: the dome of the Capital Building and to the left, a glimpse of the sea beyond the Malecón. The air-conditioning unit blew both cool and warm air. The water was hot, with a good pressure and constant.

LOCATION: Excellent. The hotel appears to span the block between the Paseo de Marti and Agramonte (Zulueta), with the hotel entrance on Trocadero. A shopping arcade on the ground floor of the hotel exits onto the Paseo de Marti, which is near to a bank, convenience store, restaurant, etc. Across the entrance from the hotel (the corner of Agramonte and Trocadero) is the Granma yacht on which President Fidel Castro returned from exile in 1956. Opposite the yacht is the Revolution Museum and the Museum of Beautiful Arts. A short stroll from the arts museum onto Avenue de Las Misiones, the Bacardi Building, which grants tourists free access to the top for a panoramic view of Old Havana (La Habana Vieja). El Floridita is the next block along, at one end of the Obispo – a thoroughfare of bars, restaurants and a variety of shops.

BREAKFAST: a selection of fruit juices, yoghurt drinks, cereals, bread, preserves, pastries, deli-meats and cheeses, fresh sliced fruit, eggs (fried, scrambled or omelette) cooked to order and an array of hot entrées (plain steamed rice, cut green beans, stewed red beans (similar to the kidney bean only smaller), various sliced sausages, sliced fried potatoes, bacon), coffee and tea served at the table, hot chocolate available from the free-vending machine.

GENERAL: two currencies co-exist in Cuba, ie the Cuban Peso (CUP) and the Cuban Convertible Peso (CUC), the latter is used by tourists and can only be exchanged within Cuba. CUC 1 equates to approximately CUP 22 to CUP 25, however tourists are not permitted to use CUP or purchase goods in CUP establishments (eg peso restaurants, peso shops) as peso shops are meant for Cubans only. The CUC is worthless outside of Cuba and any surplus CUC’s should be reconverted. The air-side bureau de change at Havana airport only converts CUC’s into USD or EUR and not GBP or CDN.

We stayed at the Sevilla on our first and last nights in Havana. There was a nice bar on the ground floor with a good band. There was a good selection available for breakfast which was better than most in Cuba.

However the bedrooms left a lot to be desired. Obviously we had a different room each time but both smelt musty, with damp patches on the ceiling. The grout in the bathrooms needed replacing. There was quite a lot of noise from the open atrium and lifts.

The hotel has a good location but needs to upgrade the bedrooms

I have to say I read some of the previous reviews and was a little concerned, but having now stayed in this hotel I would have no problems recommending it. It will most certainly not appeal if you want your experience of Cuba to be centred on the all-inclusive beach type holiday! However if you actually want to experience the "real" Cuba then book your stay immediately. The hotel itself is beautiful, especially the foyer, which I would rate as the best in any hotel in Havana. We stayed in a superior room, which was clean and well furnished. The shower and air conditioning both worked without problem and contrary to other reviewers we had a hair dryer in the room. The maids went out of their way to be helpful and made us animals and hearts with the towels everyday. Like everywhere else in Cuba the food is most definitely not top notch, but it is plentiful and there is lots of variety at breakfast. The swimming pool is a blessing if you are staying for any more than about 3 nights (we were there for 11) and the gym is also well equipped. I was confused with some previous reviews that seemed to complain about the view out of the hotel windows. To misquote Basil Fawlty - "what do you expect to see when you look out of a Havana hotel window?" Havana is a brilliant place to visit - there is good and bad but that's what makes it so worthwile.