The Hotel Valencia is in a great location for night life and daytime events, its very central for getting about Havana. The restaurant speciality is paella and it wonderful. The all the staff are very courteous. The rooms are a good size and are cleaned to a high standard.

Spent 2 nights at Hostal Valencia/Hostal Commendador. Although we booked Valencia, we were delighted with our room in Commendador (room 9): big room with really good bathroom (old fashioned rolled top bath with lion feet!). No coackroches, no bed bugs, a very slight smell of damp (but nothing like the other 2 top-range hotels we also stayed at), clean excellent location for Havana Vieja, staff very friendly and helpful, breakfast delicious and different from other hotels, an excellent hot shower. Very quiet except for the air conditionning units outside. Simply one of the best places we stayed at in Cuba. Excellent value for money (£18pp via HotelOpia.com)

Hostal Valencia has received its share of complaints and criticisms on this site, but I found few enough faults during my own recent visit to justify the criticism. It is, in fact, one of the best hotels in its price range in which I've stayed in the entire Caribbean.

Hostal Valencia has an excellent location in Havana Vieja and is a short walking distance away from the district's many delightful plazas. The building itself is a beautifully-restored colonial treasure, and the interior and rooms are kept in a good state of repair. The period features are wonderful, but some travellers may dislike the rooms' low ceilings and dark interiors.

I experienced none of the problems with staff that have been reported by travellers. Hotel staff were, in fact, very professional and helpful, and I was repeatedly advised to contact the front desk if I experienced any problem with my stay. When I discovered that there were no towels in the bathroom (the only glitch in room presentation), and visited the front desk, a maid arrived promptly with newly-laundered replacements. The bellhops provided many invaluable tips about getting around Havana (and what should be avoided), and I was even allowed to leave my luggage in the hotel when I showed up hours early for check-in. I only wish that staff at other hotels in the Caribbean were as helpful and knowledgeable as those I found in Hostal Valencia. It may not be the best hotel in Havana, but it certainly does offer excellent value for money, and is well worth patronizing.

I was frankly amazed to read so many positive reviews of Hostal Valencia/Commendador, particularly related to staff and service.

It has long been an ambition to visit Cuba and overall Havana didn't disappoint though I would strongly recommend Santiago is struck off a planned itinerary. We wish we'd spent the four days we feel we wasted there elsewhere on the island.

But I'm here to write about Hostal Valencia/Commendador. There is no doubt it is a wonderful location and an interesting colonial building oozing character.

My beef are the ill informed staff.

Those working on reception seem to think their job begins and ends with handing out room keys. They're simply not interested in anything else. They were not interested in offering advice; in unbelievably loud music being played from an adjacent building at 4am through to 6am and keeping guests wide awake; problems with the room or indeed anything to make guests as welcome and as comfortable as possible.

The waiting staff in both the restaurant and 'breakfast' room appear to be untrained and under the impression tourists are there for their amusement.

It seemed to us and I have to say others guests staying at Hostal Valencia and El Commendador (next door) that the staff would see how long they could ignore guests; how long it would take to rile guests and frankly how rude they could be to guests.

We endured staff enjoying loud personal conversations on their cell phones or the nearby reception desk land line. Having conversations among themselves punctuated with raucous laughter - even having drinks and nibbles - while dinner guests waited to be served. Overall staff are indifferent and rude.

The breakfast room was no better. The breakfast is pretty poor and consists mainly of puddings left over from the restaurant from the night before. We made do with toasted bread and jams and what fruit there was. However, once again we had to nag staff who stood around doing nothing to replenish, bread or butter or fruit or coffee. Attending to guests was the last thing on their mind.

We were glad to leave and should we return to Havana we will most definitley not be returning to Hostals Valencia or Commendador.

On a positive note I cannot recommend highly enough Los Jasmines Hotel at Vinales, where we enjoyed a quite wonderful few days of hospitality in breathtaking surroundings.