We spent four nights in the fabulous Hotel Raquel in old Havana and it turned out to be an inspired choice. The hotel is ideally placed in the heart of Habana Vieja, has been renovated to a very high standard and is beautifully decorated with local art and marble sculptures. There are marble floors, an old cage style lift and a breathtaking stained glass roof. The rooms, although a little on the small side, are very comfortable and were cleaned every day and there is a 24 hour bar and a gift shop. The staff are friendly and extremely helpful. We were given guidance on the do's and don'ts of Havana and practical advice on staying safe in the city from the barman and the security men, and the lady on the information desk was also very helpful in booking our coach transport for the remainder of our stay in Cuba for us. This was a big help and meant we avoided tedious queues in out of the way bus depots. For a clean, comfortable, conveniently situated hotel from which to explore Havana you really can't get much better than the Hotel Raquel.

Hotel raquel is in a great location for exploring Habana Vieja. It is situated on San Ignacio, near to the Plaza Vieja.

The Lobby is beautiful with a stained glass roof, and Colniel style pillars, with a cage style lift. Niceley laid out and airy - well maintained, and the security staff and reception are helpful and friendly.

We stayed in Room 104 (myself and my Partner) was a beautiful room, clean, airy with a balcony overlooking San Ignacio. The only downside was on an evening the Bathroom which was clean and had a pwerful shower) was a bit gloomy with one light . Overall though the rooms were lovely, charming and spacious with Sat TV (like you would need it staying somewhere as amazing in havana!) There is a mini bar which kept soft drinks, water and Cristal Beer. The maids were very nice and cleaned the room throughly etc

The Bar was nice, staff friendly, a little dearer (3CUC for a Mojito - you can get them a bit cheaper off the track but not bad value overall)

The Roof top patio was nice for a good look out over Havana, and was nice to have a drink there before going out in the evening.

Breakfast was a little unusual - but perfectly edible and worth stocking up on food and coffee before hitting the streets. The staff were a little lazy so I was basically getting my own coffee from the waiter station, but there was a fella there who would fry eggs on request. There were meats, cheese, Cereals, Yoghurt, Cake things, and some things I couldn't possibly tell you what they were but tasted OK. I didn't leave any tips for the breakfast staff, as thery were difficult to locate and not massively helpful, and I don't beleive tipping waiters that can't even bring you coffee and they stand around doing nothing - not even clearing and re-laying! .

A delightful hotel and I really enjoyed my stay there. I paid as part of a package so not sure exactly how much the hotel works out a night, but very charming place in general. The staff generally were helpful and friendly (apart from Team Breakfast!)

From what I understand Cuban hotels are significantly below par when compared to Hotels in the western world.
I can say that the hotel wasnt the greatest, the beds werent the most comfortable and the good wasnt gormet.
However the Staff were excellent and really friendly. They were always available when you needed them and more than willing to give a helping hand. The bell boys were great.

This building was fantastic. The stained glass ceiling a true master piece.

The room was a little noisy. We were on the 1st floor. Every noise from the lobby reverberated up into the room. I think if they dropped a pin downstairs it would reverberate up into the room in a deafening roar! Also you could always hear the noise from the street, so expect late nights and early mornings. But thats what holidays are all about! You dont want to sleep in and waste quality sight seeing time.

But you have remeember that you are in Cuba. Accept it for what it is and you will love it. If you are in Old Havana for a bit of R&R, then you are in the wrong place!

Overall the experience was great. Although the hotel wasnt perfect, It wasnt that bad either.

I dont know if I would recommend it though. I am still on the fence as I have nothing to compare it to. But if I were to go back to Havana I probably wouldnt stay there again. But I would stay in old Havana.

Great place great people! Viva Cuba!

Be warned there are six rooms in Raquel Hotel in Havana which DO NOT HAVE WINDOWS!!! A receptionist in Raquel Hotel insisted on placing my husband and me in one of these horrible gloomy rooms just less than two weeks ago. Of course the fact that there are six rooms without windows is not advertised anywhere! On top of this we have found the hotel's staff generally unhelpful and even rude. On first complaining about being put in a room without a window the receptionist insisted that there was no other room available. Only when we got our tour rep involved did we establish that there was a room available with windows (indeed a balcony) directly opposite the one they tried to foist on us.
(see the photo of the hotel plan - finally we were in room number 204, however, as you can see on the other site of the hall there are three rooms without windows and there are another three on the first floor).
The breakfast served in the morning always included some leftovers from dinner from the night before. Not really what you would expect in a good hotel. A good point about this hotel is its location - in the middle of Old Havana. Personally, however, I would not stay in this place again.