A group of nine of us travelled to Cuba last January/February 08 and I have to say it was an amazing experience. We travelled from Havana to Las Terrazas, Vinales, Australia, Cienfuegos, Trinidad and back to Havana. The whole experience was easier than I had anticipated, given what I had read on blogs etc., but if you are a traveller that likes luxury, I would say that Cuba is not the place for you. If however, you are a somewhat adventurous traveller with a fairly open mind, go and experience Cuba.. quite a contradiction at times, but fascinating.
Now to the Beltran, where we arrived after realising that we had just been ripped off by the taxi driver (one of the liabilities of travelling in Cuba, which is a shame, because not everyone is like this). The Beltran was the perfect start to our trip. There were three of us, so we had the suite with two rooms, a bathroom and a small balcony that we immediately investigated. We were thrilled to open the doors and let the sights and sounds of Havana in. The sound of Cuban music drifted down the narrow, cobbled street from the square, it was warm and humid, and the people opposite were just going about their daily lives. In the morning we watched the schoolchildren in their uniforms go to school. The Beltran is in the heart of Old Havana and a great place from which to explore and get a sense of life in Havana for Cubans too. The courtyard was a great place to have breakfast every morning. Was the breakfast the best I have ever had? No, but not the worst and again, one should not go to Cuba and expect a gourmet experience. Yes, the water was a little sporadic, but we managed. Again this is something to expect in Cuba if you do any research before you go! Most of the staff were friendly and helpful, I think it just depends who is on.
Overall I would recommend this hotel, but not to someone who is looking for luxury. Book the suite, with the balcony and watch and hear Havana go by!

I stayed 4 nights in Beltran de Santa Cruz. Building was the mansion of a French marquis and has a very special atmosphere. You can feel the early Colonial period here with columns, window shutters and building ornaments. Even there’s a museum room in the building.

The hotel is in the heart of Old Havana, so it’s a good headquarters for walking excursions. The staff was one of the friendliest among the hotels I stayed (others are Santa Isabel and Telegrafo). They didn’t mind my voucher problem much (for details look at Hotel Telegrafo review). Rooms were located around a small courtyard. My room was big enough and decorated according to the theme of the hotel. There were two single beds. Linens were not so clean, but towels were changed everyday. Mini bar was also full. There were even bottles of rum and chocolates. Bathtub was looking in bad condition and shower head was broken, but when I told them to fix they did it, and it was a great surprise for me. And also for hot water, you should tell before and it was always hard to adjust it; it was either too hot or too cold. But weather was too hot anyways.

The worst thing in the hotel was breakfast. The poorest breakfasts I’ve ever eaten. Only a few slices of fruits, a kind of egg – omelet or fried, butter, jam and bread accompanied by fruit juice and coffee or tea… And try not to make international calls from hotels, they cost a lot.

To sense the air of colonial era, Beltran is a good choice among boutique hotels in Old Havana.

Lovely old restored colonial house right on the edge of the tourist route in old Habana, a few metres from La Plaza Vieja. Nice big rooms with en suite, with those on the first floor giving onto a balcony overlooking a central courtyard used for breakfast. Good, friendly service. Very handy for visiting old Habana and just a spit away from the Muralla bar/restaurant which boasts some of the best beer in the city. Only one negative as we had to request hot water to be put on from reception and it didn't always last long enough for 2 people to shower. Certainly one of the cheaper hotels in Old Habana but I would recommend booking beforehand through an agency to ensure a place and get a better deal. We struggled to find a night for our return to the capital before flying home and had to use a large amount of our precious cash to go the Frailes hotel nearby which was the same price but not as nice.

Myself and my girlfriend stayed in this hotel for four nights after a stay in Jibacoa. The room itself was amazing, and the location was right in the middle of old havana. The suite comprised of a massive bedroom and a separate dining room, both clean and well equipped.
Problems with the water have already been discussed; I appreciate its Havana but when you pay for a good hotel you expect running water, hot and cold. After a lot of time wasted waiting for hot water at the taps we eventually decided to ask staff what the problem was. Apparently there was no problem, someone had to go and switch it on for us....not a massive issue although they could and should have told us when we had booked in. When they switched it on, they'd give you about fifteen minutes before they'd take it upon themselves to switch it off again which isnt really enough time for two people to take showers.
Breakfast was not great, eggs, ham and cheese seems to be all they have, omelettes very poorly cooked. The staff smoke in the kitchen whilst cooking, waiters seem a bit inept at basic customer service just plonking cups of coffee on your table without asking if you actually wanted it or would prefer tea.
Just one final word of advice if you do book this hotel; do not take any advice from the staff in terms of restaurant recommendations. We made this mistake on the first night and went to a vastly overpriced restuarant and the food was average at best. It was made blatantly obvious that the hotel staff were in line for a tip from the restaurant. Shop around and you could get a much better meal at the less commercial places for about a third of the price (~£4).
To sum up, the room is fanastic, and havana is a really great city. However if we were to visit again we would probably choose the parque central.