Hotel Saratoga is probably the best place to stay in Havana, so if you're put off by the bad reviews, you may as well stay home. It's clean, the service is friendly, the rooms are a good size and well maintained. The restaurant is average, but there are better places to eat in the city if you look for them. The pool area on the roof is fantastic, especially after walking around in the heat all day. It's got an amazing view, and it's a great place to relax.

I am quite dismayed by some of the poor reviews of this hotel.
People planning on travelling to Cuba and Havana need to understand that the standard of luxury in accommodation there is different to the top level 5 star hotels we have in the UK, Ireland and Europe. Havana is a crumbling wreck of what it once was - which is part of it's charm. So you are glad to get any level of luxury considering your surroundings when you get there. That aside, the level of accommodation, hotel facilities, service and friendliness of service is absolutely excellent. I would have no hesitation in recommending the Saratoga and if I was going back to Havana, it is the only hotel I would consider for myself. The staff and the owners have done themselves proud - a fine hotel.

We stayed here for 3 nights in September and loved the hotel. We stayed in I guess one of the suites which was a 2 story room, living downstairs and bedroom upstairs. It was a really great room and nicely fitted out and loads of space. The swimming pool on the roof is the highlight of this place and we had a pizza up there one night in the rain and it was the highlight of our trip. The view from the roof is truly magnificent.

Service was a bit hit and miss, the guys on the roof being the best. The food was nice enough in the other eateries though not fining dining but given we had heard bad things about the food in Havana I was pleasantly surprised. It was a good location though given it is in the middle of things it can be a bit noisy in the rooms facing the street. I don't like noise myself but did not mind this too much cause Havana had such a great vibe.

I would recommend this hotel if going to Havana.

We stayed in the saratoga as part of a virgin holiday package. The hotel was a nice retreat from the city and a convenient walk to the major attractions. We never felt unsafe when we walked around at night.
The room was very nice (you have to remember the standard of hotels that you get in cuba). There was one night were there was a water shortage and therefore we were unable to use the shower / bathroom.
Raoul was good at giving suggestions - but I would always advise to do your homework first as sometimes your opinion about what you want to eat / see is different from his.
I would recommend getting your own transfers as it always works out to be much cheaper and always on time!
There is a beautiful pool at the top floor of the hotel which is a nice place to chill out.

Overall, this was a nice hotel to stay, something special rather than a good value for money stay.