We stayed at the Hotel Plaza twice during our holiday for a total of 5 nights in Jan/Feb 2008.


The Plaza is in an excellent location, perfect for exploring the sights of Centro Habana and Habana Vieja.Located a stones throw from the Capitolo, El Floridita and the NH Parque Central Hotel and a whole host of museums and interestings sights.

I don't know how the starring system works in Cuba but the Plaza is definitely not a 4 star and having read the reviews before staying at the hotel, my expectations were not high anyway.

The rooms we stayed in on both occasions had impressively high ceilings and were quite spacious. Rooms cleanish.....but the mattresses were really soft and repairs were needed to the balcony doors as the panelling seemed to have broken off in parts leaving holes.

Breakfast was served on the 5th floor, you could dine inside or outside on the rooftop dining area. The food was edibile, definitely go for the pancakes, and the omlettes were OK.
A nice selection of food and juices but nothing special, which seemed to be case in most of the hotels we stayed in during our holiday.

The reception and security were all very friendly and helpful.
Representatives from the various Cuban tour agencies were based in the lobby.

I would stay here again for the location, you definitely get what you pay for with the Plaza, so if you're expecations aren't too high and you've paid a fairly low price for your stay, then you will probably walk a away a content customer.

I will add that in Havana you won't spend much time in your hotel room as there is so much to see and do...day and night!!

I stayed at the Plaza for 2 weeks from 6th Dec.

Where do I start? First of all, our room was terrible. The water was cold for the whole time we were there. We were given two single beds, despite being there on a honeymoon holiday! The matresses were awful. There was 1 window in the room which could not open. We also had a balcony for which the door could not open. Plus, the cutain could not open and was completely nailed to the window frame. So for the whole 2 weeks we had no light and couldnt even tell whether it was day or night without looking at our watches. Also, the only light in the room was from a little lamp! Also, our mini bar was not refille donce during our whole time there.

As for the drinks, these were not good at all and always had something floating in them. I even found small little stones in a drink I had ordered with crushed ice. The mojitos were full of soil. A couple of the bar staff were really friendly but the rest were just rude, and always talked among themselves instead of serving customers.

The food in the restaurants was edible if you stuck to basic things such as pizza which i ended up having to eat for the entore 2weeks if we didnt eat out.

As for the breakfast bar, the breads and pastries were always stale and hard, omelettes were underdone. We also noticed that the variety of food decreased each day. The view if you sit outside on the balcony at breakfast is absolutely beautiful however.

The worst part of our stay was down to the staff. Apart from maybe 2 waiters, the rest were awful. They rude, disrespectful and basically had no manners, not to mention, they were also extremely lazy. They are extremely unwilling to assisst in any way, shape or form. They are meant to be the point of call if hotel guests have any issues...well they are far from it!

Suffice to say, this was THE worst hotel I have ever ever stayed in. I've stayed in better motels. I would not advise anyone to book into this hotel. Try Hotel Sevilla or Hotel Telegrafo which are a couple minutes walk from this place!

I stayed at this hotel for two nights after Christmas. I asked the agent for a good location, as I wanted to explore Havana on foot, and this hotel is certainly good for getting around old & central Havana. The room was adequate, but had an unpleasant smell, that I could only liken to cat's pee! No hot water for the two days I was there. With the exception of two members of (male) staff, the staff were either rude or disinterested. The food in the buffet rooftop restaurant was basic. Breakfast was included but dinner was extra - don't bother with the dinner, you can get better and cheaper elsewhere. The staff in the ground floor restaurants need a lesson in customer service, but the Pizza was the best (and cheapest) I've had outside of Italy! I don't think anyone would be particularly impressed with anthing this hotel has to offer other than it's location. Next door is the Parque Central, probably more expensive but may be worth the extra! If you don't have high expectations, this hotel might be enough for you, on the basis that you don't spend much time in your room when in Havana! Tip: if you go to Club Tropicana, keep your amera in your bag otherwise a nasty little man comes round and demands money for using it, despite the expensive entrance fee!

I have been to many hotels in Cuba over the years and this is by far the worst. This hotel has a great history and was probably a beautiful hotel during its prime (albert Einstein stayed here), but now it is old and has been obviously mismanaged. The room I stayed in smelled of old mold and did not have hot water. In fact, on my last day, the hot water tap did not even have pressure. The price at the front desk was approx $160 USD!!! The breakfast buffet was bland and cold, but did have a nice view of havana from the top floor. The best part of this hotel was that it was located next to a fairly nice hotel so that I walk over and get a decent cup of coffee and service. I highly discourage anyone from going to this hotel.