TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

What in incredible hotel to get to stay at. There is such an abundance of history at this hotel. It has an incredible list of guests that have stayed here. The food in the restaurant was fantastic. Prices at the bar and restaurant are excellent due to the value of the Peso. Pricing was done when exchange was $1-24 peso. Now its $1-117 peso. Our dollar goes a long way until they correct their exchange

From the very beginning the staff at Hotel Nacional were incredibly friendly. We had an issue with baggage and they couldn’t have been more helpful. The facilities, restaurants and bars were lovely and the building itself was fascinating; the daily tour well worth doing. Would recommend this place to anyone visiting Havana.

This is a fabulous hotel the best in Cuba. Built in the 1930s it has its own story and if walls could talk It would have a lot to say! Each day there is a tour of the hotel at 10am (free) which is a must. There are many historical rooms in the hotel which have plaques outside showing who stayed there. My favorite room would be Frank Sinatras with this adjoining door to Lucky Lucianos Room (Mafia Boss) and his mob connections. Johnny Weissmuller dived off the hotel roof into the pool (Tarzan film idol); Marlon Brando walked through the lobby and all the women fainted (!). The tour is a must as the lovely member of staff giving the tour loves her job and the hotel. Overall the hotel could do with some refurb but remember you are in a COMMUNIST COUNTRY. Breakfast - one day you get milk, one day you don’t. One day theres butter, next day margarine. They haven’t always got everything available. There seemed to be 25 people doing one job in the breakfast room btw. I loved the 24 hour bar - could sit in that foyer all day. Live music. Another cocktail. There are no “snacks” in Cuba so take your own peanuts and crisps. Sometime coke runs out. Take EUROS and ONE DOLLAR bills for tips. You can get pesos at the hotel or from bank Nova Scotia in town. BUT the banks run out of money so does the hotel. A taxi into Havanna is 10Euros whether its a 1950s classic car or a 1980S LADA. There’s a show in the hotel thats packed every night we went its inexpensive and great for your last night.

My husband and I stayed at the Hotel Nacional for a week and it was an incredible experience. The staff are wonderful and super helpful, the garden is beautiful and a lovely place to hang and have a coffee, snack, or drink. The hotel is also within walking distance of Old Havana and other great neighbourhoods. It is also close to plenty of great restaurants and the ice cream park, La Coppelia! We had a wonderful time and particularly enjoyed our hotel tour where we learned about all of the history involved at the hotel and our cigar guide with Yancet. Yancet was a fantastic teacher who showed us how to smoke cigars and drink rum the cuban way! We will always remember our lesson with Yancet. Thank you hotel nacional, we will be back! Hasta muy pronto.

This was our first time in Cuba, and the Hotel Nacional was a fantastic place to stay! The food is great, the service is excellent, and the culture is totally unique. You should definitely take the guided tour on the first day. Our guide, Aileen, was warm and knowledgeable. She suggested enjoying a cigar in the cigar room, and I'm glad we did. Later in the week, in the cigar room, Yanset taught us to smoke the Cuban way. Everyone we met was eager to help and happy to share their hospitality. The character of the hotel is remarkable. Many famous people have come and stayed, and the architecture is just as it was in the 1930s, except for a few new televisions and comforts. The location is also fabulous. It is only a short walk to Coppelia ice cream park, and there are lots of restaurants nearby. Cabs are easy to take, or you can walk about thirty minutes to Old Havana. We'll come back! The spirit of Cuba is here.