Nacional De Cuba Hotel

“ The Hotel Nacional has notions of grandeur... without the grandeur. It trades on the fact that it entertained Hollywood and International stars in the 1930's '40's and '50's But those days and that glamour is long, long gone...

1. Porters:
Effecient but initially grumpy. later one was charming.

2.Reception:
There were two receptionists. One was busy with another guest the other was worked at a computer for at least 10 minutes before she gave us her attention. she was charming and helpful then.

3. Room:
It was billed as one of the "Historic Rooms" where Johnny Weismuller (Tarzan) stayed. It was small, decorated in shades of brown. It was what I would expect in a two or three star hotel. If this is what satisfied a major Hollywood star I'll eat, not just my hat but my entire wardrobe!
On the positive side it was immaculately clean and had a view over the Malecon to the sea.

4.Room safe:
We had to pay extra per day to use the safe! We have travelled on all five continents and NEVER before had to do this.

5.Breakfast Buffet:
The food was of very poor quality, Several of the dispensers ( juice, coffee etc) were broken. The food was laid out in such a way that we had to do a lot of walking around to get breakfast. Plus we had to do a lot of waiting to get hot food. Staff were generally grumpy and unhelpful with the exception of Felix on the omelets. The tables looked untidy and were not re-set when a guest left. We had to request cutlery every morning and each time had to ask several times. Eventually we had to resort to going to the serving stations ourselves before we got any attention.

6. Cafeteria:
Staff reasonably efficient but aloof. Food varied hugely. e.g. A carbonara which was adequate on one occasion, had little or no sauce on the second. An adequate pizza on one occasion became a burnt pizza on the second! Very little variety.

7. Restaurant:
Staff were very charming. Soup was good... by Cuban standards. Main course was adequate. Large amounts but of poor quality.

8. Terrace. Lovely place overlooking the sea. Service poor. Sometimes the cocktails contained rum and other times they didn't... or so little that it was undetectable. Musicians constantly wanting to sing for you... for money.

9. General:
We had the sense of constantly being expected to hand out tips to people for the very least service. The room service staff asked directly for money the day before we left because "I will be off to-morrow". This made us feel that the only reason anyone did anything was for the tips. Yes, I know this is true in every hotel BUT elsewhere the staff at least make you feel like a welcome guest.

Any time we requested information the answers were offhand and vague.
e.g.
Q. Where is the XXX?
A. Toss of the head/ vague pointing. "There".

WOULD I GO THERE AGAIN? NO.
WOULD I RECOMMEND IT? NO.

“ A slice of luxery from a bygone era, fabulous architecture, views and history. Good breakfast and comfy rooms, also really enjoyed the pool, very relaxing.

“ Fantastic hotel. Loved every minute. Great food especially if you are out late and want something to eat at 4am :) Spotless and they've obviously recently spent a fortune on quality furniture in the rooms. Hope I can go back some day!

[This customer did not leave a comment]