We have just returned from 10 days in Cuba with the first two nights at the Sevilla. This was our 4th trip to Cuba - 3rd time in Havana. We found most comments on this site (both positive and negative) to be true. The Sevilla is getting quite run down. My husband and I had a regular room (with one king size bed) which was very small and dark, while my daughter and mother-in-law had a corner room (2 double beds) that was huge with double opening windows. Front desk desk staff were very friendly and helpful, which was a pleasant surprise as we have found that not usually to be the case in Cuba. The hotel itself was very noisy at night and due to its layout we found the exhaust fumes from the street funnelled right into the hotel. Pool was lovely, the buffet breakfast was very adequate and the location is very convenient. We booked this hotel at a very good price so we can't complain - if you pay regular rates you will likely do better elsewhere for the same money.

The hotel was not one bit as I had imagined. The room was fusty and the outlook from the window was a wall with a pipe through it. The room was clean but in need of decoration and a lick of paint. The shower did not work properly, we stayed for three nights and on one night had no hot water. The staff are unfriendly and do not understand English, the security is spot on we were looking around for the famous when we saw the amount of black suited walkie talkie 6 footers on all exits. There is a plus point I lost my postcards in the hotel and some kind person posted them for me. Watch out for the prices in the rooftop restaurant pricey but exquisite and a must.

Stayed for about 2 weeks (with interruptions) in May 2004.
We loved the moorish architecture and the hotel's ties to history (it was the old Biltmore Hotel, popular with stars and gangsters in the earlier part of the 20th century). The complimentary breakfast, music-filled courtyard and friendly staff made this place a wonderful base-point for us. We look forward to staying there again. We brought our 2 year old with us and she was in heaven--the staff was wonderful with her, learning her name by the 2nd day and frequently stopping to play with her. And she conquered her fear of the water in the lovely pool (though it does feel rather tragic to be swimming underneath the cramed and impoverished apartments of Old Havana). She also danced every night to the bands that regularly play in the hotel's little courtyard...on occassion they'd pass her an instrument so she could play along with them.

If you go:
-Ask for a corner room, as they tend to be lighter, airier and larger. Some even have balconies. The regular rooms can be small (though nicely appointed).
-Have one dinner in the top-floor restaurant. While the food is so-so, the views are spectacular, especially at dusk. Both times we ate there, though, there were more musicians than customers! Still the room is spectacular, with a terrific view of the capital on one side and the ocean on the other.

Note:
Later in our trip, we stayed for one night at the Hotel Nasional and decided that we preferred the Hotel Sevilla. While the rooms may be bigger at the Hotel Nasional, it has a stuffier out-of-date feel and seemed horribly over-priced. Not that the Sofitel Seville is cheap by Cuban standards...but it is certainly lovely.

We stayed at Sevilla in December 2004. The hotel is really nice and is quite well kept. Anyway, just a few remarks: the swimming pool and sauna were out of service, and we were only informed when we arrived at the hotel, since the hotel didn't inform our travel agent. Our room was spacious, comfortable and clean. The lobby is quite nice, although quite windy, which turns to be uncomfortable specially at night. At the Sevilla we experienced the most surrealist breakfast we ever had: the breakfast room is in fact quite small considering the number of people present (the hotel was at its full capacity) and it becomes worse when because the hotel does not have enough tableware and (sometimes) enough food! We were standing for more then 10 minutes waiting for bread and butter or ... simply for a cup!! I believe these things cannot happen in an international hotel chain like Sofitel. By the way, we didn't find hotel staff to be as kind as we read in some of the reviews. Maybe because we were in Havana after spending one fantastic week at Sol Cayo Largo (Group Melia), where we found really nice and professional employees! Next time we'll stay at NH Parque Central.

We stayed in the Sevilla in November 2004. It is a very characterful hotel, based on moorish architecture and is well located in the centre of town.

The room was comfortable - a suite really, although the sitting area was a bit basically furnished. It was clean and had good views. The hotel was very atmospheric, which I think is its main benefit. It has a slight touch of faded grandeur, but having just read graham greene's 'our man in havana' which refers to it, I think that was part of the attraction to us. We stayed here at the start of our trip and the Parc Central at the end - the latter was super: much more luxurious, but we were glad we'd stayed at the sevilla too, for perhaps a more cuban experience.

Minor points - a plus, the hotel has web access - and a minus: the lifts were very slow....

My wife and I and our two children stayed 7 nights in the Hotel Sevilla during the second week of October. We found the hotel to be a delight and an ideal base for our first-ever visit to Cuba. I hope it will not be our last visit and I would unhesitatingly stay at the Sevilla again, unless we decide instead to travel around the country next time. The swimming pool was a great asset (the pool and its surroundings were cleaned every day). Our two sixth floor rooms were large, cool and comfortable. Both had excellent views over the city and one had a balcony.

The staff were excellent - friendly, well-presented and efficient. We received a personal welcome on arrival (complimentary orange juice and refreshing towels) and also charming written messages from the chambermaids on both our first and last days. When one of our toilets blocked, a man with an 'unblocker' came immediately. When we lost one of our card keys (well, locked it in the safe which is handily provided in each room, as a matter of fact) a replacement key was provided immediately. When we wanted to keep one of our rooms five hours beyond the original checkout time, this was easily arranged. Despite what other people have said about the phones, we made a small number of calls back to the UK from the phone in one of the rooms and got through first time on each occasion. We also used the internet facility (three terminals in the main lobby) on a number of occasions and this worked absolutely fine (I think from memory it was USD 2 for 15 minutes).

The ‘eat all you can’ breakfast buffet was both varied and high in quality. I think the person who made the comments about the 9th floor restaurant being closed and delapidated must have been in another hotel - we ate in it one evening and it was fine. We had a high class meal (not particularly expensive as they were doing an offer of two meals for USD 30) in sumptuous surroundings with a classical quartet providing a backdrop.

We also ate on a number of occasions in the pool cafe and at the downstairs bar. None of us suffered any ill-effects either from the food or from drinking the tap water which we did on a few occasions when we ran out of mineral water. The Cuban beers, mohitos and range of real fruit juices on offer were great. Our kids said they preferred Cuban Cola to the American version!

There was a choice of entertainment each evening, and the band which played most nights in the downstairs bar was great. Of more than a dozen CDs we bought in town, theirs is about the best! There are a number of shops within the hotel building which we found to be pretty handy for souvenirs, postcards and (of course) Che Guevara T-shirts.

The walking tour of Habana Vieja carried out by a member of the hotel staff (Pupo) was great value and highly educational.

Sure the lifts were out of order quite a lot and the water went off a few times and, yes, I did notice that musty smell in the rooms (possibly from the slightly erratic airconditioning??) - but if this is really going to give you a problem, perhaps you should think twice about going to a destination like Cuba.

Cuba is a beacon in the world and a great 'alternative' destination for the tourist. In our experience the Hotel Sevilla is an excellent place to get a gentle introduction, particularly perhaps for those with children who don't fancy other more 'challenging' options such as staying in smaller guesthouses. Go for it!

Having recently spent 3 nights at the Sevilla, and falling in love with Havana, I have to say to all the people on here who have spent time moaning about the food & accommodation in Cuba - why don't you just stay home for your holidays??? The hotel was perfectly acceptable, in a great location, I agree that the rooms did have a slight musty smell - but hey who goes to Havana to stay in their hotel room? How anyone can travel to Cuba without understanding anything of the political situation is beyond me. Thanks to the "good old US of A" and their attempts to strangle Cuba via embargos, of course there won't be a huge varity of foodstuffs, the upside being the pleasure of not seeing one single Mc D's. The breakfasts at the hotel consists of a selection of fruits, breads, meats, eggs, yoghurt - what more do people want??? We found some excellent places to eat, had amazing lobster & shrimp, the rice and black beans were very tasty, and yes most of the salads consisted of raw cabbage rather than lettuce, but so what? The music is fantastic. Oh and take a trip in a Coco taxi - they are a blast!

Havana is prefectly safe, we wandered around late at night something I wouldn't consider doing in most of the UK. As for being hassled - sure a few people tried to sell us Cigars, CD's etc., but we found that a polite "Non Gracias" worked wonders (some people just don't try)....in the main the Cubans just wanted to talk, they are a proud, interesting, cultural and politically astute nation, if you are not prepared to engage or learn anything from your trip - then you might as well visit any of the many carribean islands and stay in your all inclusive resort afterall it will be your loss - not theirs!!

We stayed for 3 nights in at Hotel Sevilla, and then went on to Cayo Guillermo. The 3rd of those three nights was during the August Hurricane.
The service very good - remember tip as an incentive not just as a reward.
Room was beauiful, but slightly musty (the building is in amazing condition when you compare it to it's neighbours!), which didn't bother us, but may have done if we had young children with us.
The live music in the hotel was absolutely fantastic, and as a musician and music teacher, I really appreciated this! The more the audience listened, the better the musicians played.
There was more than enough to eat for breakfast, with a wide range of choice. When eating in Cuba, you have to remember that they are on a ration system and have very few products like eggs and chicken regularly, so to be able to have as many eggs as you like for breakfast puts any grumbles into perspective.
We had an amazing time in the Sevilla Hotel, and met lots of fascinating and charming Cubans. The Hotel (and City) were very organised when the Hurricane came, which reassured us. I would definitely stay at the Sevilla again, if I'm lucky enough to go back to Cuba.

Maybe we arrived at this hotel with excessively high expectations as we had spent the first week of our honeymoon at Jibacoa, the Breezes' resort which was just perfect in every way. In stark contrast to this we found the Sevilla a disappointment.
It has to be said that it is a beautiful building and the lobby areas and bar areas are beautifully restored to their former glory. The hotel has a rich history which it is proud of and is in a great location for exploring Old Havana.
When we arrived we were given a room on the third floor. The whole floor smelled damp and musty and mouldy, the actual room was worse with a really horrible smell. It was small and cramped and dark, quite grubby and in bad repair. We felt downhearted but reasoned that we would be out exploring most of the time, therefore would not spend much time in the room. But as we began to settle in we both started to sneeze and feel quite wheezy. We went back down to reception and explained the problem of the smell and it's affect on our breathing. In fairness the receptionist was very helpful and immediately gave us an alternative room on the seventh floor. We had to move our own luggage up but were just glad to get a room that didn't smell too bad ( there was still a slight smell but nowhere near as bad as the first). It was still quite dirty and in bad repair - e.g. cracked tiles in bathroom.
The restaurant was OK, buffet style, staff not very helpful. They have a band on and dancers which were good but then come round asking for money as they are not paid by the hotel.
In our brochure it showed beautiful views from the top floor restaurant. We asked if we could book for there but when the receptionist supposedly phoned up there she found out that it wasn't opening that night. We were quite amused the next day when we sneaked up to see if we could just take a look out the windows at the views we had read about and we saw that the restaurant has obviously not been used for a while and is certainly in no state to be used any time soon. It is abandoned by the looks of it and there were puddles on the floor, broken furniture, tiles coming off the walls, etc! However if you do get the chance it's worth going up as the view really is magnificent.
I feel as though I've been very negative about this hotel, but it is really made out to be a luxurious hotel in the brochures and even mentioned in many Cuban guide books, so I feel it is important to let people know that it does not deserve this reputation.

We stayed for 2 nights in Aug 2004, one at either end of our holiday. I thought this hotel was great. Rooms were clean with lots of information about hotel services and although not enormous were spacious enough for somewhere to crash after exploring Havana. Rooms do seem to vary though as our first room was definitely better than the second. Staff were friendly and helpful and breakfast was good too. This hotel has lots of charm and is brilliantly placed for exploring Old Havana.