We arrived early hours of the morning, after a 10 hour flight delay. The reception staff were great and got us to our rooms quickly so we could get some much needed rest.

Our room was huge, we had booked a standard room, but were lucky enough to be upgraded to a suite with a lounge, bedroom, toilet and a bathroom with jacuzzi!!! Everything was very clean. The room overlooked the main square which was fasinating to just open the large windows and watch the world go by.

Breakfast was adequate with plenty of choice, freshly cooked omelates or eggs cooked how you wish. We ate lunch there too which again was very good.

The hotel is in a great position and easy to travel around Havana. The only bad point we could find was there exchange rate was not too good so we would visit the Parque Central to exchange money.

I had made a reservation for 3 nights in Hotel Telegrafo. When I arrived at the hotel, the lady at the reception desk asked my voucher. Unfortunately I had forgotten it in Istanbul. She insisted that my name wasn’t on the list. Then another lady came and somehow found my name, but this time they said there wasn’t any room available at hotel, so they transferred me to Hotel Santa Isabel (Look for my reviews in Santa Isabel page). I didn’t pay any extras for taxi rides and hotel (Santa Isabel is more expensive). As far as I read from reviews, other people also lived a similar experience.

Next day I moved back to Hotel Telegrafo. My room was a large corner room with a double size bed and colossal windows looking at Prada Avenue and Parque Central. Hotel is on the very center of Havana and all life was flowing under my feet. The room was modernly furnished and clean. The bathroom was also in good condition. Towels and linens were a little bit old but clean. Mini bar was almost empty with just water, colas, beers and sodas. There was a safe in the room but I didn’t use it after the reviews I’d read here. Instead, I put my money and documents in a hidden place in my suitcase and kept it locked every time.

I didn’t eat at the hotel except breakfast. There was a buffet breakfast and it was the richest among 3 hotels I stayed in Havana. (Others were Santa Isabel and Beltran de Santa Cruz). There was food I wasn’t used to eat in breakfasts like rice, macaroni or meat but at least there were several choices.

The hotel is very central and it is easy to walk main sights like Old Havana, Capitol, Malecon or Partagas Factory. I booked a city tour from San Cristobal’s tour desk and made some shopping in the small shop.

The staff was really unhelpful and not very friendly. I asked my agency in Turkey to fax me the vouchers, and when I asked the receptionists about it they said it hadn’t arrived even without checking properly. I guess they don’t want to do anything more than the definition of their duty. And while checking out they charged me a bottle of water I hadn’t drunk.

Just don’t mind the staff and stay in Hotel Telegrafo to explore Central Havana for a few days. And never forget your voucher!

I stayed at the Telegrafo Hotel for two weeks in May ...

I have stayed there in the past but was a bit apprehensive this time because of the reports of theft and prostitution ...
Because of that and the fact I'm a bit paranoid .. I brought a miniature camera and recorder that records over 6 hours of video ...

When I arrived the reception, the staff was courteous and efficient .. I was in my room on the 3rd floor,10 minutes after arriving..
I quickly set up the recording equipment and went to dinner ..
I would turn off the recorder when ever I was in the room to save the batteries.. and view it every evening..
The next day after breakfast I asked to change my room to one on the first floor ... I like the balcony on the first floor and it's easier to walk up to, plus I got them to give me a room looking down the Prado .. They asked me to wait until lunch time for one to be free and have it cleaned .. By 2:00 I was in my new room ... Again I set up the equipment ..
In the two weeks I was there no one touch my baggage or the safe.. In fact I even left some money in plain view and it was ignored ..
My biggest complaint was that the maids were not fast and tended to chat a lot .. and one day the new towels didn't show up until 4:30 ..

About the Breakfast .. Yes some times the person with the coffee cart was away talking or doing something else .. but there is a coffee machine right beside the bar ... It only takes a second to get a cup of coffee ..

When spending two weeks there the staff get to know you and my regular breakfast was ready soon after I entered the eating area ... Most days they were offering a coffee refill almost as soon as I has finished the cup.. It is still a good breakfast and the service is OK .

II had a dinner in the bar one night and there was a small error in the bill (1.00 cuc) when I brought it to the bar tenders notice it was corrected ...

The management of the Hotel do their best to make you happy ..

I think that the Telegrafo does need a bit of maintenance but generally find it to be an excellent hotel especially at their prices ..
When I checked out of the Hotel at 2:00 am .. The reception staff were very helpful in confirming my ride to the airport. They always answered all my question when they could ...

I will be retuning to Havana in a few months for a longer time and intend to stay at this Hotel ...

I can fully recommend the Hotel Telegrafo to everyone ...

Having read all the previous reviews we decided to just give the hotel a go and have an open mind. Thankfully our stay was only 2 nights at the beginning of our holiday.

We had a large room that overlooked the internal courtyard where the bar was. If you are used to a smoking ban this was a bit irritating but not really the fault of the hotel so not a gripe for this site but just a pointer.

Reception: The most unhelpful staff ever. From start to finish they made any dealings that you had with them impossible. We had a few problems surrounding our transfer down the coast and we wanted to contact the hotel we were going to in order to confirm the arrangements. The reception staff would not assist us in any way and when we asked them would they look the number of the hotel up in the telephone Directory they said no. It was farcical.

Breakfast: Most of the other reviews have said it. Getting Coffee and Tea is not easy.

Tour Desk: The Lady who attends the desk is firstly hardly ever there…or secondly has no interest in doing anything for you and makes you fell like you are an irritant. We booked the Tropicana Show through the tour desk in the hotel. We has assumed that she would organise transport. That in itself would be acceptable but then when we asked how we would organise a taxi she just pointed outside ‘hail a cab’. So we popped over to the NH Parque Central who assisted and organised a very nice driver to take us there and back. Again 5 * to the NH Parque Central.

We ended up going across the Square to the NH Parque Central Hotel to their concierge who were brilliant. Helped us out with any problems and issues. I really wish we had stayed in that hotel.

We didn’t get any money stolen but we took most of our belonging out with us in a money belt. Certainly not ideal but we didn’t want to risk leaving it in the safe.

I was so disappointed with the hotel and that disappointment is mostly aimed at the staff who did nothing to make our stay enjoyable. The only saving grace was that we stayed here on the first 2 nights of our holiday and we had a brilliant time for the next 12