Telégrafo Axel Hotel La Habana

The gym and spa have new facilities, and the pool and pool bar were okay. But there's no lift access. The guests are mostly not LGBT. Food was scarce at breakfast, meals were rationed, and dinner was made with the bare minimum of ingredients. The ice cream tasted toxic, like the powder it was made from. Soap wasn't replenished daily, and the crew could barely help with anything. The carpets were dirty and stained. I was very disappointed.

Breakfast was the only meal we tried, and it was a mess: poor presentation, flies constantly on and around the food, and staff who seemed indifferent. We understood the country was facing a food crisis, but it was still embarrassing. We were also uneasy about the lack of hotel security, with people loitering outside trying to lure guests away. The hotel's rooftop pool and bar were a letdown. The bar was never open, and the pool looked more like a puddle. Even towels and toilet paper had to be requested repeatedly. The lift felt unsafe, the building seemed close to collapse, and the floors were dirty and stained. The decor was nearly nonexistent, the rooms were more dated than expected, the pillows were stained, and the bed was uncomfortable. Our view was of back alleys that reflected poverty and despair, not the vibrant Havana we had hoped to see. After a long flight, my partner and I tried to order food on the terrace and were refused several times. The manager brushed off our complaint by saying, “We've had a busy day,” then charged us £25 for two cheese sandwiches and a can of soft drink. Check-in had gone smoothly, but our four-day stay at Hotel Telegrafo was disappointing from beginning to end. We'd dreamed of visiting Havana, Cuba, for years and were relieved to leave. The hotel fell short of its advertised standards and made us question the safety and hospitality of the trip.

The staff were very friendly and welcoming, and the rooms were spacious with a nice view of the main road, though it could get noisy. The bed sheets in our room hadn't been changed from the previous guests when we checked in. I later heard this was a common issue at other hotels in Havana, which surprised me. The location is excellent, right across from Central Park. Once outside, though, we were approached by lots of people trying to sell things or possibly scam us.

The rooftop terrace had no atmosphere, not even a dog, and it really wasn't worth the visit. Drinks were pricey, there was a mandatory 10% service charge, and they only took cards. The waitress/bartender kept steering us toward elaborate cocktails, as usual, but we chose classics. Even so, each glass was loaded with about a kilo of sugar, including all over the rim. The cocktails were bad.