Hotel Mirador de San Diego — Hotel in Los Palacios

Pluses for this place; posh appearance, nice pool, good outdoor dinning and bar with a really excellent band in the evening. Minuses; typical hotel water issues, lighting, comfort, etc. The breakfast restaurant was better than most. SDdlB is quite small and unremarkable and there is not a lot going on outside the hotel walls. The hotel is also adjacent to the local hospital and my group was awakened by shrieks of grief in the night. On the plus side, not too much dog barking.||When we stayed there, ours was one of four cycling groups, so the place is very friendly to cyclists. ||You may meet Pilo, a local English teacher (the local school is a bock away, and he is out roaming during recess)who is a straight-up guy but at the same time will endeavor to get a few CuCs out of you by showing you the sad state of his library and gym supplies. My interaction with him was one of the more remarkable ones of my journey in Cuba, and I wish there was a way to get the money to where it should go and not just to Pilo. In Cuba, this type of hustle is not a bad thing. You meet someone with a good story who can tell you about life on the island without a filter, and what is a few bucks to you if you already made it this far? His...

This was a lovely old hotel. Our room was comfortable although a little musty smelling at first. But the AC worked and the shower was warm. The beds were comfortable. Our meals were excellent and we found the staff to be warm and accommodating. We even had a salsa lesson from the charming and energetic instructor. For me the very best was the music at dinner. A highly talented group, Fantasmas, played each evening. They were superb by any measure, and I was delighted to be able to obtain one of their CD’s. I would go back to the hotel anytime just to hear them perform.||||This was a great place to stay for birders.||||One challenge we found throughout our stay in Cuba was finding places to exchange money. Hotels often did not have enough currency to exchange, so when in a city, take the opportunity to find a bank and exchange some currency.||||In Cuba, as in other third world countries, we endeavor to enjoy the cultural vicissitudes and idiosyncrasies of the accommodations, transportation and meals. No question that we are viewed as representatives of our country. We take this role seriously, always trying to be ambassadors and never the...

We had cycled here from Vinales having made a reservation months before. When we arrived it appeared the hotel was preparing to open, with painter and decorators working hard. The pool was ready but the only drink we could buy in the whole hotel was water. |Eventually a receptionist appeared who spoke reasonable English. It turned out the hotel had been commandeered by the telecom company for their workers who were repairing lines blown down in Hurricane Ian a month before. At 6pm lots of vans and trucks appeared with the workers. They were fed in the restaurant. There was a basic grill bar with a choice of chicken, pork or fish for lunch and dinner. The room was basic with a very old ac machine.|Breakfast was poor, no eggs were available, but the receptionist did arrange for the natural spa pool to be opened for us to look at before...