Hostal Florida Center — Hotel in Santa Clara

DON’T BOOK with them. They will send you to another casa anyway, so choose one yourself while you can. My experience was a nightmare. I booked with them on line about 2 months in advance and received by email a nice, officially looking confirmation of my booking, with dates, addresses etc. I reconfirmed by calling 2 days before arrival. I was travelling with my 9 year old daughter. Taxi was waiting for us at the Viazul station, but when we arrived at the hostal everything changed. First we were waiting for Angel. He came to tell us that he has no room for us and we have to go to another casa. It was nearby, but quite uninviting, not something I would recommend. On top of that, the room was available for one night only, while we have booked for 2! I started calling other casas, but it was late evening and everything was full. Finally Angel sent a car for us, and they took us to yet another casa, a bit further from the center. We had to wait in the street there, as the owners were not home. Finally we got the room. Angel tried to save his face by offering a dinner on the house. His restaurant is very pretty and the food was probably the best I had in Cuba. However I would rather pay my bill and avoid this experience. This is the only place in Cuba where I was met with such disrespect...

This hostal, close to Parque Vidal, is a beautiful 3-storey house with 6 rooms. It is full of antiques and trees with a nice bar on the terrace in the top floor where, after 6 p.m., you can drink a good Mojito (2 CUC) while looking at the sunset. Our room (#5) at 1st floor was large, clean and provided with all comforts (e.g. fridge, fan, air conditioned and also a wooden table with chairs on the balcony in front of it). We were received by a man (not the host, who stays in the restaurant) who spoke English quite well and gave us all information we needed. The (optional – 5 CUC) breakfast is served in the charming garden of the restaurant on the opposite side of the street and it is good but not so abundant (e.g. no eggs and no fruit juice). In the restaurant is it also possible to have a delicious dinner (à la carte) with also a vegetarian dish (fried rice with vegetables). According to me and my family this hostal seems more a professional B&B than a typical Cuban casa particular, nevertheless we recommend it if you want to visit...

The Hostal is in an ideal position: just a couple of minutes away on foot from the main square, around 20 minutes from the Che Guevara memorial and 15 minutes from the Tren Blindado memorial. It has one main building with a wonderful patio where it is possible to eat (breakfast is excellent!!), relax or using the WiFi-zone. There is also another building across the street with more rooms, a nice bar, a massage spot and a sunbathing terrace. The rooms in the main building are beautiful, but the door and the bathroom opens right into the main patio and you’ll have people sitting right in front of your door having dinner. Soundproofing is nonexistent both towards the patio and the near rooms. The building in front seems much more quiet and less crowded. If you want some privacy, just ask for a room there! We really liked the check-out until 1 pm, because we could shower after the Che Guevara memorial trip and before taking our taxi...