“Dirty, consider other options.”
Looks so-so from outside, and the lobby tries hard to hold onto what must have been its '50s glamour and spaciousness. Location great, on the Malecon drive, overlooking the sea. But unfortunately that is all. We have only visited the gym, the bar, and the bathroom one afternoon. The gym was very basic, unused, but some pieces still worked. The bar had a full menu of which only drinks ( well at least that) and burgers were available. No snacks, nothing else. This is not unusual in Cuba though, due to the food shortages the choices are limited. But the toilets.. They were simply terrible. For such an iconic hotel. There was no soap, no toilet paper, not even holders on which you might one day like to put the toilet paper, was there any. Apparently I looked traumatized when I came out. It is very sad to see this place in such decay. Do consider other options before you take this one.

“Wow - turned out great! ”
The last 12 times out of 15 that I traveled I chose to book through Airbnb for a personal touch and heads on review for a specific room as I am particular about where I stay. Given the mixed reviews here and inability to book a casa particular or another hotel on an educational tour, I was very apprehensive about staying at La Riviera. Room 1403 smelled great despite the years of smoke that penetrated the walls in the hallways. I absolutely cannot abide carpets but this one looked brand new and was a nice shade of blue (read: no dust settled in yet). The bedcovers and drapes were also very new. Super spacious room and bathroom too. The bathroom was recently redone and the shower pressure was better than at many Hiltons and Marriots. The towels have been at their pinnacle circa ten years ago and many have holes through them although the sheets luckily were very decent. Also, no towels given at the pool so bring your own or better yet wait to swim elsewhere. There are nearby stores in the parking lot in the front of the hotel where one can buy a liter of water for 1 CUC versus 1.5 CUC for a small bottle at the hotel. The hotel has a great location next to the Malecon where it was safe to sit at night (with a partner) and observe the local scene. Yes, the common areas are screaming for attention and need an update although the furniture in the lobby is very charming. Fast elevators that put to shame many New York City apartment building elevators. Ultra filthy cabins to make calls that do not have air circulating through them so you choke in the humid air if you want to drown the noise. Best bet is to walk across to the Melia Cohiba for a humane experience and it is cheaper by 10 cents to call the States. Initially, I thought that the Riviera people rounded up the minutes and overcharged me (I used a stopwatch to measure the length of the conversation and it didn't correspond to their metric) but same thing happened each time I used the phone and at Melia Cohiba, too. I was blown away that I was able to connect to the internet on their computers in the lobby after even the tour guide was skeptical of that happening. However, the trick is to catch the lady that sells the internet cards and she is only around 10am to 4:30pm. Melia's space is airconditioned and if you need an internet card beyond the limited Riviera hours go there between 8am-10pm on M-F and 9am-5pm on S-Su. A testament to the lack of service oriented mindset of the front desk people is that I tried to find out about laundry service for 5 days. I was given random information and was told to speak to the maid which was difficult considering we were out for 12h at a time. My advice is to call front desk and ask for a maid in the morning. And be prepared to wait 20 minutes. Alternatively, you can leave you stuff on the bed. It costs about 2 CUC for a dress to be washed and an extra 2 CUC to have it ironed. However, their dryers did a decent job and there was no need for ironing. Same day service. Considering that 20% of buildings in Havana are in a dangerously dilapidated state I am super grateful that we lucked out with Riviera.

“I'm glad we only stayed 1 night ”
We had to stay here as part of an organised tour so had no choice. The room we had had a great view but that's all this place had going for it. It's dated and in need of major repairs! Our room smelt musty and the place looked dirty. The hallway was stained and it appears they have a serious water problem (judging by the stains in the carpet). The service at the front desk was average. They weren't that friendly at all. We had breakfast the next morning. I'm not a fan of buffet breakfasts, but this one was ok. Definitely nothing special. We didn't use the pool but it looked busy. The location isn't that great either. It's nowhere near anything of great significance. If you want a place to stay, try a home stay in Old Havana for 1/3 of the price and enjoy the real Cuba!

“DO NOT GO! ”
I stayed to the hotel for 3 days recently.I chose to stay somewhere cheaper in Havana because there are many sights to visit and I needed the hotel for a shower and a sleep.First I was excited with the idea to stay in a hotel that was built before communism from the mafia where many famous people stayed.But I couldn't imagine what I saw. 1) At the reception there was no air condition.You could't even breath. 2) The hotel is very very dirty.EVERYWHERE!!!!Corridors,elevators,rooms,swimming pool.There was a wear odour everywhere.We wash all our clothes when we left. 3) The agreement with the tourist agency in Greece was for us to stay in a room that has been renewed-renovated.They gave us a room that I cannot describe you.I stayed three times in the worst hostels in the centre of Amsterdam and I didn't see such a bathroom.Fungi and dirt everywhere.But the most important....the air condition out of order.I went to the reception and they told me that there were no new rooms at the hotel.I called my travel agent to Greece to complain and they told me that cubans do such things and my agent called them and in 5 minutes they saw to me 4 rooms to choose. 4) Local phone calls cost 25 cents per minute.For the same phone call one day after the receptionist ask from me 50 cents.I mention this as to understand the unprofessionalism from all the people who work in that hotel which reminds more of a governmental organisation rather than a hotel. 5) At the swimming pool everyone could swim.Even people who didn't stay at the hotel!!! 6) Breakfast medium to bad. 7) Great great view from all the rooms to Malecon and ocean. This is NOT a four star hotel.I traveled a lot and I stayed from hostels and camping to great resorts.Trust me.Do not go to riviera hotel havana

“More than satisfied ”
A landmark historic hotel. Needs renovation but rooms are quiet big and all of them are sea view, The hotel is clean and staff very polite. Breakfast suprised us with the young chef making omeletes to order. All we could expect from this hotel of almost 60 years old with all that history behind it.

“More than satisfied! ”
I had booked the hotel for 7 nights and much later I saw the bad reviews it has on tripadvisor and I was terrified. However, when we reached the hotel we saw it was totally different from the descriptions. We took a standard twin room on the 16th floor. The room was clean, spacious, comfortable with a breathtaking view. And it did not smell like mould at all. The air-conditioning was functioning well and there was hot water all the time. The location is good, not far from Havana Vieja. The swimming pool is not bad. Very kind and helpful staff. We ate at the restaurant that is near the pool and it had very good pizza and club sandwich at reasonable prices. The breakfast was OK, there was a rich buffet which was not bad for Cuban standards. Overall, do not expect a real 4 star hotel but if you take into account that you are in Cuba then it is fine., and it is much much better compared to other hotels I stayed at. Oh and there is Internet at the lobby. 8 CUC for an hour

“Definitely worth a visite ”
We didn't stay here, but came for lunch and a swim. The architecture is just stunning, I fell in love with the building's 50's kitchy allure. The staff was considerably better than in any other state-owned place we'd been before. We walked all the way along the Malecon from Havana Vieja, pleasant promenade.

Very well placed
Very well placed on the 'malecon' .Proximity to the Habana Cafe of the Melia