Rolando's Backpacker

Personal muy amable, los colchones muy finitas y gastados, te hacen doler la espalda

Nice and supportive staff, but the bedbug infestation is horrible: more than 200 bites in one night! Do not use their pillows or any mattress that has not been encased in plastic

It is the right place to start your journey in Cuba. The Rolando´s Backpacker is connected to other hostels in Cuba, so they can arrange your accommodations. They are very helpful!

Great staff! Good location, 15mins from Havana Vieja.

Super hébergement,très bon accueil,personnel charmant.

Ho passato qualche giorno in questo ostello, mi sento di confermare e di aggiungere 100 alla sicurezza 24 su 24 e un 100 alla gustosa ed economica cucina. Gabriel

Für die Verhältnisse auf Kuba eine gute Wahl. Familienatmosphäre. Wer Rückenprobleme hat sollte in keinem Hostel in Havanna nächtigen.

Met amazing people here travelling alone. Safe, secure, good bar upstairs, breakfast is good!

100 % recommended for solo backpackers who 1. are "mid budget", 2. aim to meet similar backpackers for going together to bars, and/or 3. for sharing long distance taxis to Vinales (100 CUC per car up to 5 backpackers + extra if drive also to Las Terazzas, Soroa or so, if ordered via Ronaldo's = about 5 CUC commisison each backpacker) or Trinidad (the same price or a bit higher I guess).

For low cost backpackers there are casas which cost 5 CUC per person with breakfast, or 10 CUC with both breakfast and dinner, where you can get info on how to travel without paying comissions - to Vinales as cheap as 5 CUC in an old full car, or to Santiago by only 15 CUC on a camione (extremely unfomfortable) - but these cheapest hostels are far away from Havana Vieja (a need to use transport), while Rolando's is ca. 10 mins walk.

Rolando's can have 15 backackers, i.e. it is probably the largest capacity casa in Cuba and thus largest chance to meet others. One of a few where prices are per person, and not per room - their partner casa in Vinales, Sara y Jorge, are probably the only such casa (and it can be reserved via Rolando's for no comission, the price there is also 10 CUC per person without breakfast, but still worth for solo backpackers).

Couples or groups of 3+ can get better value in traditional casas, where price is per room and can be negotiated very cheap if one knows Spanish and knows how to negotiate in Cuba :) Rolando's is good if you want to be careless, and leave to their staff taxi ordering, or for ex. obtaining Cohibas that have not passed quality control or were stolen or fakes.

Gente muy generosa y cálida, vale la pena visitarlo.

very welcoming and caring staff who will help you in whatever way you need; feels like joining a family, with the other occupants who are all very cool

Ideal for backpackers travelling solo that want to meet other backpackers. Take into account that this is neither youth hostel nor hotel, but casa particular (až everywhere in Cuba). Free luggage storage even for weeks while on travel, and helpful staff makes this casa similar to what we are used to in smaller hostels. Just ca.5 blocks away from an ideal location, but it was fun to live near poorer people of Havana, very safe even ať night as the street is lit and quite full of people all the tíme.

Great place when you are travelling by yourself and want to meet other travellers. Henrique is a great host!

BED BUG ALERT. I thoroughly enjoyed my stay at Rolando's. It was great for a solo traveller. I met great people to spend time and travel with. But now I have bed bugs and I'm in the UK itching all over. It's horrible. Two girls warned me that they had been bitten the night before and now I appear to have them.

Everything fine and clean. Nice people and they help you with everything you need.

Nice hostel in a very authentic part of the city center. Recommended for single travellers.

The staff is always angry, there was bad bugs, the didn't clean bathrooms, no hot water, its a bad neighborhood, I was robbed right outside and when I told them they said that was My fault because I had something to be robbed.

Location excellent,

Prices for food in bar very reasonable

Owners names are Leo and Enrique who were very friendly and helpful with organising my trip.

The whole room was full of bed bugs and when we told the angry looking managing woman she said it's our fault and asked us from where we came from...we just arrived and every bed was infested...she looked always mad and is really too pushy about paying for anything...

I met some girls who told me Enrique (the owner) made weird sexual jokes. He's also unreliable, i asked for a taxi at 9am, it arrived at 9.50. I asked him to call his friend in Trinidad, which he did, at the time i arrived in Trinidad...

I would recommend you the Paradise Hostel, 5 meters from it.

Have a nice trip in Cuba !

The boss lady is too concerned about money and becomes rude in some cases, such as not allowing us to eat outside food in the common area.

Cousy place with super friendly people and a beautiful terrace! Rolando is always helpful and they prepare yummy food! There are only four rooms I think so the place is not crowded which makes it pretty comfortable. It's like 18-20 walk from the city center! Streets around are not that nice but it's safe. I travelled alone and had a fun, beside Rolando is always giving you advice of where to go and what to do!

Definitely the place to meet other backpackers in Havana (and Cuba more broadly), a great place for a solo backpacker to start their trip and meet people to continue with. Otherwise it's a pretty standard hostel, the best feature is the rooftop bar. The couple running it are ok, but not entirely trustworthy, always trying to get more money out of you. It is what it is!

Excelente lugar, con excelente atención, seguro y un ambiente agradable. El sabor de la comida le restaría puntos, pero en todo lo demás 100 puntos. Tal vez para algunos la localidad no les guste, pero en mi opinión me mostró un poco mas de la Habana. Recomendado y es fácil desplazarse caminado a la antigua Habana.

Great hostel! The staff is extremely kind and helpful. Enrique is so sweet and funny, he helps you plan any trip from Havana. The location wasn't necessarily close to all the touristy sights but walking back and forth was doable. Plus, the hostel was near very cheap and good food places. Overall, this hostel was perfect to meet other travelers in Havana and continue together throughout Cuba! Highly recommend! I hope to stay here again soon :)) -Dani

Rolando's is a great place to meet other travelers in Havana- hostels are still a rarity in this country and a life saver for solo travelers. There are three rooms with 6 people in each room. The staff do not speak English, and the first woman who checked me in was quite rude and unhelpful. However, the owner (Enrique) is much more friendly and tries to speak more slowly and make sure you are having a good time. The location is secure, but not ideal. It is in the slums/residential area of central Havana. The AC is only turned on at bedtime, leaving you in the sweltering heat during the day. As with the rest of Cuba, no wifi but that is expected. Sometimes the water does not work in the bathroom. One room has no bathroom, one room (room number 3) has an incredible bathroom, and room 2 has an ok bathroom. So, it is not really fair depending on which room you get, but you can wander into the other room and use their bathroom. The doors to the individual rooms don't lock. I didn't have a problem with theft, but bring a lock with a thin locking mechanism so it will fit the lock box. Breakfast is 5 dollars, dinner about 5 dollars. Drinks are 3 dollars for mixed, 1.25 for a big water bottle. Overall, the hostel is good for Cuba but below average for your "typical" hostel.

This was a great stay! Met amazing people and all the staff are so helpful.

This place is probably one of the few actual hostels in Cuba. The rooms are fine for a hostel and mostly clean and the staff are nice and welcoming and help you with everything. I met a lot of people and made great friends here so from that aspect this place is unique. However I was at the room with the private bathroom and the water pressure was so low that basically you couldn't use anything. In addition the shower head was broken and you had to hold it in your hand which made no sense. Also you have to pay for every service like breakfast and etc right away which was kind of annoying and I prefer paying the total amount at the end. The location is in the center havana so it is walkable distance to old havana and vedado (about 15-20min walk) and you can get around easy. Overall good place but it can get better

Good hostel. But far from main sites but that wasn't really an issue.

Rolando's is one of the few hostels in central Havana and I'm sure it's one of the best as well. The location is well within walking distance of most major tourist sites and it is great value. Simple, cheap, and a good place to meet other travelers, especially if you are solo. I don't normally leave reviews for the countless hostels in which I've stayed but the staff at Rolando's is amazing and they deserve every good review they get. Despite arriving late at night, I received a warm welcome and given that wifi is inconvenient in Cuba, I found that their knowledge, advice, and recommendations were very helpful. Liu was like a second mother and gave me a free Spanish lesson when I wanted to review medical vocabulary. Enrique was a fountain of positive energy, and I enjoyed talking and practicing Spanish with Landi and Nancy.

Had a great time there. Location is good, easy to walk to most of places and staff we really nice! Recomend it!

Ottimo ostello con staff super disponibile e che vi darà una mano importantissima per trovare stanze condivise anche in tutto il resto del paese (cosa non facile per chi viaggia da solo in cuba!!!) Le stanze mancano di appendini e prese elettriche, in bagno l'acqua esce molto poca... ma insomma niente di grave! Esperienza positiva!

Los hosts son encantadores! Lo súper recomiendo!

I loved it at Rolando's! The staff is very helpful, there are lots of backpackers (even though I went in April which is low-season), and they have a lovely rooftop bar where everyone meets. Old Havana, Centro Havana and Malecon are all within walking distance.

Enrique was very welcoming and helpful, helping us to organise our trip, taxis etc. The accommodation is good and you can get breakfast in the morning. It is well located for old Havana and the Malecon. We really enjoyed our stay at Rolando's and would recommend it to everyone! From Eleanor, Annabel and Rebecca.

Rolando's was a great experience. The owner's were extremely nice and helpful! Great food and ambience. The breakfast/dinners were good and reasonably priced. Also, the rooftop bar was a fun place to hangout during downtime and meet other travelers. I definitely recommend this hostel for big or small groups!

A great place to stay with delightful owners whatever age you are.

I really recommend these hostal, cause everything was very good organized. They are very very friendly and also very helpful. One friend from me had her birthday there and the team organized a litte birthdaytorte and a drink. That was amazing. Thanks for the great time ;)

Excelente lugar para alojar y conocer la Habana, te entregan recomendaciones e información de que visitar. La comida es excelente y el personal que trabaja te hace sentir como en casa.. Lo recomiendo y volvería nuevamente a ese hostal .. cariños a cada uno de los trabajadores y dueños del lugar

Esta sobre la Habana Centro, a unas 10 cuadras de la zona más turística, lo cual hace que se aprecie un poco mas el barrio típico cubano. Buen alojamiento. Y a buen precio.

Muy buen hostel, la atención de sus dueños lo mejor

terrific hostel where you are bound to meet many exciting new people

Lovely people / accommodation. Great location! Cute rooftop bar.

Just great.

We had a good time at rolandos backpacker!

This is a real hostel with the most amazing host Enrique and Liu giving you all the advice and love you need when coming to this wonderful city! Dorms are nice and the staff great, shower OK.. you can have breakfast and dinner with drinks at the rooftop terrace bar; breakfast a bit pricey for the content but dinner and cocktails by Landi are well worth the money