This hotel is in a stunning location, high on the hills in the forest above Trinidad. We stayed here on the Santa Clara, Trinidad, Forest Trek excursion from Varedero. There is not actually anything really wrong with the hotel, just also there is not alot right. It is basic, clean, the beds are comfortable, and the resturant food is edible. It is fine for a 1 or 2 night stay in the woods, so dont worry about staying here. Probably what makes it feel worse is that for most people you stay here after staying for at least a few nights in Varadero, so it feels like a bit of a let down, when actually viewed in its own right it is a basic, ok hotel.

The room ladies certainly make a big effort with the bed covers and towels to make the rooms look nice and different with swans, babies and putting a blanket inside my nighty to look like someone lying on top of the bed. The rooms in the main hotel building had balconies but noise from what looked like holiday camp blocks went on late into the night. There is an indoor large swimming pool with loud music and the restaurant was quite good with plenty of choice - one of the best in my 2 weeks in Cuba.

I stayed at Los Helechos as part of a two-day Cienfuegos-Trinidad-Topes des Collantes tour we booked through our resort in Varadero. I should add, the tour was a lovely two days even for a person like me, who doesn't usually do so well on structured tours!

Overall, the hotel was quite adequate. The staff were helpful and efficient. Unlike Varadero where most people speak some English, a little Spanish does come in handy out here though. Our room was clean and smelled of fresh mountain air and pines. Everything worked as it should. The buffet supper was limited in choices compared to the mega-resorts of Varadero, but very tasty and quite Cuban (yummy cream cheese soup, roast pork and chicken, yucca, plantains, rice and beans). The omlette station was closed the next morning, but the breakfast buffet was certainly adequate to get us ready for a day of hiking in the mountains.

The whole experiece of staying at the mostly empty and somewhat isolated Los Helechos was a little surreal, although not at all unpleasant. As a homebase for exploring the mountains, Los Helechos was perfectly acceptable.

We stayed here for 2 nights and were dreading it after reading the reviews. However the room was ok . Everything worked , fridge, tely, shower, a/c, plugs , and it wasn't dirty. We stayed on the second floor of the right block. The entrance to our block and the stairs up to the room were a bit dismal . We had a balcony which overlooked a beautiful patch of forest. It can be quite noisey as the trucks and busses struggle up the steep hill. The hotel has regular tour groups passing through.
The restaurant was buffet style for both dinner and breakfast. There was a good selection of food with a plentiful supply of fresh fruit. The evening meal ,as much as you can eat , with a free drink included was very good value at 13 cuc.
Topes de collantes is a very strange place, it feels like a 1950's cult movie set but it has lovely walks,even in the rain.
The hotel provides a refuge in the weirdness!