Hostal Conde de Villanueva

CA4
General sightseeing
Architectural style: Spanish colonial
CA Ranking: 4
Admission: n-a
Mercaderes #202, e/ Lamparilla y Amargura, Habana Vieja
  • The former 18th-century mansion of Claudio Martínez de Pinillos, Count of Villanueva, leader of Cuban Creole society in the 19th century, was restored in the 1990s to create a charming and comfortable nine-bedroom boutique hotel run by Habaguanex. The hotel also boasts one of Old Havana’s best cigar shops with private humidors to boot.

    The exterior is painted in sienna red and bulges outward from the base, giving the impression of impending collapse. It has an attractive and soothing inner courtyard while the upstairs suites contain stained-glass windows, chandeliers and arty sculptures.

    
  • La Casa del Agua La Tinaja

    La Casa del Agua La Tinaja  LH 3

    The quaint cobbled section of Calle Obispo between Calles Oficios and Mercaderes is lined with the oldest buildings in Havana. The row of 17th-century townhouse mansions includes the tiny La Casa del …

    Parque Simón Bolívar

    Parque Simón Bolívar  LH 3

    North on Mercaderes, you’ll reach Parque Simón Bolívar on the corner of Calle Obrapía. In addition to a statue of the Latin American independence movement leader, the park has a ceramic mural by Venez …

    Monumento a Máximo Gómez

    Monumento a Máximo Gómez  LH 3

    Inaugurated in the mid-1930s, this magnificent monument pays homage to Dominican-born General Máximo Gómez, who became Commander in Chief of Cuba’s Liberation Army during the Wars of Independence. The …

    H.Upmann Cigar Factory

    H.Upmann Cigar Factory  LH 3

    The H.Upmann cigar factory was relocated here a few years ago from Centro Habana. The brand, established in 1844 by German businessmen and brothers Herman and August Upmann, is one of the oldest in th …

    Casa de Masía L’Ampurdá

    Casa de Masía L’Ampurdá  LH 3

    Another modernist gem by Rotllant, who on this occasion proclaimed his Catalan ancestry. Like in Dámaso Gutiérrez’s home, the stylistic harmony between interiors and exteriors surprises pleasingly. Th …

    Museo de la Pintura Mural

    Museo de la Pintura Mural  LH 3

    The Museum of Mural Painting exhibits some beautifully restored original frescoes in one of the oldest surviving houses in the city, owned by Antón Recio, important figure of 16th-century Havana. Open …

    Parque Albear

    Parque Albear  LH 3

    The main attraction of this small park is an elegant life-size Carrara marble statue of engineer Francisco de Albear y Lara, sculpted in 1895 by Cuban artist José Vilalta de Saavedra. Albear dedicated …

    Palacio de la Marquesa de Villalba

    Palacio de la Marquesa de Villalba  LH 3

    One of the most majestic buildings in Havana, it was partly built on the sight of the old wall that surrounded the city, and it is said that the stones of the wall were used in its construction. It wa …

    Museo Nacional de Historia Natural

    Museo Nacional de Historia Natural  LH 3

    Despite appearing to be of the colonial era, the building on the plaza’s southwest side dates from the early 20th-century, when it served as the U.S. Embassy in the years immediately following indepen …

    Parque Mariana Grajales

    Parque Mariana Grajales  LH 3

    Ocupying a whole block in El Vedado, Mariana Grajales Park is right across the Saúl delgado High School. The monument in the center of the park is that of Mariana Grajales, mother of Lt. General Anton …

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