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.

    
  • Galería Habana

    Galería Habana  LH 4

    This gallery opened in 1962 to promote Cuban talent. Artists such as Wifredo Lam, René Portocarrero, Mariano Rodríguez and Amelia Peláez have shown their work here, establishing this gallery as one of …

    Cristo de La Habana

    Cristo de La Habana  LH 4

    This majestic representation of Jesus Christ, only four decades old, is part of the landscape that characterizes the entrance to the Havana harbor. It is 20 meters tall, weighs 320 tons and consists o …

    La Moderna Poesía

    La Moderna Poesía  LH 4

    Owned by the López Serrano family–who evidently had a preference for Art Deco–this bookstore is a sample of how the sober interplay between lines and volumes can achieve a discreet elegance highligh …

    Parque Lenin

    Parque Lenin  LH 4

    Approximately 25 kilometers south of Havana is Parque Lenin, inaugurated on April 22, 1972 by Fidel Castro on the initiative of Celia Sánchez. The huge bust of Lenin, carved in 1982 by Soviet sculptor …

    Factoría Habana

    Factoría Habana  LH 4

    Factoría Habana is an experimental center for present-day artistic creation. The institution, which is ascribed to the City Historian’s Office, seeks to become a bridge between Latin American and Euro …

    Sala Polivalente Kid Chocolate

    Sala Polivalente Kid Chocolate  LH 4

    This is one of the 67 facilities especially built for the Havana 1991 Pan-American Games. It was named after Eligio Sardiñas, also known as Kid Chocolate, Cuba’s finest amateur boxer ever. The sports …

    Casa de los Artistas

    Casa de los Artistas  LH 4

    Several of Cuba’s most famous artists have their studios here, including Pedro Pablo Oliva, Zaida del Río and Roberto Fabelo. Contemporary art exhibitions are held on the ground floor.

    Castillo de la Real Fuerza

    Castillo de la Real Fuerza  LH 4

    History & architecture Considered an engineering marvel, this fortress on the plaza’s northeast corner is one of the oldest European defensive structures in the Americas, and the first built to gu …

    Ciudad Deportiva

    Ciudad Deportiva  LH 4

    The Sports City was conceived as a complex that included race tracks; swimming pools; fields for different sports, including football; a small baseball stadium, and a coliseum at the forefront, which …

    Galería Victor Manuel

    Galería Victor Manuel  LH 4

    This gallery offers a nice selection of mainstream decorative modern paintings, some of which could be considered true works of art. Given its location and popularity, high pric es are to be expected. …

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