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.

    
  • Sacra Iglesia Catedral Ortodoxa de San Nicolás

    Sacra Iglesia Catedral Ortodoxa de San Nicolás  LH 4

    This tiny and architecturally authentic Greek orthodox church (Cuba’s only one) stands in the Jardín Madre Teresa de Calucuta and was consecrated by Bartholomew I Ecumenical Patriarch and Archbishop o …

    Seminario San Carlos y San Ambrosio (Real y Conciliar Colegio Seminario de San Carlos)

    Seminario San Carlos y San Ambrosio (Real y Conciliar Colegio Seminario de San Carlos)  LH 4

    In 1689, Bishop Diego Evelino de Compostela founded San Ambrosio, an unpretentious school for boys, located on Tejadillo Street and adjacent to the Jesuit church under construction at the time. When t …

    Monumento a José Miguel Gómez

    Monumento a José Miguel Gómez  LH 4

    Located on Avenida de los Presidentes, this is one of the most lavish monuments in the city. Its bas-reliefs show important moments in the life of José Miguel Gómez, president of the Republic of Cuba …

    Avenida Paseo

    Avenida Paseo  LH 4

    Avenida Paseo, with large trees on both sides and a wide promenade with topiary and benches, is one of Havana’s most classy streets. There are luxurious mansions on both sides of the street, including …

    Palacio Cueto

    Palacio Cueto  LH 4

    Rising over the plaza off the southeast corner is Palacio Cueto. Built in 1906 with an elaborately adorned façade featuring griffins, satyrs and other mythical figures, it’s reminiscent of the moderni …

    Lonja del Comercio

    Lonja del Comercio  LH 4

    The Lonja del Comercio, which first opened on March 1909, is angled obliquely to the square on its northern side. It was built in eclectic-style by the architectural firm of Purdy and Henderson as a c …

    El Floridita

    El Floridita  LH 5

    While the Floridita has its detractors, it is probably worth stopping in for a daiquiri just because it is there. It has certainly been around the block since it first opened its doors over 200 years …

    Manzana de Gómez

    Manzana de Gómez  LH 4

    Owned by Julián de Zulueta, construction work began in 1890 according to the project designed by architect Pedro Tomé Veracruisse; however, still unfinished, it was sold to Andrés Gómez Mena, who comp …

    Convento y Capilla de la Inmaculada Concepción

    Convento y Capilla de la Inmaculada Concepción  LH 4

    This beautiful church and convent was built in Neo=\-Gothic style in 1874 and was a private girls’ school until 1961. The patio and chapel have beautiful wooden ceilings, notable stained-glass windows …

    Plaza de la Revolución

    Plaza de la Revolución  LH 4

    The idea of building this square emerged in the 1940s, when an international contest was organized to erect a monument to honor José Martí, Cuba’s National Hero. In 1943 the project was finally approv …

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