Hotels - El Comendador

About  El Comendador

This comfortable little hotel, which shares some facilities with the adjoining Hostal Valencia, is housed in an eighteenth century building which belonged to the family of Don Pedro Regalado Pedroso y Zayas, who was a ‘Comendador de la Orden de Isabel la Católica’. The Hostal Valencia has become so popular that it is often frustratingly fully booked, but the Comendador is, if anything, even better, and certainly quieter, although it is slightly more expensive.

The rooms are very comfortable indeed, and unlike the Valencia they have air conditioning – indispensable in the summer months. Highly recommended, whether you choose a high-ceilinged room on the upper floor or a more cosy one on the mezzanine. The right-hand back room on the top floor has a charming view of the Diana, Princess of Wales Garden and the ships coming and going in the harbour. The tapas bar on the ground floor is excellent and is much frequented by European residents of Havana.

The Comendador was restored and is now run by the Office of the City Historian of Havana, so all its profits are reinvested in the restoration of the city’s historical centre.

 

Calle San Ignacio 54 (Plaza de la Catedral), Habana Vieja, La Habana

El Patio Restaurant (Marquis of Aguas Claras Palace)

This is a 1760 Baroque palace venerated for the great beauty of its Andalusian patio. It has a fountain surrounded by tropical vegetation where you will find several tortoises. Before the Revolution, this monumental building was the headquarters of the Industrial Bank; nowadays it houses the El Patio Restaurant. Although it offers traditional Cuban food, it speciality is meat and crustaceous, dishes as the Cathedral Mixed Grill (a varied grill) and skewers of lobsters and shrimps. The bar serves a collection of wines beers, rums and cocktails. It is currently possible to buy souvenirs in the craftworks shop located in the former Casa de Baños House, on the western side of the Cathedral square.

Plaza de Armas, Habana Vieja

The Templete

The Templete, a small neo-classical style construction, was built in the second half of the 18th Century. It is located in Plaza de Armas. This was the site where the first public mass was celebrated and also the site of the first town council of the nascent town of San Cristóbal de La Habana. The Templete resembles a Doric temple and houses three commemorative canvasses by the famous French painter Juan Bautista Vermey. One of the walls exhibits the plate that declares Old Havana a World Heritage Site.

Calle Mercaderes No. 114, Habana Vieja, La Habana

Maqueta Museum of Old Havana (Scale Model Museum)

The Museo Maqueta de La Habana Vieja (Maqueta Museum of Old Havana) (Scale Model Museum) hosts a 1:500 scale model of Old Havana, one of the most important of these models in all of Cuba, and is considered as a place of great interest, knowledge and entertainment by its inhabitants. It is continuously updated and is rather impressive due to the incredible attention to detail in its works in regards to some of the most important buildings of Old Havana. This is one of Old Havana’s must-visit museums, as it allows you to imagine what the historical center of Havana is like as a whole, and therefore being able to get a better look at it when walking its streets.

San Ignacio y Empedrado, Habana Vieja

The Cathedral Of Havana

The Cathedral of Havana is an iconic work of what is known as Cuban Baroque and the most remarkable of our colonial churches. The glorious baroque facade and asymmetrical bell-towers of the late 18th-century cathedral are the square’s top attraction. Its interior is surprisingly plain, but it once held the remains­ of Christopher Columbus. Religious services are held here. It has been declared a National Monument.

Be the first to write a review

Write a review

Title

Your review

What sort of Trip was this?

  • Business
  • Couples
  • Family
  • Friends
  • Solo

When did you travel?

Add a tip to help travelers choose a good room (Optional)

Do you have photos to share? (Optional)

Name

Email

Skedio, S.L. CIF: B66173931. # Travel Agency Licence: GC-3667 © 2026 Enjoytravel Corporate, All rights reserved