Hotels - Nacional de Cuba

About  Nacional de Cuba

So much has been written about the charismatic Hotel Nacional de Cuba. Built in 1930, the Nacional boasts a long and rich history – palpable today – and is part of what makes a stay here so unique.

From the palm-flanked pool to the breezy garden terrace, the Nacional has many attractive areas to linger or lounge. Tuck into one of the Chesterfield sofas under stunning chandeliers and carved wooden ceiling to see why this is a favorite spot of foreigners and Cubans alike.

The sloping garden with aerial Malecón views is perfect for enjoying a cappuccino, tuna sandwich, Cuban cigar or stiff cocktail. Dotted with palms and archetypical wicker furniture, it’s an oasis of tranquility. It is a popular meeting spot for local business people, visiting dignitaries and Cuban cultural icons.

Everything here channels the glory days of the 1950s, from the Bar Hístórico to the vintage American cars parked outside in the long, sweeping driveway. For full effect, rent one (with obligatory driver) for an hour or two. Hotel Nacional has always been allied to the film industry and is the headquarters for the annual Festival of New Latinamerican Cinema of Havana.

Music and dance are equally represented at the Nacional where extravagant shows are hosted nightly at the Cabaret Parisien, second only to the Tropicana. Meanwhile, Salon 1930 is dedicated to Compay Segundo (of Buena Vista Social Club fame) and his successors perform here weekly.

Avenida de los Presidentes, Vedado, La Habana

Avenida de los Presidentes

The Avenida de los Presidentes de la Habana Avenue is located in the quarter of Vedado, Havana, surrounded by statues of important Latin American presidents, in the way of Las Ramblas of Barcelona. Among these statues are those of Salvador Allende, Simón Bolívar, and Benito Juárez. This wonderful avenue is known by Cubans as Calle G. To the north of Calle G is the Monument to Calixto García, a sculpture in honor of the brave Cuban general who US military leaders prevented from attending the Spanish surrender in 1898, in Santiago de Cuba. The statue represents the general riding a horse, and is surrounded by 24 bronze sheets telling the story of Calixto’s fight for the Independence of Cuba. At the south is the great monument to José Miguel Gómez, the second president of Cuba. Another one was dedicated to Tomás Estrada Palma, the first president of Cuba, who was considered a puppet of the US, however the only trace left of this statue is a couple of shoes on a pedestal. This place is quite lively during the evenings, when youngsters visit it looking to enjoy themselves with its guitars and drums. This atmosphere is especially present on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays.

Zapata y 12, Vedado

Colon Cemetery

This cemetery holds the largest concentration of statues in the country and its finest funerary monuments representing different styles of architecture. Its structure is rectangular shaped Roman camp and comprises a grid of street blocks and lots. The entrance features a sculptural monument, Carrara marble, 34 meters long and 21.66 meters high, it is one of the most outstanding Cuban works of the 19th century. Classified as a National Monument, the cemetery is therefore seen as an outdoor museum. The cemetery is the only American cemetery dedicated to Christopher Columbus, the great navigator who discovered the island and other major destinations in the Americas.

Calle 17, e / Calle D y Calle E, Vedado, La Habana

National Museum of Decorative Arts

The Museo Nacional de Artes Decorativas (National Museum of Decorative Arts) is housed within a rather interesting building in the district of Vedado, Havana. If you are on your way through Vedado and have free time, it’s worth visiting this museum, or at least to see the building itself. The construction was designed by French architects Virad and Dastugue, surrounded by beautiful gardens with sculptures. The Museum exhibits in its spacious rooms valuable works of European and Oriental art dating back to the 18th to 20th centuries. Among the items stored within the museums and the ones on display in its exhibition rooms, this museum has more than 33,000 works of high artistic and historic value from the reigns of Louis XV, Louis XVI and Napoleón II, as well as some oriental pieces dating from the 16th to the 21st centuries. It also has a Hall of Oriental Lacquers, with Chinese parabanes from the 17th to the 21st century; and a dining room in the Regency style and with Italian marble. You will find very carefully preserved furniture, ceramics, porcelains, paintings, and sculptures as well as works of applied arts. This museum offers several services with guided tours and specialized tours, and also features a library with cultural activities.

Calle Paseo, Plaza de la Revolucion

Jose Marti Revolution Square

The Revolution Square has been the scene of the largest demonstrations of the Cuban people and a permanent site for defending revolutionary principles, sovereignty and independence. In this historic Square, there is the José Martí Memorial, an enormous marble sculpture of the National Hero of the Republic of Cuba and a star-shaped obelisk at the base of which are four exhibition halls and a function hall. At the top of the memorial is the city's highest viewing point. In the other site of the square, two building facade bears a representation of the face of other two national heros: Che Guevara and Camilo Cienfuegos.

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