Hotels - Palacio O'Farrill

About  Palacio O'Farrill

The Hotel Palacio O’Farrill is a terrifically grand neoclassical mansion standing on the corner of Cuba & Chacon Streets near the port of Havana. Its owner, Don Ricardo O’Farrill y O’Daly, made his fortune in the slave trade, & owned several large sugar mills. The entrance hall of his house is almost ludicrously impressive, with a toweringly high ceiling, & vast iron-studded polished mahogany doors. Also not to be missed, are two small but elegant black marble seats in the hallway or the idiosyncratically double-scrolled archway leading into the courtyard.

The general aesthetic of the O’Farrill is Cuban colonial; Hibernian it is not, but as if to rectify the situation the colour green has been applied with a liberal hand throughout the establishment. On occasion enthusiasm for the Emerald Isle seems to run amuck, such as in the stinging viridian in the stained glass fanlights & the startling lime-green walls of the sitting rooms in the suites.

The faces of visitors drinking pre-lunch cocktails in the courtyard also acquire an interesting hue from the greenish tinge of the canopy which shades them from the sun. However the restaurant and snack bar break with the chromatic norm, & the latter, decorated in mahogany with terracotta furnishings, proves welcomingly cool relief after a morning of sightseeing in what can sometimes feel like the blast furnace, albeit the very picturesque one, of Old Havana.

A particularly attractive feature of the Palacio O'Farrill building is the way in which the mahogany detailing has been left unpainted, being simply varnished to show the beauty of the wood. Throughout the building there are pieces of good old Cuban furniture as well as numerous reproductions, but the latter are so well made in exact imitation of traditional pieces that the overall impression is one of pleasing visual harmony.

 

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.

Oficios, e/ Amargura y Churruca, Habana Vieja

San Francisco de Asís Church and Convent

The San Francisco de Asís Church and Convent is the current scenario of the richest cultural traditions. This is one of the most extraordinary convent and church complex of the colonial time. The construction of the current set dates from 1738, and it replaced a more modest one completed in 1591. After a restoration in the nineties, the architectural group has harbored, also, a concert hall and the Holy, Sacred and Religious Art museums. The most significant element of the Church is the Tower 42 meters of height, second in altitude at the colonial time. 

Calle Oficios, esq Muralla, Plaza de San Francisco de Asís, La Habana

Alejandro de Humboldt Museum

The Museo Alejandro de Humboldt (Alejandro de Humboldt Museum) is located in a Colonial house in Plaza de San Francisco de Asís Square, in Old Havana, Cuba. Its name comes from the German scientist Alejandro von Humboldt, who is seen as the second person to discover Cuba. This is a scientific museum dedicated to biology and its main objective is to preserve research and promote the historical Humboldt’s legacy. This institution enhances the labor of Cuban and international personalities whose contributions are considered relevant for the development of culture in general terms. It exhibits the historical trajectory of the scientific and botanic data he compiled throughout the island at the beginning of the 19th century, as well as a botanic exhibition which is fundamentally made up of ferns. In this museum there is a perfect copy of a Kritosaurus skeleton found in the desert and donated by the Mexican government, as well as an enormous Pterosaur skeleton, which is around 10 meters length. The House also has a conference room with capacity for 100 persons and a specialized library on German literature.

Carretera de La Cabana, Habana del Este

San Carlos de La Cabaña Fortress

The vast Fortaleza de San Carlos de la Cabaña, known as ‘La Cabaña’, running beside the harbor, was constructed after the English capture of Havana in 1763. The largest of the military structures built by Spain in the Americas, this fortress was completed in 1774 and its presence formed an effective complete deterrent against the country's enemies. The polygon, occupying an area of around 10 hectares, consists of bastions, ravelins, moats, covered walkways, barracks, squares and stores.  It is impressively well preserved, and the gardens and ramparts are romantically lit in the evening. This fortress hosts the spectacular nightly ceremony of El Cañonazo de las Nueve (cannon fire at 9), the firing of a cannon that marked the closing of the city gates, one of Havana's longest-held and most attractive traditions.

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