Hotels - Armadores de Santander

About  Armadores de Santander

The Hotel Armadores de Santander (which means ‘Shipowners of Santander’) overlooks the port of Havana. The building’s facade, with its stone reliefs of the coat of arms of Santander surrounded by maritime motifs, is wonderfully evocative of the city’s seagoing past.

Havana’s entire raison to be, was the excellence of its natural harbour and its strategic position within the Spanish Empire in the Americas. Nowhere is this easier to appreciate than from a balcony of the Armadores de Santander. The building was commissioned by Don José Cabrero Mier, a native of that city. Many important Havana shipowners maintained offices there, notably Don Ramón Herrera y Sancibrián, Count of Mortera, who after beginning his career as a weaver in the Spanish town of Mortera was driven by poverty to emigrate and try his luck in Cuba. Here he became a hugely successful banker and shipowner. During the Cuban Wars of Independence Don Ramón dedicated a part of his fleet to the service of the Spanish crown, for which he was rewarded with his title. 

The Hotel Armadores de Santander was restored and is 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. Anyone keen on maritime history and the comings and goings of ships will love it. From early morning until late at night boats pass to and fro in front of the hotel and the views of the twinkling harbour lights in the evening, and the rising sun gleaming on the smooth water before the morning breeze gets up, are impossibly romantic.

 

Calle Leonor Pérez No. 314, La Habana

Museo Casa Natal de José Martí

The Museo Casa Natal de José Martí (Birthplace Museum) is the house in which José Martí was born, a 19th century politician, intellectual and national hero of the Republic of Cuba. This humble two-floor house was converted into a museum in 1925 and declared a National Monument in 1949. It exhibits personal objects of José Martí, whose spirit is felt in every corner of the restored house. It was built at the beginning of the 19th century, rather close to the city walls, and has typical features of many houses in the area: a tiled roof and mortar walls.  The house was restored and its collection enriched in a community process in 1959. It is interesting to know that this museum contains the only known Oil Portrait of José Martí.

Fortaleza de San Carlos de La Cabaña, Carretera de La Cabana, Habana del Este

The Cannon Blast Ceremony

The Cannon Blast ceremony (El Cañonazo de las Nueve) is one of the oldest and attractive traditions of Havana. In colonial days, the shots signalled the closing of the gates of the walled city and the rising of the chain across the entrance to the harbour. The tradition of firing a cannon every night at 9:00 pm was kept even after the wall was torn down and is still used for checking your watch.

Ave Carlos Manuel Céspedes y Santa Clara, Habana Vieja, La Habana

Nuestra Señora de Kazán Orthodox Cathedral

The Catedral Ortodoxa de Nuestra Señora de Kazán (Nuestra Señora de Kazán Orthodox Cathedral), declared World Heritage Site by UNESCO, is one of the newest constructions in Havana, being built in 2000. This Russian Orthodox church is Byzantine in style. It has six beautiful domes, two of which (the biggest and smallest) are gold-sheeted, and the rest are made of bronze. Its staircase entrance calls our attention and is considered the second largest staircase of all outside Russia. From the interior, its golden altar stands out, built in Trinidad and the San Sergio Monastery, Russia; and the murals adorning its walls.

San Pedro No. 262e / sol y Santa Clara, Habana Vieja, La Habana

Rum Museum

Discover part of the Cuban culture throught the history of Havana Club, the Cuban Rum, and its elaboration stages. It is not necessary to drink alcohol to enjoy this wonderful museum, because by visiting it you’ll still be able to delve into Cuban culture. This museum offers an interesting guided tour exhibiting the complex rum-making process in old machines. This tour is available in Spanish, English, French, German and Italian. It explains the entire process, from the manufacturing white oak barrels to the rum’s fermentation and ageing process, as well as a scale-model copy of a sugar mill. Ticket price includes a tasting to finish the tour in an attractive bar, where you will be able to taste also a wide variety of typical cuban cocktails, with traditional Cuban music from the 30’s in a cozy early 20th century atmosphere. The museum also contains a shop store.

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