Winter, which can be a bit chilly in our latitudes, is a great season to visit Cuba where it is on average 25 degrees. I’ve just returned! And once again, while Mademoiselle Bon Plan is busy with her little (big) occupations, I’m taking the opportunity to share my latest discoveries in Havana.
I know the city well, as I have just published a book titled Portraits of Havana, with Hikari editions (available in bookstores or on the publisher’s website for €18.90). A dozen Cuban or French residents (a doctor, a teacher, an architect, an artist, a chef…) share their stories, their little secrets, and their experiences, giving a vision of the city and the country “from the inside.” They also offer us their favorite spots and plenty of sightseeing ideas!
I’ll share a few of them with you here: three colonial houses (two museums; one for accommodation) and two gourmet addresses.
Street, Havana. DR Valérie Collet 2018
_
Table of Contents
The House of the Marquis of Arcos
This beautiful house, a true Baroque jewel, occupies an entire side of the Cathedral Square in Old Havana. It was built in 1741 by Diego Penalver y Calvo, the treasurer of the Royal Finances of Havana.
Then it passed into the hands of the Marquis of Arcos family who gave it its name, before housing an artistic and literary circle, the post office, and a lithography workshop! After months of restoration, it reopened its doors a year ago and is now open for visits.
Casa Marques de Arcos. DR Valérie Collet 2018
Like all houses of that era, it is organized around a central patio with its own well, all complemented by a beautiful collection of marbles and plants that give the place a refreshing feel.
Around it, the various rooms are distributed, delightfully blending Cuban furniture with French, Italian, or German art objects. It was fashionable for the aristocracy of Havana at the time to live as if in Europe…
Casa Marques de Arcos. DR Valérie Collet 2018
Casa Marques de Arcos. DR Valérie Collet 2018
You discover one room after another, starting with the dining room with its imposing oak table, sideboard, and china cabinet where powerful carved male figures contrast with the fineness of Baccarat crystal glasses. Bohemian glass chandeliers and French porcelain bearing the family crest complete the picture.
Not to mention the splendid semi-circular stained glass windows (usually fully colored) that crown the walls, a Havana specialty whose role was to soften the harsh sunlight in the interiors.
Casa Marques de Arcos. DR Valérie Collet 2018
Casa Marques de Arcos. DR Valérie Collet 2018
As for the bedroom, a certain Spanish austerity seems to be the order of the day, unlike the bathroom where the Carrara marble bathtub goes perfectly with a washbasin and the most refined toiletry items.
Finally, we discover a huge ballroom with walls covered in frescoes. A Steinway grand piano from New York sits enthroned not far from a German polyphon. This antique music box still has its 32 discs. If you ask the caretaker, she might be able to turn the crank and let you listen to one of the hits of the era!
Casa Marques de Arcos. DR Valérie Collet 2018
Casa Marques de Arcos. DR Valérie Collet 2018
Casa Marques de Arcos. DR Valérie Collet 2018
Casa Marques de Arcos. DR Valérie Collet 2018
Casa del Marques de Arcos Cathedral Square, Old Havana Tel.: 53(0)78 625 109 Open every day except Monday until 5 PM (please check) Admission: 5 CUC (about 5 euros) Pro tip: it doesn't work every time, but if you arrive after 4 PM and the cash registers are already closed, you will be let in for free
_
The House of Oswaldo Guayasamin
This second house, much simpler and smaller than the first, but equally old, exudes an artistic atmosphere and a “Latino” spirit that really charmed me. Indeed, it was the home of one of the greatest Ecuadorian painters of the 20th and 21st centuries, Oswaldo Guayasamin. A friend of Fidel Castro, he often came to Cuba.
Casa de Guyasamin. DR Valérie Collet 2018
Casa de Guyasamin. DR Valérie Collet 2018
In 1993, when the restoration of Old Havana was just beginning, he fell in love with the place. Its ground floor was occupied by automotive and carpentry workshops; its first floor was occupied by families.
He offered to fund its restoration in exchange for being allowed to reside there during each of his stays in the country.
Casa de Guyasamin. DR Valérie Collet 2018
Casa de Guyasamin. DR Valérie Collet 2018
From the bedroom to the dining room and the studio, you discover items received as gifts from Fidel Castro and more personal pieces: a tasty blend of archaeology and craftsmanship against a backdrop of ebony furniture.
Here, a life-sized carved wooden jaguar, an Ecuadorian plate with a thousand colors, pre-Columbian figurines; there (in the bathroom) pinecone-shaped Italian cologne bottles or, in the kitchen, a Russian teapot!
Casa de Guyasamin. DR Valérie Collet 2018
Casa de Guyasamin. DR Valérie Collet 2018
Casa de Guyasamin. DR Valérie Collet 2018
Casa de Guyasamin. DR Valérie Collet 2018
Casa de Guyasamin. DR Valérie Collet 2018
Many of the painter’s works are hung here and there. A member of the indigenist movement to which he added an expressionist tendency, Guayasamin was very sensitive to humanity and its suffering.
Interested in revolutions in Latin America, he supported Cuba many times (especially financially) and left a few portraits of great Cuban figures, including Fidel Castro represented as Christ with joined hands. Rather unexpected…!
Casa de Guyasamin. DR Valérie Collet 2018
Casa de Guyasamin. DR Valérie Collet 2018
La casa de Oswaldo Guayasamin
111 Obrapia Street, Old Havana
Tel.: 53(0)78 613 843
Open from Tuesday to Sunday, 9 AM to 4:30 PM
Pro tip: free admission_
The Chocolate Museum
This small place is primarily a chocolate cafe, but its decor incorporating panels and display cases also makes it a small museum. We won’t grumble about the place because, despite the heat, it happens that one gets a craving for chocolate (it’s sometimes my case!). And in Cuba, it is very good. It comes mainly from the Baracoa region.
Chocolate Museum. DR Valérie Collet 2018
After waiting in line for a little while to get a table (one of the pleasures of the country…), you can taste various specialties: drinking chocolate served in a cup without fuss, which you can enjoy thick, warm, or cold; flavored with honey, vanilla, cinnamon, or even Aztec-style, with pepper and nutmeg!
You can also eat it in the form of cakes, bars, or (for the kids) in the form of small figurines.
Chocolate Museum DR Valérie Collet 2018
Chocolate Museum. DR Valérie Collet 2018
While waiting for the order, you can observe the making of this “guilty pleasure” in a corner of the room or admire antique molds, utensils, and French or German porcelain services in the cabinets. On the walls, some pretty panels tell us the story of cocoa…
Did you know that Cuba, after having imported it for a long time from Mexico and Venezuela, decided to cultivate it in the 17th century because its price was too high? And that cocoa saw its real growth on the island thanks to the French planters who, fleeing the Haitian Revolution, settled in the eastern part in the 19th century?
Chocolate Museum. DR Valérie Collet 2018
Chocolate Museum. DR Valérie Collet 2018
Museo del Chocolate At the corner of Mercaderes Street and Amargura Street Old Havana. Tel.: 53(0)78 664 431 Open from 9 AM to 10 PM
_
Where to eat? At the El del Frente restaurant
It is one of these new private establishments, the “paladares,” which have been developing more and more in Cuba since Raul Castro (Fidel’s brother), a little less than ten years ago, took the reins of power and authorized certain professions to be self-employed.
In general, you eat better there than in state restaurants; this is the case for this one, named “The one across the street” because it is actually an extension, on the upper floor, of a first tiny restaurant, O’Reilly 304, which is… right across the street!
El del Frente DR Valérie Collet 2018
El del Frente DR Valérie Collet 2018
They both practice the same cuisine and we won’t complain because it is full of flavors and departs from the traditional Cuban dish, which is good but repetitive: chicken, pork, or fish served with rice and red beans. Here, vegetables make their way onto the plates, sautéed and caramelized.
I also tasted an excellent ceviche (milder than in South America) as well as a homemade spicy sauce that was truly delicious.
El del Frente. DR Valérie Collet 2018
El del Frente DR Valérie Collet 2018
The best thing, if possible, is to sit on the small balcony or on the terrace, on the top floor, in the cool air! That’s also where the bar is, where the bartenders, in a magnificent choreography, prepare creative and very indulgent cocktails in huge glasses (they almost look like desserts).
A good opportunity to taste the Daiquiri (Hemingway’s favorite cocktail, made with lime and rum), the Cuba Libre, or the Cubanito (made with rum and tomato). In any case, it is recommended to book or arrive early because the place is very popular!
El del Frente. DR Valérie Collet 2018
El del Frente Restaurant 303 O’Reilly Street, Old Havana Tel.: 53(0)78 630 206 Dishes around €10
_
Where to stay? At the Colonial House Habana, with Susi and Kike
In Cuba, homestays have existed for a long time. It is one of the most pleasant ways to stay in the country and to experience, when in a “colonial” house, sleeping with 5-meter-high ceilings above your head!
Susi and Kike have become masters in the art of hosting foreigners. Following the example of their parents, who were among the first to open a “casa,” they also trained by working for several years in a hotel in Spain.
Casa colonial Habana DR Valérie Collet 2018
Their house is very close to the historic center. They bought and carefully restored it a few years ago, discovering along the way Delft tiles from the 17th century! Apart from the small entrance parlor and its dark wood furniture, it includes several double rooms with air conditioning, bathroom, and toilet.
The breakfasts served on the terrace are excellent and copious (with fresh fruit juice and fresh fruit salad). An address that must be booked well in advance.
Casa colonial Habana DR Valérie Collet 2018
Casa colonial Habana DR Valérie Collet 2018
Casa Colonial Habana, Susi and Kike 260 Amargura Street, apartment 3 Old Havana Landline: 53(0)78 617 265. Mobile: 54(0)54 139 591 and 54(0)52 752 432 Pro tip: about €25-30 per night
_
I hope that with all this I will have made you want to discover Havana and Cuba, and if you too have your favorite addresses and tips for this destination, don’t hesitate to share them in the comments!
Photo credits: Valérie Collet Photos are not royalty-free, photographer's authorization required before any use
