The Palacio de San Felipe y Santiago de Bejucal is a charming boutique hotel which enjoys a privileged location on Plaza San Francisco de Asís, the second square ever built in Havana, just a few steps from The basilica and the monastery of San Francisco de Asis (which houses one of the most renowned concert halls in the city) and facing Havana's Chamber of Commerce.
The other three more important squares are also very close, as well as museums, galleries and other attractions belonging to its immediate and magnetic environment: the historic core of Old Havana.
The colonial aristocratic mansion that houses the hotel has a rich long history and a very beautiful baroque façade but is surprisingly modern in the inside, tastefully combining 18th century architecture with stylish furnishings and very modern design. It is, no doubt, an example of a restoration labor carried out respecting the historical and architectural values without compromising the current levels of comfort looked for nowadays.
Rooms are large, feature spacious bathrooms and most of them, lovely balconies.
Breakfast à la carte offers plenty of choice, is nicely presented and can be enjoyed in the lovely inner courtyard which also has Wi-Fi internet connection (expensive and many times slow but still a luxury in Cuba) .
Its 6th-floor roof terrace overlooks the square and well deserves a visit. It can make ones day just to sit and enjoy the sights of the Basílica San Francisco de Asís, the many pigeons, horse drawn carriages and, very often, young Cuban girls celebrating their 15th anniversary dressed as princesses , proudly strolling about while being filmed or photographed around the nice fountain on the middle of the square.
Recommended for architecture and history lovers, and for all those who prefer a charismatic 27 room- only boutique hotel to a great big hotel.