Sunday, March 16, 2014

STYLISH HOTELS - HAVANA

By Eva Fydrych

Stepping Back In Time
Casa 1932

Photos by Eva Fydrych / Fashion Studio Magazine



HAVANA, CUBA - Casa 1932 is one of the most unique Bed & Breakfasts that you can find in Havana. Run by a charismatic interior designer, Luis Miguel, this stylish place has everything to make your stay truly unforgettable: a warm and friendly atmosphere, central location (Centro Habana), beautiful Art Deco interiors, comfortable rooms with private bathrooms, a spacious indoor patio, and an elegant dining room.



Original tile mosaic at the entrance (Photo by Eva Fydrych / Fashion Studio Magazine)


DESIGN CONCEPT

As soon as you step inside Casa 1932, you are transported into another reality. Welcome to glamorous Havana in the early thirties!

From old advertising signs, toys, handbags and musical instruments to charming sculptures, ancient porcelain and stained glass windows - everything at Casa 1932 is part of a huge collection carefully selected by Luis and his family over the years. All elements are put together with an immaculate taste, creating a perfect harmony and a visual feast for the eyes. Having an interior design background certainly helps in selecting colour themes and playing with light. The final effect is impressive.



Photo by Eva Fydrych / Fashion Studio Magazine

Photo by Eva Fydrych / Fashion Studio Magazine


THINGS THAT MATTER

It is hard to think of a more stylish way to start your day than dining at Casa 1932. Imagine sitting at the round table, surrounded by beautiful Art Deco interiors, and listening to the calming tunes in the background. Breakfast at Casa 1932 is served until 10am and contains exotic fruit selection, freshly squeezed juices, delicious Cuban coffee, tea, bread selection, pancakes, ham, and scrambled eggs - all of them in very generous quantities.


Enjoy Your Meal

Photos by Eva Fydrych / Fashion Studio Magazine

A morning cup of coffee

Dining room



Photos by Eva Fydrych / Fashion Studio Magazine


ALL ABOUT STYLE

Casa 1932 offers three rooms for rent - two doubles and one twin. All rooms are located on the ground floor and feature unique furniture and different colour themes. The house is extremely quiet at night, so a good quality sleep is guaranteed.

It is also worth mentioning that Casa 1932 won the TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence in 2013 and is recommended by Lonely Planet Guide as one of the best casas particulares in Havana.



Photo by Eva Fydrych / Fashion Studio Magazine



Room 2 is a comfortable and spacious double with a private bathroom, big wardrobe, and an old-fashioned rocking chair. The room features antique furniture, high ceilings, stylish night lamps, elegant bedding, and lots of cool details - mirrors, pictures, and old advertisements. In the past, it used to serve as a master bedroom for the homeowners and you can still feel that special intimate atmosphere in the air... (a perfect choice for a couple!)


Welcome to My Room

Photos by Eva Fydrych / Fashion Studio Magazine





Photos by Eva Fydrych / Fashion Studio Magazine


ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW

Luis, the friendly owner, is not only extremely helpful and welcoming, but he also has an impressive knowledge about Havana and is a great source of information about the city's main attractions: dining, entertainment, music, shopping, art and architecture. He can also help arrange your travel itinerary and recommend the most stylish and interesting places to stay in other provinces of Cuba. So if you are heading to Santa ClaraTrinidad, Camagüey or Santiago de Cuba, make sure you speak with him before you leave. His smile and positive energy are contagious!

Oh, and if you are still curious about the name of Casa 1932, we can reveal the secret: it is the year when the building was constructed. If you need a good conversation starter, ask Luis about his favourite piece of furniture - we won't reveal it, so you can still discover something new when you arrive...



Lovely patio featuring a small library (Photo by Eva Fydrych / Fashion Studio Magazine)


ABOUT LA HABANA

Havana, by far the leading cultural centre of the country, offers a wide variety of attractions: museums, palaces, churches, fortresses (including the largest fortified complex in the Americas dating from the 16th through 18th centuries), local art, ballet, and music festivals. Havana attracts over a million tourists annually. It has also been a popular health tourism destination for more than twenty years.

Due to Havana's almost five hundred year existence, the city boasts some of the most diverse styles of architecture in the world, from castles built in the late 16th century to modernist present-day high-rises. Old Havana (La Habana Vieja) contains the core of the original city of Havana. It was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1982.

Famous American author and journalist, Ernest Hemingway, made Havana his main home from the early 1930s. He often frequented numerous bars and restaurants (El Floridita, La Bodeguita del Medio) that have today become main tourist attractions of the city. Another Hemingway's landmark is the Hotel Amos Mundos, where the 1954 Nobel Prize winner and author of For Whom the Bell Tolls lived for several years.



Artwork by Aldo del Risco / Cardosa Art Gallery (Photo by Eva Fydrych / Fashion Studio Magazine)



Havana is a perfect destination for both music and art lovers. With the recent opening of Fábrica de Arte Cubano, you can now find the best of two worlds under one roof. A small Cardosa Art Gallery, located at Calle Trocadero 303, shows interesting contemporary Cuban artists: Omar Cardosa and Aldo del Risco (see above). The gallery is within walking distance of Casa 1932.

The city's Chinatown (Barrio Chino) was once Latin America's largest and most vibrant Chinatown. It was incorporated into the city by the early part of the 20th century when hundreds of thousands of Chinese workers were brought in by Spanish settlers from Guangdong, Fujian, Hong Kong, and Macau via Manila, Philippines, to replace or work alongside African slaves. After completing 8-year contracts, many Chinese immigrants settled permanently in Havana.

DON'T MISS
Make sure to visit the paladares, family-run restaurants tucked away in side streets, which serve excellent seafood, meat and traditional Cuban/Spanish dishes. You can also have a delicious dinner at Casa 1932!



All photos by Eva Fydrych / Fashion Studio Magazine


LOCATION

Casa 1932 is situated in Centro Habana, right in between Vedado and Old Havana (La Habana Vieja), and only steps away from El Malecón.

Centro Habana has many historic sights and it is here that you will truly see the vibrant everyday life of Cubans. The Real Fabrica de Tabacos Partagás - one of Cuba's oldest cigar factories, El Capitolio, Chinatown (Barrio Chino de La Habana) - one of the oldest and largest Chinatowns in Latin America, and Parque Central are the must-see attractions for everyone visiting the city.



Photo courtesy Google Maps (Click to enlarge)




Campanario #63 Bajos
(between San Lázaro and Lagunas)
Havana Centre (Centro Habana)

Phone: +53-7 863 62 03
Mobile: +53-5 264 38 58


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*Special thank you to Casa 1932 for hosting Fashion Studio Magazine in February 2014.

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