Saratoga Hotel Building, Havana. Cuba

• Destination: Havana

Rating Saratoga Hotel Building

Your experience is very valuable for other travelers.

☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

At the beginning of the avenue you will find the aristocratic Hotel Saratoga. Many celebrities have stayed here, such as The Rolling Stones, Madonna, actor Will Smith and Mohamed VI, King of Morocco, among others. This eclectic building with a predominance of the neoclassical style was built in 1880, and during the years 1930-1950, its terrace, known as the Aires Libres, brought together the best and most select Cuban musical talent. Another curiosity is that at that time it was also the headquarters of the radio station Radio García Serra, where some of the most representative voices of Cuban song paraded, such as Elena Burke and the Trío Matamoros. Currently, its interior design combines traditional elements with the most modern technologies, and each space has been personalized to the point that no two rooms are the same among the 96 that the building offers.

Saratoga Hotel Building Map

Saratoga Hotel Building is located in Havana

Capital of Cuba and the country's administrative, political, cultural and scientific center, it is also the capital of two provinces: City of Havana and Havana. Though only around 280 square miles (727 square kilometers) in size-0.65 percent of the archipelago's total area.

The Old Havana and system of forts led UNESCO to declare it a part of world heritage in 1982. Founded on its present site in 1519, the settlement of San Cristobal de La Habana prospered mainly due to its bay, which was a natural port of call for ships sailing to and from the New World. Starting in 1634, because of its strategic location, San Cristobal de La Habana was considered the key to the New World-as attested to by royal letters patent-and the main defense of the West Indies.

The Cuban capital consists of an immense number of buildings in a wide range of architectural styles, built in the course of nearly five centuries. These styles range from the pre-baroque to the baroque, neo-Gothic, neoclassical, eclectic, art noveau and art-deco, to the modern.

Alejo Carpentier, one of Cuba's most famous authors, called it "the city of columns" and focused attention on its streets, which he considered a perennially rich show of life, humanity and contrasts that was bound to entertain any observer.

Over 14 kilometers of excellent beaches lie to the east of the Cuban capital. To the south, a green belt contributes to a healthful atmosphere.