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• Editorial Articles
• Travel and Tourism
• Destinations
• 08 / 03 / 2007

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Located on Amargura and San Ignacio streets, close to the Old and San Francisco de Asis squares, the Raquel Hotel opened its doors more than three years ago. The eclectic building was built in 1905 and for this reason its façade shows the baroque style, it has a striking turret at the top of the building and the interior illustrates the art nouveau style. The columns are made of marble with a beautiful skylight that crowns the building, work of the artist Rosa Maria de La Terga.

After the impressive façade, when we enter the lobby we began to observe symbols of the Hebrew culture decorating the place. That is the case of a marble sculpture of the thresholds of the last century representing the Egyptian princess that took Moses from the waters of the Nile river, a stone brought from Jerusalem mountains, lamps resembling the star of David as well as other works by outstanding artist of the Cuban plastic arts like two paintings of the figure of the Hebrew history that names the hotel made by artists Jose Luis Fariñas and Ernesto Garcia Peña.

It provides 25 comfortable doubled rooms identified by biblical names. The second floor evokes male names like Isaac, Abraham, Jacob or Samuel, while the third and last floor recalls female names like Rebecca, Sarah, Esther, Lea and others.

The Jardin del Eden restaurant (Garden of Eden) is unique of its kind in Cuba offering the traditional Jewish food and the exclusive Bezalel boutique and gallery.

A singular place inside the Raquel Hotel is the incomparable terrace and viewpoint, place of perpetual homage to the Hebrew presence in Cuba that according to history it took place mainly in Old Havana. There, visitors can take the sun or simply refresh with the sea breeze or enjoy the beauty of Havana nights and at the same time taste dishes and drinks of the Jewish cuisine.