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HOSTAL FLORIDA CENTER
Sr. Angel Quintin Rodriguez Martinez Calle Maestra Nicolasa (Candelaria) # 56, entre Colon y Maceo, three blocks from Parque Vidal. Tél. (42) 20-8161  Locate on this map. Try to reserve at least one month ahead; as for all casas on our lists, you must reconfirm by phone 24 hours before arrival. Otherwise, your reservation may be cancelled. |
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Built in 1872, Angel's casa is amply decorated with antique colonial objects, paintings and furniture. The art deco flooring was imported from Turkey and laid down here in 1912.
Angel, once an industrial engineer, rents two aircon bedrooms, one styled in colonial, the other is art deco. Each has its own modern private bathroom. The rooms — both regularly redecorated — open from a large flowery patio where plants and trees compete with orchids for sunlight. The cuisine is absolutely fabulous and the hospitality equal to none : see our breakfast for one, below. One of the most remarkable casas on the island, its owner was awarded the 2008 Provincial Prize for "Best Conservation and Restauration of a monument", the first time an individual (not an institution) has won this special merit. In 2011, Angel got himself a web site > link <. Rates : 20-25cuc per bedroom per night; meals are same price as guests who come only to eat (breakfast or dinner) as Angel's casa is also a paladar (private restaurant). |
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LONELY PLANET, 6th edition,
October 2011 by Brendan Sainsbury :  |
LONELY PLANET, 5th edition,
September 2009 by Brendan Sainsbury : Our pick Hostal Florida Center : Maestra Nicolasa Este, No. 56 entre Colón y Maceo. The Florida is a National Treasure. It boasts more antiques than the local decorative arts museum and servers better food tan most Havana paladares (in a jaw-dropping central patio replete with plants). Your main dilemma is which room to choose: the grandiose colonial suite, or the gloriously retro art-deco digs? |
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WANDERLUST MAGAZINE Issue 103 April/May 2009
« Want to really get to know Cuba? Then shun its sterile hotels for casas particulares: budget, family-run B&Bs with leafy courtyards, home-cooked feasts and warm, uniquely
Find Che memorabilia and Cuba’s only drag show (El Mejunje) in one of the island’s most lively cities Casa Hostal Florida Center Situated in a quintessential Santa Clara street replete with asthmatic Buicks and old men slapping down dominoes, the Florida gives away little in its timeworn exterior. But step behind the faded façade and you’re in a different world. Built in 1876, this colonial-style townhouse belongs to Angel Rodríguez, whose desire to preserve 135 years of family history has thrown up one of Cuba’s most magnificent private homes. The first dilemma: which room to choose – the cool colonial digs or the exquisite Art Deco suite? The second is what to order for dinner: Angel’s cooking skills are on a par with his deft eye for antiques. But the pièce de resistance arrives after dark as you gravitate to the plant-embellished central patio, where glistening lamps reveal indigenous orchids, rustling fruit trees (tomorrow’s breakfast) and cages of twittering birds. » |
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Frommer´s Cuba 5th Edition by Claire Boobbyer — THE BEST CASAS PARTICULARES Hostal Florida Center, Santa Clara : This is a gorgeous 1876 colonial house filled with interesting historic furniture and blessed with a flourishing garden and welcoming host, Angel. The food served here is some of the best in Cuba. THE BEST RESTAURANTS & PALADARES Hostal Florida Center, Santa Clara : This is a popular casa particular serving dinner with enormous platters of delicious seafood and chicken, plus salads and fruit dishes. The garden is candelit at night. |
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Photos © sogestour
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