Hotels - Rex

About  Rex

If you want to stay in a modern, stylish hotel that is well placed for the bars, restaurants and cultural attractions of Santiago de Cuba city, you should consider Hotel Islazul Rex.

Hotel Islazul Rex was redeveloped in 2013 & now combines boutique features with a fabulous location overlooking the famous Plaza de Marte. The hotel has a small, attractive restaurant which serves good breakfasts & evening meals, while its bar also serves snacks.

The 24-hour terrace bar is one of the Rex’s most attractive features and has great views over the park & city of Santiago de Cuba. With this relaxing rooftop oasis in the centre of the city & friendly staff keen to ensure you enjoy your stay, you will find this a great place to unwind with a Mojito.

The Islazul Rex is an attractive, historic hotel in a great central location & its accommodation prices reflect that, though these are likely to come down through market testing. But if you want a great central base for exploring the city by day or night, you will find this one of the most stylish, comfortable choices.

Ave General Portuondo (Trinidad) y Ave Moncada, Santiago de Cuba

26th of July Historical Museum

This museum is located in the former Moncada Barracks, a military fortification which came under attack on 26 July 1953 by a group of young revolutionaries led by Fidel Castro Ruz. Moncada was the second military fort of the country, occupied by about a thousand men under the command of Fulgencio Batista. Unfortunately, the rebels were either killed or captured. Although unsuccessful, the attack ignited the sparks of Cuban Revolution. Fidel wrote his famous speech "La historia me absolverá" ("History will absolve me"), which was smuggled out of prison, printed, and distributed throughout the island. This event launched the final stage of the struggle for the country's freedom. After the victory of the revolution Moncada Barrack was transformed into a school, and a space was devoted to Museum. The museum exhibits some of the revolutionaries' personal belongings, some of the weaponry used and photographs of the historical event, as well as a valuable coin collection.

Parque Céspedes, Santiago de Cuba

Céspedes park

The most atmospheric part of the city is Old Santiago. Céspedes Park constitutes the political, religious, administrative and social center more important of the city. The attractive square is a genteel place with tall trees, gas lanterns and iron benches. In their perimeter were located by disposition of the Laws of Indias, the representative buildings of the power: Town Hall, Cathedral, the house of the governors and the mansions of the main families of the village. Parque Céspedes is dominated by its twin-towered cathedral. A basilica was built on this spot in 1528, but what you see was rebuilt in the early 19th century after a series of earthquakes and fires.

Santiago de Cuba

Plaza Dolores

One of Santiago’s most delightful people-watching spots is Plaza Dolores, a shady plaza lined with colonial-era homes (several now house restaurants). Avenida José A. Saco (more commonly known as Enramada) is Santiago’s main shopping thoroughfare. Its faded 1950s neon signs and ostentatious buildings recall more prosperous times. Cobbled Calle Bartolomé Masó (also known as San Basilio), just behind Heredia and the cathedral, is a delightful street that leads down to the picturesque Tivolí district.

Calle Félix Peña (Santo Tomás) No. 612 e/ Aguilera y Heredia, Santiago de Cuba

Casa de Diego Velázquez

Constructed in 1516, this structure is reputed to be Cuba's oldest house one of the oldest in the Americas, although many historians now doubt that claim. Noticeable for its black-slatted balconies, it is one of Santiago's top attractions. Diego Velázquez, the Spanish conquistador who founded the city and was the island's first governor, lived upstairs. At the moment this old house works as Cuban Historical Colonial Environment's Museum, its rooms overflow with period furniture and carved woodwork and encircle­ two lovely courtyards. Inside you'll find period beds, desks, chests, and other furniture. On the first floor is a gold foundry. Memorable are the star-shape Moorish carvings on the wooden windows and balconies, and the original interior patio with its well and rain-collecting tinajón vessel. An adjacent house is filled with antiques intended to convey the French and English decorative and architectural influences—such as the radial stained glass above the courtyard doors—in the late 19th-century.

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