Located in a wonderfully idiosyncratic building with a neo-Churrigueresque façade and tendrils of Art Nouveau wrought iron decoration, the Hotel Raquel contains further delightful design eccentricities including a vast stained glass canopy roof and a watchtower from which one can look out over the streets and squares of Old Havana. Many of the rooms have biblical names and besides the hotel being called The Rachel there are decorative references to the Bible and to the Jewish faith throughout the building, which was restored.

It is now run by the Office of the City Historian of Havana, so all its profits are reinvested in the restoration of the city’s historical centre.

It stands very near Plaza Vieja and the Plaza de San Francisco, and is only a few minutes’ walk from all the other main attractions in Old Havana.