Hotel Palacio O’Farrill

Palacio O’Farrill hotel at its origins happened to be the residence of Don José Ricardo O’Farrill and O’Daly, was a rich trader who came from the County of Longford, in Ireland, and arrived in Havana in 1715. He became the owner of several sugarcane mills, was linked to the slave trade and founded one of the wealthiest families of the country’s colonial era. The blend of architectonic elements from the eighteenth, nineteenth and twentieth centuries in the decoration of each of the hotel’s levels is a distinctive element of this place, where O’Farrill’s traces appear side by side with recreated elements from the Irish culture. Recipes from the Irish cuisine and novel combinations of meats with fruity sauces and vegetable garnitures form part of the Don Ricardo restaurant’s menu, a place preceded by an interior patio featured by an ancient well, under a skylight ceiling’s shade. At the Longford hall, with its original furniture and decorations, conferences and activities systematically take place, related to the Irish influence in Cuban art, literature and culture. Every year, on March 17th, the hotel celebrates St. Patrick’s Day, the Ireland’s patron festivity, traditionally commemorated in a special way. Other spaces witness presentations of Cuban and international musical performances.