Hostal Balcones Muralla
A restored 1886 mansion turns balconies and rooftop bar into Old Havana's front row
Hostal Balcones Muralla is a house dating to 1886, restored over four years and reopened as a nine-room hotel in the old quarter of Havana. The building keeps its neoclassical facade, high ceilings and Spanish tile floors, along with more than 15 balconies fitted with three-metre wooden doors original to the property. Rooms carry names rather than numbers: Estelvina, Juan Felipe, Luis, Odalys, Rosina, Josefina, Lazara and the larger Grand Laudelina, each furnished with period wooden pieces and most opening onto a street-facing balcony. Restorers uncovered original wall murals and a set of two-metre windows that had been bricked up for over a century. It sits four blocks from the Capitolio. Cathedral Square and Obispo Street are also a short walk away, and Cristo Square is around the corner. A rooftop bar, El Bobys, serves Cuban cocktails and hosts salsa lessons, while breakfast runs on the balcony each morning overlooking street life below. The hotel offers airport pickup by classic 1950s car and can arrange city tours and taxis to towns beyond Havana. Wi-Fi and air conditioning are standard throughout, alongside a safe in each room. It is a small hotel with a large staff presence, one guests return to by name.