Palacio del Valle

Cienfuegos’s architectural pride and joy is a palace (Calle 37, esq. Av. 2, tel. 043/51-1226; daily 10 a.m.–11 p.m.; CUC1) at the tip of Punta Gorda. This architectural stunner—now a restaurant—originated as a modest home for a trader, Celestino Caceres. It passed out of his hands and was given as a wedding present to a member of the local Valle family, who added to it in virile Mogul style, with carved floral motifs, cupped arches, bulbous cupolas, and delicate arabesques. The entire edifice drips with ornate carvings in Venetian alabaster. Note the mural of the Magi on the Carrara marble staircase. A spiral cast-iron staircase deposits you at a rooftop bar and mirador.

Three blocks north is the Club Cienfuegos (Calle 37, e/ Av. 8 y 12, tel. 043/52-6510), in a gleaming white baroque building erected in 1920 and which served for decades as the yacht club. The lobby exhibits antique silver trophies and other yachting memorabilia.