Mansión Xanadú

Irénée du Pont, a former chairman of the DuPont company, retired in 1927 and bought land on the Hicacos Peninsula, choosing the San Bernardino crags for his house. It was finished at the end of 1930, with four storeys, seven balconies, marble floors and ceilings of fine Cuban woods, and he named it Xanadu after the palace in Coleridge’s poem.

In 1932 he added a large organ, piped to the lookout at the top and to the lobby. Du Pont spent a few months here each year, and the house is now kept close to its original plan.

The Xanadu Restaurant serves French and international cooking, with views over the beach and the golf course. You can also eat in the Red Room, the mansion’s original dining room, or on La Terraza, a lounge facing the sea.

Before dinner, take the old lift to the top floor. The Casa Blanca Panoramic Bar, once the house’s party room, serves Cuban and international cocktails, aged Cuban rums, brandies and appetisers, with the sea on one side and the fairways on the other.

Marina Chapelín is about ten minutes away by taxi along the Autopista Sur. From Marina Gaviota, at the tip of the peninsula, allow 15 to 20 minutes.

Book a table through the golf club by phone or email, and ask for a window or terrace table for the view. The rooms can be arranged for private dinners and larger groups, which suits a charter party.