Villa Dupont (Cassa Dupont) in Varadero became the first town mansion of the resort .In fact, it was with her that the resort started .In the 1930's .the richest American of French origin And .DuPont, with a profit for himself, bought up the land of virtually the entire peninsula .On the resulting 180 acres were virgin pristine beaches of 8 km, but the millionaire preferred to settle at the rocky spurs of San Bernardino .Here he built his own house, calling the mansion "Xanadu" by the name of an amazing palace from "Kubla Khan" From .Taylor .The mansion was designed to serve a 54-year-old millionaire and his rather large family of winter cottages .At that time nothing as elegant and modern in the local places as seen by .
The architects of the villa were Kovarrocas and Govantes, and during the construction of the Villa Dupont they used the newest materials and technologies .There were 11 bedrooms with their own bathrooms, three spacious terraces, seven balconies, a garage for 7 cars and a private jetty .At four floors were even - not seen! - elevators .In the year 1932 .DuPont placed in the house the largest private body in the whole of Latin America, which resulted in him in 11 thousand .USD .The mechanism was located in the basement, and the body could play both automatically and with the help of a human .Thanks to the special tube system, the organ sounds were heard on the terrace and in the hall, but did not disturb the guests in the bedrooms .
The American also did not stint on the interior: an expensive tree for ceilings, stair railings and columns were driven from Santiago de Cuba, and the bathrooms were lined with valuable Italian and Spanish marble .In the wine cellar, DuPont collected excellent drinks, and near the villa arranged a golf course .When all the work was completed, the total amount of investments in the mansion was USD 1.3 million, and for its maintenance a staff of 76 people was needed .In subsequent years, the territory of the mansion only expanded, and the cost of land steadily increased .The gardens were planted with coconut palms, avocados and papayas, and for the creation of an exotic atmosphere, the colorful cockatoo was specially brought here .
In the spring of 1957, Dupont visited his villa last time. The revolution in Cuba put an end to many old and wealthy private homes: they were nationalized and often declined from neglect. Such a fate did not escape Villa Dupont, but her fate was still happier. The school opened first, and then the famous restaurant "Las Americas". Once the "people's" (and not very popular at the time), today it is quite a refined and expensive restaurant with international cuisine.
Golf course in the villa increased, giving the opportunity to organize here a whole golf club with an 18-hole course .Today the club is more than functional, and officially Villa Dupont belongs to him, being a club headquarters .In the building itself, a mini-hotel with six rooms with balconies and sea views is opened .The right to a paid inspection of the mansion, however, is available to all who wish to do so .In addition to the restaurant on the ground floor, there is a panoramic bar on the third floor: DuPont wine cellars are used for their intended purpose so far, and those who wish can go down there .
Address: Varadero, Autopista Sur Km., 18, 1/2.
| Villa Dupont |
| Dining room, Villa Dupont |
| Bar, Villa Dupont |