Two hours later, Chris stepped out of a former mansion turned hotel and into the bustling Plaza de San Francisco. Don Sebastian de Peñalver was the original owner of this 18th-century palace on Plaza de San Francisco. In the following century, the mansion was occupied by Juan Clemente Núñez del Castillo and Molina, the Fourth Marquis of San Felipe and Santiago. This was a title of nobility granted by King Felipe V in 1713 for establishing part of Cuba for the Spanish crown. In 2010, a luxury hotel opened after extensive renovation. It retained the historic name of Palacio del Marqués de San Felipe y Santiago de Bejucal.
