Havana, Cuba

Time travel is easy in Havana.

Sun worshippers who leave Cuba’s beaches to visit sensual Havana find it easy to imagine themselves back in the 1950s – antique American cars and nightclubs that are reminders of the days when Havana was a Caribbean Las Vegas, a sexy playground for rich tourists run by the American mob.

The down-at-the-heels streets of the colonial core, La Havana Vieja, might well be the most charming square mile in the Caribbean. It’s a UNESCO heritage site and you can walk for hours along cobblestone streets lined with grand baroque buildings that look little changed since the 17th and 18th centuries.

There are marvellous squares and piazzas. Plaza de Armas is the oldest. It’s been carefully restored and the second-hand book market there is a treat.

Take a lazy stroll down the Malecon; it’s magical at sunset when the pastel colours of the buildings are accentuated. Explore the wonderful piazzas and let the carnival flavour of old Havana seep in through your pores.

This is a city that moves to the sound of music; musicians play in the streets, nightclubs, cabarets and discos. Life under Castro may be dull in some ways but that doesn’t apply to salsa and jazz or the famous must-see Cuban floorshow at The Tropicana Club.

There are countless museums and historic sites within easy walking distance.

El Morro Castle and La Cabana fortress, which guard Havana Harbour, are fun by day and even more fun at night when torches are lit and Cuban soldiers dressed in 18th century uniforms march the ramparts to fire one of the old cannons. Locals set their watches to the 9 p.m. cannon shot.

Even the cemetery is worth a visit; if you hire a guide he’ll show you the tomb of Hemingway’s bartender, who Papa made famous for inventing the daiquiri.

For that matter, there are tours that follow Hemmingway’s footsteps … the Ambos Mundos Hotel in old Havana, cocktails at Bodeguita del Medio and El Floridita, both a short walk from his room on the 5th floor of the hotel, and Finca La Vigia on Havana’s outskirts, where he lived for 20 years.

Getting around Old Havana isn’t hard, and it can also be fun. There are cocotaxis (egg-shaped yellow three-wheeled scooters for tourists), taxis, horse-drawn carriages, rickshaws, and of course the camel buses (truck and trailer set-ups) if you have courage and want to lose weight.

Shopping includes local crafts and art and gives foreign visitors excellent value. And it goes without saying that Havana is “a Mecca” for the cigar lovers. Fabrica Partagas, one of the oldest and largest cigar factories, offers guided tours and there’s espresso in their shop.

If you’re going to Havana we strongly recommend newer, brand name hotels of higher quality, which rival any equivalent hotel by North American standards. Your money goes far in Havana, and you don’t want to waste it on a lesser quality accommodation.

Beach resorts are available outside the city. And if you’re really a beach lover who is mostly content to stay-put at a resort, the area of Jibacoa (Hee-bah-koa) is a great alternative if you want to visit Havana as a day trip.