CUBA

Epic colonial architecture, libidinous young salsa dancers, Che Guevara murals, white-powder sandy beaches, swaying fields of sugar cane - the images of Cuba are as transfixing as they are timeless. This is an island of unique historical heritage floating amid a sea of encroaching globalisation.

Travel in Cuba can involve anything from sipping mojittos at an all-inclusive resort in Varadero to scraping the spit and sawdust off your shoes outside the Casa de las Tradiciones in Santiago. The burgeoning tourist sector rubs up against the Cuba of communist myth.

Cuba is blessed with perfect lucidity in its over 200 beaches, in which Varadero Beach, the Eastern Havana Beaches (Playas del Este) or the unexplored keys (Cayo Largo, Cayo Coco, Cayo Guillermo,...) are good examples.

Out of the 588 kilometers of the beaches of Cuba, 256 of its foreshores are comprised in the country’s twelve major tourist circuits, all of them outfitted with great hotel and nautical facilities, plus an assortment of development plans in place for broader recreational choices.

Besides being the right spots for basking in the sun, reading a good book under the shadow of an umbrella, or simply taking a catnap, Cuban beaches are equipped with the right infrastructure to practice a variety of water sports such as sailing, Cuba scuba diving, Cuba sailing, aqua bikes, kayaking and water skiing, with gear provided by a number of nautical centers.