Guide to Cuba

Beaches

If Cuba introduced a gong for best beach resort, Varadero would be preparing its acceptance speech - it's easily the best-loved holiday spot on the island. The beach here disappears off into the distance for 21 soft, white kilometres. And the setting's something to scribble home about, too. It finds a home on a north-coast peninsula that juts out into the ocean. Its position makes it ideal for watersports, with scuba-diving, parasailing and kayaking among the favourites. Trace your finger east on the map, meanwhile, and you'll come to good-looking Guardalavaca. It may be small but this is the supermodel of Cuban beach resorts. Caribbean cliches really stack up here – think ice-white sands and neon-bright turquoise with a glossy bunch of palms completing the postcard. Vibe-wise it's a bit different to its bubbly cousin, preferring to keep the volume turned down low, so it's a bit of a hit with couples. Not to be outdone, Havana's got a few beaches close by. The nearest are the Playas del Este, or 'Beaches of the East', a quartet of sandy strips 20 minutes from Downtown Havana. They come with a clutch of cafes and bars so you can quite easily spend the day here. Come the weekend, they get pretty busy with Habaneros looking to shake off their workday stresses, so pitch up early to clinch a decent spot. Last but not least, if you're feeling flush, catch a plane from Havana over to the key of Cayo Coco. Part of the Sabana Camaguey archipelago just off the north coast, this place is about as tropical as it gets. Think sands that squeak beneath your feet, luminous waters and some seriously eye-opening coral. Throw in the odd roaming flamingo and you'll feel as though you've flip-flopped into your very own Bounty ad.

Eating out

• It's fair to say Cuban cuisine could do with being Jamie Oliver-ed. The communist legacy has left it lagging behind in the culinary stakes. Surprisingly for an island there isn't much in the way of fish or seafood. Instead, most dishes tend to be meat-based, with pork being the favourite. We're talking no-nonsense fare like 'congri', a mix of white rice and black beans flavoured with chunks of bacon, and 'chicharritas', slices of fried plantain. In terms of restaurants, not many guidebooks sing the praises of the state-run places. But just lately great efforts have been made to step it up a gear. In places like Havana you've now got the option of eating at 'paladares', too. They're dinky restaurants in family homes and usually revolve around a handful of tables. It probably won't take you long to read the menu but these cosy little establishments are great value for money and offer authentic home-cooking. Some even lay on live music while you eat. You'll find them all over the capital, with some of the best ones tucked away in the old quarter. A word of advice though, don't be fooled by the locals who offer to 'guide' you to them - they'll more than likely expect a tip for their troubles and ask you to treat them to dinner, too. While Cuba may have a bit of a wait on its hands when it comes to Michelin stars, it does come out all guns blazing in one particular area – fruit. Getting your five a day isn't a problem here. Nibble on big chunks of pineapple for breakfast. Or slurp on a delicious mango and papaya batido fruit shake by the pool. Cubans do a mean line in ice-cream, too. Coppelia's the nation's favourite parlour chain and you'll find one in most towns of any size. The one in Havana's an institution with queues wrapping around the block. One final category Cuba scores highly in is cocktails. Try a mojito, a sugary rum blast with a mint and lime zing, a cuba libre, a great take on a rum and coke, or perhaps Hemingway's favourite, a daiquiri frappe. It's a mix of white rum, sugar, lime juice and a few drops of maraschino. If you like rum, you're in the right place. After all, this is the home of Bacardi.
  
  
• El Patio Restaurant, Havana Get yourself a table on the balcony of this converted palace and get a side-order of cathedral with your meal.
  
  
• El Gato Tuerto, Havana The One-Eyed Cat is arguable the hippest haunt in Havana. Enjoy a cocktail to the sound of old-style bolero or modern jazz, then head upstairs to the restaurant for a seriously sexy bite to eat.
  
  
• La Guarita, Havana Three flights of poorly-lit stairs lead you to the city's best paladares, where chandeliers, dripping candles and old movie star snapshots capture old-world Havana. Previous diners include Jack Nicholson and Steven Spielberg.
  
  
• Dupont's Xanadu Mansion, Varadero Gourmets go gaga for this place, which crowns San Bernardino Hill, the highest point in Varadero. Not only does the Art Deco mansion have a top-notch restaurant but it's got a great bar serving up smooth jazz and unbeatable sunsets.
  
  
• Meson La Campana, Varadero If you're looking for good old-fashioned fare, try this place. It serves home-cooked Creole dishes in a homely setting.

Nightlife

• A night out in Havana is a must on every itinerary – this is the party capital of the Caribbean. It's probably happened that way because music is its lifeblood. In Havana, you don't so much walk as sashay. Salsa slinks out of every door, window and keyhole in the city. Hip Habaneros step to the beat. Bar-tenders rattle up mojitos in time to the music. Even the old boys in the cafes slam their dominoes down in tempo. During the day it's impressive, but at night it's out of this world. You've got salsa bars setting your hips swaying in the old town. Smoky jazz dens transporting you back to the Forties. And clubs keeping you in mojitos and mambo 'til morning. A good night out can either be a happy accident – just let the music guide you - or a precision-planned mission. Either way, there are some Cuban institutions you should know about, like the Hotel Nacional de Cuba. Since opening in 1930 its revolving Deco doors have spun through everyone from Fred Astaire to Frank Sinatra. Then there's Bodeguita del Medio. You'll find it at one end of Obispo, the main drag in the old town. It started life as a food shop before morphing into a drinking den for poets, authors and arty types. These days it's a restaurant-cum-bar that excels in Creole cuisine and Cuban cocktails. As good as the food is though, most people are here for the decor – the entire place is wallpapered in photos, graffiti and autographs from past visitors. The more famous scribbles come from Ernest Hemingway, long-time fan of the city - which brings us to a couple more big Havana haunts. El Floridita, at the other end of Obispo, is the place to sip the author's cocktail of choice, the mojito. The zesty tipple was actually invented here back in 1914. His other favourite, the Tropicana, is home to Cuba's reigning cabaret show - and enough sequins to give Vegas a run for its money. It's so popular a new version's opened up just outside of Varadero. This north-coast beach resort is the other place that knows how to have a good time. The main difference with Varadero is that most bars and clubs tend to be in the hotels. Glitzy shows, salsa nights and jazz clubs are all on the menu – with an endless supply of rum cocktails, naturally.
  
  
  
• Tropicana, Havana Famous since the Fifties, this is the cabaret to end all cabarets. A 32-piece orchestra and a cast of over 200 combine hot Cuban rhythms with head-dresses like you've never seen.
  
  
• Hotel Nacional de Cuba, Havana Yet more sequin-studded cabaret is served up courtesy of Parisien, a show at Cuba's landmark hotel. Plus there's the added option of concerts featuring Buena Vista Social Club classics.
  
  
• La Zorra y El Cuervo Jazz Bar, Havana In the heart of Havana beats this place, arguably the best jazz bar in the city. It's not unusual for the island's top musicians to drop in for a jam.
  
  
• Casa de la Musica, Havana Give salsa a whirl on the locals' preferred dancefloor, with a steady stream of rum to grease those hips. There's another one in Varadero, starring some of the best salsa bands in the country.
  
  
• Mambo Club, Varadero Mambo. Cha cha cha. Merengue. Salsa. This place serves the lot, with professional dancers on hand to walk you through the steps.

Shopping

List Cuba's top draws and you'll probably find shopping doesn't make the cut. It's more about picking up the odd souvenir than weighing yourself down with designer bags. Not surprisingly, clinking Havana Gold bottles resonate around the island's departure lounges - rum is as much of a take-home as a tan in these parts. Another top buy is, of course, cigars, although there's a bit of a tick sheet surrounding their purchase. If you're going for the full shiny cedar box deal, look out for 'hecho en Cuba totalmente a mano'. Translated, that's 'totally handmade in Cuba'. You also want to see the official government seal and the Habanos band to show they're genuine. The best places to pick them up are hotels, airports or specialist shops known as La Cada del Habano, which sell direct from the cigar factories. It's wise to turn down any you're offered on the streets. Not only will they almost certainly be fake but they won't come with the official receipt you need to take them out of the country. Smokes aside, Havana hands you plenty of opportunities to stock up on other souvenirs. Obispo and O-Reilly are good places to start your browsing, with banana leaf hats, shell necklaces and papier mache model cars piled pyramid-high. Given its love of rhythm, it'll come as no surprise the city stocks plenty of musical instruments, too. Get yourself some maracas or, if there's room in your case, a set of bongo drums. And of course, you won't have to look too hard to find scarlet T-shirt splashed with the face of freedom fighter, Che Guevara. It's well worth having a rummage round the markets, too. Prices tend to be lower and, unlike the state-run shops, there's usually a bit of give on them, too. In Havana, the Barrio Chino is where you'll find the city's famous food market. Another great one is the Mercado de Cuatro Caminos, which takes up an entire block and sells everything from fritters to dried fruit. Varadero, meanwhile, has got a few good craft markets. One of the best is Artesania at Avenida 1. Another place to consider here is Plaza las Americas, a decent-sized shopping centre and your best bet for a boutique spree.