As a frequent visitor to Cuba, I've seen its famed beaches and while they are wonderful, they are only one side to the country. Returning to Havana (particularly Old Havana) is always a thrilling experience and I've seen many other Cuban cities that are impossible not to appreciate from cultural and historical viewpoints. Those cities include Trinidad, which has a quaint charm underscored by its cobblestone streets and Spanish colonial architecture and a past that predates Havana's.

Like all visitors, I love Cuban culture -- the music, remarkable dancing skills of the Cubans (I remember one local telling me Cubans begin dancing the day they are born), Cuba's many storied bars (the famed bar in Havana's Hotel Nacional de Cuba is among those that come to mind) are wonderful and great watersports opportunities await, including the amazing diving near Manzanillo.

And perhaps most of all I appreciate the Cuban people, with all who visit the island remarking how friendly and hospitable they are!

I'd also like to praise Cubans for the ongoing restoration of historical areas, with the progress being astonishing. Equally astonishing is the continuing expansion of Cuba's tourism infrastructure. It's nothing short of remarkable.

Ian Stalker, Travel Writer