Planning a Cuban holiday? Well, out of all the Caribbean Islands, Cuba is definitely one with more to offer than just a beach holiday. The people are bright, self-assertive and handsome. Their cultural heritage is colourful, as are the monuments of their often tumultuous, always fascinating history. A holiday to Cuba is something you should really consider in your agenda.

These are just some of the facts to consider and places and things you should not miss in your holidays to Cuba.

Cuba is the biggest island in the Caribbean, almost as big as all the others put together. It stands at the entrance to the Gulf of Mexico, its western end only 145 km (90 miles) from Florida’s Key West. Haiti is even closer, 77 km (48 miles) to the east across the Windward Passage.

Today, Canadian and European tourists come to Cuba’s 35 most popular playground for its super water sports facilities by day and the countless discotecas and the hotels’ lavish cabaret floorshows by night.

One in three visitors to Cuba heads straight for its biggest resort, Varadero, some 100 km (60 miles) east of Havana. Many can not tear themselves away from its magnificent beaches on the Atlantic Ocean. At the western end of the island, beyond Havana in the Pinar del Rioprovince, enjoy the quieter, slower pace of rural Cuba in the pretty country side hugging the Cordillera de Guaniguanico mountains. At Vinales, you can go horseback riding to admire the strange mogote mounds and explore the caves.

The Flora numbers no less than 8.1(00 varieties, Dense sub-tropical forest cover the humid lower mountain slopes, providing valuable timber products. Woods on the higher, drier slopes are principally pine and eucalyptus. The island boasts an astonishing assortment of palm trees, the best known being the royal palm, indigenous to Cuba.

The list of places to visit and things to do goes on and on. There are hundreds of beaches, interesting cities and amazing landscapes. Keep reading as much as you can about Cuba so that you can get the most out of your Cuba holidays.