Cuba

The largest island in the Caribbean and without a doubt the most fascinating. Few countries conjure up as many mental images as Cuba – Castro, cars, cigars – the list is endless and not all of them begin with ‘c’, either. Havana is a destination worth a trip in its own right, and our guides are excellent at bringing this already vivacious place to life. Unusually, we have always found the reality is enjoyably in keeping with the clichés, and makes for a hugely memorable visit - wander down el Prado avenue, past Spanish colonial buildings with paint that has been peeling for a couple of decades and the fine 18th century opera house, which stages both ballet and opera.

In a country where the food is communistically bland, Original Travel’s Latin America team can also recommend and book the few excellent restaurants, or a visit to a cigar factory – a cut and dried ‘must do’. Aside from the charismatic capital, beautiful beaches frame the island, and there’s history and culture aplenty in towns such as the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Trinidad.

Touring is easy, and mostly on good roads with bad sign posts. On the south coast there is excellent snorkelling and diving, and Original Travel can book a fishing trip so you can make like Hemingway and go after bonefish, tarpon, trevalley, sailfish and marlin.