compass || insider’s guide
Destination Cuba How to spend one week on the red-hot island. | BY FRANK ROFFERS
W
ith its faded beauty and history intact, Cuba fuses a unique blend of Caribbean and Latin. It leaves you shocked, perplexed, confounded and with a feeling of sensory overload. The largest island in the Caribbean offers stunning architecture, wide-open spaces, picturesque mountain villages and pristine stretches of beautiful coastline. The country presents a heady mix of music, arts, gastronomy and stunning natural beauty.
Old Havana
Saturday
Living History
Check into Hotel Nacional, a bastion of luxury located in Havana’s Vedado neighborhood. Dating back to 1930, this elegant
128 Artful Living
establishment recalls another era. Adorning the walls are vintage images of famous regulars, including Winston Churchill, Marlene Dietrich and Frank Sinatra. The Vista al Golfo bar is an excellent place to grab a mojito or Cuba libre while taking in the Havana vibe. Just off the bar is a small museum focused on the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis. During the conflict, Fidel Castro and Che Guevara set up their headquarters here.
| Magazine of the North
Habana Vieja is a step back in time, with its colorful Spanish architecture, weathered buildings, narrow cobblestone streets, colonial plazas and historic cathedrals. Couples walk the sweeping ocean-side Malecón, with its picture-perfect view of El Morro castle across the bay.