The beauty of this city is evident in its people and what they have created. The pistachio-coloured facade of the Hotel Saratoga, the majestic Capitolyo in the last stages of its restoration, the beautifully dilapidated structures in Habana Vieja, the iconic art deco Bacardi building and the street art that can be found at every corner of the city. The city’s vim and vigour are on display to disprove the propaganda of a dreary and dying society that has been foisted on us.

The contradictions are everywhere. A society that traded American capitalism for Castro-style socialism is visually more Americana than any place in the United States. But this cultural exchange goes both ways. Take the case of the small, privately owned, government sanctioned restaurants called Paladars. They are both quaint and hip—a combination that does not make sense except in Cuba. La Cocina de Lilliam is a local legend that has served former US Presidents the best in Cuban home cooking. Il Cocinero is a favourite of the young upwardly mobile—which is seemingly out of place in a socialist nation. For us, the best tasting food is definitely at O’Reilly 304—an opinion shared by Fidel Castro’s personal chef.

This cross cultural phenomenon is best seen in the most famous of these Paladars—La Guarida, which means “hideaway.” The entrance is through a rundown street and up a crumbling marble staircase with a decapitated statue standing at its base. It is a reminder of the past grandeur of the building that has also turned into a destination party venue for global pop icons like Beyoncé, Jay Z and Madonna. In Madonna’s own words Cuba truly is “La Isla Bonita.”

It is quite clear that the decades-old American embargo has failed to dampen the exuberant spirit of the Cubans. These are a people who know how to live life; a people whose richness in spirit has helped them overcome the hardships that have been thrown their way.

There is no better symbol of this Cuban-American symbiosis than Ernest Hemingway. Visiting his beloved Finca Vigía estate, one can easily imagine “Papa” amidst his vast collection of trophy animals shot in Africa, pounding away on his typewriter to finish The Old Man and the Sea, the novel that won him the Nobel Prize in 1954. Ernest Hemingway made Cuba his home for 21 years, for he loved this island more than any other place in the world.

“Don’t bother with churches, government buildings or city squares,” Ernest Hemingway once wrote. “If you want to know about a culture, spend a night in its bars.” And there is no shortage of bars to visit in the country’s capital. Start with Hemingway’s favourite watering hole, El Floridita, where the author himself immortalised the frozen daiquiri. In his favourite corner, a bronze statue of El Floridita’s most famous regular still stands, leaning towards the bar ready to have his signature drink, the Papa Doble—no sugar, double rum. Hemingway still holds the house record of 16 of these double daiquiris in one sitting.

From there it is just a short, slightly inebriated walk to Bodeguita del Medio for another Hemingway classic, the mojito. The walls are filled with graffiti, memorabilia and autographs from its famous regulars while the dark interiors and eclectic décor brings to mind the decadence of a period long gone.

For a more modern but equally exotic flavour, Sia Kara, located just behind theCapitolyo, is worth a visit. Just ask the goodlooking waiters to show you where to buy illegal cigars, and have a smoke with your mojito, which is much better than the ones at El Bodeguita. The rooftop bar of the  Gran Kempinski, the first luxury hotel to be built in Havana, serves a mean daiquiri and provides one of the best views of Central Havana.

No visit to Havana is complete without a trip to Tropicana. Once the haven of sin when Cuba was the playground of the rich and famous, its wildness is now a function of its outdoor jungle setting. It is an old-school extravaganza, part Chinese acrobat show, part cabaret, accompanied by a live orchestra with elaborate costumes and production numbers that will have you dancing the night away. It is Cirque du Soleil but louder, brighter, faster and set to infectious and lively Cuban music.

If the Tropicana is a homage to Havana’s past, Fabrica Arte dela Cuba (or FAC) is the future. Housed in an old cooking oil refinery, FAC is a nexus of art, design, music and dance. Young people line up for hours to get in this government-sponsored amalgam of fun and culture that is part bar, part museum. Even stranger than the concept is the fact that it actually works. In Cuba, health, education and partying are subsidised by the State.

But of all the drinks to imbibe, it is the Cuba Libre that best tells the story of this island nation. Born during the American occupation of Cuba at the turn of the 20th century, the drink was a toast to a Cuba “newly liberated” from Spain. It is the same rebel spirit that instigated the fall of Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista in 1959. His Presidential Palace, now the Museo de Revolución, is dominated by a sweeping staircase that still retains the bullet holes from a failed assassination attempt. Adjacent to the building is the Pavilon Granma, which houses the 18-metre yacht used by Fidel Castro and his band of revolutionaries to sail from Mexico to Cuba in 1956.

The unsung hero in this delicate balance of cultural assimilation and preservation is Eusebio Leal, the Havana City Historian. The state cultural policy he has created has allowed for measured amounts of western influence while retaining the local flavour in the context of the Cuban revolution. It has not been easy but Leal has used his political savvy, entrepreneurial skills and professional passion to create a Havana for the ages.

Havana has seen it all. From being a Spanish colony to an American playground and Cold War pariah. All of this blending and mixing under the warm Caribbean sun have led to this wonderful city of contradictions. Havana is an intoxicating cultural paella, ruled by its idiosyncracies and its attachment to the past with a view to the future that makes it a country to watch out for. It is seemingly out of time and yet unquestionably relevant in today’s world. Havana is definitely more than just mojitos, cigars and vintage cars. But where else in the world would a rum and coke be representative of a country’s history, its independent spirit and its will to live? Viva La Revolución!