Havana sprawls well beyond its centre. The Miramar quarter, lying to the west of the city, was a glamorous area home to mansions and country clubs in the early 1950s and it retains its elegant air. To the east are the Castillo del Morro and San Carlos de La Cabaña defence fortresses – evidence of Havana’s strategic importance in the 16th century. The Spanish saw the city as the “key to the New World” and, consequently, it was constantly threatened by buccaneers. You’ll also find many of Ernest Hemingway’s favourite haunts here, including Finca La Vigía – the villa where he wrote some of his best novels – and the fishing village of Cojímar.