Been Cuba a couple of times, and yes if you've been you have to seek a special visa to allow entry to the States but thats been ongoing for many a year. Cuba is on the bones of its arse but it still welcomes travellers from all over the world, just not the states (Cuban missile crisis and all that), Havannah is a hell of a place so diverse, people on the bones of their arses yet walking round with the latest phones. Stayed at Varadero which isn't too far from Havanna second time, first time was Holguin. Deffo worth a visit but be prepared to be shocked at the poverty outside the tourist belts.
think thats true for most of the
caribbean