An impromptu trip to Havana, Cuba… was a quite an experience, and a well appreciated surprise. We went a few weeks ago on a whim and it happened to serve as perfect inspiration for this year’s resort wear guide, coming this week! Exploring somewhere new is always a good time, but particularly when it’s somewhere warm during this time of year. Even living in Los Angeles in the winter will make you crave some humidity and Havana did not disappoint. But beyond the bright colors, classic cars, and uber sweet mojitos was a city seemingly stuck in time, despite a culture that appeared nothing less than vibrant, and on the edge of entering a whole new world; 3G internet. Wifi was a major luxury here that was quite hard to come by except for about five minutes in the hotel lobby. Obviously having wifi is something I take for granted but is for many people still considered a luxury. Walking around people actually spent a lot of time talking to each other or hanging out in the streets, super present in the moment. It seemed like everyone was fortunate in a way to be in this pre-smartphone era, without the pressures of being constantly connected. But that’s just my humble opinion! As you may already know, Cuba is has recently been opened for U.S. residents to visit with a visa identifying a specific reason for going. There are requirements depending on the type of visa you obtain for engaging in activities that further your understanding of the country and so we were able to have a guide show us around and essentially teach us more about the Cuban culture. He really took time to explain the history and his thoughts about Cuba’s revolution and relationship with communism. His feelings were mainly positive about the status of most Cubans, indicating most everyone had their basic needs met and that Cuba had the ‘healthiest poor people’. Of course this is one opinion of many, but I did appreciate that stray dogs were given full health benefits, food and shelter. Here are some of the images I was able to capture during my short stay, excited to share more this week along with my resort wear guide. I linked some excellent coffee table books below for anyone inspired to dive deeper into the beautiful images of Havana and the rest of Cuba. Enjoy!