it is not the happy-go-lucky vacation spot that many enjoy, it is a horrible place where civil liberties and human rights do not exist.
I've been there and I agree with this. Incoming mail from abroad is opened and valuables removed. The health system (supposedly free and advanced) gives priority to those who pay bribes. Secret police are on every street. Fake revolutionary slogans are painted on walls and doors. Shops for local people in Havana sell virtually nothing. I've seen one of my teachers there break down and cry because life was so hard.