Shaped by one of the twentieth century's longest-surviving revolutions, Cuba's image was inextricably bound up with its politics until relatively recently. Even five decades after Fidel Castro and the rebels seized power, Cuba's long satiny beaches, offshore cays and jungle-covered peaks – the defining attractions of neighbouring islands – played almost no part in the popular international perception of this communist state in the Caribbean. Now, having opened the floodgates to global tourism, the country is characterized as much as anything by a frenetic sense of transition as it shifts from socialist stronghold to one of the Caribbean's major tourist destinations, running on capitalist money.

At the same time, visitors may think that nothing has changed for decades, even centuries. Cut off from the capitalist world until the end of the Cold War, and hit hard by the economic crisis that followed the collapse of the Soviet Union (which provided hefty subsidies to this communist outpost that thumbed its nose at nearby America), the face of modern-day Cuba is in many respects frozen in the past – the classic American cars, mustachioed cigar-smoking farmers, horse-drawn carriages and colonial Spanish architecture, all apparently unaffected by the breakneck pace of modernization. At the same time, you will see many newly opened department stores and shopping malls, state-of-the-art hotels and entire resorts created from scratch, an improbable combination of transformation and stasis that's symbolic of this contradiction-riddled country. Besides being sharply split between modern and traditional, Cuba is a country which, in a sense, has become divided by tourism. Foreign visitors are the surest way of bringing in hard currency, which has led to the development of a two-tier economic system whereby anybody with the means to make money out of tourists is automatically better off than just about everyone else. In a place where taxi drivers earn more than doctors, and where capitalist reforms are seen as the answer to preserving socialist ideals, understanding Cuba is a compelling but never-ending task.

Despite the hard-to-swallow favourable treatment of tourists and the crippling US trade embargo, there is surprisingly little resentment directed at foreign visitors, and your overwhelming impression is likely to be that Cubans are outgoing, sociable and hospitable, notwithstanding the queues, food rationing, free-speech restrictions and the government's reliance on foreign investment and tourism. What's more, in most of Cuba it's difficult not to come into contact with local people: the common practices of renting out rooms (casas particulares) and opening restaurants in homes (paladares) allow visitors stronger impressions of the country than they might have thought possible in a short visit. The much-vaunted Cuban capacity for a good time is best expressed through music and dance, both vital facets of the island's culture. As originators of the most influential Latin music styles, such as bolero, rumba and son, thereby spawning the most famous of them all – salsa – people in Cuba seem always ready to party.

Surging forward into its second decade, there is much more to Cuba's tourism industry than the central tenets of music, revolution and rum. For those seeking a more cultural visit, there is plenty of pre-Revolution opulence illustrated by Art Deco architecture and decadent interiors, as well as a vibrant arts scene and Cuba's legendary musicians.

You are bound to come across occasional reminders that Cuba is a centralized, highly bureaucratic one-party state, which can give a holiday here an unfamiliar twist, especially if and when things go wrong. Going to the police, finding your hotel room double-booked or simply needing to make an urgent phone call can prove to be unnecessarily and frustratingly complicated. These are the times when you discover Cuba has its own special logic and that common sense doesn't count for much here. This is not to say you're more likely to experience mishaps in Cuba than anywhere else – not only are all the major resorts well equipped, but violent crime is remarkably absent from Cuban cities. On the other hand, a certain determination and a laid-back attitude are essential requirements for exploring less-visited parts of the country, where a paucity of facilities and reliable public transport can make travelling hard work. Although the tourist infrastructure has been slowly and steadily improving over the years, a recent slight downturn in travel here, coupled with hurricane damage, could potentially slow these improvements.

The perception that Cuba sees tourists as little more than deep pockets is pervasive, but there are still ways to make the most of a trip without breaking the bank. Compared to some areas of Latin America, Cuba can seem expensive, but simply choosing to stay in a casa particular instead of a hotel, buying produce in the markets and visiting less commercial resorts are all ways to spend less while simultaneously enriching your trip with authentic experience. For the foreign visitor, things are becoming easier all the time, though, with the introduction of more efficient bus services, simplified currency systems and a wider variety of consumer goods. Ironically, these improvements also mark an irreversible move away from what makes Cuba unique. Inevitably you'll need to scratch harder at the surface these days to uncover something most visitors haven't. Virgin beaches, untouched diving and fishing areas, quaint, unaffected villages and hidden paladares are fewer and further between. Though the nation's unique culture and resourceful character will always ensure that Cuba is more than just another island paradise, the determination to sell the country to a worldwide market means the time to go is now rather than later.