Setting aside those political issues (for which I have my own opinion, but I think that this is not the right forum to discuss them) Cuba is a very interesting place to visit. Except for the large resort areas (Varadero, Cayo Coco, ...) and large cities such as La Haban; the tourism infrastucture is not very developped; but you can always stay in private houses (casas particulares) where the accommdation is, usually, simple but you have the big advantage of meeting the local people. Of couse, staying in private houses can be a problem if you are a large group because each house has usually ony one or two rooms available for rent.

In my opinion, the best part of visiting Cuba is meeting the local people, so knowledge of Spanish is definetly an asset.

Hope this helps, e-mail if you have further questions...

Albert