This beach is my favourite amongst the many beautiful ones we came across on our travels in the Jardines Del Rey, an archipelago off Cuba’s northern coast. It is situated at the western end of Cayo Guillermo and has been named after Ernest Hemingway’s boat. He, of course, lived in Cuba for many years and the Cuban Keys were the setting for parts of his novel ‘Islands in the Stream’.
Below are a few further shots showing off the powdery white sands:
The large numbers of small fan palms growing in the dunes behind the beach provide an attractive backdrop.
Unfortunately, the views from Playa Pilar along the coastline have been spoilt in recent years by the erection of large hotels. The hotels are some distance away and the beach as such has not been built on, but we still remember the pristine dunes all along as far as the eye could see. Sadly, that is not the case any more.
There is no natural shade here, but one stretch of the beach has some facilities.
Hemingway’s links to this area are not only remembered through Playa Pilar’s name. The photo below depicts Pasarela Hemingway, a pier on one of Cayo Guillermo’s other fabulous beaches.
Cayo Guillermo also offers good wildlife viewing opportunities, particularly in relation to birds – as the following shots illustrate.
(I took this one whilst strolling along Playa Pilar.)
You will also come across a number of classic American cars being used as taxis.
My kids love that beach. Safe and great for flying kites.