Cojimar

Cojímar is a quiet village east of Havana around a small inlet, with a squat Spanish watchtower of 1649 on the point and a bust of Hemingway on the seafront, cast from ship fittings donated by local fishermen after his death. He kept his boat here for years and the village and its crews are generally taken as the background to The Old Man and the Sea. La Terraza, the restaurant on the waterfront, keeps photographs of him on the walls and has been trading on the connection ever since.

History

The name Cojímar comes from the Taíno language and is thought to mean the entrance of water into fertile land. A permanent settlement of fishermen, sailors and enslaved Africans was established here by the Spanish in 1554, and in 1649 the fortress was completed against the pirate raids common on this coast - often counted as the town's formal founding. In the 19th century Cojímar became a seaside resort for Havana's upper classes, with baths fed by mineral springs and a chapel of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, patron of seafarers, whose yearly feast has been kept since 1879; the Hotel Campoamor opened in 1907. Tourism declined in the mid-20th century as Varadero took the trade, but the village kept its link with Ernest Hemingway, who lived here for a time and kept his boat, the Pilar, in the harbour (Wikipedia, Cojímar).

What's there

• The watchtower - a Spanish coastal fort of 1649 on the point above the inlet.
• The Hemingway bust - cast from fittings given by local fishermen, on the seafront.
• La Terraza - the waterfront restaurant with its photographs and its view over the inlet.
• The inlet - small fishing boats and the harbour the village works from.

When to go

November to April is the drier season. Mornings are when the boats are in. The village is quiet at almost any time and is easily combined with Finca Vigia in one trip.

Things to know

There is very little here and an hour covers it. The Hemingway connection is thoroughly commercialised at the restaurant, where prices reflect it. The beach is not a swimming beach.

Nearby

Finca Vigia is inland to the southwest, and the Playas del Este begin further along the coast.

Key facts