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.

What you actually see

• 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.

Honest expectations

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.