Cayo Guillermo is one of the most spectacular islands in Cuba that make up the Jardines del Rey archipelago, located on the northwest coast of the island, between the Bahía de Perros (Bay) and the Atlantic Ocean. Until the Cuban government decided to develop it as a tourist destination in the early ’90s, this small island was known only to the hardy fishermen who plied its two-tone blue waters. Part of the Jardines del Rey (Gardens of the King), a long string of keys that runs along Cuba’s northern coast, it now hosts a handful of five-star resorts. Cayo Guillermo in many ways still feels unsettled, with large areas of open space, virgin beaches, and a colony of pink flamingos. It was also one of Ernest Hemingway’s favourite fishing spots, so much so that he actually wrote about it in his posthumously released novel, Islands in the Stream. Playa Pilar, which is often regarded as the top beach in Cuba and one of the best in all of the Caribbean, has been named in his honour—it now bears the name of Papa’s beloved boat, Pilar.
