Cayo Guillermo is a
cay of the
Jardines del Rey archipelago. It is located on the northern coast of
Cuba
Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...
, between the Bay of Dogs (''Bahia de Perros'') and the
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the ...
. It is part of the
Ciego de Ávila Province
Ciego de Ávila () is one of the provinces of Cuba, and was previously part of Camagüey Province. Its capital is Ciego de Ávila, which lies on the Carretera Central (central highway), and the second city is Morón, further north.
The provi ...
, and lies in the
Morón municipality.
History
Sparsely inhabited in early years by fishermen and charcoal producers, the island gained fame in the 1960s with deep sea fishermen. The first resort was built in 1993 in an era described by critics as "
tourist apartheid", as Cuban citizens were not allowed on the island unless they worked at the resorts serving tourists or had other specific permission. However this restriction was lifted after 2000 and Cubans who can afford motor transport often visit Playa Pilar on the island. Many staff who work in the hotels commute from the mainland towns of
Morón and Ciego de Avila.
Tourism
The island is a popular tourist destination. One of the country's best beaches, the ''Playa Pilar'' (Pilar Beach) is located at the western end of Cayo Guillermo. This beach is named after
Ernest Hemingway
Ernest Miller Hemingway ( ; July 21, 1899 – July 2, 1961) was an American novelist, short-story writer and journalist. Known for an economical, understated style that influenced later 20th-century writers, he has been romanticized fo ...
's yacht, the cabin cruiser
''Pilar''. The island provides the setting for the climax of Hemingway's last novel ''
Islands in the Stream''
[Hemingway, Ernest, ''Islands in the Stream'' (1970) Charles Scribner & Sons, New York, pp.405-466]
As of 2022, there are 10 hotels in Cayo Guillermo:
Cayo Guillermo Resort Kempinski, Gran Muthu Imperial, Gran Muthu Rainbow Hotel, Grand Muthu Cayo Guillermo, Hotel Camino del Mar (formerly Melia Cayo Guillermo), Hotel Vigia (formerly Sol Cayo Guillermo), Iberostar Daiquiri, Iberostar Selection Playa Pilar, Islazul Villa Gregorio, and Starfish Cayo Guillermo (formerly Villa Cojimar).
Transport
Access to the island is possible through the
Jardines del Rey Airport (Aeropuerto Jardines del Rey) as well as by means of a long causeway from mainland Cuba to
Cayo Coco
Cayo Coco is an island on the north coast of central Cuba, known for its all-inclusive resorts. It lies within the Ciego de Ávila Province and is part of a chain of islands called Jardines del Rey ('King's Gardens'). The cay is administered b ...
leading to a second shorter causeway to Cayo Guillermo, connecting the two kays.
References
External links
*{{in lang, en, fr}
www.cayoguillermocuba.net
Populated places in Ciego de Ávila Province
Morón, Cuba
Guillermo
Guillermo () is the Spanish form of the male given name William. The name is also commonly shortened to 'Guille' or, in Latin America, to nickname 'Memo'.
People
* Guillermo Amador (born 1974), American musician
* Guillermo Amor (born 1967), Span ...