Cayo Guillermo, Cuba

Just west of Cayo Coco is Cayo Guillermo, a much smaller coral key connected to Cayo Coco by a causeway. The mangroves off the south coast of Cayo Guillermo are home to pink flamingos and pelicans, and there's a great diversity of tropical fish and crustaceans on the key's Atlantic reef. This was a favorite fishing spot of US writer Ernest Hemingway, who mentioned Cayo Guillermo in his book Islands in the Stream.

The main hotel is named Villa Cojimar, for the fishing village near Havana where Hemingway kept his boat, and the resort's restaurant is called the Bodeguita de Guillermo, after Hemingway's favorite Havana bar, the Bodeguita del Medio.

Playa Pilar, a lovely white beach near the west end of Cayo Guillermo, is named for Hemingway's boat.

Cayo Guillermo is probably the number one sportfishing destination in Cuba. The deep-sea fishing facilities are good, and several freshwater lakes on the mainland are within commuting distance.