Ernest Hemingway in Cuba

Ernest Hemingway, A Cubano Sato 

Renée S. Gordon

Cuba is a hot travel destination in every sense of the word. “Discovered” on Columbus first voyage in 1492, it gained almost immediate importance for its location between North and South America. The largest island in the Greater Antilles, Cuba is actually an archipelago with more than 4,000 small islands. The main island is 776-miles long and is made up of beaches, marshes, mountains, plains and tropical forests.

Baracoa, the first settlement was established in 1511 after nearly all the indigenous people were wiped out. There followed an influx of Europeans, Africans, at one point exceeding the white population, and Chinese. Each ethnic group added a layer to the culture of the country that can be seen in its art, architecture, cuisine, religion and music. Travelers are rapidly discovering that Cuba is totally unique.

Ernest Hemingway initially discovered the natural beauty, bounty and warmth of the Cuban people for three days in 1928 while on route to Spain. He and his family booked a room in the Havana Hotel Ambos Mundos. Four years later he returned to fish for marlin and two years after that he purchased a boat he named after his wife, El Pilar, that he docked in the tiny fishing village of Cojimar and he boarded in the Hotel Ambos Mundos. Eventually Hemingway purchased a hilltop home and lived there until he left Cuba after the revolution. He referred to himself as a Cubano Sato, an ordinary Cuban. There are five major sites on the Ernest Hemingway Trail that provide insight into what he most loved about Cuba. All are accessible, tours are self-guided and there is no language barrier.

Hotel Ambos Mundos, Hemingway’s first home in Cuba, is located in the heart of Old Havana. The 5-story, colonial-style hotel was constructed in 1923 and restored 73 years later. During his 1932-39 residence he occupied room 511, now preserved as a museum, that features several personal items including the Remington typewriter upon which he started For Whom the Bell Tolls and one of his rifles. Looking around the room and out of the windows allows you an interesting look into his world.

The lobby is complete with piano bar, comfortable seating and is a mini-museum. Adorning the walls are pictures of the author at various stages. A large open-grilled elevator is the one he would have ridden to his room and guests may take it to the rooftop terrace for cocktails and a view of the city below. Reservations can be made through Cuba Travel Network. www.hotelambosmundos

Both of Hemingway’s two favorite Havana bars still exist, are little changed physically and continue to serve his signature drinks. They are tourist draws but are also essential sites on the trail.

La Bodeguita del Medio is a local establishment that is noted for not only its drinks but also its Cuban cuisine. Here Hemingway was known to favor the Cuban highball, a mojito. One of the most famous displays in the bar is a, supposedly, autographed, framed, statement, “My mojito in La Bodeguita, My daiquiri in El Floridita”. The walls are filled with photographs of the author, inscriptions and graffiti.

La Floridita is possibly the most famous of Hemingway’s haunts and is considered "la cuna del daiquiri", “the cradle of the daiquiri”. The Silver Pineapple opened in 1817 and was renamed in 1914 because of the large number of North Americans who frequented the establishment. An ascantinero, a bartender and the owner, is believed to have created the frozen daiquiri. 

       The atmosphere in the bar is fantastic and tourists are ever present, but no Hemingway tour is complete without a daiquiri from La Floridita. The daiquiri was reportedly his favorite drink and he is said to have drunk 13 doubles in one sitting. They do offer drinks without the rum and live music is offered. Photographs and a bust of the writer decorate the venue and, best of all, Hemingway himself is present. A life-sized statue of the author, by José Villa Soberón, stands behind a red velvet rope near his favorite bar stool. 

           In 1940 Hemingway purchased an 1886 hilltop home for $12,500 in San Francisco de Paula 10-miles from Havana. The home, Finca Vigia, Lookout Farm, was his residence until he left Cuba forever in 1960. During his years there he wrote For Whom the Bell Tolls and The Old Man and the Sea. Upon his death in 1961 the government took over the estate.

            Visitors cannot enter the house but are allowed to peer in through doors and windows. Tours are self-guided and include the house, garden, tower, pool and boat. The home looks as if Hemingway just stepped out. It is filled with trophies, personal items, furniture, 9,000 books and his personal typewriter placed atop a bookcase because Hemingway wrote standing due to an old injury.

              His fishing boat El Pilar is on view near the pool. It is painted in dark colors, unlike other Cuban fishing vessels, because Hemingway was the only American allowed to patrol Cuba’s offshore waters hunting for German U-boats. He was equipped with hand grenades, binoculars and a Thompson machine gun. President Roosevelt requested that civilians volunteer to patrol the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico in 1942. The volunteers became known as Hooligan Navy. They were mandated to patrol and if necessary alert the military. Hemingway the adventurer obviously had other military ideas.

               A few miles from Finca Vigia is the tiny fishing village of Cojimar. Hemingway set his 1954 Nobel Prize winning novel, The Old Man and the Sea, there. He docked the Pilar there and it is widely believed that the title character is based on his fishing guide Gregorio Fuentes. In the novel the old man promises to visit the Shrine of the Virgin of Charity of El Cobre, in Santiago de Cuba if he lands his fish. Hemingway gifted his 23kt Nobel Prize Literary Medal to the Virgin of Charity where it was displayed until stolen even though it was rapidly returned. 

               La Terraza de Cojímar is a restaurant and bar that was frequented by Hemingway. In remembrance the bar section is decorated with photographs and paintings of both Hemingway and Fuentas. In the attached restaurant his table is indicated with a historical sign. From his table you obtain one of the views that inspired his book.

               The main street is a bayside promenade and a small stone fortress currently housing the coast guard. Hemingway Park is midway the promenade. Inside a neo-classical pavilion is a bust of Ernest Hemingway created by villagers in his memory in 1962 from donated metal after they learned of his suicide. He gazes contemplatively out to sea.

                Hemingway’s influence on world literature has not diminished.  “Papa Hemingway in Cuba” was the first American movie to be filmed there since 1959. Scenes were shot on actual locations, many of which are on the tour. 

       I highly recommend that the best way to experience all that Cuba offers is to take a cruise and the most affordable and immersive all island tour I found was Celestyal® Cruises - Experience The Real Cuba‎. All of the above sites are part of a Havana tour in conjunction with an accompanying guide, specialty drinks and guaranteed access to sites. All of their cruises immerse you in the culture through more than port excursions. On board activities and events amplify your experience with lectures, classes, folklore shows and Cuban crewmembers. Most impressively, activities are designed to coincide with port visits so that travelers are knowledgeable prior to cultural encounters. Celestyal Cruises vary in length and ports of embarkation. Schedules, general information and pricing is available online.      http://americas.celestyalcruises.com/en, #celestyalcruises