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To get to Cayo Guillermo you must take the 20 mile long Pedraplén in the
middle of the sea and take the main road through Cayo
Coco (another 20 miles) to the west. Hemingway used to go fishing
in the fish-filled depths of its magnificent beach with the whitest sand
you have ever seen. Nowadays, the three luxury hotels for tourists have
taken over the 8 square miles of beach. We opted for a double room at
the Sol Club Cayo Guillermo* hotel, a Spanish luxury hotel exactly like
you would find in any other tourist spot on the planet.
The price for a night in the hotel includes three huge meals. You can
find almost anything you want to eat at one of the three restaurants (Rio
Azul, El Vigia, Don Guillermo), or the Tocororo snack bar. It also includes
a host of activities (diving, aerobics, tennis, the night club La Isla,
or evening entertainment...) and all you want to drink at any one of the
hotels three bars....
To take advantage of all these amenities, you will be obliged to wear
a bracelet that will keep you from tanning all over. Once you've gotten
past the reception hall and its flashy patio, the hotel looks like a very
well ordered little village surrounding a swimming pool. The colorful,
little houses with terraces contain 270 impeccably clean, and tastefully
decorated air conditioned rooms with satellite television. With a safe
in each room, you can leave your valuable objects in your room while you're
at the beach.
The hotel looks a lot like all the other luxury hotels for tourists
that seem to be popping up all over the world. The one exception to this
rule is the three mile long beach (there are three on the island) where
you can do whatever you like (diving, sailing, or drinking) and especially
dive in to crystal clear, warm water in which walk a half a mile out and
still touch the sandy bottom. It's incredible. Especially if you don't
swim very well.
While you can stay as long as you like, all good things must come to an
end. You might thing of picking up a few souvenirs at the gift shop in
the hotel. You can find almost anything you want at better prices than
you would find in the rest of Cuba. The good quality and very original
T-shirts are inexpensive, a good bottle of 7 year old "ron"
Cuban rum will only set you back about 8 dollars. Once you've filled your
bags and your memory with souvenirs, all you have to do is get back on
your merry way toward Moron and then on to Santa Clara, the town where
Che Guevara was born.
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