Cojímar is a small fishing village east of Havana where Ernest Hemingway kept his boat and fished with the local fishermen who became the models for The Old Man and the Sea. The village is quiet and largely unchanged from the 1950s — a few streets, a small fort, a harbour with fishing boats, and La Terraza restaurant where Hemingway used to drink. The local fishermen contributed their gold medals to cast the small bust of Hemingway that stands in the square.
La Terraza (now a tourist restaurant with reasonable food) preserves some atmosphere of the original bar. The fort at the harbour entrance, though small, is genuinely old and gives views over the coastline. Cojímar is easily combined with a day trip to the Playas del Este — a taxi ride east along the coastal road.