Marina Hemingway

Very little about Cuba’s nautical tradition has been divulged in recent decades, despite the fact that it dates back to colonial times.

Cuba’s first sailboat race was held in 1887, as an initiative of the Havana Yacht Club. In the 30s, a shipyard that built a wide variety of vessels was prospering on the shores of Havana’s Almendares river. By the end of the 1940s, Cuba was home to hundreds of yachts and recreational fishing vessels.

The Marina Barlovento Complex was one of the facilities created during the flourishing of these activities.

It began to be built for the son of President Batista in 1953 as part of Havana’s urban development plan. Upon completion, it boasted 4,500-meter canals lined with houses and docks for the owners’ yachts. Following the triumph of the revolution in 1959, it was nationalized and re-baptized as the “Hemingway Marina.”

Even though this marina is recognized as Cuba’s leading nautical facility and hosts internationally renowned fishing tournaments, it looks dilapidated, lacking in comforts and dominated by an infrastructure that has seen next to no refurbishing.

Within the complex, the 15, modernist houses that make up Villa Paraiso, designed in the 50s by Nicolas Arroyos (one of the most renowned of modernist architects in Cuba at the time), show the greatest degree of neglect.

 

Even with so many derelict buildings it is still maintained well enough to be an attractive place to stay. These days with the influx of fishing tournaments, yachts, regattas, rallies and other nautical activity, there is some evidence of improvement – new modern electrical boxes are evidence of the trend.  The water in the canal  is clean because the ocean water flows through. This is important to us because we can use our water maker.

Also, it’s centrally located, a mostly safe place to leave your boat and handy for travel, whether just to Old Havana or around the country.

However, it’s still old and in need of some TLC.  That being said, there’s a lot to like about a stay at Marina Hemingway.  

We are tied up in Canal 2 which is flanked by a grassy promenade on one side and the Acuaria Hotel on the other.  The hotel is an all-inclusive property playing host primarily to upper middle class Cubans.

 

 

We have a beautiful view of the ocean with its the late evening sunsets and the canal in the morning, when the sun is rising and the quiet little canal wakes up gracefully.

    

 There are a few boats in the marina, but not too many of them are "occupied".  The activity seems to come from the locals who visit the hotel or one of the three restaurants on the property.  We have had an excellent pizza at La Cove and a very different Chinese meal at Papa's.

 

   We are grateful to our friend, Per Weisletten, who speaks fluent Spanish and sent several emails to the marina on our behalf, asking lots of pre-arrival questions.  Everything went smoothly.  Now we are looking forward to our excursions to Havana and other parts of the country.