White sand beach in Cayo Coco,Cuba:

Cayo Coco  is an island in central Cuba, known for its all inclusive resorts. It lies within the Ciego de Ávila Province and is part of a chain of islands called Jardines del Rey ("the King's Gardens"). The cay is administered by the Morón municipality. It is named for the white ibis, locally called Coco (coconut) birds. It has a surface of 370 km².

Cayo Coco and its neighboring Cayo Guillermo, are the setting for Ernest Hemingway's "Islands In The Stream and "The Old Man and the Sea".

Used as a hideout by buccaneers in the early colonial period, the island was home to a small settlement of fishermen and charcoal producers until 1955 when the freshwater supply was exhausted and the market for charcoal ended with the spread of electrification after the Cuban Revolution. A causeway was built to the Cuban mainland in 1988, beginning the era of resort construction. The first resort, Guitart Cayo Coco (now the Blau Colonial), opened in 1993. The Cuban exile group Alpha 66 machine gunned the resort in 1994 and 1995, although there were no injuries.The causeway, or pedraplen in Spanish, linking Cayo Coco to the mainland is 27 km long and runs across Perros Bay (Bahia de Perros). It was built in 16 months and 3 million cubic meters of stone were needed to build it. The construction caused concern among environmentalists as it disturbed the tidal flow and thus life-cycle of waterlife. Despite fears, the wild flamingos still live in the shallow waters and can often be seen from the causeway although not as often as before the construction. A number of gaps were subsequently created in the causeway to restore water flow.

Still largely wild with swamps and scrubland populated by wild cattle, the islands boast about a dozen large international hotels spread out. Beaches are very good and the massive coral reef off the north coast attracts divers from around the world. Resorts in the area include Melia Cayo Coco, Hotel Playa Coco, Hotel Colonial Cayo Coco, Tryp Cayo Coco, Sol Cayo Coco, Memories Flamenco, Iberostar Mojito, And Iberostar Cayo Coco.

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