Cuba
The beach at Maria la Gorda ('Fat Mary') is said to be named after a Venezualan courtesan abandoned there by pirates once upon a time.
It's in the Cabo San Antonio nature reserve on the remote south western corner of Cuba. In 1999 it was the idyllic home of a little scuba diving school, six or seven chalets and a cocktail bar.
We hired a car in Havana and drove south west via Pinar del Rio. The journey took four or five hours, and we gave lifts to Cubans who gave us directions.
www.dtcuba.com/HotelInfo.aspx?hc=328
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