Our
night at the Melia hotel in Ponce was fine, but basic. The
rustic nature was at odds with our need for electricity for our
various devices. It seems that there were only 2 available
outlets in the room. But, the air conditioner worked and
the beds were comfortable. The next morning we had
breakfast on the roof terrace and then headed east.
The photos below are what we saw.
From the
roof top deck of the Melia we had a nice view of the hills above
Ponce.
The deck
had a breakfast area and a lounge area.
From
Ponce we headed east along PR-52 to Arroyo. Going through
the city we spotted this monument.
Further
east the road went along the coast and a turn-out gave us a great view
of the beach.
Some of
the places along the beach looked very inviting. It almost
made me want to move here.
We were
admiring the beach scenery and our ears were assaulted by the
excessive noise of a political ad truck with huge speakers.
Further
down the road we stopped at a roadside cantina for lunch.
The view from the cantina was awesome. To the east we
could see Punta Tuna and the lighthouse.
Vieques
Island provided a nice background for the Punta Tuna lighthouse.
There
are some things you should not see in a restaurant and a chicken
searching for food is one of them.
High
above us we saw sea birds circling seeking lunch.
We drove
to the lighthouse at Punta Tuna. The beach to the east was
part of a nature preserve.
The
lighthouse was still in good repair (externally) but not operational.
This is
a pachypodium, AKA Madagascar palm. I have several in my
front yard, but this one is a bit taller. But, mine has
multiple "heads".
We
continued east and were forced to go over a large ridge which
gave us a great view of the water below.
It was
getting late in the day and we were looking at the map to decide
where to stay. Kathleen wanted a Bed and Breakfast but I ended up
choosing the El Conquistador Resort without any knowledge of
what was there. After a long driveway through a well
manicured golf course, I decided that I made the correct decision.
Since we were a "walk-in" we got a great rate and a room that
overlooked the bay. The photo above was taken off of our
private balcony.
The
hotel has its own private marina for guest's boats. There
is yet-another bar underneath the blue roof.
To the
south of our room was Palomino Island. While I know
nothing about it, it would seem to be either a private resort or
condos with a private marina.
The El
Conquistador, where we were staying, had its own private island
to the east of our room!
Our room
was quite large for a simple hotel.
The
bathroom was large and had a large walk-in closet.
There
was a sunken tub.
I have
to say that I was impressed overall, particularly since we just
walked in without knowing what was here.
The main
resort area as seen from our deck.
The main
facility is on the hill, and there is a funicular (tram) that
takes you from the hotel to the marina.
The front of our room
overlooked the garden.
After several mojitos
at the outside bar I felt compelled to take a photo of the
awesome view of the bay.
The upstairs pool as
seen from the bar.
3 mojitos into the evening you can see her drifty eyes. Kathleen was a hit at the bar.
From the reception
area you get a different view of the bay.
Tomorrow, we head into
the Isla Verde portion of San Juan. Friday, back to San
Diego.
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Photos and Text Copyright Bill Caid 2012, all rights
reserved.
For your enjoyment only, not for commercial use.