Part 11: Ponce to Fajardo, Puerto Rico

20121031

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The Trip

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

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.

We ate at one of the 4 restaurants at the resort and the food was good.  Typically, I try not to eat at hotel restaurants, but given the logistics it was the best choice in this case.  We were pleasantly surprised.

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.