Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
shade of purple in the background, the crenellated ridges of El Yunque proffer a ghostly
invitation.
Central Luquillo doesn't have much worth exploring and little in the way of history.
Surfers flock to the beach at the La Pared break, giving the area a sporty laid-back vibe.
But most travelers head a mile west to Puerto Rico's so-called Riviera, the insanely popular
Luquillo Beach that is as famous for its ramshackle strip of permanent food kiosks as it is
for its icing-sugar sand and sheltered bay.
Luquillo traces its history to an early Spanish settlement in 1797 and its name to a val-
orous
cacique
(Taíno chief), Loquillo, who made a brave standoff against early colonizers
here in 1513. These days the 20,000-strong town is bypassed by the arterial Hwy 3 that car-
ries traffic to Fajardo. Here you'll find little of lasting architectural note save for a couple
of craning condo towers that do their best to block out views of El Yunque.
Thanks to Luquillo's popularity with vacationing
sanjuaneros
(people from San Juan),
público links with the capital are fairly regular during the week. If you're going to the
beach, make sure you disembark next to the kiosks, a mile or so before Luquillo Pueblo.
Most of the shops and stores of interest to visitors are alongside Playa Azul, or on Fernan-
dez Garcia.
Beaches
Playa Luquillo
BEACH
(Balneario La Monserrate; admission free, parking $4.50; 8am-5pm daily)
Luquillo is synonymous with its balneario, the fabulous Playa Luquillo. Set on a calm bay
facing northwest and protected from the easterly trade winds, the public part of this beach
makes a mile-long arc to a point of sand shaded by evocative coconut palms. The beach
itself is a plane of broad, gently sloping yellow powder that continues its gradual slope be-
low the water. Although crowds converge here at weekends and during holidays, Luquillo
has always been more about atmosphere than solitude. With its famous strip of about 60
food kiosks congregated at its western end, it's also a great place to sample the local culin-
ary culture, including scrumptious
surullitos
(fried cornmeal and cheese sticks). There is a
bathhouse, a refreshment stand, a security patrol and well-kept bathrooms.
You do not have to park in the balneario lot if you want to visit the beach. Playa Luquillo
extends at least another mile to the west. If you pull off Hwy 3 by the long row of food
kiosks, you can drive around to the ocean side of the stalls and park under the palms, just
a few steps from the beach and with more cold beer and
pastelillos
(fried dumplings) than
you could consume in a year.
