Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
If you're interested in poking around town after a dip, check out
San Blás Catholic
Church
on the plaza, which has paintings by the island masters Campeche and Oller, in-
cluding a painting of one of Oller's girlfriends being tortured in purgatory. As in Guayama,
Coamo has also converted an old mansion on the plaza into a
museum
; it opens upon a
request through the town hall.
Sleeping & Eating
You'll pass loads of kiosks on the roads around Coamo, many of them roasting pork and
seafood and dishing out lunches for about $5. If you want to sit down (and have an aversion
to fast-food) it's a bit of a hunt, though there are several cafeterias in the blocks surround-
ing the town square.
Parador Baños de Coamo
HOTEL $$
( 787-825-22186;
www.banosdecoamo.com
; end of Hwy 546; r $85-95; )
Situated around an enormous
Samanea saman
(rain tree), this is the most recent incarna-
tion of the hotels that have stood on the site for 150 years. This one has been here since
the 1970s, though the ruins of its predecessors give it a historical colonial feel. Lizards
scurry around the grounds and guests enjoy an open-air bar and thermal pools. The rooms
are modern, if a little worn. Things are quiet in low season. Nonguests can use the hotel's
swimming and thermal pools between 10am and 5:30pm for $5/3 per adult/child.
La Ceiba
MEXICAN, PUERTO RICAN $$
(Rte153Km13;mains$8-16)
After a morning at the pools, this breezy, brightly painted,
open-air Mexican spot is a great roadside stop. It has daily specials of Puerto Rican pork,
rice and beans and passable Mexican standards, such as grilled chicken or steak burritos.
Beware the potent margaritas.
