North Coast - Puerto Rico - page 383

boring bit of sand surrounded by rocky outcrops and marred by litter. For a far better ex-
perience try Playa de Cerro Gordo, several miles to the west.
You can also get to nearby Toa Alta's beach, Punta Salinas , about 20 minutes east of
Dorado on Rte 165. It's got food kiosks, lifeguards, restrooms and basketball courts.
Sleeping & Eating
Dorado's guests mostly stay in time-shares and eat at the American fast-food restaurants
lining the main roads. If you're here to golf and have a taste for something more adven-
turous, try the area by the public beach, where open-air snack bars sell lots of deep-fried
delights and cold beer.
Embassy Suites Dorado del Mar Beach & Golf RESORT $$
( 796-6125; www.embassysuitesdorado.com ; 201 Dorado del Mar Blvd; r
$150-300; ) Dorado's newest resort has taken center stage since the gargan-
tuan golf hotels have transformed into time-shares. Close to town amid a phalanx of gated
communities, it has a Chi Chi Rodríguez-designed course, a business center, a gym, tennis
courts and specialty restaurants. The open-plan lobby is a fountain-filled state-of-the-art
extravaganza where smooth-talking salespeople in Hawaiian shirts leap out from behind
pillars and try to sell you time-shares. If you can survive this relatively innocuous form of
initiation, you could be in for a ball.
Villa Dorada d'Alberto Seafood Restaurant SEAFOOD $$
(99 Calle E; dishes $12-25; lunch & dinner) With gentlemanly waiters in black tie
and linen napkins, this is Dorado's classiest joint, serving seafood platters to a soundtrack
of schmaltzy elevator music. On the weekends it's a scene as tables of locals buzz with
date night, and remains one of the only places around that draws vacationers out of their
all-inclusive slumber. Afterwards you can wander next door to Katrina or out to the public
beach, where romantic guitars play Puerto Rican and Cuban classics.
El Ladrillo SEAFOOD $$
( 796-2120; www.elladrillorestaurant.com ; 334 Calle Méndez Vigo; dishes $15-35)
El Ladrillo has been a culinary anchor of downtown Dorado for decades; it exudes old-
world charm, with dark wood, exposed brick and thick steaks. Naturally, it serves seafood
as well; everything from octopus salad to lobster asopao (an island specialty, a delicious