Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
thick stew). It also functions as a mini art gallery; the walls are crowded with colorful paint-
ings from locals.
La Terraza
SEAFOOD $$
(cnr PR 693 & 697; dishes $10-40; dinner)
The atmosphere at this terraced roadside
restaurant is a bit less buttoned-up than Dorado's other options, and the surf-and-turf menu
is the best of the cluster of restaurants at the junction. It serves a mean paella, and the 2nd-
floor rooftop terrace offers distant views of the sea. Expect occasional live salsa music -
although it's usually pop rock from Hollywood soundtracks.
Getting There & Away
It is easy to get a público to and from Río Piedras in San Juan (40 minutes) or the ferry
terminal in Cataño (about $4; 20 minutes).
PLAYA MAR CHIQUITA
With foaming, furious waves, bizarre rock formations and a protected wading pool,
Playa Mar Chiquita is the most spectacular beach on this coast.
Manatí & Around
POP 16,000
Modern Manatí, which was named for the endangered manatee (sea cow) that once
prospered in these waters, is an industrial hub for workers in local pharmaceutical factories
and a nearby pineapple-canning plant. But skirt the industrial eyesores and you'll uncover
some little-heralded beaches along with two inland forest reserves among the sinkholes and
limestone
mogotes
of karst country.
Manatí sprawls between the two east-west island thoroughfares of Hwy 2 and Express-
way 22 (a toll road). The beaches and Laguna Tortuguero lie on a thin coastal strip to the
north, while the Bosque Estatal de Vega lies just south of the main highways, approxim-
