Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Parador Vistamar HOTEL $$
( 895-2065; www.paradorvistamar.com ; Hwy 2 Km 102; r $75-115; ) Five
miles east of Isabela, this uninspired parador has 55 hilltop rooms, some with balcony
views of the Atlantic (across the highway). Fine if you're not fussy, but it's too close to
Hwy 2 for comfort.
Eating
Panadería Los Cocos BAKERY, CAFE $
( 895-6932; PR 484 Km 0.2, just north of Hwy 2; sandwiches $3) The rosy-cheeked
ladies behind the counter at this bakery will claim that they're baking in Puerto Rico's old-
est bakery, a real find on the long drive between the west coast and San Juan. They might
be right. The bakery has been cooking continually for 140 years and still uses wood-fired
ovens to turn out fresh bread with a thick, dusty crust. Their champion dishes include a
slightly sweet bread stuffed with roasted pork, cakes sweetened with fresh fruit and killer
sandwiches. Finding the place can be a little difficult. It is just east of Quebradillas. Look
for a sign painted on a surfboard advertising lessons.
Eclipse CARIBBEAN FUSION $$
( 872-9554; www.villamontana.com ; Rte 4466 Km 1.2; dishes $10-36) The alfresco
atmosphere - furious waves and gentle breezes, bright tropical flowers and elegantly rustic
furniture - is nearly outpaced by the creative flavors of seafood and fresh, locally sourced
vegetables at this on-site restaurant of Villa Montaña. Start with a cocktail of house-infused
liquor, the fried brie and seaweed salad or the octopus salad with golden plantains before
moving on to mains of pan-Latin steak and seafood. The menu changes daily.
Panaderia El Mana CAFETERIA $
( 872-1475;Rte466Km3;dishes$3-7) After a morning at Jobos, surfers arrive ragged
and ravenous to El Mana, a bakery with one of the heartiest home-cooked Puerto Rican
lunches on the island. There's nothing much to look at in this dim and scrappy little bakery
and it comes (unfortunately) served in Styrofoam take-out, but the rice and beans, pork
stew and comida criolla standards are excellent and come in enormous portions. To find it,
head up the hill from the beach.
 
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