Puerto Rico December 7-14 Part 2 Cabo Rojo

The most relaxing, beach- and pool-centric portion of our trip was the last 3 days, in Cabo Rojo. This whole region had a really wonderful and secluded atmosphere to enjoy some honeymoon-style R&R.  A highlight for us was the awesome view from our condo, where we got to just sit and drink mimosas to start the day.

The key word here is secluded. No one goes to Cabo Rojo for vacation, as least as far as I could tell.  We did not see other tourists around anywhere, and it was honestly a little sad at some points, that we were the only two people in really beautiful settings, enjoying secluded dinners, secluded beaches... it was amazing, but also, it makes me want to get the word out about Cabo Rojo! Why aren't more people vacationing here!?!?  I want the nice restaurants to stay in business!!

We enjoyed lovely dinners at

• Tino's Restaurant, where our waiter was as kind and sweet a middle aged waiter as you've ever met. His English was many magnitudes better than our Spanish, but still he made the most endearing effort to communicate and also quickly correct my meal when the kitchen made the wrong thing by mistake. This was clearly a local place, serving Puerto Rican food and frequented by locals; the only other two tables while we were there were large local families. It's nothing fancy, but fabulous service and authentic food.
• Agua al Cuello at the Parador Bahia Salinas Beach Hotel, on our way back from Playa Sucia. We were the only people here, and the best thing about this place is the ambiance. Really beautiful resort setting on the water.... just lovely. I could not fathom the absolute lack of people at this resort and the restaurant!  Where was everyone?!?!  The food was good, we got a huge salad with mango and almonds, some ceviche and a fried appetizer, as well as some festive and affordable Bahia Sunsets to drink.
  

• Miski Mikuna, which is Peruvian cuisine, and the chef will knock your socks off by coming to your table, explaining what the specials are that night, and customizing your dinner to you. I was SO excited to come here after reading the TripAdvisor reviews and it wasn't fancy like I thought it might be, but the food was definitely the focus. Unfortunately, we had eaten a late lunch that day and didn't have tons of room for feasting, or else we definitely would have tried more courses. As it was, we enjoyed a salmon appetizer, and DELICIOUS passionfruit cheesecake and key lime pie for dessert (the key lime pie!!!! WOW maybe the best I've ever had) -- and... drumroll... our most adventurous food of the trip, the whole red snapper (head included) which was that day's special.
  
  
  
  
  
  
   
  
  
  We saw the snapper come out to the table next to us and got nervous.... should we have ordered that??? But it was actually delicious and I was proud of us for trying it. It came with tasty leeks and carrots in cream sauce. And I mean, it WAS deep fried, so there really wasn't much chance it wouldn't be delicious, with or without the head and tail.
  
  
  The only "activity" we really did in Cabo Rojo, other than stopping by Walgreens and the grocery, was a day spent at Playa Sucia. It was the most glorious, fantastic day and we did not want to leave.  We had a perfect shady spot under a tree with our beach chairs, books and towels and very few other people around.  The only mistake was not bringing food and drinks (and bug repellent). I may have come away with bites all over my back. Bummer. But totally worth it. Around lunchtime we started getting faintly hungry. Rich said, should we go? I said, maybe another 20 minutes.  2 and a half hours later we finally reluctantly decided we had to leave and get food.  It was absolutely beautiful and zen and one of those days I wish I could relive over and over. 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  It was a bit challenging to find since it's pretty remote and the trip was rough on the rental car but definitely WORTH it. I'm so glad I got to spend a perfect afternoon in this heavenly spot. I'll always remember it. 
  
  
  I can't recommend enough to anyone going to Puerto Rico to get away from San Juan (as much fun as it is!) and get over to Cabo Rojo for at least a day or two. If you want secluded, this is your place. Not to mention the weather is reliably spectacular. It's more arid than San Juan and the rainier east side of the island; high of 88 and sunny most every day. I would even compare it to Hawaii as a perfect tropical weather location. We had such a lovely time here. Sadly, all good vacations have to come to an end. Bye Cabo Rojo!