Sunday: Luquillo and Playa Azul Beach Day
Me, after both my second swim and second shower of the day!
Today was our day to relax and enjoy the local attractions in Luquillo. Had to start, of course, with one of my favorite parts of a seaside vacation: morning coffee on the balcony. (Mind you, it was crazy hot, so a lot of my coffee drinking was while looking at that beautiful view from the air-conditioned living room - but I did actually go out on the balcony a few times.)
After that, it was time to take advantage of being Right On The Beach, by heading down the elevator, out the door, and into the water. I become a little kid at the beach and will play in the waves for as long as you let me - or at least until my fingers shrivel entirely into prunes. 😁
Swimming worked up an appetite, so we came back in and washed the salt off, then headed back out to find lunch. Panderri Bakery was walking distance from the condo and turned out a *fantastic* choice! I got coffee con leche (milk) and discovered that I would have preferred Gustos brand for the condo. Toph got a BLT on mallorca - a Puerto Rican bread/bun that has a similar texture to cinnamon rolls, but not that much sweetness - more like a Hawaiian sweet bread. It came with a fried egg and enough bacon even for him, and he declared it possibly the best BLT he'd ever eaten (our old Friday night crowd may appreciate that!) I got a medianoche (pork roast, ham, Swiss, and in this case maple mustard) on pan sobao, another lightly sweet, soft and spongy Puerto Rican bread that's more bread-like than bun-like, and I absolutely loved it. We finished with a light and flaky, sweet-tart guava pastry that rivaled the ones we had in the French Quarter patisserie earlier this year. A very satisfying meal!
Once we got back, Toph felt like he was a little over-salted but I wanted to take advantage of the waves just a little more. So I actually went back in my myself - there were other people on the beach (though by no means was it crowded) and heck, he could see me from the balcony. 😁 Swam for about an hour, then took Shower #2 for the day and went to dinner.
Back to the kiosks, we tried La Parilla, which had a lot of good reviews. This time, they were quite valid and we both greatly enjoyed our meals - mofongo for me, not dry this time, made with sweet plantain instead of savory, and covered with shrimp and cheese hollandaise sauce; and beef-and-plantain stuffed pork medallions in a guava and red wine sauce for Toph. A little more expensive but deliciously worth it.
Closed the night with a pair of just-grabbed-at-closing mojitos from Mojito Lab that we took back to the condo and enjoyed in air conditioning. Another great day!
TL;DR - Pictures!
From the Amigo grocery store in Luquillo: a recommended-by-my-travel-research brand of Puerto Rican coffee, and skim milk for creamer. (Why don't we have tons of shelf-safe milk in the continental US?)
The best part of morning: rich Puerto Rican coffee and this breathtaking view of the Playa Azul beach!
Greeting one of our new friends in the Playa Azul parking lot. There were a few Siamese mixes in the colony and it was so tempting to bring one home...
The only thing between us and a lovely beach day on Playa Azul is this gate. Fortunately, we have a key. 😁
These were GREAT waves to play in!
While not crystal clear, it was the kind of ocean experience I most enjoy, just bouncy enough to be entertaining without being 'rough'. (Also, we wore swim shirts, having previously confirmed that reef-safe sunscreen is not enough in tropical sunlight!)
Panderri Bakery (which despite the name is a full restaurant, not only a bakery) was walking distance from the condo and a fantastic place to eat! Did not take advantage of the many adult beverages Panderri Bakery had available along with their coffee - maybe next trip. 🙂
Their cafe con leche was absolutely delicious and made me wish I'd bought Gustos instead of Alta Grande for the condo.
We chose wisely from their brunch menu. (This is only a portion of it.)
Toph declared this Mallorca BLT from Panderri Bakery possibly the best BLT he'd ever had - and at least some of you know how high a praise that is coming from him!
This medianoche sandwich on house-made Pan Sobao from Panderri Bakery was fantastic as well -- I liked it even better than the BLT.
After those delicious sandwiches, we had to try the guava pastry we saw another diner get at Panderri Bakery. Light, flaky, tart and sweet, it was right up there with the pastries we got from the patisserie we visited in New Orleans, and worth making a little dessert room for!
Walking through Luquillo, we happened across this... Parade? Bike club outing? Whoever they were, they were super happy that Toph was dancing to their music and cheering them on. 😁
Say it with me: everywhere you turn in Puerto Rico, there is art.
La Pared beach at Luquillo is normally red-flagged (dangerous conditions) due to the heavy surf and winds, so not popular with swimmers, but more so for sight-seers, surfers, and sea birds.
While we didn't get to visit the C Note Jazz Club this visit, it too has art on its exterior walls.
We continued our walk along Luquillo's public square - and by some brightly painted buildings.
It was a ridiculously hot day for a walk! So we were delighted to come across a small shop selling Paletteamerica frozen gelato pops! I got the venezolana -- passionfruit filled with condensed milk -- such a decadent combination of tart and sweet! Toph got the Argentina, dulce de leche dipped in chocolate.
After my second swim and shower, and Toph's "resting his eyes," we went out for dinner - but had to greet the cats first. The old Siamese-ish girl was resting in the heat. (Why did she not get a nickname of her own? I am not sure!)
There turned out to be several black cats, so we just named them all George. 😁 Here is Grizabella, one of the Georges, and a new-to-us Talky Tortie.
Another new one, who we immediately dubbed Smokey.
Dinner was at La Parilla in the Luquillo Kiosks, which lived up to its stellar reputation in travel groups and forums. There was great open air seating on the second floor -- in the daytime there would be a lovely sea view from here.
In addition, they had an extensive menu.
Toph got a really tasty sangria, which I "shared." (By which I mean "mooched" 😁 )
Our appetizer: light and lovely arepas, much better than what we'd had last night at Edelweiss.
Their mofongo was light years better too. Mofongo de plátano maduros con camarones en salsa de queso holandés -- mashed plantains (sweet plantains this time) with shrimp and a cheese hollandaise sauce. Couldn't share with Toph because of the shrimp, but sure wish I could have, as it was worth it!
Toph had Medallones de Cerdo Rellenos de carne con platanos maduros envueltos en bacon en un glaciado de guyaba, alcaparras y vino tinto - Pork medallions stuffed with ground beef and sweet plantain, grilled in a guava and red wine reduction. Yes, it was every bit as good as it sounds.
And a lovely end to the day: In the blue light of the LED hall light in the condo, a Mojito Lab take-home cocktail that they were kind enough to mix up right at closing for us. I had tamarind tonight, another fun tart-sweet flavor like parcha; while Toph had mango.
(You can return to the index to see another day's post, here: Puerto Rico 2024 Index )
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