Puerto Rico..Friday, continued

           "Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see the shadow."  Helen Keller

Pamela's

 After a few hours, my belly started rumbling, so I decided to walk down the beach towards a beachfront restaurant I had read about (and the Inn it was attached to, Numero 1 had been recently written up in Budget Travel magazine, and had also been recommended by my Boss, and a patient).  Pamela’s is not a beach shack, it is considered fine dining on the beach!  And, it was.  I had a wonderful mojito with a corn cake topped with avocado-bean mix which was lovely followed by a small plate of grilled scallops nestled on a sesame dressed light salad.   I had just started reading “Cooking for Mr. Latte"  by Amanda Hesser, a food writer for the New York Times, lent to me by my co-worker.  At one point during my meal, I was close to tears, yes, definitely getting softer by the year.  Not sure if it was my incredible lunch on the sand surrounded by ocean, or the meals and food being described by Amanda.  I was invited to come back and be a “Guest” of Numero 1 on their beach with Cabana service since I had joined them for lunch, with a discount on food and beverage, and also a discount offered on a stay with them in the future!

                More than satisfied, I went back to my palm tree, and continued doing what I was doing before lunch, very happily.  Late day is, and has always been my favorite part of a day at the beach.  This beach was great.  It reminded me of GreenHarbor in Marshfield, Ma., a beach my extended family had been going to for generations, in the tropics.  It was interesting, there were vendors selling ice cream, water, and fruit, walking up and down the beach.  They were not intrusive or obnoxious as on many Caribbean beaches, and only came to you if you asked them to.

Sunset @ Ocean Park Beach

Uvva's

 As it moved on to cocktail hour, I headed in the opposite direction of my quest for lunch, and found another of Andalucia’s recommendations, Uvva’s @ Hosteria del Mar, another beachside hotel, as a great place for a drink at sunset.  It was.  Helena, a really friendly extrovert, made me feel like a friend.  I enjoyed some watermelon sangria, and their Puerto Rican Delight, a pot pouri of local appetizers that was great as it gave me a real taste of local foods. 

                As the sun was finally set, I walked home to Andalucia, and settled in for the night.  My room was nestled in the garden of the Inn, literally, so I felt as though the Jacuzzi was all mine!  That evening I did share it with a nice young family from Los Angeles, and we had a nice chat and visit.  I then hit the hay early as I was wiped out!