“Pollo al carbon!”

I pulled our rental car over to the side of the highway and executed a u-turn to before turning into the dusty dirt parking lot of Rancho Carbon Express, an open-air roadside stand offering delicious-smelling whole chickens turning on spits over a charcoal fire. It was the smell that had wafted in through the open windows of our car that first alerted us to its presence. As we drove past we spied the golden brown hens on the barbeque, but it was the sight of the long line of locals at the counter that convinced us to stop.

We had set out that morning from the popular surf town of Rincon, on Puerto Rico’s west coast, heading to Aguada, just a fifteen minute drive north, to spend the afternoon on the beach and then find a joint to enjoy some ceviche and a cold beverage, before returning to our accommodations. We were just over half-way through our two week Puerto Rico road trip, making stops along the coast before returning to our starting point in the capital city of San Juan. After our impromptu lunch stop we continued on to Aguadas town beach to enjoy an afternoon swaying in our hammocks beneath a sea grape tree, watching the pelicans and listening to the waves on the beach. To cap off the day we stopped at Olajas, a nearby beach bar, for rum drinks as the sun dropped into the sea.

Post-beach cocktails outside Aguada

Our trip began with a couple days in San Juan, exploring the old towns cobbled streets and the remains of the forts and defensive walls dating back to the 16th century. We also spent some time on Carolina beach, just across the street from our Air B&B in the Isla Verde neighborhood, which was perfect for a morning walk, and where, in a sign of the times, the beach volleyball courts had been taken over by pickle ball players. After picking up our rental car we headed east to the beach town of Luquillo, via El Yunque National Forest, for three nights in a 17th floor condo with commanding views over Azul beach and the Atlantic ocean. The real gem of Luquillo lays just around a bend in the coast to the west from Azul beach: Luquillo beach is a long strand of golden sand with no development, calm water perfect for swimming and a commanding view of El Yunque, the islands highest peak. At the far end of the beach, just off the highway, a string of food stalls, known as the kioskos, offer all manner of typical food – mofongo (a popular dish of mashed plantains, usually topped with seafood or meat in a Creole-style sauce); grilled and fried seafood; paellas; ceviches; and of course cold beer and mojitos in dozens of flavors (we’re big fans of the passionfruit). Another beautiful beach in the Luquillo area is Seven Seas beach, where we spent an afternoon shaded by palms and pines while gazing out at the view of the Las Cabezas de San Juan lighthouse.

Beautiful Carolina beach

Colorful Old Town San Juan

A view towards Luquillo from El Yunque National Forest

From Luquillo beach to El Yunque

Our stop on the south coast would be just outside the town of Guanica, where we spent three nights at a parador, a family-run hotel on the site of an old sugar plantation. One day was spent exploring the Guanica State Forest, hiking a six-mile out and back trail to the remains of an old fort that had impressive views over Guanica Bay and out to the Caribbean Sea. Another day was spent exploring Cabo Rojo (Red Cape), which contained the Los Morillos lighthouse and Playuela beach. Afterwards we stopped in the small fishing village of La Parguera for one of the tastier meals we had on our road trip – small triangles of fried cheese drizzled with guava sauce followed by arroz con mariscos, yellow rice bursting with chunks of lobster, squid, shrimp and fish.

Looking toward the Caribbean from a hike in Guanica State Forest

The view from the Los Morillas lighthouse to Playuela beach on Cabo Rojo

As mentioned earlier, Rincon is a popular spot on the islands west coast, known for its surf beaches with names such as Domes, Tres Palmas, Maria’s and Sandy Beach. From our guesthouse perched high on a hillside just above Sandy Beach, we could stroll down for acai bowls at Jake’s Java, pub fare at Big Kahunas or delicious seafood at Tamboo, perched right on the beach and ideal for sunset viewing.

Highway 413 passes through Rincon

Wrapping up our road trip, we returned to San Juan, dropped off the rental car and boarded a shuttle to catch the ferry that would take us across to the island of Vieques. A recap of our two week stay there coming in the next The Rhum Line.