PR Day 3: The beach and Costamia Restaurant


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December 11th 2009
Published: December 26th 2009
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Beach near Las Cabezas de San Juan Nature Reserve Beach near Las Cabezas de San Juan Nature Reserve Beach near Las Cabezas de San Juan Nature Reserve

I think this beach hugged the shoreline of Las Cabezas de San Juan Nature Reserve.
THE BEACH
Today we headed east to the point. I’m not sure if this beach is still called Seven Seas or not. It’s a very slim beach, with shrubs about 10 feet from the water. By later afternoon when we headed back the beach had gotten even slimmer because the tide came in. It’s also very soft. Just walking was an effort because your feet sink into the sand. Tip: Don’t bring a stroller. You can’t push it. Jesse and Clint resorted to carrying it. I was wishing for the sling to more easily carry the baby. She’s a wiggleworm.

We were in search of coral to see while snorkling. There was plenty dotting the beach, but we had trouble finding much in the ocean itself. A few of the guys went farther east and found more. It was Jesse’s first time snorkling. He loved it and was amazed at everything you could see underwater. Jenny and I snorkled out from where we’d left our stuff and saw mostly seaweed. We were excited to find a conch. Jenny kicked it over with her toe (I was worried she was going to lose it!), and the conch slid out. I’d never seen one before, and hung around to watch it. After awhile it was tired of being spied on, and thrust its body out to kick the shell back over and hide. We moved on. We saw many tiny fish; they were the same color as the seaweed and blended right in. We also saw huge prickly brown and white balls. I wondered if they were like porcupines and would shoot their quills at us. Luckily, they didn’t. We saw many huge sea slugs on the ocean floor; Clint saw one giving birth!

The water at this beach was perfect for the baby. The waves were small and hardly noticeable. We sat in the water and let her play between our legs. She climbed on Jesse and then on me and back to Jesse. We had also brought along her yellow innertube — she loved it! What she hated was her hat and she kept trying to rip it off. I put sunscreen on her twice in the four hours we were on the beach. No sunburn. She wouldn’t take a nap out there though, despite being exhausted. When I returned from snorkling, she was hungry, but had to wait
View outView outView out

This is the view looking inland. The hills are the El Yunque rainforest.
until we trekked back to our villa. It was a long walk.

When we packed up, I noticed a bunch of tiny black bugs on her face. They were biting her! I dashed into the ocean to wash them off her. I didn’t notice until the next morning that I’d received a million bites on my shoulders and back, as well as my feet and arms. Two days later the welts were still there and itch. I wasn't the only one with them. Most of our group had the bite marks. Could it be bedbugs? Jenny didn’t think so because none of us showed up with bite marks until day three.

RESTAURANT DOWN THE BEACH
We discovered that there is a restaurant just outside our gate and to the right. Costamia Restaurant. I don’t think it is open all week, however, or during the slow season. But on Friday night, there were people hanging out at the bar when we walked to the beach, and it was still open at 7 p.m. when we went for supper after baby’s nap.

We considered dining on the patio, but it was cooler inside with the fans blowing. The doors were wide open so it felt like we were dining al fresco. The radio was on, and the sounds of local music filled the air. I felt like dancing. The food at Costamia was delicious! Our waiter could speak English, which was a benefit, and he fully explained the specials to us. Jesse opted for the Red Snapper — a whole fish that was deep-fried and filled with a tasty rice, oysters, conch, and mussels. I was grossed out by the deep-fried eyeballs. Nasty! It reminded me of something you’d get at a Chinese restaurant. TJ kept telling me that in some parts of the world, eyeballs are delicasies. Still, NASTY! Jenny and I got the same thing: mashed up plantains shaped into cups, fried, and filled them with shrimp. I opted for the criola sauce, and despite sounding similiar to “creole”, it wasn’t spicy hot, just delicious. It was actually kind of like spaghetti sauce, and came with green peppers and onions. Jenny choose the butter sauce, but asked them to bring the criola after trying mine. The teenage boys all got bacon cheeseburgers, and Jessica went with chicken strips again. Clint also went with fish, and tried one
View 3View 3View 3

See the little heads bobbing in the water? That's Jesse snorkling for the first time.
of the local beers. It’s becoming Jesse's tradition: he hated the local beer just as he hated the Beliken in Belize. Jenny tried a peach margarita and loved it. Amazingly, we managed to spend even more at this restaurant, which seemed to be more affordable, than we had at the restaurant our first night. Our bill came to $190. There was little on the menu that was under $15, and we were all charged for the bottled water. Apparently, food isn’t cheap on this island.

After dining, Jenny asked our waiter about Bioluminscent Bay and whether we could find a boat to bring us out there. Our waiter informed us that motorized boats aren’t allowed because they’ll kill whatever it is that makes the water light up. That’s what’s happening over in the lit bay off Viequez Island. Thus, here in Fajardo, they only let kayaks make the trip. Also, because people use so much OFF! to keep mosquitos and other bugs at bay, no one can swim in Bioluminscent Bay. It looks like Jesse and I won’t be able to see this attraction because of the baby. No one under 5 is allowed on the evening excursions.


Additional photos below
Photos: 25, Displayed: 25


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View back towards FajardoView back towards Fajardo
View back towards Fajardo

We walked this section of beach to get from our villa to a spot where we heard there was good snorkling in the coral.
Trees near shorelineTrees near shoreline
Trees near shoreline

These trees hugged the shoreline, leaving only about 10 feet of beach sand.
Baby in the waterBaby in the water
Baby in the water

The water was still enough that we could just sit in it and play with the baby without having to worry about waves knocking her around.
ShoreShore
Shore

The soft beach was littered with pieces of coral.
Coral gathered around shrubCoral gathered around shrub
Coral gathered around shrub

These are the shrubs we think harbored the little black bugs that attacked our skin and left welts for days.
Walking down the beachWalking down the beach
Walking down the beach

This was the worst beach sand for a stroller. After this miserable experience, we left the stroller at home when we hit the beach.
Gorgeous blossomGorgeous blossom
Gorgeous blossom

After so much Minnesota grey, we were delighted to see tropical flowers.
Costa Mia restaurantCosta Mia restaurant
Costa Mia restaurant

Costa Mia is just east of Seven Seas beach, across from a nice stone walkway along the beach.
What to eat?What to eat?
What to eat?

Clint and Jenny read through the menu.
Deep-fried red snapperDeep-fried red snapper
Deep-fried red snapper

Jesse thought this was delicious (although not good as leftovers).
Us at restaurantUs at restaurant
Us at restaurant

I thought this restaurant would be more affordable, but the 8 of us still racked up a $200 bill.
YumYum
Yum

This deep-fried plantain filled with shrimp and criola sauce was so good. It wasn't spicy at all.
MilestoneMilestone
Milestone

After the restaurant, Josey hit a milestone: She climbed the stairs for the first time!


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