Hitting The Beaches
If you take this later route, you'll want to detour down Route 870 in the Palo Seco area of Toa Alta. This narrow road runs through the middle of a narrow peninsula famous for the restaurants serving seafood and Puerto Rican cuisine running along it. At the end of the road is the Parque Nacional Isla de Cabra (Rte. 870, Toa Baja; tel. 787/384-0542; Wed-Sun and holidays 8:30am-5pm, parking $3), a fascinating spit of land at the mouth of San Juan Bay that has an incredible view of the Old City. The water here is not great for swimming, but there are play areas and green picnic areas with great views. There are also small restaurants and bars, everywhere a great coastal view and the whole area with great breezes. The area was a former leper colony built by the Spanish and then was a shooting range and training area for many decades for police. There is a small fort within the park called El Cañuelo that was built to protect the entrance of the Bayamón River and back up the much larger El Morro across the bay, by providing crossfire to invading ships. This is a favorite picnic area for Sundays and a good spot to ride a bike or fly a kite.
There are also a few fine bathing beaches along this route before getting to Dorado. The best is probably Cerro Gordo public beach (Rte. 690, Vega Alta; tel. 787/883-2730), along with the Manuel "Nolo" Morales public beach along Dorado's "Costa del Oro," or "Gold Coast" (tel. 787/796-2830). Both charge $3 per car parking fee and keep the same hours as other public beaches and parks, Wednesday through Sunday and holidays, 8:30am to 5pm.
World-Class Golf at the Former Hyatt Dorado
The Hyatt Dorado Beach and Cerromar closed their doors in May 2006, but luckily their world-class golf courses and country club are still open and there are a limited number of vacation rentals available. The former Dorado Beach resort's professional golf courses, designed by Robert Trent Jones, Sr., match the finest anywhere. They are now operated by the Dorado Beach Resort & Club. The two original courses, known as East and West, were carved out of a jungle and offer tight fairways bordered by trees and forests, with lots of ocean holes. The somewhat newer and less noted North and South courses, now called the Plantation Club, feature wide fairways with well-bunkered greens and an assortment of water traps and tricky wind factors. Each is a par-72 course (call tel. 787/796-8961 or 787/626-1006, the Dorado Beach Pro Shop, for tee times). The longest is the South course, at 7,047 yards (6,444m). Fees for all courses hover around $160 for non-residents. Golf carts are included for all courses, and the two pro shops have both a bar and snack-style restaurant. Both are open daily from 7am until dusk. There are plenty of opportunities for a post-game meal in Dorado afterwards, but none better than the two upscale restaurants right near the golf course that have remained open: Hacienda del Sol and Zafra (call tel. 787/796-8999 for either). Tip: Ask about rates for game play that starts after 1:30pm, which is sometimes marked down significantly.
