Destination: Cabo Rojo

Located in the Southwest corner of Puerto Rico, Cabo Rojo is truly a hidden gem in an island with thousands of miles of beaches. Unspoiled, secluded, and relatively undiscovered by tourists, this is a spot which I would re-visit in a heartbeat! It took us almost two and a half hours to get there from San Juan, via Ponce. We stayed at the Bahía Salinas Beach Resort & Spa, which I do recommend. It's actually the only hotel in its area. Although they were unable to provide us with the two tickets to the Central American and Caribbean Games, which were part of our reservations, I was very happy with the hotel. They did compensate us with two therapy sessions at their spa.

Cozy, charming and with a lovely view of Bahía Sucia, Bahía Salinas Beach Resort has about 28 rooms and villas. It is what we call on the island, a parador, a local-owned small hotel establishment. One of the things I loved most about the hotel was its location, which is in close proximity to Cabo Rojo's two most famous attractions: Playuela Beach (also known as Playa Sucia, it literally means "dirty beach" in Spanish) and the Cabo Rojo lighthouse, or Los Morrillos. In order to get to both sites, which lie on the same unpaved road, I would recommend going in a jeep or SUV. Better yet, if you like biking, go on two wheels! This is an area with many trails where people can walk, bike or run.

In fact, we did see many cyclists and I watched with envy as they easily passed us by. Nevertheless, we were able to slowly navigate giant potholes and reach the very end of the road, past the lighthouse, where Playa Sucia is located. The beach is not visible from where we parked our car, but it was just a short walking distance away. Small and crescent-shaped, I can see why many people have ranted and raved to us about it. However, I still find Flamenco Beach in Culebra to be the best in Puerto Rico. Playa Sucia seems to be more popular amongst the locals though, as we saw no tourists. Our next stop was the lighthouse, which sits atop a gorgeous cliff with a spectacular view. This trip was definitely the perfect weekend getaway.