When you want to get away from it all in Puerto Rico, you go to El Conquistador Resort, preferably taking up residence at Splash, the swim-up bar. When you really want to get away from it all, you ride El Con’s tram down to the docks and take the 10-minute ferry ride over to Palomino Island.
Stepping onto Palomino Island is like stepping into one of those commercials for some far-flung Caribbean destination – you know, the ones where everyone is smiling and laughing because they’re there and you’re not.
We arrived on the morning’s first ferry to find rows of empty beach chairs, shaded by thatched umbrellas, wrapping around the south and east sides of the island. The resort’s staff members weren’t kidding when they called this a “private island.” At the dockside Iguana Bar, we shared tables not with guests, but with roosters, a rabbit and, appropriately, the occasional iguana.
That doesn’t mean there’s nothing for humans to do there. Quite the contrary, Palomino Island seemingly caters to every imaginable form of beach recreation.
On the island’s east side, a scuba diver walked out about 200 yards on a sandbar, then swam to a deserted islet. Snorkelers swam nearby while, behind us, six people on horseback emerged from a hillside trail, at which point one of the horses rolled over on his side, gently tossing his surprised rider onto the sand. Near a beach volleyball court, guests could rent windsurfing boards, rafts, kayaks, Sea-Doos, even small sailboats.
That is, if they weren’t content simply to sit and enjoy the peaceful seaside setting.
– Martin Kaufmann
Posted: 11/18/2008
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