Rincón and the Porta del Sol Places

El Combate

This is the end of the earth—or the end of the island, anyway. El Combate sits on the southwest corner of Puerto Rico, a bit removed from everything. The travel industry hasn't figured out how to market this place, so they've left it mostly to the locals, who have built small but elaborate weekend homes—some with grandiose touches like fountains—along the narrow streets. On the road closest to the beach, which for some reason is called Calle 3, is a cluster of seafood shacks. The more prosperous ones have added second stories.

If you're wondering about the town's odd name, which literally means "The Combat," it seems that long ago some unscrupulous characters were eyeing the salt flats just outside town. But they were repelled by machete-wielding villagers who were to live forever in local lore. Is it a true story? Residents of El Combate swear it is.