And just about everyone we asked sang the same song, or rather, lamented to the same tune: The Dinghy Dock is closed. They also had the same stern warning: Mamacita's, the only other real dining option in town, had recently undergone a management change and was, "not as good."

Mamacitia's is a guesthouse, restaurant, bar and, most controversially, a laundromat. It sits directly on the channel that connects Ensenada Honda to the Lagoon where the ferries dock, so one can pull a boat right up to the patio, hop out, and enjoy some food and beverage--a pretty good setup.

Once inside, the drinks were generally strong and the food was serviceable and typical: fish, chicken, pork, tostones, and the usual. The service and the attitude was laid-back all the way, with pets roaming the dining dock and people lingering with a drink by the water.

But something was amiss. We were in a tourist shop, and some expat types began a conversation. "Can you believe," they said, "what they've done to Mamacita's? I mean, a laundromat!" We were paying for our items, and I wanted to linger to see what the controversy was all about, but couldn't figure out a way to do it without seeming obvious and didn't want to just ask them, which would have been easiest.

We shrugged it off. After over a week on Culebra, we had determined that Mamacita's was the best basic option, given that the Dinghy Dock was closed. The fish sandwich was solid. The drinks were reasonably priced. The other restaurants, in fact, all of the restaurants, were just "okay." But as far as "okay" went, Mamacita's excelled.

What's more, Mamacita's was actually a lot of fun. No jaded honkey bartender pounding coozy-wrapped bud cans here: just enthusiastic young Puerto Ricans and other youngsters enjoying the good vibes of paradise. Throw in a steel drum player here, a conga player there. Instead of guitar-based singalongs, these Puerto Rican youngsters would beat out rhythms on the congas while chanting call-and-response lyrics: guys versus girls.

We had the most fun at Mamacita's. We even witnessed an impromptu conga-fueled singalong one night. Everyone was smiling, dancing, laughing, and having a good time, beating anything within reach to the time of the drums.

But still, the bad vibing by the townie expats continued. At another guest house, the owner tried to warn us not to go to Mamacita's. "They just don't cater to the local community. The Dinghy Dock is going to re-open. The owner of the building is going to re-open the restaurant after the previous people stopped leasing the space. It's going to be done right, this time."

Our verdict: ignore everybody. Mamacita's is the best thing going on Culebra.