Puerto Rico’s Best Beaches for Sunbathing, Swimming, and Surfing

No two beaches are alike in Puerto Rico. Balnearios are large, government-maintained beaches with bathroom and shower facilities, picnic tables, and snack bars. Some have lounge chair rentals, lifeguards, and campsites. Expect to pay $3-5 per vehicle to get in, and be aware that they get crowded on weekends and holidays.

There are also many wilderness beaches, which are typically remote and devoid of development and facilities. Some beaches have big waves best suited to surfing, and others are as calm as bathwater and ideal for swimming. Some, especially along the north coast, are rife with strong currents. They’re beautiful to look at, but not safe for swimming. One thing all the beaches have in common is their accessibility to the public: There is no such thing as a private beach in Puerto Rico.

A short palm tree on a white beach with the ocean stretching to the horizon.
Beach at Isabela, one of Puerto Rico’s top surfing spots. Photo © Mary Simpson.

Puerto Rico’s Best Balnearios

Playa Luquillo

Playa Luquillo, formally called Balneario La Monserrate, is considered one of the island’s most beautiful beaches. It features a wide, flat crescent of sand, shady palm grove, and calm, shallow waters. A couple of food vendors sell fritters and piña coladas, among other refreshments. There are several picnic shelters, as well as toilets and shower facilities. Camping is allowed with a permit.

Balneario Sun Bay

Balneario Sun Bay is Vieques’s crown jewel of beaches. Pull your car to the edge of a sand dune and mark your spot on the smooth sand. Shade is spotty here, so bring a beach umbrella if you plan to stay for the day. Modest picnic shelters, bathrooms, and shower facilities are available. Camping is allowed with a permit.

Playa Flamenco

The clear Caribbean waters of Playa Flamenco on Culebra Island, Puerto Rico. ©Lauren Orr, Dreamstime.

Culebra is the lucky site of Playa Flamenco, one of “America’s Best Beaches,” according to the Travel Channel. The wide, mile-long, horseshoe-shaped beach boasts fine white sand and calm aquamarine water. Unlike Puerto Rico’s other publicly maintained beaches, Playa Flamenco is home to two hotels—Villa Flamenco Beach and Culebra Beach Villas. An abandoned graffiti-covered tank on the sand is a reminder of the U.S. Navy’s presence. Camping is allowed with a permit. 

Balneario de Boquerón

The size of the parking lots at this long white-sand beach rimmed by calm waters is a testament to the size of the crowds that flock here, especially during Boquerón’s high season in the summer. The property is quite shady, and in addition to the usual showers, toilets, and picnic tables, there is a huge events pavilion, baseball field, and a cafeteria.

Balneario Cerro Gordo

Balneario Cerro Gordo in Vega Alta on the north coast is a large, protected cove with calm waters and a pristine sandy beach surrounded by hills covered in lush vegetation. There’s also great surfing to be had here.

Best Beaches for Surfing

Although surf spots can be found all around Puerto Rico’s coastline, the most popular area is the northwest coast in the municipalities of Isabela, Aguadilla, and Rincón.

Playa de Jobos

Surfers at Playa de Jobos in Isabela, Puerto Rico. ©Debbie Turko, Dreamstime.

Playa de Jobos in Isabela is an island favorite among surfers. Punta Jacinto’s point break is renowned for its right-breaking tube. The challenge here is parking, which is only available on narrow strips of sand along the roadside. Within walking distance are a number of casual restaurants and bars. 

Domes

Rincón is the surfing capital of Puerto Rico, thanks to literally dozens of popular surf sites. By far the favorite is Domes, located in front of the green domes of an abandoned nuclear power plant known by the acronym BONUS. This easy-access spot features long, hollow waves. Domes is often crowded, especially on weekends.

Steps Beach/Tres Palmas

Located in Rincón, this is a world-class site for experienced big-wave surfers. The waves here are very long and fast. Waves reportedly reach heights of 40 feet.

Wilderness Beach

Aguadilla boasts several outstanding surf spots. One popular spot is Wilderness Beach, located on the former Ramey Air Force Base. Just drive right through the golf course to get there. Waves break right and left, and swells reach up to 16 feet in height.

Best Beaches for Snorkeling and Diving

Puerto Rico’s best snorkeling and diving is done offshore, but there are two beaches where underwater life can be explored.

Tropical coral reef in Culebra, Puerto Rico. ©Jesse Albanese, Dreamstime.

Balneario El Escambrón

The publicly maintained beach in the San Juan neighborhood of Puerta de Tierra features a small crescent beach on a protected cove. On the ocean floor is a collapsed bridge that provides an excellent site for underwater exploration.

Playa Carlos Rosario

For easy access to a site rich in marinelife, visit Playa Carlos Rosario, a narrow beach flanked by boulders and a protruding coral reef in Culebra. The underwater visibility is usually quite good here, and the coral reef, where you can see all kinds of colorful fish and coral formations, is teeming with marinelife.

Best Wilderness Beaches

Bosque Estatal de Piñones

Bosque Estatal de Piñones offers several miles of gorgeous, undeveloped beach just minutes east of San Juan. Drive along PR 187 and look for sandy unmarked roads along the coast where you can pull your car right up to the beach, climb down the sand dunes, and get into the water. For lunch, grab an empanadilla and coco frio from one of the food kiosks on the way. Plan on leaving by late afternoon because the sand fleas tend to attack when the sun starts to go down.

Playa Mar Chiquita

Playa Mar Chiquita is a shell-shaped natural pool. The breakwater is divided in the middle. When the waves hit the breakwater, it passes through the middle, taking the same shape as the beach. ©Pedro Rivera, Dreamstime.

Playa Mar Chiquita in Manatí is a tiny, protected cove located at the base of limestone cliffs on the north coast. A coral reef nearly encloses the calm, shallow basin, which is ideal for taking small children swimming. When you need a respite from the sun, explore the cliffside caves.

Culebrita

It requires a boat ride to get there, but Culebrita, a cayo off the coast of Culebra, is the place to go if you really want to get away from it all. In addition to multiple beaches perfect for swimming or shore snorkeling, there are several tidal pools and a lovely abandoned lighthouse. To get there, either rent a boat or catch a water taxi at the docks in Dewey.

Suzanne Van Atten

About the Author

Suzanne Van Atten has written about destinations throughout the United States, Mexico, South America, the Caribbean, and Europe. She has barhopped in Barcelona, slept in a Jesuit monastery on the Amalfi coast, crewed a hot air balloon in New Mexico, gone white-water rafting in Tennessee, and gotten lost too many times to count.

Amidst all these travels, she always returns to Puerto Rico, a place she fell in love with when she lived there as a teenager. The country’s rich culture, postcard-perfect beaches, lush tropical jungle, cobblestone streets, pastel colors, lively music, and the joie de vivre of its people colluded to seduce her. No matter how many times she returns, she always discovers something new and delightful.

Suzanne is a creative writing instructor, an editor for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and a Pushcart Prize-nominated essayist who’s been published in the Gettysburg Review, The Chattahoochee Review, and Full Grown People.

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