Tag: beaches

Posted on

Playa “La Selva” – Luquillo, Puerto Rico

One of my all time favorite beaches in Puerto Rico is Playa “La Selva”, a hidden paradise far away from traffic, trash & almost every other person on the island. You can only get there by walking approximately 40 minutes east from Playa “La Pared” or having a 4×4 SUV that you don’t mind getting dirty and possibly damaged. There drive to the beach is treacherous- with giant rocks, branches and occasionally flooded creeks blocking the trail. My husband swears his late model Land Cruiser can travel through anything though, and so far we haven’t had a problem.

La Selva is located in the middle of a nature reserve (the Northeast Ecological Corridor) and is the most important turtle nesting site in the Caribbean! Although we’ve never actually seen any, we often come across areas of sand marked with flags that are known to have turtle eggs buried beneath. (Maybe one day we’ll get lucky!)

Continue reading “Playa “La Selva” – Luquillo, Puerto Rico”
Posted on

Vacation Plans in Puerto Rico – East Side- Part 2

Now that decisions have been made to visit the east side of Puerto Rico and the Island of Vieques, specific details can be planned on where to stay, eat and do.

My cousins will land Saturday and take a taxi to (our) condo in Condado. Saturday night it will be fun to visit Lote 23 in Santurce- the perfect place for a group of all ages and with different culinary tastes. Lote is an outdoor food park with a vibe like no other. Your options range from delicious tacos to noodle bowls to southern fried chicken, a rare find in Puerto Rico, but the creativity behind this festive experience is makes it a must visit for all.

Sunday (funday) should be always be spent at the beach! Breakfast at Sobao is easiest from our location, but Ocean Park Cafe is also really good. Beach day essentials include: a cooler full of beer & water, beach chairs/towels, sunscreen, and a really good book. (This is pretty much how I spend every single weekend). You can also rent jet skis, take surfing lessons or hop aboard a mini-catamaran from Jimbo’s boats which is free with a good tip 🙂 Continue reading “Vacation Plans in Puerto Rico – East Side- Part 2”

Posted on

Aguadilla & Isabela: West Coast Weekend

This past weekend Broc and I wanted to take another trip somewhere and of course I chose the West Coast of the Island. While Vieques and (we’ve heard) Culbera are the most beautiful places in Puerto Rico, you have to take a ferry or small plane to get there and then rent a vehicle once you arrive, so it’s easier (and cheaper) for us to just drive, and the small towns dotting the Atlantic Ocean are just as cool and beautiful as the islands off Puerto Rico (in my opinion). Since we’d already visited and Rincon and Cabo Rojo, Aguadilla was next on my list of must-sees and it did not disappoint.

Snip20150720_2

Saturday morning we loaded up the jeep and prayed it would make the 3 hour drive across country to. We stayed in an interesting place off AirBnB called the Dancing Tortugas– a hostel of sorts- that was cheap, close to everything, and filled with some very intersting characters. While lacking in any ammenities, it had a private bed, air conditioner and high-water pressure so we didn’t feel there was much to complain about- especialy for only $77/night.

Continue reading “Aguadilla & Isabela: West Coast Weekend”

Posted on

Cabo Rojo & Boqueron

[metaslider id=296]

 

Last weekend we enjoyed our trip to the southwestern most tip of the island, Cabo Rojo Boqueron, more than [my] words can articulate. However I narrowed down my top favorite things about the tiny bohemian beach town in the slideshow above, and have elaborated a bit more below.

The Villa Vistas

The place we stayed in was truly from another world. It’s this indoor/outdoor hand-built casita with so much detail you could marvel for hours. There were lights everywhere, which made it amazing in the evening, and so relaxing in a “i don’t live like this, but wish I could” kind of magical way. The pictures don’t do it justice- I think it’s the feeling of being so a part-of the natural beauty of the landscape around you. I’ve never felt one-with-nature, and this place was definitely that.

Stay Here!

The Natural Habitat Continue reading “Cabo Rojo & Boqueron”

Posted on

A little exploration

Ah the sights and sounds of living life on an island… I can’t say I’m completely used to everything yet since I was unexpectedly asked to return home (to Little Rock) for 2 weeks for work, but that’s another story in itself and doesn’t end happily… But the first week being here, and then this last weekend after getting back, were full of sunshine & beaches. We spent a weekend on the west coast of the island in Rincon, which is totally different than the southern coast. It felt a bit like Hilo (HI), or even Vieques, in it’s laid back, hippy kind of way. There were a lot more American’s around and the waves were unbelievable. In fact, Rincon is one of the top surfing destinations in the world! We also visited Coamo and its’ famous Baños de Coamo (of Coamo Thermal Baths), Puerto Rico’s only thermal springs. We had great food in both towns- in Rincon I highly recommend La Copa Llena (The Rincon Puerto Rican Film Festival was going on while we were there and it was an amazing experience!) and in Coamo, Le Ceiba Bar & Restaurant. We stopped at lots of little beaches along both routes and luckily found one of our favorites just 9 miles from home, Playa Lucia in Yabucoa, which I was quite pleased to be the first one to recommend it to Yelp!

Instead of loading this post up with pictures, I made another video to highlight some of the best parts of our trip. Enjoy!