Rincon, Puerto Rico

Rincon is the surf capital of Puerto Rico and possibly of the entire Northern Hemisphere. This laid-back island surf town is located on the west coast of Puerto Rico. I have been on the island at least a dozen times but never found my way to this hippie, ex-pat filled, edge of the island.
My last week of sabbatical I found myself in Puerto Rico with our group of friends. After a few days of fun with the group in San Juan and a ferry trip over to Culebra, our group was down to just four with a few extra days and nothing to do but explore…so we headed for Rincon.

It is at least a two and one-half hour drive from the San Juan airport to Rincon. We encountered a short detour due to road construction and our GPS took us up and down the narrow, winding roads through the hills of Rincon until the road leveled out by the ocean and Pelican Point, our condominium for the next two nights. We were located on the strip known for its bars, restaurants and shops…situated next door to Tamboo, with its beautiful roof-top deck where we watched the sun set our first night.

 
Immediately it was apparent that this was a surf town. Our bedroom had a rack for surfboards above the bed. Outside, cars rumbled past with boards on the roof or hanging out the back. On the beach, surfers bobbed up and down in the surf waiting to catch a wave. As we walked around that evening it became obvious that we heard nothing but American accents, making us forget that we were still in Puerto Rico.

The next day we drove around town, stopping for an amazing breakfast with an even more amazing view at the English Rose set up high on a hill above the coast. From there we stopped at one of the many small beaches in town. Back at our condo, I waited for the waves to die down before I waded into the water. I was just beginning to float and enjoy the water when the first big wave knocked me down and carried me out about twenty feet. Panicked, I struggled to get to shore, exhausted and out of breath, I was covered with sand from being thrown about in the surf.

 

I always thought I was a strong swimmer and I aspired to take surfing lessons one day. After my experience at Rincon, however, it was Ocean-1 to Sue-0 and I instantly lost my urge to be a surfer. Rincon, I concluded, is a great place to get away for a few days. However, if you are looking for a place to swim in Rincon, stick to the swimming pools unless you are carrying a surfboard.