Beachcombing Destination: Rincón, Puerto Rico
By Kristin Batista and Virginia Whitted
Thinking about beachcombing in Puerto Rico? San Juan is often the first city in Puerto Rico that people consider visiting because it provides a wonderful city vacation as well as access to beaches, local rainforest and island excursions, and delicious restaurants. If you would like a more immersive Puerto Rico experience, then Rincón, a small village on the west coast of Puerto Rico and just 30 minutes from Aguadilla Airport, is a great place to visit.
We love Rincón for its beautiful beaches, surfer community, small-town/local-artist vibe, great restaurants, and amazing sea glass. Following are some suggestions for a weeklong sea-glass-filled vacation. Do things in any order you’d like, skip the ones you aren’t interested in, and do more of those that you like most.
You will need a car when visiting this area if you really want to see the sights. Check restaurant websites for hours and closings, check the local tides, and watch the weather as you plan your beachcombing adventures.
Day 1
- Arrive at Aguadilla Airport. Grab your rental car.
- Drive to your hotel, apartment, condo, house, or wherever you are calling home for the week.
- Settle in to your room and unpack, enjoy a tropical drink, take a dip in the pool, or just relax.
- Watch the sunset from The Beach House restaurant in Rincón while enjoying dinner and music.
Day 2
- Enjoy a fresh and filling breakfast to fuel your day.
- Head to Rompeolas Beach in Aguadilla, where you can grab sea glass as it rolls in with the waves.
- Beachcomb, swim, snorkel, and enjoy the beach and sunshine.
- Grab lunch at a beach restaurant or head back for lunch at home.
- Clean and sort your beach finds.
- Relax, stretch, do yoga, or take a dip in the pool.
- Have a casual dinner and get a good night’s sleep.
Day 3
- Eat a delicious breakfast and prepare for a trip to some jungle waterfalls. Wear your bathing suit under your clothes and bring sturdy walking shoes that can get wet. Pack a picnic lunch, or plan on grabbing quesadillas at the restaurant near the waterfalls.
- Head to Gozalandia Waterfalls, about an hour inland from Rincón. You can admire the beautiful lower and upper falls, swim in the pools, and even jump in from the rocks.
- Return to Aguadilla for the evening, grabbing drinks and dinner at Sal de Mar Restaurant & Rooftop Bar overlooking the water.
Day 4
- Eat breakfast and pack for another day at the beach, including a lunch.
- Head to Jobos Beach and its swimming lagoon. Enjoy a picnic on the beach or grab lunch from one of the bars and restaurants lining the shore.
- From the north end of the beach, take the path to Pozo De Jacinto, a hole in the rocks where you can see the ocean crashing below. Oñativia Beach is covered with tiny shells and a bit of sea glass.
- Head home to clean and sort your finds. Relax and get ready for a night out.
- If it’s Thursday, go to Rincón Art Walk, the local art festival in Rincón Plaza. This street fair and crafts marketplace has arts and handicrafts, including jewelry made from local sea glass.
- Enjoy tapas in downtown Rincón for dinner at Taste Gastro Bar.
Day 5
- Eat breakfast and pack for a day at the beach and lighthouse ruins.
- Drive to the Punta Borinquen Lighthouse ruins—called Las Ruinas or El Faro de la Ponderosa by the locals—in Aguadilla. The ruins of this 19th-century lighthouse overlook a wild and beautiful beach. Adjacent to the ruins are abandoned buildings completely covered with beautiful graffiti paintings.
- Head to Crash Boat Beach, where you can take photos of—and in—the colorful boats lying on the sand.
- Enjoy a late lunch and tropical drinks at Cocoloba Beach Bar at Crash Boat Beach.
Day 6
- Have a hearty breakfast and pack for a day trip to an uninhabited island, including a picnic lunch, water, towel, and your snorkeling gear.
- Drive to La Parguer, about an hour from Rincón. Take the ferry to Mata la Gata, a mangrove island where you can spend the day swimming in turquoise waters. There are no services so bring your own food and drinks.
- You can either eat in a restaurant near the ferry or head back to Rincón for dinner.
Day 7
- Enjoy a sunrise breakfast and last swim before packing your bags.
- Drive to Aguadilla Airport.
- Fly home with a beautiful collection of sea glass and plenty of great memories.
If you would like to have everything on a trip like this planned for you, join Kirstin and Virginia on a Seaglass & Serenity retreat. They take care of everything from the minute you land in Aguadilla to when you get on the plane home. They do all the planning, driving, and share their expertise and knowledge on their small-group retreats. Learn more at seaglassandserenity.com.
Learn more about the best beaches and destinations for sea and beach glass, seashells, fossils, rocks, and more beach finds around the world. Articles ›
Photos courtesy of Kristin Batista, Virginia Whitted, Shannon Costello, Sherry Meador, and Kirsti Scott.
This article appeared in the ;Beachcombing Magazine March/April 2023 issue.
