Luquillo Beach, Puerto Rico
We have rented a two bedroom condo, a beach house known as Bello Mar on Calle 1, Luquillo Beach. We are 24 miles east of San Juan. We are north of the main highway right on the Atlantic Ocean. We have no sandy beachfront, except during a minus tide. Those seem to occur after midnight. Otherwise the surf is constantly pounding against the concrete wall protecting the grassy backyard. The crashing waves seem to be constant. I have dubbed this part of Luquillo. Angry Surf Beach because of the unending loud noise of the crashing waves.
The locals say that Luquillo Beach is among the prettiest. On the contrary, I have seen several beaches that are more appealing. For one thing, this beach is always littered with some kind of shredded sea weed that washes up at high tide. It has the appearance of crumbling fishing net. Very strange.
To our east, next door, a beach house still sits abandoned since Hurricane Maria took it out in 2017. The foundation washed out on the ocean side causing the whole house to appear as if sliding down an incline. The concrete house is rather small, with a concrete slab floor holding the house at an angle resembling a teeter totter on a playground.
This whole area from the highway to the beachfront is residential. It resembles a second world Barrio, with lots of chickens, crowing roosters and numerous barking dogs, about half roaming freely on the 3rd world street. It’s always a chore walking the street with my Guide Dog, Toronto, just to cut across a basketball area to get to
a sandy beach. It’s like running a dog gauntlet.
Once on the sand the dogs are gone for the most part. A few yards down is a snack shop with chairs and benches. This open air shop is a pleasant place to order food and drinks. The menu is limited but what they do have is very tasty.
Farther down the beach is the Rio Grande river that dumps into the Atlantic. At times it is not too deep. Toronto and I crossed it twice already. On the opposite side the forest canopy is thick and grown over. There are many coconut trees around here. One must be careful to not sit under a tree full of them! You might end up with a smashing headache!
Farther down the beach, about a quarter mile is the huge Wyndham resort. We considered staying there for our month-long vacation, but decided it was too rich for our budget. At $400 a night plus amenities and $50 to $75 per couple for meals, one can see a huge invoice here! We are frugal spenders, staying in more affordable places while still demanding clean, comfortable and spacious rooms. So places like the Wyndham are nice but and necessary. Debby has always been our trip planner and does a great job for us. We enjoy traveling with Ron and Nancy Pinkerton, our traveling buddies. We do well together and enjoy visiting new places. Together we have traveled to more than 35 countries.
Luquillo Beach is known for its60 kiosks right out here on the highway. Driving by, they appear to be shacks but once inside, they are clean and well done. Many of them were for eating various food creations, while some are shops. As we returned home Sunday afternoon from Vieques, we were in awe at the number of cars parked at the kiosks. They are very popular and many people recommend their food. We enjoyed a delicious breakfast at one of the kiosks a few days ago. If we had our own car, we would probably eat there more often.
To get to the sandy beach to the west requires much more walking. It’s probably about 2 miles to the first kiosk. The beach along the west is very nice. it is more popular with people than the beach to the east. There are also more stores and places to eat towards the west.
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