Puntas is on the North side of Rincon just below Route #413.  Just head down the hill anywhere between the Puntas Bakery and the Speedway Gas Station and you'll find the beaches that offer a little bit of everything Rincon has to offer. There are guest houses, apartments, villas and hotels from the beach all the way up the hill to Route #413.

Informal restaurants, guest houses, inns, funky Caribbean beach bars and a few local night spots are scattered along the beaches. If you're staying in Puntas - its a short drive 'down to the beach'. There are several public parking areas - so even if you're not staying in Puntas - you'll want to experience our 'Fun Coast'. 

The Atlantic tends to be a bit rough is winter - which makes it perfect to hang out and watch the surfers and windsurfers take advantage of the waves in the winter months. In the rest of the year, the Puntas Beaches are great for swimming as well.

In exchange for less swimming in the winter months - bring you binoculars to watch the whales jumping off-shore during their annual migration from December through March.

"Pools Beach, the prettiest little cove in Rincón, a string of beaches on the west coast of Puerto Rico" - Islands Magazine

Pools Beach: Located at the western end of the Puntas beach area - this is the first beach you find if you turn down the hill at the Puntas Bakery on Route #413. A favorite choice for families with children, Pools beach offers a fairly calm protected area for swimming and plenty of space for playing in the sand. Snorkeling is very good at Pools Beach.

To get to the beach, you'll have to climb down a small incline without any steps or pavement. Once you reach the beach, you'll see a path to the left where you can hike to Spanish Steps and eventually 'round the corner' to Domes Beach.

To the right, there is a rocky point that separates Pools Beach from Sandy Beach. This is known as Siete Barrasos. According to local folklore, Cofresi the Pirate made seven marks on a rock outcropping that looks like  the island of Puerto Rico. This is supposed to indicate the seven places around the island where he buried his pirate treasure.

Pools beach has no public facilities, restaurants, bars or shops.

Sandy Beach: This is the main beach of Puntas where you'll find the most restaurants, bars, hotels, guest houses and rental cottages, apartments and villas. You'll find lots of activity on the beach and can probably join the beach volleyball that is almost always in action.  You won't find much tranquility here - but if you want to hang-out with the active beach crowd - this is the place for you!  Swimming is good most of the year - unless the surf is especially high!

Sandy beach ends at the 'Parking Lots' that mark the start of Antonio's Beach.

Antonio's Beach: As you walk to the right on Sandy Beach it turns into Antonio's Beach just after the parking lots near Casa Isleña.

Named after the owner of the land that borders the beach, this section is much quieter than Sandy Beach and extends all the way over to the area near the parking lot.  If you want to relax and 'get away' from the action, this is a great option where you can still enjoy the surfing and windsurfing offshore in winter - but enjoy a less 'active' beach environment.

Antonio's Beach to the 'River Mouth' parking lot is a favorite place for beachcombing for 'sea glass'.

River Mouth: The last of Puntas' beaches is located to the right of the public parking lot at Antonio's Beach. This is the location of the new Punta del Mar Beach Resort development. There are tidal pools here - so the swimming is good all year and its a good choice for children.

The Sunset Coast - Lighthouse, Domes & Desecheo Island

"Rincon is home of the gnarliest waves in the Caribbean. The waves are as blue as a pretty blonde's eyes and crack just overhead at about 7 feet/2 meters, with some higher sets rolling in. And there are breaks all over the place: Maria's, Indicator, Domes, The Point, Tres Palmas, Steps, Dog Man's. I've been reading about these places for years." Caribbean Travel & Life

When people think of Rincon, surfing is often what comes to mind. While the Puntas beaches all have great surfing - the wildest waves break where the Atlantic meets the Caribbean off of our Sunset Coast.

While the winter season shows off the 'wild side' of surfing - the rest of the year our Sunset Coast beaches calm down and become secludes hideaways for romantic strolls, snorkeling and enjoying a relaxing day at the beach. This is also the are for our Science Dome, Lighthouse Park and Marine Reserve - so no matter where you stay you'll want to visit more than once!  And you can't visit Rincon without seeing the most famous sunsets in Puerto Rico!

Spanish Wall Beach: This is Rincon's 'secret beach' that you can only reach by hiking from  Domes Beach on the 'Domes Trail'.  Located at the very corner of Rincon - you'll see both the Atlantic and Caribbean as you pass the area known as 'Trampa de Tiburon'.  You can't go all the way around to the Puntas side any more - so you'll have to hike back the same way you came.

Its also one of the best Surf Breaks - so you'll enjoy the action during winter surfing season.

This is a great area for collecting shells and 'getting away from it all'.

Domes Beach: One of the most recognized names in Rincon - Domes beach is named for the dome of the old nuclear plant on one of the most famous surfing beaches in the world. The dome is being converted into a Science Center and Museum - so don't worry about any rays emitted from the dome - but bring plenty of sun screen if you plan to spend a day on the beach!

To get to Domes Beach, drive past the Lighthouse Park and look for the whale-shaped beach marker.

This is also a great place for whale watching in winter and is almost empty is summer if you want to have a beach all to yourself!

 Rincón Lighthouse & Park

You can't visit Rincon without at least one visit to the lighthouse and well maintained park. During the winter season you can watch surfers and whales from the walk that runs along the top of the cliffs

There are no real beaches that are accessible to the public, but you get great views of Domes Beach to the right and Indicators Beach to the left as you look out toward Desecheo Island

Just below the lighthouse is one of the most famous surfing breaks in Rincon - known as "Deadman's" for the nasty rocks jutting out from the cliffs which mean trouble if a wave brings you in that direction.  You can see it if you look right down from the lighthouse park for the rock that looks like Christopher Columbus's head.

No matter what time of year you visit, this is a great photo opportunity and a chance to visit the shop, snack bar or use the public rest facilities. Plenty of parking and interesting information about this historic lighthouse on the location where Columbus set foot as the first tourist to Rincon!

Desecheo Island: You will see this mysterious island from almost everywhere in Rincon - but the view is especially impressive from the Sunset Coast and Lighthouse Park.

Desecheo Island is a closed protected environmental reserve which can only be visited with special permission for scientific research.

Located about 12 miles off the coast of Rincon, Desecheo has some of the best SCUBA diving in Puerto Rico. Even though you can't actually step foot on the island - you can get 'up close' if you visit with one of the Dive Shops which are permitted to visit dive sites off-shore.

If you don't dive, check with the Dive Shops and see if they have any space for snorkelers. Desecheo Island has very clear waters that make it great for snorkelers in the shallow areas just off the coast.

Indicators Beach:  Just to the left of Lighthouse Park, this is one of the best places to park your car, climb down the incline and watch the surfers in the winter surf season.

There are no hotels, restaurants, bars or public facilities - but the Lighthouse Park is just down the road (plenty of parking is available at the park).

When the surf isn't up, this beach is almost completely empty - so if you want to have 'private beach' for a romantic stroll or complete relaxation, this may be a good choice during the 'off season'.

Indicators is a very rocky beach, so this is not a good choice for swimming.

Maria's Beach: During the 'season' this is the center of surfing activity in Rincon.

Look for the whale-shaped beach sign on your way to the Lighthouse Park and pull into the parking lot next to the Calypso Cafe.

This is where the waves kick up and provide some of the most exciting surfing in the Caribbean!  Make sure you grap a photo in front of the surfer crossing sign and hang-ten with the surfer dudes!

During the summer, the beach changes character and becomes a great place to enjoy the sun, sand and a typical Caribbean day at the beach.

Steps Beach - Tres Palmas Marine Reserve: This is another legendary surfing beach which got its name from the set of steps that clings to the beach.

In surfing terms - Steps is the 'inside surf break' and Tres Palmas is the 'outside surf break' - so you'll hear this beach referred to by both name.

To get to Steps Beach you have to look carefully for the whale-shaped sign that is only visible as you are driving from downtown toward the Lighthouse. To make it a bit of a challenge for visitors - the name of the beach is on the sign in Spanish as 'Playa Escalera'.

If you are driving on Route #413 toward downtown, you'll have to look for the driveway that leads from Route #413 down to the beach (see the photo of the palm trees in the distance to give you an idea of the area and distance to the beach).

Steps Beach is too rough for swimming during surfing season - but becomes very calm during the 'off-season' and is a favorite spot for snorkeling since it is the site of the Tres Palmas Marine Reserve.

At the end of the driveway, you'll find this sign which will help you identify some of the marine life you may find as you discover the underwater world on our Sunset Coast!

Marina - Downtown - Rincón Pueblo - Plaza Central

Rincón 'Baleario' - Public Beach: This beach is very popular with local families and tourists for swimming in its clear blue water and is a great place for snorkeling and collecting seashells or sea glass.

The beach has lots of free parking, picnic areas, public rest rooms and changing rooms/showers.

The public beach is becoming even more popular now that the new crafts market is open with shops, restaurants and bars just a few steps from the sun and fun.

If you want to relax, go on a weekday and you'll have the beach pretty much to yourself.

On weekends this is a very popular local beach and it becomes very busy with lots of fun-loving families having picnics and turning the beach into one big party.

This is especially true in July when all of Puerto Rico goes on vacation and our Public Beach is packed every day of the week!

Tourism Association of Rincón, Puerto Rico  Site Map  Menu

Contact each participating business directly. If you have general comments or there are problems with links or information on our site, send an email to:

Plan your Vacation to Rincon, Puerto Rico on the West Coast of Puerto Rico

Rincon is part of Puerto Rico's 'Porta del Sol' beach & resort area.

© 2005 - 2007 Tourism Association of Rincon

 For more information please visit Go To Puerto Rico from the Puerto Rico Tourism Company - The Official Guide to Puerto Rico. Also, visit The Caribbean Tourism Organization and The Caribbean Hotel Association, Small Hotels of Puerto Rico from the Puerto Rico Hotel and Tourism Association and the Paradores of Puerto Rico from the Puerto Rico Tourism Company.
Reviews by Wheretostay.com & TripAdvisor.