Comparison
 

I have been reading quite a few posts about the beaches in Puerto Rico(San Jaun) how do they compare with the beaches in Jamaica and the Dominican. It seems on the surface, no pun intended, that the beaches in P.R. lack the tranquility of other Islands. Are the beaches in P.R. (San Juan) hazardous?

No, they're NOT hazardous. Isla Verde beach is very nice. However, San Juan is a city. There are some benefits - walking distance or short cab ride to restaurants, shops, clubs, theatre, cultural and historc activities. If you want to lay on a hammock by yourself, you need to go to the smaller towns outside of San Juan.

The beaches in San Juan lack the water clarity or white sand that you typically think of when you think of the Caribbean. They can also be crowded as San Juan is a major city. It seems like for what you're seeking, you'll have to go elsewhere on the island or to Vieques or Culebra.

Thanks for the information, after reading quite a few other informative posts I have resigned myself to being a pool bum for the week. Thanks again!

Remember, the islands you mentioned (PR, JA and DR) are the largest in the entire Caribbean besides Cuba. Since they are so vast, it's hard to generalize since each country has many types of terrain and weather. For example, all three has great beaches and poor beaches, lush and dry areas, mountains and flatlands, etc.<BR><BR>Overall, PR beaches, especially the ones San Jaun (Isla Verde and Condado), don't stand up to beaches in DR and Jamaica. The mainland of PR, has nothing to compare to Negril JA or the Dominican's Playa Bavaro, Playa Ricon, Playa Garalas, Playa Grande, Isla Soana and Catalina. However, Puerto Rico's best beaches are on the offshore islands of Culebra and Vieques.

Rich, thanks for the insight. This is my first time to P.R. and we sort of gravitated to San Juan because we have weren't sure of what to expect and if worse came to worse San Juan appears to have sufficient diversions. We are going to possibly try to arrange a day trip or two to one of the other regions in P.R., thanks again!