My mate and I are in our 50's and he has cancer. We will come to Puerto Rico for a week from Aug. 21-28. We'll fly into San Juan. We want a modest place to stay on the beach. We are not into shopping or water sports but we would like to be on a beach that is good for hunting sea glass or seashells or coral. We want to see El Yunque, enjoy ethnic food, and like quieter places off the usual path as long as we can get a taxi to get to restarants. Sleep is important so places that are the usual type of noisy touristy spots just don't work. Help!

San Juan has quite a bit of traffic and hustle, so I don't really recommend that for total beach relaxation. But maybe have a night there so you can explore Old San Juan (Numero Uno Guest House if you want smaller?), which is a gem, and stroll the Paseo de la Princesa along the harbor and fort walls, for beautiful views with a touch of Spanish history.

Consider hopping a plane on casual but reliable Vieques Air Link from Isla Grande airport in San Juan to Vieques. Vieques is very relaxed and could be just the ticket for you. There are places like Hector's by the Sea for good beachcombing and homey atmosphere right on property. We found seaglass and some shells on Coconut Beach, right to the right of the narrow beach in Esperanza. Views are incredible, food good, no traffic, no hustle. We flew back to Ceiba airport so we could stay a couple nights in that area and hike El Yunque. You could also take a tour of El Yunque out of San Juan, which would be low-hassle for you, then fly round trip to Vieques. Get a tour that starts early, cuz it gets crowded mid-day at El Yunque.

I concur with snorkelluvn regarding Vieques. We stayed at Bananas (on the south side of the island) and there were very few people around. The photo in my profile is actually a view off the shore of Vieques just across the street from Bananas. We did find a lot of plain glass in places on the beach that I think may have resulted from bottles being thrown off the boats moored nearby.

You might also consider staying at Villa Montana, which is near Isabel in the northwest area of Puerto Rico. It is a nice resort with a restaurant on site as well as a few others within a short drive. We went in the summer and it was not touristy at all. Villa Montana is on a nice long beach that was ideal for long walks and beach combing. Because it is on the Atlantic side, and this area the water is "wavier" many cool shells and such get washed ashore.

I wish you and your partner all the best and a wonderful trip, Valerie

Vieques or Rincon.

bk