I am looking for a smaller, nice, clean, quiet hotel, on a beach, away from San Juan. Does one exist? Also, have never been to PR, wife and I just want to relax on the beach and swim, not looking for crowds. <BR> <BR>Thanks!

Do a search on Puerto Rico and you should find a number of discussions noting such places -- I'm partial to the Southwest part of the island, but there are many beautiful areas to discover in Puerto Rico outside of San Juan, including the islands of Culebra and Vieques.

The southwestern part of the island is magnificent and the beaches and water are much more beautiful than the north near SJ. Try Boqueron, La Parguera (rent a house right over the water), or Guanica. My friends and I were able to drive into coastal national reserves and sometimes had entire beaches to ourselves. These are the kinds of beaches that you can place your lounge chair in the water and let the surf gently lap up on your legs. I fyou end up down in this area, take a trip to the lighthouse on the southwest corner of the island...I forgot what it is called, but it is a bumpy ride and well off the beaten path. A roadmap from one of the car rental companies should get you out there...it's well worth the trip. You might be better off flying into Ponce if you're going to be on this side of the island. You can fly direct on American from NY/Miami I think

Dave: <BR> <BR>Please excuse my ignorance; Bogueron, La Parguera and Guanica are cities? Where did you access renting the house of the water? <BR> <BR>Thanks

Visit the site www.prtourism.com and order their planning guide. The website has a nice little maps section (I hope they put their planning guides on the site at some point.)

Hi -- Suggestions above all good (and include areas I'd like to see myself!). I was there in February stayed at the Lazy Parrot in Rincon on west coast. Not beachfront, but a very comfortable family run inn within a mile or so of several beaches(see several traveler reviews & info including accurate photos on wheretostay.com). Rincon is a good home base for exploring the west & southwest areas of the island. Know that the west coast beaches aren't particularly "caribbean" but are still lovely. Some on Atlantic are rougher, along south coast the Caribbean provides lighter surf beaches. Lighthouse El Faro (I think...) about 1 mile from Rincon. We spent a day exploring along side roads running along the shore almost all the way to Ponce. We got a good map of the island at Barnes/Noble prior to going, which was indispensible--rental agency maps very basic, and not great for "off beaten track" exploring. <BR> <BR>Agree with post about prtourism.com. I emailed them with questions, and they were very helpful, including sending me a free planning guide. <BR> <BR>Feel free to write to me directly--happy to answer questions.

I agree with the first reply -- went to Culebra last year (April '99) and if you like snorkeling, you might enjoy Culebra. No nightlife to speak of but friendly people and beauitful, secluded, restful place. I've heard good things about Vieques, also, but haven't been there. E-mail me directly if you'd like to know more about Culebra.

matt- <BR> Yes these are cities, although in actuality they are tiny towns along the coast. I stayed in Rincon while I was there at the The Lemon Tree with 3 friends. We had a two bedroom unit with living room and kitchen, also a large deck which hung out over the water...no beach though (very reasonable with friendly American owners) I think they have about 3 or 4 units there. In La Parguera there are many houses over the water, but I was only there for the day and I'm not sure how to go about renting one. I think what you're really looking for is in Guanica. There is one full service resort...very quiet and beautiful...I think it's called the Copamarina. You'll be in good position to explore the southwest coast from there...Enjoy <BR> <BR>

Hi again - we visited the copamarina beach one day. It appears to be an attractive property, but somewhat removed from town(s). Exterior reception area wtih two story, outside access rooms, attractive garden/small pool area overlooking the beach. Beach okay--waters extremely (extremely) shallow and calm. folks put chairs a few feet out into the water & sit... we thought the adjacent public beach looked better for swimming, but the copa may fit your needs (sorry I didn't think of this when I wrote to you!).

I was raised in Puerto Rico, so, if you guys don't mind I'll like to interject some comments on this great discussion. Boqueron and La Parquera are coastal hamlets (sort of) belonging to bigger cities; Boqueron is located in Cabo Rojo, La Parguera is located in Lajas. Lajas and Cabo Rojo are two of the 78 municipalities (towns) PR is divided on. Guanica is a town in itself. Agreed with Dianne and Dave wholeheartedly; Cabo Rojo and Rincon are two of the best beach towns in PR. BTW, the lighthouse is called El Faro en Cabo Rojo (exercise caution while driving on the site). La Parguera is GREAT for snorkeling, fishing and boating, but has no outstanding beaches to brag about (Playa Rosada is the closest; you may want to see for yourself...). There I recommend Parador Villa Parguera, member of a local chain of small inns with a distintive local flavor (Paradores). In Guanica, Dave is right on again, Copamarina is a good choice. They even have a small secluded, off the coast little island to which they transport guests back/forth every hour (except Mondays, I believe...). Guanica is the site of the American invasion in 1898 and has some historical sights you may find interesting. Since you are looking for a quiet vacation, your best bet is to try to avoid late May-early August timeframe. That timeline is school summer break in PR and, obviously, the beach is the "mall" of the Puertorican teenagers. Strongly second Dianne's suggestion that you contact PR Tourism website; great mail info, brochures, and excellent phone assistance. If you need help locating websites for the aforementioned locales, please feel free to e-mail me directly. Hope this helps.

It will be my first trip to PR and we're staying at the Ponce Hilton to avoid the crowded San Juan. However, would like to visit for a day...any suggestions where to go in San Juan?

ttt