Las Picuas Beach

 3/5

Getting there: From San Juan, drive 40 minutes east to Río Grande, the same municipality as El Yunque National Forest. Resorts surround the beach, but there are a couple pathways that can get you there. As you drive past the resorts, look to the right for entrances before you drive through the residential area, around here. Once you enter the residential area, you will see signs that say “RUTA” that mark entrances to the beach, but the further you drive, the further you are from the main beach area.

Things to do: Relax in the shallows – The water can get a little choppy but the bottom is all sandy. Walk the beach – This is a great beach to walk, it is very long and scenic.

Heads up: Look out for sting rays, the closest I ever came to stepping right on one was here. Depending on the time of year, there may be hundreds or even thousands of live sand dollars on the ocean floor. Once, I had to float most of the time to avoid stepping on them.

Pros

Large beach.
Uncrowded.
Scattered shade, but usually far from the water.

Cons

Requires a walk to get to the beach.
Usually windy.
Somewhat choppy water, likely due to wind.