Rincon vs. San Juan

Rincon is a good choice. Check out Maria's. They have a surf school there. Get there early or there will be 50+ people out. The reef is forgiving, and pretty mellow when it's not firing. Just don't drift down towards Indicators (toward the light house) as the wave gets pretty hollow and breaks in real shallow water. After you surf, go grab a drink a El Bohio.

 

Casa Islena is a nice little spot right on Sandy Beach in North Rincon. Its worth a look. I stayed there and loved it.

 

Pools Beach Cabinas was a great little spot in Rincon area check that out too!

 

Roger at 787 is a good friend of mine. Check out his web site. He will rent you boards and you can tag along when he is giving lessons so you get the local knowledge which is key around Rincon. He'll guide you to the north side or south side depending on which is breaking better. and his place is nice but it's not on the beach. He can point in the right direction towards inland activities too.
Stay Above the Weather is right too. Pools Beach Cabinas is nice up on the north side. 787 is down below Rincon on the South side. About 5 minutes from Marias/Dogmans.
Damn, I miss living there.....

 

As far as surfing, thats a no brainer. Rincon. I cant say enough about Rincon and its awesomeness. Your girl will love the lazy parrot inn and the adjoined rum shack. Casa verde seemed sweet too.

I didn't buy a ring or anything but my girl and I took an AMAZING pr trip together that was very honeymoon-ish this past November. We stayed 3 days and nights in the condido and Old san juan area, rented a jeep and drove to Ponce (2.5-3 hours) for a day and a night, then drove up to rincon (another 2.5-3 hours probably) for the last 3 days. We went swimming in a water fall at El younque (sp?), did the bio-luminescence kayak tour at a beach on the south coast about a half hour from ponce, We checked out the Camoy Caves on the way out of rincon, I got barreled, she got a tan, and we both had a freaking blast. I can't stress how much fun the whole "puerto rico road trip" thing was. I mean, the place is the size of Connecticut and car rentals are dirt cheap.

The rincon crowd "doesn't go to san juan" but really the night life there was amazing. Any given saturday there is a street festival about ... whatever. We happened to catch the "Condido Culinary festival" was was a real treat. I ate fresh pulled pork and downed $3 mojitos until I couldn't see straight. One block from our hotel.

Ponce is a must see but try to also time that for a weekend because the place shuts down mid week, it was a ghost town when we arrived on thursday and a carnival on our way out friday. The city is ancient and much more low key than SJ. The surrounding mountains are some of the most beautiful roads you will ever drive.

Rincon nightlife is ok if you like crowded bars and people with cooler stories than you. Most nights we just ended up on the balcony with a bottle of rum. The sushi joint behind pools beach is great too. (pools is such a fun wave)


Haha thats enough for now I could go on all day. Feel free to PM me.

 

FYI it's not another country. No passport required. It is a US territory. Cops speak english, businesses take US dollars, the usual laws apply. It's just like home, but with waves and big booty brown girls (and not the kind that hang out near atlantic city.... different shade of brown)

 

Rincon vs San Jaun vs. Punta Bonrinquen

Go to Punta Bonrinquen very consistent, clean and fun.




Check the thumbnail below a nice shot of Wildo from the air. Many areas to surf and way more consistent on the north sure then in Rincon. Stay at La Cima inexpensive and near all the breaks.

 

I took my family down to stay in Rincon Beach Resort and it was nice. Not super delux, but nice. Did the caves thing... pretty cool. You can also drive to El Yunque and check that place out... really cool too. The surf will not disappoint, and when it's flat, you gotta take her out to Tres to snorkel.

 

Might not be too crowded... October is not peak tourist season. Even when it is crowded, Marias can get pretty spread out, with several lineups from the point through Marias, down to Dogman's. Be careful on the inside and the shallow spots down the line toward "stacks" or whatever they call it, where pipes stick up out of the water.

You'll have fun. I am jealous.

 

If you are interested in the bio-lumi kayak tour you might want to consider just staying in La Parguera for the night. The SW corner of the Island has some wonderful beaches -- Boqueron, El Combate, the Lighthouse and others. There is a parador in nearby Guanica and another place that a friend and wife stayed at a few years back, http://maryleesbythesea.com/, that you could stay at and explore a couple days to Ponce to the East and Cabo Rojo/Boqueron & Puerto Real (fishing village area with some real good no-name restaurants) to the west.

For October surfing and romance you might be better off at one of the villas/hotels just east of Jobos (there is also a nice villa west of Jobos) -- maybe a little more romantic than living amongst a swarm of gringos in Little America (Puntas). Jobos will probably be a nice beach for you to surf at and for the new wife to hang out at as there is some nice sandy areas for swimming in calm waters inside the cove.

BTW, Puerto Rico isn't really "out of the country" especially if you have been to Little Havana in Tampa or S. FL in general... just different than Iowa or Indiana.

 

Yes, it is a place where the locals can get aggro so pay total duty and respect on the SUP. Yield to the bodyboarders, both genders, or you may be in for a not so fun time. October can get some early Winter swell but it will be more consistent along the north coast.

Another suggestion while out on the Island (and away from San Juan which is a smart move). Book a villa or parador down around Humacao or up in the hills around El Yunque or near Fajardo/old Roosevelt Roads Navy Base. You can easily spend a day in El Yunque and also a half day skin diving in the Fajardo islands area. Get a copy of Que Pasa, the tourist guide, and a good travel guide to figure out the details. From the E/SE end you can drive to Guanica, stopping in Ponce along the way.

I don't think you will want to paddle out at Inches on the SE coast near Patillas. A very nice left on easterly trades or storm swell. Shallow and full of fire coral. If you get burned by the fire coral then you can seak out some Santeria in the nearby town of Guayama, the center of Santeria in PR

 

Have fun in "another country" and try not to wear it from a sponger or on the reef. Oh, and watch yer cornhole bub.