San Juan's Beaches: Sand in Your Toes Close to the City

Every year the New York Times publishes it's list of "52 Places to Go" and in 2019, the number one spot goes to Puerto Rico. It's been a year and a half since Hurricane Maria devastated the island but recovery is finally happening. Tourism is back and hotel rooms are almost back to pre-hurricane levels along with most attractions being open. Lin Manuel-Miranda is bringing Hamilton to the island and is starring in the lead role again. San Juan is once again a stop on many cruise ship itineraries. And it seems that most understand that the best way for the Caribbean Islands, including Puerto Rico, to recover from the hurricane is to travel there and help the local economy.( And, of course, one of the obvious benefits of traveling to Puerto Rico if you live in the US, no passports necessary and it's conveniently close to the East Coast with short flights available. Plus no customs or changing money!)

On my last trip to Puerto Rico, I visited Old San Juan, Rincon, and El Yunque Rainforest along with the beach areas of Condado and Isla Verde outside of Old San Juan. We stayed in both areas - and they are both quite different.

Isla Verde
Isla Verde sits minutes away from San Juan's Luis Munoz Marin's International Airport and you can find yourself checked into your hotel and on the beach within an hour of landing. Located on the north coast of Puerto Rico within the district of Carolina, Isla Verde is a laid back beach spot yet it's only 15 minutes drive to Old San Juan.

 Isla Verde has beach resorts that range from budget to luxurious. We stayed at the Marriott Courtyard directly on the beach. I loved the view from our room - we watched a wedding ceremony and saw all the deep sea fishing boats come in in the evening. We enjoyed the hotel's swimming pool, beach and swim-up bar and dined in it's restaurant though we didn't take advantage of the casino. (But if that's up your alley, Isla Verde is where the casinos area.) We mainly enjoyed the resort while we were there but you could take day trips to El Yunque, the bioluminescent bay in Fajardo or take in other beaches. Isla Verde is the more family friendly beach area where you can just relax and watch the kids dig in the sand.

Condado
Condado is the glamorous beach area of San Juan. Known for it's nightlife, you can spend your day on the sand and then hit up clubs in the evening.( You can easily spend the day in Old San Juan - it's just over the bridge - and then come back to Condado at night) It's Caribbean beach life with the lights of the city close by. There are high end shops, think Cartier, places to brunch and see and be seen. If luxury is your objective, you can stay at the ritzy Condado Vanderbilt Hotel or the Condado Plaza Hilton.

 We stayed a block off the beach which enabled us to walk over to the sand or head into Old San Juan for the day at more of a budget price. La Ventana del Mar ( window to the sea) is the main park with beach access and bordered by the Condado Vanderbilt and La Concha Hotel with it's famous shell shaped restaurant, La Perla. If you'd like to do some paddleboarding, you can head to Condado Lagoon which flows between the Condado and Miramar neighborhoods.

There are plenty of restaurants within walking distance if you stay in Condado. You can get your fill of plaintains, fish tacos, mofongo or my personal favorite, tostones. We started our visit to Condado with brunch at Serafina Kitchen and Bar right in the heart of the area on it's main street. I'd go back in a heartbeat - in fact, I'd probaby be a regular if I lived there. (Those are lemon ricotta pancakes accompanied by a mimosa) On our evening out, 
 we had drinks at Oceano, which I loved, at their bar overlooking the ocean with a nice ocean breeze. We moved over to the Lobby Bar at La Concha and managed to even sneak a peek into the famous La Perla. If you're looking for a beach area with more to do than your typical toes in the sand activities, then Condado is probably for you!

How about you? Have you enjoyed any of San Juan's "urban" beaches?

Linking up with: The Weekend Wanderlust Weekend Travel Blog Party and My Corner of the World!