San Juan - Puerto Rico - page 108

Beaches
San Juan has some of the best municipal beaches this side of Rio de Janeiro. Starting half
a mile or so east of the old town, you can go from rustic to swanky and back to rustic all in
the space of 7.5 miles.
Puerta de Tierra FAMILY BEACH
Imagine it - a sheltered arc of raked sand, decent surf breaks, plenty of local action and the
sight of a 17th-century Spanish fort shimmering in the distance.
But, hang on a minute. Are you really still only a stone's throw from Old San Juan and
the busy tourist strip of Condado? Balneario Escambrón is almost too good to be true,
which is probably why a lot of people miss it. Perched on the north end of the slither of
land that is Puerta de Tierra and abutting majestic Parque del Tercer Milenio , this palm-
fringed yet rugged beach just might be one of the best municipal options offered anywhere.
Adding convenience to enchantment, there are lifeguards, rest rooms and snack bars on
hand, along with a large parking lot.
Condado RESORT BEACH
Hemmed in by hotel towers and punctuated by rocky outcrops, Condado's narrow beaches
are busier than Ocean Park's but less exclusive than Isla Verde's. Expect splashes of graf-
fiti, boisterous games of volleyball and plenty of crashing Atlantic surf.
The area's official public beach is Balneario Condado , a small arc of sand, adjacent to
the Dos Hermanos bridge, that faces west toward Fuerte San Gerónimo across the inlet. A
line of rocks breaks the water here, meaning that the sea is calm and bathing relatively safe.
Lifeguards police the area on weekdays, and snack bars are open daily, but bathrooms are
few and far between. You can rent beach chairs.
Condado's Atlantic-facing beaches are very popular, especially among families, who
congregate around the big hotels, and with gay men, who often populate the sand near the
Atlantic Beach Hotel. Parque de la Ventana al Mar (Window to the Sea Park; Click
here ) has lovely waterfront views and free jazz concerts on the last Sunday of the month.
Ocean Park ACTIVITIES BEACH
Ocean Park's lesser fame is its hidden blessing. Fronted by leafy residential streets and em-
bellished by the odd luxury B&B, its wide sweep of fine, diamond-dust sand that is Playa
Ocean Park is protected by offshore reefs and caressed by cooling seasonal trade winds.