Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Getting There & Around
The west is easily accessed by Hwy 2, the island's nominal ring road - although it's not
as fast as the newer toll roads further east. Públicos (shared taxis) serve most of the main
towns, with Mayagüez acting as the regional hub. You can fly direct from the US in-
to Aguadilla airport 30 minutes' northeast of Rincón. Mayagüez also has its own airport
(flights from San Juan and the US Virgin Islands only). The area around Cabo Rojo south-
west of Hwy 2 is ideal for cycling.
Rincón
POP 15,200
You'll know you've arrived in Rincón - 'the corner' - when you pass the group of sun-
grizzled gringos cruising west in their rusty 1972 Volkswagen Beetle with surfboards piled
on the roof. Shoehorned far out in the island's most remote corner, Rincón is Puerto Rico
at its most unguarded, a place where the sunsets shimmer scarlet and you're more likely to
be called 'dude' than 'sir.' This is the surfing capital of the island and one of the premiere
places to catch a wave in the hemisphere.
For numerous Californian dreamers this is where the short-lived summer of love ended
up. Arriving for the Surfing World Championships in 1968, many never went home. Hence
Rincón became a haven for draft-dodgers, alternative lifestylers, back-to-the-landers and
people more interested in catching the perfect wave than bagging $100,000 a year in a Ch-
icago suburb.
Breaking anywhere from 2ft to 25ft, Rincón's waves are often close to perfect. The
names are chillingly evocative: Domes, Indicators, Spanish Wall and Dogman's. The crème
de la crème is Tres Palmas, a white-tipped monster that is often dubbed the 'temple' of big-
wave surfing in the Caribbean.
Though Rincón is crawling with American expats (many of them residents), the tourist/
local divide is more seamless and less exclusive than in the resorts out east. However, with
a new, more affluent surfing generation demanding a higher quality of living than their
hippie parents, Rincón has developed a clutch of boutique hotels with upmarket services
aimed at surfing Gen X yuppies. Indeed, these days those with boards are more likely to be
lawyers than high-school dropouts.
History
Rincón traces its history to the 16th century and a few low-key sugarcane plantations. And
while many people believe it gets its name from the Spanish word rincón (corner) because
 
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