SanJuan beaches

We'll be in San Juan for the day on the Carnival Glory in early May. I need some info about going to the beach for the day. What are your suggestions? We'll have 1 person who can't walk a long distance. thanks.

All beaches in Tulum are public and you can rent chairs. Not very user friendly to drinking and eating though. Unless you bring your own cooler. I know your cruise ship sells a beach day, i chose to go with another tour company and loved their beach break. Away from crowds, good food and drinks.

Thanks for the info. We will probably have to do a tour.

We'll be in San Juan for the day on the Carnival Glory in early May. I need some info about going to the beach for the day. What are your suggestions? We'll have 1 person who can't walk a long distance. thanks.

I think the poster who replied to you was thinking Tulum, which I know there is a Tulum, Mexico, but never heard of a Tulum, Puerto Rico. ??? To answer your question about beaches in San Juan, yes, there are beaches but I don't think any are close enough to be considered walkable for someone who can't walk a long distance. There are a few beaches in San Juan that I know of: Escambron; Condado area; and Isla Verde area. The Condado and Isla Verde beaches are pretty long. We stayed at a hotel in Isla Verde (across from airport) twice before cruises and the beach is very nice, but it's the only one we've actually been to. I don't have any specific details on the others, but I'm sure they are similar.

It's very easy to get a taxi from the cruise ship. Attaching link to San Juan's taxis that shows the rate zones and rates from one zone to another. These are flat rates. The cruise ship piers are Zone 4. Hope this helps.

https://sanjuanpuertorico.com/taxis/

Thank you. This is really helpful. Just what I was looking for.

I think the beach in Isla Verde is your best bet. It’s called Carolina beach.

It’ll be around $25 each way for a taxi. It’s a big beach with a lot of high rise hotels on it, and therefore plenty of amenities.

It’s not the nicest beach you’ll see in the Caribbean. It’s more like a California or Florida beach in that it’s kind of brown instead of that clear aqua blue you see elsewhere. It’s on the Atlantic side of the island rather than the Caribbean, which is why the water isn’t the best.

The nicest beaches in Puerto Rico are pretty far away from the port in the Luquillo area, which is on the other side of the island. The island of Vieques is even better, but that requires a full day to ferry over and back, or a quick puddle jumper airplane to get to.

Carolina beach (in Isla Verde) should fit your needs.

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I think the beach in Isla Verde is your best bet. It’s called Carolina beach.

 

It’ll be around $25 each way for a taxi. It’s a big beach with a lot of high rise hotels on it, and therefore plenty of amenities.

 

It’s not the nicest beach you’ll see in the Caribbean. It’s more like a California or Florida beach in that it’s kind of brown instead of that clear aqua blue you see elsewhere. It’s on the Atlantic side of the island rather than the Caribbean, which is why the water isn’t the best.

 

The nicest beaches in Puerto Rico are pretty far away from the port in the Luquillo area, which is on the other side of the island. The island of Vieques is even better, but that requires a full day to ferry over and back, or a quick puddle jumper airplane to get to.

 

Carolina beach (in Isla Verde) should fit your needs.

 

 

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Actually, the part of Isla Verde that is known as Carolina Beach is not where the big hotels are located. It is located the furthest from both San Juan proper/Old San Juan and the most popular tourist areas of Isla Verde.

This article has a good description of the Isla Verde beaches:

https://islandsofpuertorico.com/isla-verde-beaches/

Actually, the part of Isla Verde that is known as Carolina Beach is not where the big hotels are located. It is located the furthest from both San Juan proper/Old San Juan and the most popular tourist areas of Isla Verde.

 

 

 

This article has a good description of the Isla Verde beaches:

 

 

 

https://islandsofpuertorico.com/isla-verde-beaches/

When we stayed at the Embassy Suites in Isla Verde, we could walk 2 blocks to a beach, and the people who worked at the hotel told us it was Carolina Beach.

Looking at the map in the link you gave also makes it appear that where we went was in fact Carolina Beach, though I’m not great with maps.

I saw lots of big high rise hotels there, but maybe the section we actually sat on, where we could see the hotels, but weren’t actually right in front of the hotels, was Carolina Beach, while the portion of sand directly in front of the hotels was called something else. To me it was all the same Beach, as it was walkable and connected.

But again, I could be mistaken with how I’m reading the map. Maybe I can dig up a photo from that trip though and I’ll realize I am wrong about how close the hotels were. The water shown in that article isn’t nearly as brown as the water we experienced, so maybe they are different beaches.

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Ok I did some quick sleuthing through my google photo album and found the photos. I do see there are high rise hotels, but that they are further away than I recall (and can be seen in both directions). There are hotels behind where we entered the beach, but they aren’t as big (The photo where I covered over my daughter with blue). We did walk the beach, and those high rise hotels didn’t seem far, so I guess that’s why I thought the whole stretch of beach had the same name.

It wouldn’t make a difference to someone who is mobile, but for the original poster of this thread, I suppose it would since there are mobility issues at play.

If you zoom in on the photo of the water, you’ll see it’s brown.

Actually, the part of Isla Verde that is known as Carolina Beach is not where the big hotels are located. It is located the furthest from both San Juan proper/Old San Juan and the most popular tourist areas of Isla Verde.

 

 

 

This article has a good description of the Isla Verde beaches:

 

 

 

https://islandsofpuertorico.com/isla-verde-beaches/

When we stayed at the Embassy Suites in Isla Verde, we could walk 2 blocks to a beach, and the people who worked at the hotel told us it was Carolina Beach.

 

Looking at the map in the link you gave also makes it appear that where we went was in fact Carolina Beach, though I’m not great with maps.

 

I saw lots of big high rise hotels there, but maybe the section we actually sat on, where we could see the hotels, but weren’t actually right in front of the hotels, was Carolina Beach, while the portion of sand directly in front of the hotels was called something else. To me it was all the same Beach, as it was walkable and connected.

 

But again, I could be mistaken with how I’m reading the map. Maybe I can dig up a photo from that trip though and I’ll realize I am wrong about how close the hotels were. The water shown in that article isn’t nearly as brown as the water we experienced, so maybe they are different beaches.

 

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When we stayed at the Embassy Suites in Isla Verde, we could walk 2 blocks to a beach, and the people who worked at the hotel told us it was Carolina Beach.

 

Looking at the map in the link you gave also makes it appear that where we went was in fact Carolina Beach, though I’m not great with maps.

 

I saw lots of big high rise hotels there, but maybe the section we actually sat on, where we could see the hotels, but weren’t actually right in front of the hotels, was Carolina Beach, while the portion of sand directly in front of the hotels was called something else. To me it was all the same Beach, as it was walkable and connected.

 

But again, I could be mistaken with how I’m reading the map. Maybe I can dig up a photo from that trip though and I’ll realize I am wrong about how close the hotels were. The water shown in that article isn’t nearly as brown as the water we experienced, so maybe they are different beaches.

 

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If you were on the beach closest to Embassy Suites then you were on what is described as "Playa Alambique" in the article. It's the westernmost of the three beaches named and is the leftmost of the three on the map. If you read the description in the article it notes that it is the beach closest to the El San Juan and Intercontinental hotels, among others.

What is called "Carolina Beach" is the furthest east of the three, furthest to the right on the map, past the easternmost hotel, Marriott Courtyard Isla Verde, and is the beach that is furthest from your hotel. You actually wouldn't have been able to walk there from the beach closest to your hotel by staying on the beach . If you look at the map there's an area labelled "Biascochea" , also called Punta el Medio, where the shoreline comes to a triangular shape. You can't get by there from either direction while walking on the beach.

We've been regular visitors to Puerto Rico for about 45 years and have stayed at various hotels, including all three that I named, in the Isla Verde area many times. Frankly we just call the whole thing "Isla Verde Beach", which I think is what most people do.

Edit:

In looking at the pictures you've posted you may have been even a little bit further west (further left on the map and even further from Carolina Beach) of the Intercontinental and El San Juan hotels than I thought, but I'm not 100% certain. That would make sense if you go on something like Google Maps and see where the Embassy Suites is located relative to the Intercontinental and El San Juan. It's actually even a bit further from Carolina Beach than either of those hotels.

If you were on the beach closest to Embassy Suites then you were on what is described as "Playa Alambique" in the article. It's the westernmost of the three beaches named and is the leftmost of the three on the map. If you read the description in the article it notes that it is the beach closest to the El San Juan and Intercontinental hotels, among others.

 

What is called "Carolina Beach" is the furthest east of the three, furthest to the right on the map, past the easternmost hotel, Marriott Courtyard Isla Verde, and is the beach that is furthest from your hotel. You actually wouldn't have been able to walk there from the beach closest to your hotel by staying on the beach . If you look at the map there's an area labelled "Biascochea" , also called Punta el Medio, where the shoreline comes to a triangular shape. You can't get by there from either direction while walking on the beach.

 

We've been regular visitors to Puerto Rico for about 45 years and have stayed at various hotels, including all three that I named, in the Isla Verde area many times. Frankly we just call the whole thing "Isla Verde Beach", which I think is what most people do.

 

Edit:

In looking at the pictures you've posted you may have been even a little bit further west (further left on the map and even further from Carolina Beach) of the Intercontinental and El San Juan hotels than I thought, but I'm not 100% certain. That would make sense if you go on something like Google Maps and see where the Embassy Suites is located relative to the Intercontinental and El San Juan. It's actually even a bit further from Carolina Beach than either of those hotels.

Thanks for the clarification. I see what you’re talking about now. I’m not sure why the hotel folks told me it was called Carolina Beach, but maybe they figured it was just easier, lol.

We did do a lot of walking on the beach so I’m not entirely sure where we were in those pictures, but I’m pretty sure those were taken at the point where we entered the beach from our walk from the Embassy Suites, so you’re probably correct that we were much further away from the true Carolina Beach than I thought. Who knows.

What I do know is that it was our least favorite beach of the 6 we visited that week, haha.

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I think the poster who replied to you was thinking Tulum, which I know there is a Tulum, Mexico, but never heard of a Tulum, Puerto Rico. ??? To answer your question about beaches in San Juan, yes, there are beaches but I don't think any are close enough to be considered walkable for someone who can't walk a long distance. There are a few beaches in San Juan that I know of: Escambron; Condado area; and Isla Verde area. The Condado and Isla Verde beaches are pretty long. We stayed at a hotel in Isla Verde (across from airport) twice before cruises and the beach is very nice, but it's the only one we've actually been to. I don't have any specific details on the others, but I'm sure they are similar.

 

It's very easy to get a taxi from the cruise ship. Attaching link to San Juan's taxis that shows the rate zones and rates from one zone to another. These are flat rates. The cruise ship piers are Zone 4. Hope this helps.

 

https://sanjuanpuertorico.com/taxis/

Ha yes i was thinking about mexico sorry pabeachi

Ha yes i was thinking about mexico sorry pabeachi

Lol!!! You're just keeping us on our toes. :)

Thanks for the clarification. I see what you’re talking about now. I’m not sure why the hotel folks told me it was called Carolina Beach, but maybe they figured it was just easier, lol.

 

We did do a lot of walking on the beach so I’m not entirely sure where we were in those pictures, but I’m pretty sure those were taken at the point where we entered the beach from our walk from the Embassy Suites, so you’re probably correct that we were much further away from the true Carolina Beach than I thought. Who knows.

 

What I do know is that it was our least favorite beach of the 6 we visited that week, haha.

 

 

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Ok maybe I can be a bit of help here since I am from Carolina and lived there until last December (at Arecibo now) and I work about 100 feet from the sand of "Carolina" beach. The area known as Isla Verde is located in the municipality of Carolina. Think of Isla Verde as a township. "Isla Verde beach", which is AKA El Alambique (a name used less and less every day) is the part of the beach located behind all the condos and some of the hotels, namely The Intercontinental, El San Juan Hotel and the ESJ complex. The center part of the beach area starts just to the right of point where, on the map, makes it look like a "W" and goes from behind the Ritz Carllton hotel to just past the Courtyard Marriott. That part is know as Pine Grove simply as a reference and because one of (is not the) first condos to be built in that area was called... Pine Grove. Past the Courtyard is what's know as Balneario de Carolina or Carolina public beach (all beaches are public in PR, BTW). It streaches all the way to the right leg of the "W" almost reaching Piñones. This is the part of the beach that the municipal government controls in the sense that it has ample parking, bathrooms, gazebos, areas set up for beach volleyball and some watersports vendors. Vivo Beach Club is located in a lot inside Balneario de Carolina. So as you can see it's all a "tomato-tomato" type of deal. It's all Carolina, really. It's just divided into three "sections". Hope this helps.

Ok maybe I can be a bit of help here since I am from Carolina and lived there until last December (at Arecibo now) and I work about 100 feet from the sand of "Carolina" beach. The area known as Isla Verde is located in the municipality of Carolina. Think of Isla Verde as a township. "Isla Verde beach", which is AKA El Alambique (a name used less and less every day) is the part of the beach located behind all the condos and some of the hotels, namely The Intercontinental, El San Juan Hotel and the ESJ complex. The center part of the beach area starts just to the right of point where, on the map, makes it look like a "W" and goes from behind the Ritz Carllton hotel to just past the Courtyard Marriott. That part is know as Pine Grove simply as a reference and because one of (is not the) first condos to be built in that area was called... Pine Grove. Past the Courtyard is what's know as Balneario de Carolina or Carolina public beach (all beaches are public in PR, BTW). It streaches all the way to the right leg of the "W" almost reaching Piñones. This is the part of the beach that the municipal government controls in the sense that it has ample parking, bathrooms, gazebos, areas set up for beach volleyball and some watersports vendors. Vivo Beach Club is located in a lot inside Balneario de Carolina. So as you can see it's all a "tomato-tomato" type of deal. It's all Carolina, really. It's just divided into three "sections". Hope this helps.

Thank you. That makes sense for why the guys at the hotel told me I was walking to Carolina Beach. That’s what I’ve always called it. I can see how it would get confusing to a tourist who is using the correct names based on the map vs. the locals who have their own understanding of what they call things.

Where I live we separate the state into various counties that contain multiple towns, but one of those towns is always more well known (for example, Denver county actually contains other towns that surround it, but those people will usually just say they live in Denver, even though on a map their town is really called Aurora or Westminster etc). It’s just easier for most people to get an idea of where they live because everyone knows “Denver,” but not everyone knows where Westminster is.

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