Nice Beach in PR Possible?

Got some free tickets to San Juan. Want a REALLY NICE BEACH. Is that even possible in Puerto Rico? Does it rain alot? We have narrowed down the hotels to the Wyndham El San Juan, Westin Del Mar Beach, El Conquistor, and the Hyatt Dorado. Please help.
BobG in Roanoke.....SNOWED IN!

[DeniceRG]

You might consider driving out of San Juan ... we stayed in Rincon at a 2 bedroom apartment right on the beach ... great area ... nice beach ... nice restaurants and bars there ...

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." Mark Twain

HostCruiseDRG (Denice)

[CelestialTraveler]

Congrats, Bob on the free tix! I have also been snowed in up here in DC and am climbing the walls myself. As somewhat of an expert on Puerto Rico, I completely agree with DeniceRG's recommendation to get out of San Juan and visit the REAL Puerto Rico. Although Old San Juan is very beautiful, historical and charming, the rest of San Juan is surprisingly similar to any other mid-size city in the U.S. And most importantly, according to your criteria, the San Juan-area beaches aren't always as nice as those on other parts of the Island.

Rincon is beautiful and probably the closest to a "surfer town" as PR has. Very laid back, not overly commercial, good waves and beaches. It's about a two hour drive from San Juan. Another option: if you want pristine beaches, amazing blue waters and incredible snorkeling in one of the world's only bioluminescent bays, you should stay on the smaller islands of Culebra or Vieques. To get there, you depart from Fajardo which is 30 mins. from San Juan. A ferry is about 1.5 hours or puddle-jumper is about 20 minutes. You won't find the large resorts there... it's much more like what you would imagine a real tropical island to be... straight out of a travelogue picture book.

However, if you MUST stay in San Juan, I would recommend the Hyatt Dorado Beach (45 mins outside San Juan) or El Conquistador. Both are large hotel resorts, very nice with well kept private beaches.

Make sure you take the time to visit El Yunque, about 1/2 hour outside San Juan. It's the only tropical rainforest in the entire U.S. National Forest System and makes for a wonderful day of hiking and exploring. Puerto Rico is actually home to 4 different temperate zones... the tropical rainforest, a coastal area, mountainous region and a desert region created by the dry winds that blow over the crest of the Cordillera mountains.

The weather in PR is generally sunny and typically ranges from high-70s to mid-90s depending on time of year. It was in the low 80s when I was there for New Year's. Afternoon rainshowers are typical, but they usually blow over in an hour.

It's a beautiful island, with a rich cultural heritage and amazingly warm, friendly people. Hope you have a great time and that some of this info is helpful!