Boquerón

Introducing Boquerón

Easy-going Boquerón, where Puerto Rico meets the Caribbean with a cool Calypso twist, is a colorful west-coast fishing community with wooden-shack restaurants and open-air food stalls that pulsates at weekends to a jaunty but inherently Puerto Rican nightlife. Rightly famous for its sheltered balneario (public beach) and up-and-coming marina, Boquerón is surrounded by a verdant patchwork of refuges, nature reserves and state forests – a nuance that lends the settlement a refreshing small-town, semi-rural feel. Down here in the island’s extreme southwestern corner, a tangible sense of isolation contrasts with the maelstrom elsewhere and many stressed-out sanjuaneros happily tackle the three-hour drive from the capital to bliss out on the ­region’s palm-shaded beaches.

Historically, Boquerón’s legacy is possibly even older than Caparra’s. Certain scholars have claimed that this is where Columbus first set anchor when he ‘discovered’ the island of Puerto Rico in 1493. However, no town existed here until the 1700s and the new colony’s administrative focus was ultimately centered further to the east.

Boquerón attracts travelers of all types, from cell-phone-wielding yacht owners to colorfully attired Rastafarians, and has lately become a favorite destination for wealthy islanders. But with few restaurants outside the standard mom-and-pop luncheonettes and zero resort hotels, the atmosphere remains informal and relaxed. There’s a lot of fun to be had at the waterfront here, particularly at night when the two main roads are shut down to traffic and people can indulge in that favorite Caribbean pastime of limin’ – hanging out, chilling, and moving from one bar to another with a drink in hand.

Last updated: Oct 20, 2009