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Rocky beaches, sandy ones, surfing, swimming beaches, we got them all, all around the island. Most american mainlanders tend to live in either the metro area Condado, Isla Verde, San Juan, or the west of the island around the town of Rincon.

Rincon and I believe Isabela has Surfing Competitions, so yes big waves. I believe this is the season for it until around April. Given your preferences Rincon is probably for you and there are inexpensive places there.

Most of us are very friendly and love family and friends.

Try to get a hold in this forum of Sandrarduncan, she seems to like to help people out, and lives close to Rincon, she seems to have connections so she may be able to locate a place for you.

Hope all works out for you.
Rey

Definitely Rincon is for you. Rent can be very reasonable if you come when the snowbirds are gone. I recommend coming in March/ April.  90% of the people in Rincon speak English so now Spanish is really required. Sam's club and other big stores are 25 mins away. Ban airport is 35 mins away with traffic. Rincon is know for surfing . All the people here are very friendly and helpful. We have a 3 bedroom 2 bathrooms with water as well as a cistern and a solar hot water tank with ocean view from the back and front of the house. We live in the mountains area called cruces. We are10 mins to beaches. Center of town ( which has an art walk every Thursday and farmers market every Sunday)  The beach is also 10 mins away. We live where the native live and not in the tourist part .Everyone is wonderful.    Please feel free to private message me and I can answer any questions you have. And asking provide you with links etc

If I fly to San Juan airport, how can I get to Rincon?  Would I need to rent a car?  My email is dianec333@yahoo.com. I am alone in this world, so could use some help. Thanks.

In PR a car is a necessity, you will need to rent a car.
You can fly to San Juan (SJU) or to Arecibo (BQN). Arecibo (BQN) is the closest to Rincon but has less flights, San Juan (SJU) is the main airport.

Not sure but from Arecibo airport to Rincon is probably 20-30 minutes by car, from San Juan to Rincon is around 2 hours.

Same basic rules as the US, just have patience and don't follow too close, people drive a little weird, but the same basic driving rules apply.

Give it a few days in the forum, somebody that lives in the area will likely connect with you and maybe show you around.

Thank you so much.

dianec333 wrote:

Thank you so much.

Give the forum a few days, more people familiar with Rincon or that live there will come online and give you better guidance. I am familiar with the east coast so I can not talk much about the west coast of the island, I am also still in MA, but making preparations to move to the east Fajardo/ Ceiba area.

Give it a few days, I contacted a couple of people to help you out. For some reason members are not as active in the last month as they normally are.

Please private message me on here and I can give you my phone #

Dianne,
to send a private message to sandrarduncan or anybody else privately, click on their icon next to a posting and in the new screen select send message. This way the two of you can communicate privately and exchange phone numbers and other info that should not be posted publicly.
Hope all goes well for you

The "above" were  questions, not statements. ;-)

If you want to come to Rincón, I highly recommend flying in to Aguadilla airport. The 2.5hr ride from SJ can be exhausting, after a flight! If you need help in this srea, I'd be happy to assist! **

Wow I have never had a short drive like that from San Juan . We use to live in arecibo and it took us almost 2 1//2 hrs to get to Rincon.  When we lived in arecibo it took us 1 1/2 to 2 hrs to get to sju

Mac00677 is our neighbors. We live down the street from each other .Between both of us we will be able to help you.  When you firm up on a date let us know.  They we can help you find a place to stay while your here just remember the snowbirds are here til mid March/ April

Went to answer your text and deleted it. Such a dummy.  I am pretty sure the 27th or 28th feb. San Juan seems to be best, as the other gets me there at 3 a.m. I can rent a car for 4 days for $94.00 This will give me a nice drive around the Island. I cant wait to meet you. It is so nice to have someone in a new place to help.  I will move my camper Monday, then will make flight and car plans. All that is left is a cheap motel or hostel. Have to watch the pennies for now, though I do have some money in the bank, but that is for emergencies. Or rent deposits or whatever. I will let you know tomorrow afternoon. Also have to find nice place for my lil doggie while I am gone. That's important.

Hi all! We moved from Georgia at the beginning of January and have been staying in Loiza while we look for our permanent home (we're going to Isla Verde). My partner transferred here for his work, and I'm currently a stay-at-home mom to our toddler. We're looking forward to improving our Spanish and experiencing a different culture. Also hoping to learn from the experiences of other expats!

Welcome to Puerto Rico, hope you enjoy it, I still have several months to go.
Lots of mosquitos in Loiza, get lots of repellent.
Post your questions in separate subject and we will do our best.

Hello Everyone, Just joined this board. We've been enjoying it for a few weeks. I'm 57 and my Wife is 50, we are looking to retire to Puerto Rico in four to five years. so we will have plenty of questions over the next few years. We have been to the island three times over the past ten years and loved it more each time. We are presently targeting the west end of the island as our place to settle down, but it may change the more we research. We are looking to buy a condo and would like to purchase one prior to our relocating. Our mortgage will be paid off in the next two years and we will be in the market to purchase at that point in time.

We are planning on spending a few weeks on the island to look into areas that would be a good fit for us. We will be looking to start a conversation with a realtor down there who can help us in viewing a few condos while we are there. if anyone knows a realtor who would be willing to work with us, we would greatly appreciate their contact info.

Thanks for any and all your help, as we will be asking plenty of questions.

Mike & Valerie

You're on point; West is best!

Hello Everyone,

Myself and my S/O will be moving to Caguas in April of 2017. I'm from Boston and she's from Puerto Rico but she was living with me in Boston for ten years.

Currently we are living in Rosario, Argentina. She got offered a job as a pedagogical advisor for a new Montessori School here. We were both unsatisfied with our jobs (I'm a video editor) so we decided to say "why not", quit our jobs and moved here.

We plan on opening our own school after we fix up the place we are buying in Caguas. It needs a lot of work but it's really perfect for our situation. All her family is still there. Mine are all in Massachusetts.

We are both incredibly excited with what the future holds. I know Puerto Rico well. I've been there many times and I love it, warts and all, just like Argentina. I'm not bi-lingual but I've been studying a lot here in Argentina so I can communicate on a basic level at this point.

See 247realestatepr for a realtor. He covers the entire island

Welcome,  folks here are knowledgable and helpful.   Many nice areas here, and now is a great buyers market!

Helpful information, Rey! Particularly in regards to working remotely and planning to have a back-up internet/Wifi service. Thanks!

Kathryn3000 hopefully you found the Mommies and Daddies Playgroup on Facebook - you'll meet lots of people in your situation there!

Hi richvideo, We currently live in Grafton, MA, moving to Ceiba. Somwhat familiar with Caguas and Juncos. Ivam from PR, wife is mainlander.

Hi everyone!  My name is Brian and my wife, Maryna, and I currently live in Texas but we want to move to PR in the very near future.  Our kids are grown so it is just the 2 of us + Buddy (our Italian Greyhound). We are looking primarily on the western part of PR (Rincon, Aguadilla or Cabo Rojo) but we are open to the East side as well.  I have heard great things about Palmas Del Mar.  We are doing a scouting trip in less than 2 weeks.  We are very excited!  We will be there from April 16-23 and plan to look at different areas on the island.

I have read a ton of posts on this forum and would like to thank everyone for their contribution to it.  The information here is informative and very much appreciated! 

Brian

If you want info about Palmas Del mar ask Frogrock, she lives there, she may give you a ride in her golf course.
East of the island is about being closer to metro area, beaches, marinas, scuba, island hopping and atol hopping. Also gateway to many other non-us island that you can visit via boat or plane.
I am familiar with the east so ask away. I am buying in Ceiba myself.
East or West, you will likely like PR, where best for you depends on your needs and wants.
Welcome to the forum
Rey

Welcome to the forum. I live in Palmas del Mar. let me know if you want a tour.
Frogrock

Brain I have replied to your pm

Welcome Brian!

We just moved to Palmas in January and LOVE it!

We are still exploring and finding new things everyday.  Below is my blog with a quick guide to Palmas.  More to be added as we explore.  Best wishes for finding the perfect place for you on this little island of paradise!

Thank you everyone for the warm welcome!  We are very excited and look forward to our first PMV on April 16th.  We hope to meet you all in person at some point.  Everyone here seems so nice, warm and helpful.

@Rey - Thank you for the information you have provided.  Very much appreciated!

@Sandra - It was a pleasure visiting with you about life in PR.  Your suggestions are great and I look forward to visiting with you more.

@Frogrock - We just might take you up on that tour!

@jentheredonethat - We have both seen your blog and it's great stuff!  Glad you are enjoying your time in PR so far.

The more we learn about Rincon, the more we think that might be the area to focus more time on checking out.  My wife and I both eat very healthy so hopefully we can find fruits and veggies locally (organic would be even better).

I guess you are not Puerto Rican, LOL, we eat very unhealthy. salty, fatty, and lots of starches. We die young, fat, but happy.

I am 100% Texan although I lived in California for several years and in Panama for 6 months on a deployment while I was in the Army.  My wife is originally from Ukraine.  Nothing wrong with enjoying good food that's terrible for us too.  We do have fun and eat bad sometimes but for the most part, we try and eat healthy!

Lots of healthy choices and many organic as well.  Farmers market has many organic choices on Sundays and we also have an organic stand across from the post office .Sana farmers .They also have a club if you want to get stuff weekly

Hi everyone, my name is Chris and my wife (Marcia) and I are strongly considering moving to Puerto Rico. We currently live in Atlanta and need to get away for a while. My wife is originally from Los Angeles and I'm originally from the DC area. We have our own business so for the most part can live anywhere on the island. But we have no clue where to look! We have two small children 1 (15 months; daughter) and 2 (29 months; son) so we would love to be somewhere safe and quiet.

I'd prefer a single family home because my kids can get pretty loud during the day with their instruments, singing and dancing. They all love the water (not me, I sink like a rock) so would prefer a pool or a beach nearby; and because my wife sends me to the grocery store every 2 days I'd prefer to be near shopping if possible.

Do these things exist? LOL. Anyway, I just found out about this site today and am coming alone on the 16th - 21st to scout the area. This will also be my first time away from my daughter and 2nd time away from my wife and son, so I'm uncomfortable with that. But it'll be a lot easier to get things done without my daughter attached to my leg.

Glad to be a part of the community!

Welcome to the forum. Puerto Rico is a big, diverse island.  What is your itinerary?

Welcome, I am moving to Anasco this summer but it took about 4 visits to find a place to live that my family was good with.

Welcome. Are you on the ocean side of anasco or on the other side of rt 2?

Chris feel free to contact me on pm and I will give you my texting #   I live in Rincon and I think your family would love it here and it would also be a good fit for your family

Welcome to The Forum and hopefully to Puerto Rico soon. As to your inability to float, we can put a life saver on you while you learn. 
There are a lot of nice places that are safe and young kids pickup the language quick. Being able to speak 2 languages like Spanish and English are one of the biggest blessings you can provide for your kids.
You need to figure you what sort of living you want. Country, suburban, house, apartment/condo, etc. look for that that will make you happy on this your first hunting trip.
Some people want a gated area and some don't, most times it makes no difference other than personal mind. There are no 100% safe places in the world.

Once you are looking seriously for a place and have a good idea of what you want, I may be able to put you in contact with somebody that can help you.

Mean time ask away, create a subject and ask all the questions you have. There are a lot of postings already so search for keywords, the answer maybe available. Either way one of us will gladly answer any question you have.
Welcome
Rey
PS. Looks like BrianTX and you will be coming to the island around the same time, you may want to meet.

Welcome to the forum!!