For all you lighthouse folks, photographers, or people who want to explore some off-the-beaten-path places — the old lighthouse ruins in Aguadilla (or, as they are referred to here, Las Ruinas) are pretty cool. There is not much left of this lighthouse (only parts of 2 walls, really), but it provides a setting for some beautiful photos.

Some Lighthouse History

Officially known as the Borinquen Point Lighthouse, this structure was built in 1889 by the Spanish. Made of brick, it had a tower with the light and a living area for the light-keeper. Like many of the lighthouses of its time, it was pretty elaborate in architectural details. However, in 1918, there was a major earthquake in the north-west that severely damaged the lighthouse beyond repair. It was abandoned, and a new concrete lighthouse was built in 1922 by the US Coast Guard in a different location — a little more to the north-east in Aguadilla.

What remained of the ruins were left to be further destroyed by time and vandals. But still you can see the beauty that was once a mighty lighthouse. And the views through the hollow windows to the west, overlooking the ocean are breathtaking.

Getting to the Lighthouse

This was the fun part of the trip — you actually have to go through the golf course. From Aguadialla, take Route 107 north. You will be close to the airport and you will see large, golfball-shaped domes (at the airport). A little past that, you will see a small road on the left that will take you through the golf course. Keep following it until you get to the very end, where it deteriorates to a terrible dirt road.

Park your car and walk down the dirt road toward the water. You will see the ruins. We did see some cars go past us on this dirt road, so I assume there is a beach down there somewhere (it’s called Playa La Ruina), but we didn’t want to risk damaging our car to explore it.

Details

Allow 15-20 minutes to explore around the lighthouse and take some photos. Plan on it taking about 10-15 mins on the golf course road to get there.

If you have a GPS unit handy, you can punch in these coordinates (18.490872, -67.149898) to help find the turnoff for the lighthouse and (18.488601, -67.161627) for the lighthouse itself.

You can locate Aguadilla Lighthouse Ruins on our Interactive Island Map