Cayo Matias is a small mangrove island off the south east of Puerto Rico, near Salinas, that is a popular local hang out. On weekends and holidays, there is a small ferry that you can take over to the island where you can be part of a very local island experience.

We managed to snorkel, hike, explore white sand beaches, hunt sea glass and shells, play in the water and relax all in one day on a recent trip in Culebra when we kayaked over to Cayo Luis Pena. This little island is rarely visited, but it really is worth the effort to experience this beautiful nature reserve.

If you are someone who just loves spending lazy days lying on a beautiful beach, or if (like us) you need more activity including beach-combing, snorkeling, hiking, and great photo ops … then the out-island of Culebra is for you. It offers the best of both worlds! Here is a sample itinerary that you can use for planning a quick getaway to Culebra.

I really love visiting the small out-islands around Puerto Rico. They are so pretty – just spits of white sand and palm trees surrounded by clear blue water. But with a name like Isla Ratones (Rat Island), this one kind of scared me. But then I finally got to go, and it’s a cute little island. It’s a nice place to visit for a couple hours (or a day) if you are in the area.

Culebra is a small island off the east coast of PR, that offers some great water-based activities. There are some even smaller, less-visited islands surrounding Culebra that are just begging to be explored. But, to get to those, you need a boat. Captain Bill Penfield offers charters to all areas around the waters of Cuelbra on his Pez Vela sailboat. It is a great way to spend a day!

Parasailing is one of those things that, once you see someone doing it, you just want to do yourself. It is amazingly calm and quiet up there, and takes almost no effort on the part of the passenger, so just about anyone can do it. It is an activity that is available all around Puerto Rico, so you’ve come to the right place if you want to give it a try.

Sea glass or beach glass collecting has been a long tradition in my family. I have many fond memories of going to the beach with my grandmother and hunting for sea glass with her. I enjoy continuing this tradition whenever I go to a beach. Some beaches in Puerto Rico are better than others for finding these sea-tumbled treasures, and Vieques has some really nice sea glass beaches.

Vieques is probably most well known for its beaches, many of which have beautiful white sand. But there is one little beach that has black sand, called Playa Negra. Now, if you have read a few other of my blog articles, you know this little oddity would require a looks-see! This beach is a hidden site, so it takes some time and effort to get there to see it. It’s a cute beach, once you find it.

When it comes to beaches, I like white sand and clear, blue water. Most of the beaches on the big island are cream or beige colored, with the occasional black sand beach. So imagine my surprise when we went to Playa Los Machos and Playa Media Mundo … and discovered two more white sand beaches on the big island!

Traveling from the San Juan area to Rio Grande, Luquillo, and Fajardo just got a whole lot easier and faster! The second phase of Route 66 opened to traffic on 01 October 2012, and it extends Route 66 from Canovanas to Rio Grande. It’s not much of a day trip itself, but it will sure reduce the driving time for trips to El Yunque National Forest, beaches in Luquillo, the biobay in Fajardo, snorkel trips in Fajardo, and other eastern points on the island.

Palominitos Island is a white sand beach east of Fajardo, with a handful of palm trees, that is very popular with the local weekend boating crowd. But something is happening to Palominitos Island – it looks like it is disappearing back into the ocean from which it was born.

I don’t mean to state the obvious, but you have to look to the west if you want to see great sunsets. Weather permitting, almost every evening somewhere in Puerto Rico you can see an amazing sunset. We’ll tell you some of our favorite places in Puerto Rico to watch the sun set. Where are you favorite Puerto Rico sunset spots?

Culebra Island is as laid-back as any place in Puerto Rico can be. This little island east of the big island of Puerto Rico offers naturally beautiful beaches, and a relaxed feel that many people love. Culebra offers white sand beaches, crystal clear blue water, healthy reefs teaming with sea life, and a tropical breeze that keeps you cool as you are watching the amazing sunsets.

Beaches abound on the islands of Puerto Rico. Playa Sardinera, located in Dorado on the north coast, is another one that we visited recently. It is a balneario, so you know that the water quality is safe, and it should have all the services that you could want on a beach. It is a nice long stretch of sand that provides access to the typically calm water, though it didn’t fit my idea of the perfect beach.

Balneario Cerro Gordo is a really nice government-run beach in Vega Alta, along the northern coast, with all of the amenities that anyone could ask for. It is just 45 minutes from San Juan, yet it has a far away feel — much more local than city. It is a favorite of locals from the surrounding areas (and one of my favorites) in the central northern coastal area.