Flamenco Beach

No wonder why the Discovery Channel named this one of the best beaches of the world. It definitely lives up to all the hype! The sand is powdery white not to mention the crystal clear water. I was pleasantly surprised by the food offerings, cocktails, fresh coconuts and ice-​cream. The ferry ride was not as bad as all the reviews made it sound. It was inexpensive and easy! Be prepared if you get motion sickness.

Before you get to the beach, you will pass a lot of food stalls. The food is great (get the chicken pinchos and $ 10 double shot 16 oz. pina coladas!!) but I prefer walking a little ways and eating away from the stalls. The food area is a bit messy – not dirty, but not the cleanest. There’s lots of chickens and cats wandering the area and the trash bins are so full that inevitably, large amount of flies swarm around.
The beach is a short walk and there, you will find paradise. The beach itself is spotless. Flamenco Beach is breathtaking with its deep turquoise waters and soft white sands. I came during off-​season and there was little foot traffic. The water is clear and you can snorkel, but sadly, the reef is very dead. It’s nothing like the reef at Tamarindo Beach, but the beach itself is more swim friendly than Tamarindo. Since there’s no rainfall and runoff here, the water is super clear. There are plenty of shallow areas to wade in and the waves are not as rough.
Getting here can be a pain, so make the most of your day. I suggest bringing a cooler and preparing for a relaxing day. If you travel by ferry, you get there at 10 AM and have to leave at 5 PM!

I suggest getting to the beach early, not because it gets over crowded, but at 9am you share the beach with maybe a handful of people. The beach feels like a piece of paradise. There is a parking lot, but it gets full around 1pm. Between the beach and parking lot is several kiosks that sell everything from food & booze to sunscreen and souvenirs. At 10 am a guy opens a little hut on the beach and sells beach umbrellas for $ 10. There is also shade along the palm tree line. The beach is long with the softest and cleanest sand I have ever seen. The water is calm and warm just past the waves and in Certain spots of feels like a warm pool. If you walk towards the west along the beach you’ll see the abandoned military tank. This is a beach where you can easily spend all day. A must do if you are going to Puerto Rico.

Beautiful.
Satisfied.
Best beach I’ve seen.

I’m originally from Puerto Rico but have lived in the states for almost 30 years. Every time I go back I try to visit at least 2 – 3 new beaches. During my most recent trip, I visited Flamenco. Wow, wow, wow!!! I have no idea why it took me so long but you better believe that I will be visiting Flamenco as many times as I can from now on.
This is by far, the best beach on Puerto Rican soil, hands down!!! In fact, it’s recognized as one of the top beaches in the world. Yes, those people from the Travel Channel really do know what they’re talking about;)
The first thing you’ll notice is the turquoise blue water. The second thing, the white sand that will feel like flour under your feet. Yes, I said flour! I was actually blown away by how fine the sand really is. With that being said, fine sand is very hard to get out of your towels, clothes, and valuables so I suggest that you leave your very expensive beach towel at home.
Getting to the beach may seem like a sacrifice but I promise that it’s one you’ll never live to regret. I did not take the public Ferry because I did not want to stand in line at 4:00 am to purchase tickets. I don’t know about you, but who the heck wants to stand in line at 4:00 am while on vacation? Not me!!! Do your research and either fly there or take a day tour. I went on a catamaran tour with «East Island Excursions». The experience was wonderful and well worth the money. Also, do yourself a favor and buy yourself a waterproof camera. I assure you, that you’ll want to take some photos in that beautiful water. Don’t say I didn’t tell you so… Enjoy!

The most popular beach, but not necessarily the nicest beach on the island.

Everything I could ask for in a beach plus great piña coladas from the food shacks. Great people, free camping, public restrooms and miles of soft, silky sand.

The most beautiful place I have ever seen!!! I cannot wait to go back.
Eat empañadas at the stand in the back with the white sign… Jueyes was my favorite!

I thought the island was beautiful we had amazing beaches and the US tanks are really pretty cool too I wish people would have picked their trash up a little bit more but other than that the beach.

When in Puerto Rico, Culebra is an absolute MUST! My friend and I stayed in Fajardo just to be close to the ferry station to Culebra and we didn’t even end up taking the ferry. Our hotel concierge told us the ferry ride is about $ 5, but you can only buy tickets for the same day trip and you have to get in line for the tickets at around 5 am AND you may not even get tickets. Thus we decided to fly there instead. There are 2 airlines that fly there from either San Juan Airport or Ceiba (Fajardo) — Vieques Air Link and Air Flamenco. We took the flight from Ceiba (way shorter wait than San Juan because it’s a lot smaller airport) on Vieques Air Link. It doesn’t matter who you fly, since there’s about a $ 2 difference only but other than that they have the same schedules pretty much. Compared to the ferry $ 5 fare, the roundtrip flight was $ 92 per person and it was a 15 min flight on a tiny 8 people plane :) yet another cool experience! I heard the ferry can be a nightmare, so if you have the money, definitely take the flight. If Culebra is on your list, I can’t stress enough how important it is for you to book your flight WAY IN ADVANCE because the tickets sell out super fast.
There are several beaches part of Culebra and Flamenco Beach is real paradise! Once you get to Culebra, you can either walk to Flamenco Beach (about 20 – 30 min walk) or rent a golf cart or jeep in the airport. We rented a golf cart for $ 35 for the day and it was awesome and fun :) If you’re not too lazy, I suggest that you go on the morning flight and enjoy Flamenco Beach all to yourself for a few hours before the other people come. Just keep in mind that this is a very relaxed island, so plan to have breakfast elsewhere for most places open around 11 – 12 pm.
Culebra is very peaceful and noncommercial, but that’s what makes it so relaxing when you’re there.
If you’re Unilocaler like I am, you’ll see that Zaco’s Tacos and Dinghy Dock are among most favorite restaurants. We went on a Sunday and Zaco’s Tacos was closed, and the owner told me they may continue working just on weekdays, so we had lunch at Dinghy Dock (will write a separate review).
If I could rate it more than 5 stars, I would! It is worth the time and the money. Enjoy!

Saturday, 2:30 PM.
Quickie:
+ Clean
+ Clear water
+ Minimal foot traffic
And then???
Did we just get lucky today? Where the heck was everyone? Knowing us, we probably missed a public service announcement. OOOOPS!

This beach is beautiful clear turquoise water and white sand as they say or a very light tan color. Very relaxing beach. They have chairs and umbrellas for rent. $ 5 chairs $ 10 umbrellas. There is a variety of food for sale at the shops. The seafood is fresh. I had an octopus salad and it was flavorful and yummy. I also ordered a piña colada and it was just right.
The coconut used was fresh which made this drink perfect with rum.
To get here I took the ferry from fajardo for $ 5 round trip. It was only an hour boat ride. Definitely worth it to take a day trip here to visit this beauty and get away. Beware of the waves even if you can swim. The waves swallowed me up a few times and took my bathing suit with them. I had to catch my breath and cover my breasts at the same time. I know tmi but I had a one piece so I can only imagine how those with bikinis were handling those waves. I’ll be back for sure.

For God’s sake bring toilet paper!!!
Now that’s settle let’s get to it.
We came during the off season so the ferry was headache free.
The beach was amazing. We actually saw jellyfish swimming. That’s how clear the water was! How scary and awesome! This beach truly lives up to its hype. It’s very clean, the food is delicious, and the local beer called Medalla are 2 bucks each/​freezing cold.
We saw a huge iguana vs a brave cat. Pretty cool.
Bring cash!

I felt like l ruined my day hoping on that ferry let alone fighting traffic to get to Farjado. The beach wasn’t great at all! Rincon is so much more beautiful and very lively reef. Don’t waste your time!
The second you get off the ferry you will be hassled by 20 people trying to get you to rent something. You get to Flamenco, which is suppose to be the best beach, and it’s nothing but a bay with Sandy bottom and tourists everywhere. Way way overrated and a Tourist TRAP!
For one empanada and a coke was $ 5 !! So if you go bring a cooler as they will let you on the ferry.
I went to Vieques last year and enjoyed it much better but Rincon and beaches around Aguadilla is the way to go!
Don’t Waste Your Time!

Great atmosphere cold beer what else you need. Enjoyed every minute of it pristine beach Clear water. People are friendly and very welcoming. I’ve it can’t wait to come back.

Flamenco Beach is SO pretty and worth a day trip! The white sand against the clear water is exactly the type of beach you want to be at. Plus, there are plenty of kiosks selling food/​drinks and renting out gear for water activities (snorkeling gear, body boards, etc). There was also a guy with a truckful of umbrellas and chairs. He rents them out for an inexpensive day rate. $ 10 – 15 dollars.

una belleza!

This is as «exotic» as you’re going to get within U.S. Territory! Well… other than the Virgin Islands. Culebra island requires NO passport for U.S. citizens. Go on an adventure and get away from the touristy San Juan and take a 30-​minute roundtrip flight on Air Flamenco. From San Juan to Culebra Island, it’s $ 288 for 2 people. Way better than massive hours of waiting in the boat ferry lines. Don’t miss out!
Flamenco beach is the most gorgeous and amazing beach I have ever been to. The color of the ocean water is like a gradient from clear to aqua to teal to Blue water with White Sand!
YouTube Video:

[Ignore how I pronounce Culebra in the video. The locals say it like «cuh-​leh-​bra”]
We took a flight from Isla Grande Airport in San Juan to CPX. The smallest plane I have ever been on in my life, but this beats the 45 minute/​1 hour drive to Fajardo then a possible 3 – 5 hour wait to get on the boat ferry, another 45 minutes-​1 hour ferry boat ride and an hour back from the island then an 1 hour drive from Fajardo to San Juan… hours of back and forth no thanks! lol
Tips/​Advice:
— *Buy flight tickets in advance
— Put on plenty of mosquito spray and SPF lotion. We went in early May, there weren’t any mosquitoes but based on TripAdvisor bad experiences, you can never be too careful.
— Be prepared for the strong waves. Although, the water is pleasant, those waves don’t play. The waves aren’t nearly as bad as Condado beach.
— **Bring cash for transportation to get to Flamenco Beach from the airport and for food at the beach! Even at the airport the food place doesn’t take credit cards.
— **When you arrive at the Culebra Airport (CPX), call for transportation. When we went, there were NO buses or taxis waiting to pick us up at the airport. On the left side wall of the airport front door (inside), you will see a list of phone numbers for taxis and transportation companies. There were Jeep rentals, but I couldn’t tell you how much they cost.
We ended up calling Miguelito’s Transportation (787−473−2594 or 787−633−6020). I highly recommend. He picked us up so fast and communicated very well. Dude was down to earth, chill and very informative. He gave us information about the history and culture of the island. He said it’s so laid back there that they don’t even have police there and everyone is into organic farming. Very peaceful.

We did a snorkeling tour that came out here. The tour picked us up in our hotel in Coronado and we took a bus and then a very bumpy ferry ride out here. By far, the clearest bluest water I have ever seen. My boyfriend is not much of a swimmer and we both managed to enjoy the tour. I would definitely recommend it to anyone going to PR. Be sure to wear a lot of sun screen! I thought I was being diligent and applying it every hour and managed to still get burnt on the way back!

What else can I add to this that someone else has not said?
The water is warm, the sand is white and the beer at the kiosks are cold.

My 3^rd time to Flamenco. It’s such a gorgeous beach. Also very easy to get to. Take the ferry from Fajardo to Culebra and a taxi/​bus to Flamenco. Read my Fajardo terminal review for more details.
Tips:
Pack your snorkel gear! Huge rocks just a short swim offshore.
Pack snacks. There isn’t much to eat where the beach is. When we went, only one kiosk was open and they didn’t have much.