The 6 Top Places to Buy a Vacation Home in Puerto Rico

What would you call a place with over 300 world-class beaches and tropical weather year-round? A place with tax benefits, easy US access, and a lower cost of living than most big American cities? You might think this place is “paradise,” but the locals call it Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico is a super-hot vacation spot with everything you need for a fun, exciting, or relaxing getaway. Check out the 6 top places to buy a vacation home in Puerto Rico below. 

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Rincon Puerto Rico
Rincón, Puerto Rico

Rincón

Vacation time is about hitting the beach, catching a wave, and enjoying spectacular sunsets. In Rincón, you’ll be doing all of these things and plenty more! This beautiful part of Puerto Rico has excellent surfing “breaks.” Thousands of surfers come here for that reason, and the town has that quintessential laid-back surfer vibe. Surfing isn’t the only fun thing to do in Rincón, though. Kayaking awaits you, as does spectacular snorkeling, whale watching, mountain biking, and fishing! The beaches are fabulous for those who want to relax and watch the day float by. 

There’s no sugarcoating that Rincón is more expensive than other parts of Puerto Rico. Also, home prices are going up fast. Still, after every hurricane, fantastic deals come on the market as some folks leave. Expect to spend between $350 and $450K on a vacation home in Rincón. If you can afford it, it’s a magical place to vacation.

culebra puerto rico
Culebra, Puerto Rico

Culebra

For many folks, vacation means relaxation, beach time, and boozy afternoons watching clouds float. If that sounds idyllic, and you’re not big on crowds, Culebra is a superb choice. It’s resort living at its finest, tranquil, chill, and with lots of fun things to do. Like many places in Puerto Rico, Culebra has a beautiful beach. The Caribbean water is a stunning turquoise, and the beach boasts exquisite sugar sand. 

You’ll find resort-style living in Culebra plus 1-bedroom condos perfect for singles and couples. A stand-alone villa with spectacular views of the beach and ocean? You’ll find those in Culebra, too, which makes it a top spot for vacation homes in Puerto Rico. If you love snorkeling, Culebra will be a dream come true. The snorkeling is fantastic, with a wide variety of sea creatures like sea turtles and manta rays to experience. The one drawback is that, to get to Culebra, you’ll need to take a 45-minute ferry ride. The ride is stunning, though, and a great way to de-stress.

Vieques puerto rico
Vieques, Puerto Rico

Vieques 

Vieques is more than 24 neighborhoods, all of which have great perks. That’s not surprising, considering Vieques is Puerto Rico’s largest master-planned community. The place has everything you want, from exciting nightlife to great schools, world-class restaurants, and bodacious beaches. Vieques has the most extensive tennis center in the Caribbean! There’s also an equestrian club, marina, and 18-hole golf courses. It’s gated living at its finest, with everything you need to forget about the rest of the world.

san juan
San Juan, Puerto Rico

San Juan

Like most big cities, San Juan, Puerto Rico’s capital, has a few warts and rough spots. If you can look past them, however, you’ll see that San Juan is also a magical place. This city drips with history, over 500 years’ worth at last count. Exquisite colonial architecture is everywhere you look, as well as quaint cobblestone streets. You’ll think you’ve gone back in time. One thing to remember if you choose to live in San Juan; do your due diligence. Look everywhere and, if possible, with someone who knows San Juan well. Remember, while some parts of San Juan are dreamy, others not so much. In short, you need to choose wisely to stay in a safe, fun, and chill part of town. Also, most parts of San Juan are costly. If you don’t care about being in the city, you can find much better deals outside of it.

dorado
Dorado, Puerto Rico

Dorado

The name Dorado in Spanish means “golden,” which is the perfect way to describe this coastal town. Dorado offers a vacation location that combines beautiful beaches, gorgeous nature, and high-end amenities. What it doesn’t offer, unfortunately, is low prices. That’s mostly because it’s quite popular, thanks to the aforementioned amenities. In 2022, Dorado’s median listing home price was $1.1 million. A hefty price for a vacation home, but it comes with an idyllic vacation lifestyle. 

rio grande puerto rico
Rio Grande, Puerto Rico

Rio Grande

Rio Grande is perfect if you want beach time with a side of rainforest thrills while on vacation! The beaches, as you might suspect, are excellent and clean. Then you’ve got the El Yunque rainforest to explore right next door, with galore wildlife! El Yunque is one of the most diverse rainforests, with many ways to experience it. You’ve also got delicious restaurants, hip bars, and award-winning golf courses closer to home. Waterfalls, world-class amenities, and panoramic views? Yes, please! Everything combined makes Rio Grande one of Puerto Rico’s best places for a vacation home. 

Top 6 Places to Buy a Vacation in Puerto Rico Brought to You by Southern Self Storage

Puerto Rico has a lot going for it as a vacation destination. We hope the information we’ve provided today will help you find your place under the Puerto Rico sun. 

At Southern Self Storage, we store things for many Puerto Rico vacation homeowners. You can store your precious things with us while renting your home for the rest of the year. That way, your cherished items won’t get damaged or stolen. (It happens.) 

If you need a storage unit in Puerto Rico when you’re not here, Southern can help. We’ve got 10 self storage facilities in Puerto Rico. You’re bound to be near at least one of them! Click here to see their addresses and phone numbers for each Southern Self Storage location.

Moving to Puerto Rico from the mainland USA is a big deal. Prepare well, take your time, and you’ll end up with a vacation location you’ll be happy with for years.

This post was originally published on 06/25/2020. It was updated on 10/04/2022.

29 thoughts on “The 6 Top Places to Buy a Vacation Home in Puerto Rico”

  1. Hi James! Most major airlines fly to Puerto Rico. Try checking out the website skyscanner.com for excellent deals!

  2. I had a horrible experience trying to buy a home in Puerto Rico.K.W was my realtor they screwed me over.

  3. Not saying it was easy, but my husband and I were able to purchase a HomePath (Fannie Mae foreclosure) condo in an excellent location in the town of Fajardo in early 2020 right before the pandemic. I live in New York but I grew up in Puerto Rico so I’m familiar with the island and my first language is Spanish so that simplified things. However, here are the tips I can offer. 1- don’t be intimidated. Money is a universal language and a lot of people in the real estate and mortgage banking industries speak English. My husband is U.S. born and bred and knows very little Spanish so most of our interactions while buying the property were in English. 2- while it may not be the norm to have an agent show you another agent’s listing, it is possible. Agents will require a mortgage pre-qualification letter to start showing you listings so they know you’re not wasting their time. But, once that’s in place, it’s ok to point out listings from other agents and request to see them. They may go along and negotiate with the other broker if things move forward. That’s how we got our condo. We had gotten our property in New York in a similar way so we followed the same playbook. In both cases, we bought the runt of the litter in the best neighborhood we could afford and we couldn’t be happier. We put in some extra cash to update the properties but nowhere near what we would have paid if we had had gotten turnkey properties. Keep in mind, there’s no incentive for agents to show you the less expensive properties but stay firm in what you know your budget is and they’ll get the picture that either they show you what you want to see or their commission will be $0.

  4. Hi,
    We are dreaming to find a small not expensive one- family house on Coales. My husband lived there long ago. Please, help us to find one!

  5. What happened? I am considering purchasing a condo to rent out on Airbnb and use for my own personal pleasure from time to time

  6. Am interested in getting mire information. Am thinking of buying a property in Puerto Rico & use it for Airbnb . Purpose ? Any guidance in that area .

  7. I moved to Puerto Rico from Virginia, USA in Feb 2022. I speak no Spanish. I bought a 3BR ocean front condo in Carolina, PR. It is pure heaven. We wake up to the sunrise every day, watch pelicans dive into the ocean, and can swim in the beach or ocean front pool whenever we want. Carolina is an ideal spot because it is affordable, you can get by with English, it is very safe, all the amenities like grocery stores, banks, restaurants, etc. are within walking distance. Plus, it is 5 minutes from the airport and 5 minutes from San Juan. I sold my car because I realized I didn’t need one. Ubers are super clean and so easy to get. I can hire any type of car at my doorstep if I wanted to drive around.

  8. Hi James what airport is the best airport to get to Puerto Rico and how’s the hospitals and where is the best place to live where the crime is low I live in Tennessee

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