Colorful Art & Beautiful Beaches – Here’s Why You Need to Add Aguadilla, PR to Your Bucket List

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If you’re visiting Puerto Rico, chances are you’ve heard about all of the top things to do in San Juan, the rainforest of El Yunque, or the surfing in Rincon. But Aguadilla, PR is that destination shining dimly in the corner.

Aguadilla was one of our favorite places to visit in Puerto Rico, not because of shimmering turquoise waters or colonial architecture. It stole our hearts for other reasons, and ended up giving us some of the most unique experiences on the island, without the hoards or cruisers.

In this guide, we’re going to share all of the reasons we loved this little corner of Puerto Rico, and give you all the info you need to know for visiting the underrated destination of Aguadilla, PR.

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What You Need to Know for Visiting Aguadilla, PR

Before diving into the sheer beauty of Aguadilla, we’re going to give you some basic info for visiting.

📍 Where Aguadilla is Located in Puerto Rico

Aguadilla is in the northwest corner of Puerto Rico. It sits on the west coast of the island, and is a little under 2 hours from San Juan.

✈️ Getting to Aguadilla, PR

Aguadilla is one of the easiest cities in Puerto Rico to reach, as it has its own airport! You can directly fly there from various cities in the US and the Caribbean. Places that fly direct to Aguadilla include Castries, Fort Lauderdale, Memphis, New York (EWR & JFK), Orlando, Quito, Santiago de los Caballeros, Santo Domingo, and Willemstad.

You can also reach Aguadilla by taking a shuttle from San Juan, or by renting a car and driving there from various destinations and airports around the island.

🚗 Getting Around Aguadilla, PR

The best way to get around Aguadilla is by car. Certain areas are walkable, and Uber is available, although will have less options than big cities like San Juan for example.

Looking to visit other areas of the island? We also have a Puerto Rico transportation guide which helps you navigate the island as a whole.

How to Get Around in Puerto Rico:The Ultimate Guide to Exploring the Island

Looking to explore various areas of the island? This Puerto Rico transportation guide will help you move around in different cities, as well as all of PR and its islands.

READ THE FULL ARTICLE >

☀️ Weather & Packing for Aguadilla, PR

Aguadilla has typical Caribbean weather patterns. It’s a warm destination year-round, with dry and sunny winters, and extremely hot and wet summers. The height of hurricane season is September and October, so the best time for visiting Puerto Rico and Aguadilla in particular is from November to April.

Aguadilla has a lot of activities to enjoy, so pack comfy shoes, some bathing suits, and plenty of sunscreen!

Reasons to Visit Aguadilla, PR & Fun Things to to Do

Now that you know the basics for visiting Aguadilla, PR, let’s get into the fun stuff! Here’s why we love Aguadilla, as well as some of the activities you can look forward to.

🏖️ Aguadilla, PR has Great Beaches

It’s no secret that the beaches are one of the many reasons to visit Puerto Rico, and Aguadilla is no exception! One of the reasons you need to visit Aguadilla is because of the gorgeous stretches of sand, and unique Puerto Rican beaches that it has to offer. Here are our two favorites:

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🌅 Crash Boat Beach

This is one of the most unique spots on the island, and in our opinion, one of the top ten beaches in Puerto Rico.

But what makes Crash Boat Beach so special? There is a long pier that has several longer platforms jutting out of it. When the waves hit the pier, the water comes crashing down and splashing back up. The backsplash went up to even 30 feet! If you’re a photographer, you’re going to love this – it’s one of our favorite photo spots on the island!

Not only was this a sight to see, but there is plenty of room for those wanting to sunbathe and swim. Crash Boat beach features a number of vendors selling pinchos (shish kebabs), daquiris, and more! We came here in the afternoon, and found the beach to be most magical during golden hour and sunset.

🌊 Peña Blanca

This beach is just a tiny bit north of Crash Boat Beach, and is a little bit more off the beaten path.

Pull up and you will find a grass area with colorful art, surfers, and maybe even spot some professional photographers and videographers. Walk down the steps and you will find large rocks and a thin strip of sand to walk along to enjoy the surrounding landscapes.

We love this spot because it isn’t crowded, and is extremely beautiful (especially from a drone’s perspective!) Just keep in mind that if the tide is high, it won’t be a place that you can lay out. But if the tide is low, there is much more beach area to enjoy.

Peña Blanca is another great beach in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico.

🎨 Aguadilla, PR is Full of Art

While the beaches are gorgeous, the truly unique reason to visit Aguadilla, Puerto Rico is because of how vibrant and colorful it is! Here are some of our favorite must-visit spots in Aguadilla, PR:

🌈 Casa de Colores

This is hands done one of the most colorful places in Puerto Rico, and in the world! We actually stumbled upon this by mistake, and couldn’t have been happier that we ended up lost.

This once run-down neighborhood has been completely redone by painting the buildings all in bright colors with fun designs. Talk about being one of the most Instagrammable spots in Puerto Rico!

✈️ The Abandoned Airplane

This is one of the most unique spots to check out in Puerto Rico! This abandoned plane has become not only a tourist attraction, but a piece of art. The airplane is painted colorfully inside and out.

The locals have kindly added a wooden ladder so that you can even climb right inside! It is located right on the side of the road, with parking on the lawn right next to it. It is free of charge to visit, and donations are welcome.

The abandoned airplane is our favorite part of Aguadilla.

🇵🇷 Bandera Reyes Magos

This piece of art is something to make all Puerto Ricans proud. The building has been painted in the form of a Puerto Rican flag, while featuring the Reyes Magos (Three Wise Men). Not only that, but it also has two swings attached! Making it extra Instagrammable, and fun to hang out at.

This isn’t the only cool thing to see here. This square has a gorgeous mural done representing what the neighborhood looked like before the storm. The artist “” not is truly talented, and is committed to bringing Aguadilla, Puerto Rico back to life after the devastating hurricane.

📖 Aguadilla is full of History

Meeting young artist Jwan Perez was one of the best things that could have happened to us on our visit to Aguadilla, Puerto Rico! Not only did we get to experience the beauty of the city, but we learned so much about the history.

🌪️ Hurricane Devastation in Aguadilla

Puerto Rico got hit pretty hard with the hurricane, devastating so many places on the island. Aguadilla did such a great job of keeping their spirits up, and not letting the hurricane destroy them as a community. Watching them rebuild the town is really inspirational, and makes us realize how lucky we are to have what we do.

🖼️ The Museum of Art

Step back in time and check out the local museum of Aguadilla Puerto Rico. The building is over 100 years old, and features pieces of art even older than that! The museum is truly impressive, and lets you really get a feel about the history of Aguadilla, PR.

The People in Aguadilla are So Kind

We LOVE the people in Puerto Rico! They are warm, friendly, and treat everyone with respect. This was no exception in Aguadilla. We truly met some of the sweetest, down-to-Earth people.

The locals would hang out in the plaza right next to the “Bandera de Reyes Magos”, and it was evident how happy they were, despite not having much.

The guy cooking pinchos on his small grill, the old men hanging out around him, and the young artists, are just some of the examples of the great people we connected with in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico.

Connecting with the locals was one of our favorite things about visiting Aguadilla, Puerto Rico.

❣️ Aguadilla’s Location is Ideal

We loved visiting Aguadilla, PR for so many reasons, but it is also so awesome that it has so many other great towns and activities around it! We highly recommend renting a car in Puerto Rico  so that you can experience all of the amazing places in the area.

🌊 Isabela

One of our favorite beaches in Puerto Rico in Puerto Rico is in Isabela called Playa Jobos. Just like Crash Boat Beach, you can admire the waves crashing down in front of you. Other cool spots include Tunel de Guateca, and Cara del Indio. 

At the beach in Isabela you can experience the waves crashing over you.

💦 Gozalandia Falls

These falls are located in San Sebastian, just 20-30 minutes from Aguadilla. Here you can jump, swing, and play in the two falls. Want to see other cool waterfalls in Purto Rico? Take a look at our guide of the best waterfalls in Puerto Rico.

Gozalandia Falls are some of the best waterfalls in Puerto Rico.

🏄🏻 Rincon

Rincon is just south of Aguadilla, and is one of the most popular beach area for tourists. It is excellent for surfing, and is also famous for a great amount of sea turtle activity!

🥐 Mayaguez

This is is biggest city on the West coast, and is located just a half hour from Aguadilla. Not only is is great to head to for shopping and restaurants, but they have the best bakery on the island!

⭐️ Bonus: Did You Know You Could Fly to Aguadilla?

While most people fly into San Juan, there is also an airport right in Aguadilla! You can use Skyscanner to check the cheapest flights to Aguadilla by putting “from United States” and then “to Aguadilla” to see which are the best airports to fly from. Also, you can look at the calendar to find when the cheapest dates to fly are!

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Final Thoughts About Aguadilla, PR & What’s Next

Aguadilla is one of our favorite places in Puerto Rico, and it really feels as it’s still under the radar. With vibrant colors, friendly locals, and a variety of activities, it makes for an excellent destination to spend a few days, and can also be a great base for exploring the west side of the island.

Make sure to give yourself time to really soak up all that this area of the island has to offer, and if you need help, we can also build a customized itinerary for you!

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👀 What’s Next

Now that you know all about Aguadilla, PR, let’s help you explore more of the island!

Here are all of our other Puerto Rico travel guides that we have:

Now that we’ve told you all the reasons that you should visit Aguadilla, PR, what are you waiting for? Puerto Rico is one of our favorite destinations to travel to right now during the pandemic, and here’s why.

Want to travel to other places in Puerto Rico? We have a ton of other Puerto Rico travel guides to help you choose the best places to go.

Need help planning your trip? We create custom itineraries to fit your travel needs. We are dedicated to helping you explore more and spending less! Want to learn more? Take a look at our different travel planning packages.

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