Rio Grande is home to some of Puerto Rico’s biggest beach resorts where you will find manicured grounds and the Trump International Golf Club, home of the Puerto Rican Open.

To find your ideal rental property in the area, visit FlipKey where you will find options to suit your vacation needs.

About Rio Grande

Found on the northeast coast of Puerto Rico, just a 30-minute drive from the capital San Juan, Rio Grande is a secluded area where big-name hotel brands have built properties along the beach front.

Founded in 1840, by Desiderio and Quilimaco Escobar the town is now spread over eight wards with a population of 54,000.

Within a ten-minute drive of Rio Grande, you will find the only tropical rain forest in the United States National Forest System—the El Yunque National Forest.

The rain forest takes up 28,000 acres and contains wild orchids, giant ferns, bamboo and over 240 types of trees. The Tropical Forest Center has informative displays as to what you will find in the park as well as educational films to help you understand what a vital role the Yunque National Forest plays in Puerto Rico’s ecosystem.

What to do in Rio Grande, Puerto Rico

Beach activities together with tennis and golf are the area’s biggest draws. There are over 30 top championship golf courses designed by names like Robert Trent Jones, Greg Norman, and Jack Nicklaus.

For a game of tennis, look no further than the Rio Mar Tennis Center where you will find 17 courts to choose from.

Deep sea fishing and sailing are popular pastimes, too, as are day excursions to at the nearby island of Icacos Cay from the Marina at Puerto del Rel.

For a truly unique experience, go kayaking at night and paddle through the mangroves to a secret lagoon where you can witness the spectacular phenomenon of bioluminescence. This is where the water sparkles with millions of tiny stars as the plankton lights up when touched.

For an inside look into the island’s past connection with slavery, visit the town of Loiza to learn about Afro-Caribbean culture and heritage of Puerto Rico while buying a handcrafted souvenir.

Top travel tips for Rio Grande

Being in the Caribbean, the temperature does not vary by much but the cost of visiting does—the high-season runs from the end of November till the end of March.

Known for their warm hospitality, the locals will welcome you whether you speak the local Spanish or your native English. But your trip can be made all that much nicer if you take the time to learn a few greeting and phrases in Spanish.

Getting around the island is best done by hiring a car or taking a taxi. And while you may be used to getting an UBER back home, they do not have the ride-sharing app in Puerto Rico.

To take advantage of a vacation in Rio Grande, it makes sense to hire a car so that you can visit San Juan for shopping, nightlife, and all the cultural attractions. As for accommodation, just visit FlipKey where you will find a huge selection of rental properties to choose from.