As a particularly cold-blooded East Coaster, my travels are almost always to slices of paradise wrapped up in sunshine and balmy air. This year, the girls trip finally made it out of the group chat and to the oasis of Puerto Rico. It came to fruition after a period of profound change and grief for my friend group, when being together felt especially important.
The drive from Aguadilla airport to the laid-back town of Rincón began to melt away our worries,
and by the time we pulled into our peaceful little Rincon Surf Club Airbnb, we could breathe a sigh of relief. I was overjoyed that the balcony with the hammock chair we saw in the listing images was ours, so I could start each morning bright and early with a cup of coffee and a blistering sunrise. I was ready to relinquish some of my overzealous New York City tendencies to really feel the benefits of Rincón’s slower, more fluid pace. After a seamless check-in, the first thing on our minds was a dip in the crystal-clear pool which we shared with a few other neighboring properties. With our swimsuits on and a celebratory drink in hand, we preemptively planned out the week ahead, taking into account all the communal space around the pool to eat dinner, play games, and take naps in the hammock.
Our local expert and good friend James was living nearby, right in the heart of Rincón. He prepared a laundry list of ideas for things to do, including the lively Art Walk in the town square and a burlesque show at Roots Restaurant to end our week with a bang. Our Airbnb was just a short 10-15 minute drive to the center of town and all the nearby beaches. Most of our days were spent parked either at home lounging in the pool or at Playa Doña Lala beach for optimal sun and sand. The home had plenty of communal items on hand to make our time more fun, like snorkelling gear, beach chairs, umbrellas, and yoga mats. This came particularly in handy when we signed up for a yoga class on a nearby horse farm at West Coast Ecuestre. Nothing could prepare us for the kind of stillness that settles in when we were high up on a platform surrounded by trees, listening to the distant thunder of galloping horses and the sweet sound of children’s laughter.
