Thoughts on Rincon?

Rincon is a surfers hangout thus lots of dudes and dudettes ....are you old enough to remember the Beach Boys "Surfing USA"...Rincon is one of the surf cities mentioned! English is spoken,very laid back and bar/beach crowd....not much intellectual stimulation but if you came get to Mayaguez there's a big university.
It's NOT the Hamptons!!! Much more rustic and Caribbean ....not like East Hampton more like Manasquan or Hampton Bay. Also very hilly. There are $$ areas but very different from Hamptons area.
Life is as safe in Rincon as any where else in the world:  don't be stupid and don't do the beach alone if possible....bad people are all over.Otherwise it's paradise and the sites are amazing!

Thanks!  Don't worry...I'm not looking for something like the Hamptons.  I'm a work here - not one of them.    I've spent the past 2 off-seasons in Bocas del Toro, Panama.  I'm looking for a similar surf town vibe but a little more Americanized since I have to work from home.  I know very little Spanish though.  I've heard from some that if I don't surf it won't be much fun for me and others say it doesn't matter.  Trying to get as many opinions as possible.

Rincon might be your best bet. I didn't live there but spent a fair amount of time in Rincon. There is a higher concentration of Americans there and I think you would find the nightlife and beach scene suitable to your tastes. A good place to meet interesting people would be the farmers market in the plaza on Sundays. It would probably be a good fit for you. Rincon also rescues stray dogs (Satos)and ships them to the Hamptons for adoption. We're moving WHERE? had some sound advice on being sensible with your safety and that there is crime and bad people wherever you go. Rincon is no exception. Go to www.elcoquiofrincon and check out the monthly newspaper. It's well written and informative and it's put together by a very smart and very wonderful woman named Rhea Maxwell. To me she's like the Matriarch of the Gringos in Rincon. It's noisy there, but so is just about everywhere else in PR. I'm guessing you would enjoy Rincon.

Hello T,     
         We like you have been searching theCaribbean for 15 years for our rertirement. 
I am an Arizona cowboy and have been for 60 years.  Arizona became too darn civilized and crowded for us so we moved to Texas with a few of our horses.
          Since we both have the same quest I though two heads may be better than one old cowoy brain.  However, I have diligently searched everywhere to find thatspecial Shangrila.
          Now that I have grown much older I now need the umbrella of the USA and palm trees, too.
Florida is too dang flat for this cowboy, andmy wife and I don't like alligators, and swamps.
Not to mention too many bugs or monkeys  found around this world.  . . . .
         Climate is a BIG concern.  Arizona has the best climate and safety altho the over-population has removed the cool desert nights that used to cool down the entirestate.
        I'm now zeroed in on Puerto Rico .    Their only drawback is the crime around the LARGE cities.Much like Phoenix, LA, New York etc., etc...  The next bad thing is hurricanes. They can be avoided by the protection of the Northwest rainforest and mountains. 
       So I'm looking, now, at rural places east of the "other" West side airport.  Places north of the town of Rincon andbot too far from the Caribbean  sea.  My wife and I scuba and snorkel - - - - our only recreation now besides playing the Racehorses . . 
       If you'd care to join us in this hunt via e-mail please write us at elranchogrande4@yahoo.com

Thanks for listening cGeorge & Sandra

Ya'll oughta go down yonder and visit for a spell. Spend some time there and get a real feel for the place. Just watch your driving while you are there. Sometimes it's trickier than dodging boulders on a highway during a landslide. Got plenty of mountains and horses though. Best of luck.

Thanks Gregg,
      Yes, that sure is our intention . . . .   to fly into that western airport and drive south and somewhat inland.  sorry to critcize your state but Florida is too dang flat for this mountain cowboy!

    Read Zane Grey's novel to get to know how I once lived "Thirty Thousand On The Hoof."

  Enjoy your Palm trees.    "God made Palm trees to show Man where to live."   George

Hey George,

Glad to see you can take a little humor. Living in flat country is definitely not my first preference. I love the mountains too. I used to live in the White mountains in New Hampshire. But I'm 61 now and can't tolerate the cold. I also love the palm trees. I tried PR for a year and although there were some wonderful things about the island, the negatives way outweighed the positives for me. That's just my experience. Everybody has their own and I hope yours is great.

Gregg
PS- I was serious about the driving though. Be careful

Puerto Rico has one of the highest population densities in the US (third, with NJ and DC on top) - over 1,000 inhabitants per square mile. Food for thought.

The climate in the mountains is superb. However, the crime is bad everywhere, not just the cities - exceptionally violent, actually.

Very true. Even in the campo (the boonies) it's getting bad. The outlying areas that used to be quiet and relatively crime free are becoming havens for drug storage and moving it in and out of the island. Please somebody correct me if I'm wrong but there aren't too many places on the island anymore where you can get away from the crime, noise and drugs. Unless maybe you are very rich and can insulate yourself from that kind of stuff.

Yes,T,  Panama was my  #1 best pic last year. Still keep it in my last resort search folder . .

The more I researched it the more costly it sounded.  Too many Donald Trumps there. Even one is too many for this puncher!    I wanted to settle on the west side there also.  Away from the canals density and the Colombian drugs.

       I have vacationed and scuba dived it's neighbor, Costa Rica,  and liked it a lot.  Therewere bars on al the windows but I never met an unhappy CostaRican!!!  Keep Looking!  George

Panama is a fascinating country but unfortunately it has gotten much more expensive than when I lived there. I lived there for three years while in the US Army and everyday was an adventure.

GreggK wrote:

Very true. Even in the campo (the boonies) it's getting bad.

I guess I'm lucky. Where I live in el campo, life is still good. Maybe it's because our little barrio is on a dead-end road, maybe it's because almost everybody is (distant) family and everybody is keeping an eye on the neighborhood.

It is noisy every now and then but hey, this is a Latino country and it's only when there's a party. For most parties we're invited anyway and when you're part of it the noise isn't bothering.

There have been killings in our area, not really close to home in the barrio but a little further away. Drugs related according to the neighborhood gossip and we are more careful and f.i. don't go to the small shops after dark.

All in all it's still good here. I enjoy my daily morning coffee on the porch and look out over the valley before I start my 15 second commute to my home office.

Back to YouCanCallMeT - yes come to Rincon this winter, you will not regret it. Plenty of women like yourself. You don't have to surf to enjoy yourself - lots of activities and events in the winter. My wife does not surf and loves it here - lots of yoga classes and people to hang out with. It is safe here. It is vibrant here. Large and diverse expat group, lots of international visitors (South America, Switzaland, Germany, Ukraine, Russia, Italy, Slovakia, Florida (ha!) to name a few). Give it a go! If you need more info let me know!