Possibly moving to Aguadilla, what’s it like there?

Hi & welcome

I live in the NW part of the island. Hatillo.  Aguadilla is a nice area, several nice restaurants, crash boat beach, it has an airport too with connection to the us ( lots of flights from there are late night connections).

We prefer the NW as it has less traffic and is a safer area. Inland areas offer the mountains and high country- cooler and rural (campo)   You can find acreage and rentals at reasonable cost.  I think you and wife will love it. 😎

Oh yea,  Amazon delivers, post Maria is improving a lot. 
Beach front is high, if you can find any. 
Travel to SJ is about 85 miles??  Traffic varies from moderate to bad travel time depends  I try to avoid rush hour. 😎

Hello I have lived in 5 towns in puerto Rico cabo rojo, arecibo, Rincon,  aguada and now quesadillas.   We have lived on the island for 5 yrs. Aguadilla is ok. It's a bigger city. So sole areas have bigger city issues. Can't complain much about the airport in aguadilla accept the airport has limited flight many in the early morning hours. Most flights in and out of this area port aren't direct flights and you are limited to get blue, United and spirit.
Aguadilla has nightlife however everything is mostly bars as most places in Puerto Rico are
Aquadilla has the only ice skating rink also
There is a bowling alley right across the street from the airport and theres another one close by in aguada as well which has a laser tag as well.
Rentals will cost anywhere from $500 a month to several thousands a month depending on the area.
As for electric. Power has always been unstable on the island. Yes I strongly suggest having a generator.  We have Wal-Mart, Sam club, home depot , Kmart, Sears.  All of these places and small mom and papa hardware stores sell them.
Water still comes and goes as well as It did before hurricane Maria. Make sure you rent a place that has a cistern so you have back up water
Amazon is available in Puerto Rico however the average time is usually 10 days to receive your item. Sometimes 7 days but thats not the norm.
As to prices for power and water. That all depends on useage of course. Our water bill is about 40 to 100 a month and the electronic is about 80 to 140 a month.  We also use no a.c..
I strongly suggest that you research places on the Puerto Rico classifies foe rentals
Our town is 2 towns over from aguadilla. So if you come to visit before you move. We might be available to show you around
I do have to give you a warning as to the health care on the island. If you have have an emergency situation the wait is 3 to 4 timws longer then in the states. You need to bring your own blankets, pillows, food etc. I find it very unsanitary compared to state side hospitals.  I have had to go to 3 different hospitals and I can tell you they have all been this way even the one in san Juan
I strongly suggest not being so close to the ocean unless you are on a cliff due to hurrincanes hitting the island you really dont want to deal with that as an add headache
Please feel free to message me.  You had many questions and I selected a few to answer

Sitka, thank you for the warm welcome and your response!

Sandrarduncan, thank you very much for the details! That just about covers all the really important questions. I appreciate it very much. If we make over there to check out in the next few weeks I will totally reach out. Thanks again.

We lived in Aguadilla. We loved it. It's a very small city by city standards, but had most everything you could need and anything it didn't have (Home Depot, Wal-Mart) you could get to within 30 minutes or so (Due to traffic, not distance).

We now live in Mayagüez. We like it here, but do miss the absolutely huge number of beaches we had access to in Aguadilla.

Aguadilla is nice smaller town with things to do depending on what you are looking for.

I own a house there and spend several weeks a year there, a couple of my friends spend half the year there. 

Mon-Weds it can be quiet, and there are no big clubs or entertainment districts to bar hop.
Usually you have to drive around to find stuff to do a night.

I've been impressed with the new bars and restaurants opening the last couple of years there.
Downtown has a lot of empty or abandoned buildings, but there are some small signs of life with a few buildings being remodeled and turned into new businesses.

Would be great if downtown could be re-habbed more so you could walk around and hang out.  Hopefully it will get there.


The city is well located in between Isabela and Aguada/Rincon, so you can get to these other cities easily where there are additional things to see and do.

I also like the fact the city is situated in the middle of the Bay therefore the wind and ocean currents are not as strong as Isabela or Rincon.

You can fly directly to Newark, JFK, Fort Lauderdale, and maybe Orlando from the airport.

Thank you all for the responses! I still haven't heard if we are being moved for work or not, but hopefully will know soon. You're responses make it easy to make the decision on my end.

I have been to Aguadilla many time, it has several nice restaurants, and the only ice skating rink in the Caribbean.  😎

Most towns are fairly small so commuting from 2 towns away or more is not that big of a deal, specially when the commute does not involved travel to the metro area. This gives you some freadom to find affordable housing just 5 to 10 miles away from work.

There are plenty of nice places there but also in the surrounding areas.

Is Aguadilla fairly safe, what is the crime like there?

Any public transit in the area?

Recently returned from the USVI sunscreen had to be reef friendly are there specific requirements for sun protection in PR?

Awesome day awesome people,

Considering relocating to the Aguadilla region, I'm a disabled senior with a medical service dog. Are there any specific r & r regarding service dog on the beach? Is Aguadilla wheelchair accessible? Are open containerd allowed on the beach? Lived in Santuce and the old city years ago aware most of the Island is bi-lingual will being English speaking only be a problem? The many low income properties clean n well cared for as a rule? Any specific places that I should avoid? I.e. La Perla barrio Old Town

Have enjoyed reading Cloudys questions and the answers.

Thanks, Bruce Seamont

La Perla is not a place to avoid, it is friendly with many restaurants. I have been there several times and have never had a problem. I was even there alone and filming with my phone,  someone waved at me to stop and I did.  They are happy to have people come & enjoy the atmosphere as long as you respect the locals and the rules. Beautiful place with many things to see and enjoy.

@areliscolon62

Thanks for the update, appreciate knowing that the area has seen improvement.  My experience was early 90s when I received many warnings from locals n law enforcement to avoid the area. My apologies didn't mean to cause any disrespect and will edit my post.   Sry   B

@bruceseamont

I didn't think you were being disrespectful, I know people still have that impression. Just want people to have a good experience and help the local people by visiting and enjoying the atmosphere. It's a great way to help with their economy.

much love

Got a recommendation for PR cuisine?