Playa de Vega Baja is a fantastic beach for children and swimmers on the north coast of Puerto Rico, even in winter months when the waves tend to be large in these parts. It's essentially two beaches in one. There's a section that's shielded from the strong winter waves by a partial reef, and within that area, an area cordoned off with buoys that's safest for swimming. Then around the bend, there's a second section of beach that's almost completely protected from the ocean waves by a high, full reef. The water is shallow, warm and clear, great for even infants and toddlers.
If your kids are like mine, they'll want to climb on the sharp, rocky reefs. Bring real shoes for that. Flip flops won't cut it.
There's some shade on the main beach and beach umbrellas you can rent for $10. Sea kayaks are available for rental, too. Parking was $3 on lunes. There are plenty of trash cans everywhere and the beach + water are fairly clean -- probably about as clean as it gets off of a resort property.
Great mix of locals and tourists. Folks played great beats on their boomboxes at polite volumes. Yes, we shamelessly freeloaded. I'm pretty sure that these mixtures of music and multiple, slightly off-sync rhythms cause your brain to release extra seratonin. So, so chillaxing. read more