I am going back to San Juan, Puerto Rico in March. I have seen El Morro quite a few times and was thinking of renting a car and driving to some of the other lighthouses.

The two I looked at are Arecibo, which has recently been restored, and Punta Morrillo. Has anyone been to either one? My main question is how long it takes to drive to either one from San Juan. They are in opposite directions. Is one better than the other?

Thanks for any help.

Hi Lorie,

I stayed in Puerto Rico for a few days after I went on a cruise last March. We didn't have time to see all of the lights. However, we visited Arecibo, Cabo Rojo, Punta Higuero and El Morro.

Arecibo Lighthouse was nice. The park is clean and the view by the lighthouse is very nice. I wasn't driving. But if I recall correctly, it was around 30 miles or so from San Juan. It took us at least an hour to get there though. We drove through towns and hit lots of stoplights.

I don't speak Spanish, and I'm not familiar with Punta Morillo... It may have been one of the lights that we missed. Cabo Rojo is sometimes called "Faro de Los Morillos." If you're considering Cabo Rojo, that is a nice drive. It will take you longer to get there (3 hours or so) than it would to Arecibo. However, the drive is scenic and the freeway is nice.

Cabo Rojo was in bad shape when we visited. Lots of vandalism. I keep hearing about the possibility of it being restored! A half mile of the road leading to the lighthouse was in rough shape when we visited. This road had the biggest potholes I've ever seen. This light sits on a cliff, and the area is beautiful. There's a beach nearby where lots of the locals go on the weekends, and salt flats nearby.

Have you visited Cabezas de San Juan Lighthouse in Fajardo? Because it's only open to the public on certain days, we weren't able to visit. It's supposed to be in great shape. I would check into that light, too, if you haven't already been there.

Tammy

Thanks for the information Tammy. I think that Punta Morrillo might be the same as Las Cabezas de San Juan in Fajardo. From what I could find out, it looks like Las Cabezas de San Juan is a nature reserve.

I am planning to go visit that area. It is only open Friday-Sunday and reservations are required. The only English tour is at 2:00pm. The cost of admission is $5 adults, $2 children.

We spent 10 days in Puerto Rico two years ago, and saw 11 lighthouses on the main island and one of the smaller islands, Culebrita. As far as accessability, we didn't drive, BUT, the roads are better than the Caribbean countries I've been to, so driving isn't quite as dangerous! (but that's not saying much!!)

The Cabezas de San Juan is probably the most beautiful and accessible lighthouse - it is in a nature reserve, and well worth signing up for the tour! My info says this is probably about 50 miles from SanJuan (east).

On the southeast corner (sort of) is Point Tuna, which is the only one with a Fresnel lens (at least that we saw). It is in use by the Coast Guard, and you may not be able to get in, but the grounds are nice, and there is a really nice beach just to the west/north of the lighthouse that will probably provide a nice view. This is probably ABOUT 50 miles past Cabezas.

Arecibo is the other direction (west) from San Juan. I think it's about 51 miles. IT is a park setting and beautiful!

Another neat place is Borinquen - it's past Arecibo, maybe 35 - 40 miles. There is a new (kind of ugly IMHO) tower, but down the road from the new one (don't ask me how to get there - that is the challenge) there are ruins from the original Borinquen (La Ponderosa)tower that did not survive the earthquake of 1918.
About 10 miles past Borinquen is Rincon, another GORGEOUS setting, and I think a gift shop!

We loved Puerto Rico, and saw some wonderful lighthouses! Have a GREAT TRIP!

Anne

How about some pictures, Anne? This is an area that we don't have much info on?

Thanks Anne for your helpful information. It is always nice to have other people's opinions. Sometimes what looks good on paper is not what you expected it to be. :rolleyes: