WEST SIDE STORY

With an array of authentic new stays, Puerto Rico’s less visited shore is finally getting its due

JESSICA CHAPEL

PUERTO RICANS REFER to the island’s west coast as Porta del Sol—“the sun’s gate.” My father grew up in the area, in the city of Aguadilla, and used to tell me stories of secret beaches, towering coconut palms, and roadside stops for fresh mango ice cream. Until recently most visitors here were swell-chasing surfers and sanjuaneros, but a wave of development that began in the once low-key surf town of Rincón after Hurricane Maria has rippled outward to smaller cities nearby. Visitors are getting a fuller picture of Puerto Rico beyond beloved San Juan and the resorts on the eastern shore. Keen to see it for myself, I went for a visit. In the laid-back northwestern town of Isabela, I checked in to Casa Bajura, an airy bed-and-breakfast that opened last…

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Conde Nast Traveler (Digital) - 1 Issue, December 2024

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