Best Beaches Near Maunabo, Puerto Rico: A Local's Map
Walking distance from my front door, I count three. Within a 30-minute drive, I count more than I can fit on this page.
The southeast coast of Puerto Rico does not market itself the way Vieques and Rincón do, which is exactly why the beaches stay quiet. Here are the ten I send guests to most often, with what to expect at each.
The Quick Map
| Beach | Town | Drive from Casa Chunan | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Playa Los Bohíos | Maunabo | 5 min | Family swimming, sunset |
| Playa Punta Tuna | Maunabo | 10 min | Lighthouse views, walking |
| Playa Maunabo (El Bajo) | Maunabo | 10 min | Quiet stretch, beach walks |
| Playa Lucía | Yabucoa | 15 min | Long calm beach, swimming |
| Playa Guayanés | Yabucoa | 20 min | Surf, body boarding |
| Playa Caracoles | Patillas | 20 min | Quiet swimming, snorkel |
| Playa Marejada | Patillas | 22 min | Black sand, photography |
| Punta Santiago | Humacao | 30 min | Beach + reserve walks |
| Playa Húcares | Naguabo | 30 min | Boat trips, seafood lunch |
| Cayo Santiago (boat from Punta Santiago) | Humacao | 30 min + boat | Snorkel, monkey island |
Inside Maunabo
1. Playa Los Bohíos
The local beach. Five minutes from Casa Chunan. A small horseshoe of soft tan sand, protected by an offshore reef that keeps swimming conditions calm on most days.
Lifeguards work weekends and most weekday afternoons in high season. There are kioskos selling cold drinks, fried snacks, and seafood — most operate Friday through Sunday and become a small village of grills and music on weekends.
Best for families with young kids, sunset swims, and a low-effort beach day. Parking is free and informal — pull onto the gravel lot beside the road.
2. Playa Punta Tuna
The dramatic beach. Below the 19th-century Punta Tuna Lighthouse, accessible by a 5-minute walk from the lighthouse parking area. Wider sand, stronger surf, and views that include both the lighthouse and the open Atlantic.
Sea turtles nest here March through August — the eastern stretch is marked off during nesting season. Stay on the western half during those months and you will be fine.
Best for golden-hour photography, walking, and a sense of the open ocean. Swimming is conditional — calm on flat days, surfy when the wind is up. Always check before going in.
For more on the lighthouse itself, see our Punta Tuna lighthouse guide.
3. Playa Maunabo (El Bajo)
The quiet stretch. A long flat beach reached by following the coastal road past the Casa Chunan side of town. Often empty on weekdays. Tide pools at the eastern end. Shells worth collecting (just photograph them — leave the live ones).
No facilities, no kioskos, no lifeguards. Bring water, snacks, and a beach umbrella.
Yabucoa (15-20 minutes north)
4. Playa Lucía
The destination beach for the southeast coast. A long arc of palm-lined sand with a calm protected swimming zone, parking, and a row of kioskos serving local food.
If guests stay with us a week and want one all-day beach with food and shade, this is where I send them. It feels developed in the local way — Puerto Rican families on weekends, music, kids, dominoes — without being touristy.
Lifeguards on weekends and peak season. Free parking. Restrooms.
5. Playa Guayanés
The surf beach. North of Playa Lucía at the edge of the Yabucoa industrial coast. Bigger waves than anywhere else nearby, which makes it the local choice for surfing and body boarding.
Not a swimming beach for kids. Strong currents in some seasons. If you surf, bring a board. If you do not, drive past for the views and continue to Playa Lucía.
Patillas (20-25 minutes west)
6. Playa Caracoles
The snorkel beach. Calm, shallow water with rocky outcroppings that hold reef fish. Soft sand, modest crowds, occasional kioskos on weekends.
Bring snorkel gear if you have it. The visibility on flat-water mornings is often surprisingly good.
7. Playa Marejada
The black-sand beach. Volcanic dark sand, a rarity in Puerto Rico, set against green hills and palms. A photographer's beach. Swimming is fine on calm days but the bottom is rocky in places.
The drive in takes you past Patillas town and a stretch of Highway 3 with several places to grab fresh fish for lunch on the way home.
Humacao and Naguabo (30 minutes north)
8. Punta Santiago
The reserve beach. Long, quiet, and adjacent to the Humacao Nature Reserve, which has walking trails, mangrove paddling, and (controversially) a population of free-ranging research monkeys on the offshore Cayo Santiago.
You cannot land on Cayo Santiago, but boat operators in Punta Santiago will take you on a tour around the perimeter — the monkeys are visible from the water.
9. Playa Húcares (Naguabo)
The boat-trip beach. Húcares is a small fishing town with a malecón (waterfront walkway), seafood restaurants, and boat operators offering trips to las cayos — the small offshore islands of Cayo Santiago and Cayo Largo.
Best as a half-day combo: boat trip in the morning, lunch at one of the seafood restaurants on the malecón, drive home through Yabucoa.
10. Cayo Santiago (by boat from Punta Santiago)
Not technically a beach you land on — you cannot get off the boat — but the snorkeling around the cay is some of the best in the southeast, and the visit ends with the monkey tour. About $50 per person for a 2-hour trip with most operators in Punta Santiago.
The beaches near Maunabo are not famous, and that is the point. You will share them with locals, fishermen, and a sea turtle if you are lucky — not with cruise-ship passengers.Beach Practicalities
Beach gear. Casa Chunan provides chairs, a small cooler, and snorkel masks. Bring towels (most rentals do not include beach towels) and reef-safe sunscreen.
What to pack. Water (the sun is direct), reef-safe sunscreen, a hat, a $30 mesh bag if you plan to swim and want to keep your wallet sand-free, and a small dry bag for phones.
When to go. Mornings before 11 AM for the calmest water and best photos. Late afternoons (4 PM-sunset) for trade winds and golden hour.
Beach safety. Look for flag colors at lifeguarded beaches. Green is safe. Yellow is caution. Red is do not swim. At unstaffed beaches, check the water for two minutes before going in — visible currents are usually visible.
Getting around. Every beach in this guide is accessible by paved road in a standard rental car. No 4x4 needed.
Pair Beaches with Other Stops
Most days here look like: a slow morning, a beach until lunch, a meal somewhere local, an afternoon nap or pool time, an evening walk. The mix is what makes the southeast coast different from a resort week.
For food stops on the way back from any beach, see the Maunabo food guide. For non-beach activities, see things to do in Maunabo and day trips from Maunabo.
External reference: Discover Puerto Rico's east coast guide.
Stay Five Minutes from the Best of Them
Casa Chunan is a 3-bedroom villa in Maunabo with private pool, ocean views, and Playa Los Bohíos a 5-minute drive away.
Check availability at Casa ChunanFAQ: Beaches Near Maunabo
Playa Lucía in Yabucoa, about 15 minutes north of Maunabo. It is a long, calm, palm-lined beach with reliable swimming conditions on most days. For families with young children, Playa Los Bohíos (Maunabo's local beach, 5 minutes from Casa Chunan) is the most protected option.
No. The southeast coast of Puerto Rico sees a fraction of the tourist traffic that San Juan, Rincón, or Vieques receive. Even in peak season, most beaches between Maunabo and Yabucoa have more locals than visitors, and many weekday visits feel almost empty.
Yes. Punta Tuna Beach sits below the Punta Tuna Lighthouse and is one of the more dramatic beaches on the southeast coast. Access is via a short walk from the lighthouse parking area. The beach is a sea turtle nesting site March through August — please respect marked nesting zones.
No. All major beaches between Maunabo and Yabucoa are accessible by paved road in a standard rental car. A few unmarked beach access points have rough roads, but every public beach listed in this guide is reachable in a compact rental.
Playa Los Bohíos in Maunabo and Playa Lucía in Yabucoa have lifeguards on weekends and during peak season (December through April). Most other beaches do not have lifeguards. Always check ocean conditions and avoid swimming in remote stretches alone.
Mornings (before 11 AM) for the calmest water and best snorkeling visibility. Late afternoons (4 PM until sunset) for golden-hour photos and cooling trade winds. Avoid the 12-3 PM window in summer if you cannot find shade — the southeast sun is direct.
