Playa Los Pobres

Details

Good for:
Solitude, Beachcombing, and enjoying the views of the El Yunque mountains on Puerto Rico across the water.

Amenities:
None
Sand Type/Color:
Golden Tan sand, a mix of soft fine grain with some slighly more gravelly areas.
Cleanliness: 
The beach was recently cleaned by volunteers from Ticatove, so it is almost pristine.
Water Quality: 
The water tends to be somewhat cloudy here due to the constant current

Playa Los Pobres (Beach of The Poor) is a north side beach located inside the U.S. Vieques National Wildlife Refuge at the far northwest corner of Vieques Island. It’s location far to the west of the Rompeolas breakwater means that there is no protection from the constant east-to-west wind + current flowing by this part of the island. That current makes for generally cloudy water in this area, although there are exceptional days.
The beach itself is a natural beauty with coconut palms and lots of vegetation, good for beachcombing and exploring this natural environment. While we were there, we returned two small live conchs, a sea cucumber, and a starfish to the water. The starfish was likely already dead, but we tried. There are also some rusted steel artifacts from days gone by.
It is a very quiet beach where you’re unlikely to see other people, but of course you may see horses. You’ll also see many conch shells, in which the meat has already been harvested by local fishermen.
If you go kayaking or paddleboarding, consider going upwind/upstream first, so when you are tired, you can let the current take you back to your starting point.