You will need to rent a car to stay here, unless you plan to ‘hide out’ or depend upon pre-arranged chauffeuring.

Upon your arrival at the villa you will find a series of brochures, maps and guidebooks, in addition to our Guest Log Book where previous guests have given their recommendations on what to see and do.

The Must-See List- within 10 – 25 minutes of Villa Loma Sol

Luquillo Kioskos

The Luquillo kiosks (or kioskos) are a much loved part of Puerto Rico. This long row of humble (think almost ramshackle) buildings are right on Route 3 along the beach in Luquillo. But don’t let their appearance discourage you — stop in and you will be in for an experience that is uniquely Puerto Rican.  The Luquillo kiosks are 60 different places, each of them are numbered and many of them are named. A few sell souvenirs and some are vacant. But most of these kiosks sell food and drinks.

Kiosks Serving Classic Puerto Rican Dishes

• #1 – Parada de Viajero
• #8 – de Sylvia
• #13 – Pal Bembe
• #20 – Lighthouse
• #34 – El Tainito
• #45 – Gugu’s
• #52 – Mi Favorito

Newer Kiosks Serving Different Fare

• #2 – La Parilla – 787.889-0590 – Puerto Rican / Caribbean fusion
• #9 – Congas by the Sea – 787-889-1562 – nouville Puerto Rican cuisine
• #12 – El Jefe Burger – gourmet burgers
• #13 – Tapas 12 – Spanish Tapas

• #21 – Ay Bonit0 – International-Caribbean fusion

• #29 – Osso Buco – Italian cuisine
• #35 – Capone’s – pizza & calzones
• #38 – Ceviche Hut – 787-531-8686 – Peruvian cuisine

El Yunque Rainforest

El Yunque National Forest is administered by the US Forest Service. El Yunque is the only tropical rainforest in the US National Forest system. With 28,000 acres, it is one of the smallest in the forest system, but is also one of the most ecologically diverse. It is the largest protected area in the island of Puerto Rico, and is one of the oldest forest reserves in the western hemisphere.  In December, 2005, the President signed into law the  Caribbean National Forest Act which designated 10,000 acres of the forest as the El Toro Wilderness Area, the first wilderness area to be designated in a tropical rainforest.  As a wilderness area designated by an Act of Congress, El Toro is afforded the greatest level of protection available to a federally managed area.

You will find that Villa Loma Sol is located just 5 minutes from the eastern Rio Grande entrances to the rainforest – lovely refreshing rivers perfect for swimming are right there!

Palmer Artist’s District

This is an up and coming neighborhood located off Rt. 3 on your way up to El Yunque on Rt. 191.

• Caribbean Trading Company Store - Local Crafts, Souvenirs, Cigars and Spices and Seasonings.  Open daily 10am-6pm
• Maji Lina Art Gallery –  Gallery by locally renowned artists Jaymee Weinreich and Glenda Santiago.  Includes many exhibiting artists as well.  Open W-S. 10a-6pm
• Coqui International –  souvenir shop – Open Daily
• El Yunque Art Gallery – David is a very talented struggling artist. Make a small donation and see his wonderful paintings and gardens. David is an avid and very adept gardener. His plants are beautiful. Not much is for sale but any size donation is more than appreciated. You may even surprise yourself and take a painting home!
• Yunque Coffee House – stop in for a cup of coffee or ice cream.
• La Cana – Roadside stand serving typical candies and drinks
• Palmer Bakery – Offering sandwiches and local pastries
• USPS Post Office

Bio- Bay

Las Croabas Lagoon in Fajardo has 500,000 to 700,000 of bioluminescent dinoflagellates ( a plankton) per gallon, so when you wave your hand through the water you trigger so many of them that your hand lights up with a thousand tiny stars. There are many companies that offer kayak trips into the bioluminescent lagoon from the small fishing village of Las Croabas.

The microscopic plankton in the Bioluminescent Bays of Fajardo and Vieques light up when they are touched! Imagine a lagoon full of Tinkerbells fairy dust! Pure magic, the experience is actually indescribable.

You need to take the moon into consideration because a bright moon washes out the glow of the biobay.

There are 4 options for visiting a biobay in the northeast. You can do the Fajardo biobay on foot at Las Cabezas or via kayak with a guided tour or via an electric motor boat, or you can go to the Vieques biobay on a trip offered by East Island Excursions.

Canyoning and Rappelling

Adventure trips into the rainforest with Aventuras Tierra Adentro, tel 787-766-0470, fax 787-754-7543. “Canyoning Adventure: From the base of El Yunque we will “rappel” along the waterfalls, descend on two exciting zip lines, leap from rocks into the river and much more.” Cost – $150.00 per person.

Hang Gliding and Tandem Flights

“We do Tandem Discovery Flights for people who just want to try flying one time from a 1440 feet high mountain top. We also teach classes in hang gliding and paragliding for those who want to learn from the ground up on our training hill”. Keishya Salko E-mail:<tshg@coqui.net> Tel. 787-850-0508 and our cel is 787-645-7708

Nature Reserve: Cabezas de San Juan

Cabezas de San Juan is a nature reserve operated by the Conservation Trust of Puerto Rico. It is located on the north east tip of Puerto Rico and must be visited by prior appointment. Limited hours and fee. The trip is enjoyable and takes several hours. You will see the view from the lighthouse, the mangroves and a rocky beach, all with a guide. Call the Conservation Trust for reservations. Telephone: 722 5882 (weekday reservations), 860 2560 (weekend reservations); Opening time: Wednesday to Sunday, advance reservations are required. English language tours 1:30 pm; Admission: US $7? (adults), US$2 (children)

Horse Races at El Comandante

Enjoy the horse races? El Comandante offers horse races and the clubhouse is a cool place to eat and to watch the races. Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays 2:30 to 6 PM. Sundays to 6:30 PM. Free Admission.

Horseback Riding and More at Hacienda Carabali

Ten minuted from Villa Loma Sol you will find Hacienda Carabali. They offer several horse trail rides with guides. ATV tours, horseback riding, go carts and mountain bikes all in the foothills of El Yunque.  There is also a restaurant.

Route 66 Outlet Mall

Looking for a bargain on new designer clothes, a new pair of designer sunglasses, or maybe just some time out of the sun or rain? There is always the all-enclosed air conditioned The Outlet- Route 66 Mall.

This group of about 60 outlet stores forms a nice sized mall, that has major brands such as Ralph Lauren, Tommy Hilfiger, Bass, Gap, Nike, Liz Claiborne, and Guess – just to name a few!

There is a movie theater in the back of the mall (entrance is outside) and the movies are in English. Inside the mall there is a carousel ride for the kids, and a food court (with a Baskin Robbins ice cream store) to complete a day of fun!

Balneario La Monserrate

Often called Playa Luquillo (Carr. 3, east of San Juan, 787/889-5871, daily 8:30 a.m.–5:30 p.m.), is the kind of place people dream of when they envision an island paradise. A thick grove of tall, shady coconut palm trees sways in the breeze over a mile-long wide crescent of pristine sand gently lapped by the Atlantic Ocean.

The only signs of civilization are a clean modern complex of bathrooms and showers, some covered picnic shelters, and a couple of snack bars serving fritters and piña coladas.

Playa Azul

This is actually a long, wide beach with lots of sand. It runs along a crescent cove. It’s a pretty beach, too. It’s a nice picture spot. This would be my second favorite beach in Luquillo. It has a roped-off swimming area and the water can range from calm to moderately wavey, but no lifeguards. It’s in a nice location, and many of the locals (and snowbirds) help keep the beach clean.

La Pared

La Pared is the next beach heading east — this beach runs along the road (separated from the road by a wall — that’s how the beach got its name).

On the western end, it is a narrow stretch of sand and a grassy area with palm trees where you can set up your beach stuff and enjoy the shade, the view and water.  As you go east, The Wall (La Pared) starts and you will see the surfers enjoying the waves. And again, families were playing in the waves with their boogie boards but they were staying closer to the shoreline to enjoy the smaller waves.

This La Pared area was a kind of depressed area that, in recent years, is starting to make a come back. There are a few new restaurants starting up along with the surf shops. There is a new beach-front place Boardriders Rum Shack that has just about everything you could want — food, drinks, rentals of surf boards & snorkel gear, live music, Sunday brunch, and even an instructor for surfing and paddle boarding lessons.  In addition, we highly recommend Pasta y Pueblo Restaurant – fresh pasta and rice dishes made with lots of love!

And there is more…

• Surfing Lessons — in Luquillo for beginners and experienced surfers.
• Resort Casinos — try your luck at the casinos in the Gran Melia, Rio Mar or El Conquistador resorts.
• Golf Courses — play a round of golf at Bahia, Trump,  or one of the Resorts.
• Seven Seas Beach — a beautiful beach in Fajardo, with lifeguards, gated parking lot, restrooms and showers available.

• Snorkel Boat Trips — spend the day snorkeling around the small islands off the coast of Fajardo on a sailing catamaran or the Erin Go Bragh sailboat
• Visit Culebra or Vieques for the day — you can take the ferry from Fajardo or fly from Ceiba to one of the out-islands where you could spend the day at Flamenco Beach or Sun Bay Beach.

Shopping for Essentials:

• On Rt. 3 in Fajardo, you will find a Kmart and Walmart, in addition to an Econo Grocery Store
• Amigo – full service grocery store, located in Luquillo and Rio Grande on Rt. 3, each less than 10 minutes away from Loma Sol
• Walgreens -  located in Luquillo and Rio Grande on Rt. 3, each less than 10 minutes away from Loma Sol
• Ralph’s Food Warehouse – Rt. 3 in Rio Grande