Rincón News
Rincon, Puerto Rico news, information and more.

Exclusive! Before you read more about Tamboo, take a first glimpse of the new Beach Deck that just opened. The previous deck had been destroyed by a freak storm surge and after many months of careful planning and construction, the new Beach Deck is open; so stop by, have a drink and try it out.


Tamboo Deck


Tamboo Does It Again (and Again):

photo-5

btn_bestbarsnav

A while back Esquire Magazine named Tamboo Tavern one of The Best Bars in America describing it as "...not a beach bar but a bar on a beach...Tamboo fends off every ounce of hackneyed Jimmy Buffettisms the way a beach bar couldn't possibly do..."

tl_urt
Then, Travel and Leisure Magazine has named Tamboo Tavern one of America's Best Beach Bars calling it "Simply one of the most romantic, sultry beach bars imaginable. Sit on the beachfront deck with a drink and watch for whales, play footsie in the sand with your loved one, and welcome the evening with hot Latin rhythms."

Now, Conde Nast Travel has named Tamboo one of the Best Caribbean Beach Bars with a two-page spread. With its scheduled renovations, Tamboo Tavern will be better than ever. As we like to say: If you haven't been to Tamboo, you haven't been to Rincon.

getimage-5.exe
Historical Rare Video Footage: We've obtained historic videos about the decommissioned and inactive Rincon Nuclear Power Plant, known as Bonus. These videos, which are exclusive to Rincon-PR.com, show the intent and origin of the Rincon Bonus Nuclear Power Plant and feature the groundbreaking and activation events. These videos were transferred from 16mm film to VHS and later digitized for historic preservation purposes. The first video is a newsreel documentary in Spanish, that shows then Governor Luis Muñoz Marín along with Power Authority Chief Rafael Urrutia, California Congressman Chester E. Holifield and Rincon Mayor Manuel García breaking ground. The second video is raw footage, with no sound, of the actual construction of the power plant. View the exclusive Bonus Nuclear Power Plant Videos at our new Rincon Archives website and get more information from the US Department of Energy.

The Rincon Cultural Center is sponsoring several new initiatives to keep our town at the forefront of the arts, culture and languages. The Center, which was founded so many years ago, is the exclusive Rincon depository of books,
IMG_4157
photographs, Pre-Columbian native relics and past century heirlooms. The Rincon Cultural Center is located just outside town, in Ensenada, at the beginning of Road 413. Parking is available on a lower parallel road with stairs leading up to the building. The Center hours are limited and it relies on local donations to keep afloat. For schedule information and/or to donate to the Center, please call 787-823-5120. A Bookstore is now located in the Cultural Center, known in Spanish as El Kiosco de Libros (The Book Kiosk) this independent bookstore is a nonprofit cultural initiative created to serve the Rincon community, providing affordable new and used books in Spanish, English and French, as well as newspapers and magazines. One can browse the shelves and enjoy free coffee and newspapers in the garden. We spoke with bookstore manager, Raoul de
IMG_4156
Malherbe, one of the creative minds behind this interesting initiative, who told us about how he and Annette Blasini, his Fiancee, came up with the concept. Raoul, who is French and Italian, met Annette in Italy three years ago. After visiting Rincon, he moved here two years ago and realized that there was no real bookstore in Rincon. Having a great love for books, he decided to start one and the Cultural Center was the perfect venue for the venture. Many of the books are donated and the inventory encompasses all categories in three languages. Although there are about 1,000 books on display, the bookstore also has access to an inventory of 16,000 books and can special order books for those who like read off the beaten path. If you're traveling to Rincon, bring by that book you finished and exchange it for another one. If you have books in your first or second Rincon home that you're really done with, please donate them to El
IMG_4135
Kiosko de Libros. If you happen to find yourself in the center of town and want to quickly look for a book, drop by Tres Puertas Gallery, just across from Das Alpen Cafe. They have a selection of books from El Kiosco de Libros on hand. While you're there, you can discover art and artesian items exclusively made in Rincon and other parts of Puerto Rico. The art gallery shows beautiful original paintings and other works, including mosaic, carved wood and much more, which must be personally viewed to be appreciated and purchased. We visited with Elke Fontillo, owner and curator of Tres Puertas Gallery, who is a quite an artist in her own right. Elke came to Rincon from Trinidad, via New York and is quite the Tropical Entrepreneur. The Gallery offers evening classes in the arts, dance, exercise and New Age subjects. Elke and her husband also run an organic farm in Rincon. Tres Puertas Gallery also offers beautiful handmade apparel, jewelry (her own designs in sea glass are elegant and beautiful) in addition to many other natural items that fill every corner of the gallery and shop. Tres Puertas can be reached at 787-672-5284.

Rincon: The Ultimate Wedding Destination: Superstar singer Shania Twain tied the knot with Nestle exec Fredric Thiebaud at sunset on a New Year's Day, at the Rincon Ocean Villa, with 40 of the couple's closest friends and family on hand. In a perfect Rincon-style quirky story, the newlywed's former spouses are also a couple. The Rincon wedding took place only about a month after they announced their engagement. Rincon rejoices and wishes the newlyweds happiness and continued good fortune. (photo: ShaniaTwain.com)

The latest Rincon Logo has been launched to promote our latest website. It was inspired from the research conducted for a History of the Rincon Lighthouse article, which now appears in the new site. Sketched by the Publisher on a paper napkin, it was sent to Tiki Rob Graphics for its final version. Great job, Rob! We also thank Norma Vargas, VP at the Grupo Mamery Ad Agency and Carlos Leizerowicz of Caracol Che Private Tropical Estate, for their valuable input. Stickers with the new Rincon Logo are already selling quite briskly at the Rincon Store, along with many other popular Rincon promotional items.

The current iteration of www.Rincon-PR.com is the latest of several in the last dozen years. We've improved Rincon-PR.com on several key moments in our history. Feeling the need to get our Tourism right back on track, we designed a completely new site shortly after 9/11 and improved it over time. This time, feeling that Rincon Tourism could use another big boost, we've designed our best site yet, with a sole mission in mind: To show the world the best that Rincon has to offer and to attract more visitors to our great little beach town.

The site opens with a ever-changing slideshow and enticing music that immediately tells the viewer that Rincon is something special and worth looking further into. Our expanded Activities section links to the best Rincon activity sites and has great videos of day trip attractions. Our new Video Gallery showcases our Advertisers and is being added to in the coming days. Our new Weddings section will be growing in the next few weeks. The new Home Exchange section features Rincon properties that owners wish to swap with other owners from all over the world. The new site now directly links to our Rincon Store site and to the ever-popular Rincon Reservations website, now in its sixth year. Rincon-PR.com will continue to grow throughout the coming weeks with several new sections, in addition to new sister websites that will be joining the Rincon Online Network, to gain further ground on the Web.

To give back to our beloved town and as a public service, Rincon-PR.com recently provided the Rincon Municipal Office of Tourism & Cultural Affairs with a new Spanish language informational website, RinconPR.info, which is enjoying an ever-increasing level of visitors. Several months ago, our Publisher visited Anita Quintana and Joey Felicano at their office and found the staff compiling Rincon fact sheets and other material that were being stuffed into manila envelopes to snail mail them to the many people that were requesting information about our town. The thought of the intensive work, the paper waste and postage costs were simply too much for us to bear, so working with Anita and Joey, we created an informational website that now allows the viewing and downloading of the information. We also added some other pertinent data about the town and now RinconPR.info is the recommended way to go for those who call or write for information, en Español.

Rincon in the Travel Press:

Introducing... Rincón
TRAVEL ARTICLE | LONELY PLANET:
 You’ll know you’ve arrived in Rincón when you pass the group of sun-grizzled gringos cruising west in their rusty 1972 Volkswagen Beetle with a pile of surfboards attached to the roof. Shoehorned far out in the island’s most psychedelic corner, Rincón is Puerto Rico at its most unguarded, a place where the sunsets shimmer scarlet and the waiters are more likely to call you ‘dude’ than ‘sir.’ For numerous Californian dreamers this is where the short-lived summer of love ended up. Arriving for the Surfing World Championships in 1968, many never went home. more...

Puerto Rico's West Coast: Beaches, Byways, Coquis
TRAVEL ARTICLE | BETH J. HARPAZ, AP-Yahoo! TRAVEL EDITOR:

 So many beautiful beaches around the world are ringed by high-rise condos, trinket shops and traffic, with the same fast-food and hotel chains as all the other beaches. But Puerto Rico's west coast is different. It has sand, sun and sea, but so far, it's avoided the overdevelopment that can turn beach towns into generic megaresorts. Instead, on a recent family trip, we found friendly cafes, funky surf shops, small towns and tranquil beaches on the byways. more...

Top 10 Quick Beach Getaways
TRAVEL ARTICLE | SHERMAN'S TRAVEL: 

 A former fishing village on the westernmost point of the island, laid-back Rincon boasts what many claim to be the best waves in the Caribbean. Non-surfers will find world-class snorkeling and golf. It feels off the beaten path, but the roads are paved, cell phones get reception, and it’s a 25-minute drive from the Aguadilla airport. more...

Rincón: Our Resident Surf Mecca

TRAVEL ARTICLE | SOCIALLY SUPERLATIVE:
When in Rome do as the Romans do. When in Rincón, surf. To the uninitiated, Puerto Rico is an undiscovered surf Mecca just a brief flight from JFK. With numerous, consistent off shore reef breaks around this north western corner of the island, it is possible to catch a perfect wave in the warm waters of the Caribbean with little trouble, as long as you have the fundamentals of surfing down. more...

Hottest Winter Getaways: Rincón, Puerto Rico
TRAVEL ARTICLE | TRAVEL TATTLER:
If you want to escape Jack Frost and evergreens this year, then Puerto Rico's warm weather and sparkling beaches might be a welcomed option. Located on Puerto Rico's west coast, Rincón has the low-key feel of a small surfing town without losing the benefits of the rest of island. With surf schools, paddle surfboard and kayak rentals, and diving opportunities, you'll have the choice of exploring the crystal waters or just relaxing on the shore. more...

In Puerto Rico, Discovering a Surf Mecca
TRAVEL ARTICLE | NEW YORK TIMES:
Unlike some other tropical surf capitals -- like Puerto Escondido, Mexico; Tamarindo in Costa Rica; or the Caribbean islands of Tortola and Barbados -- Rincón's surf infrastructure is so well oiled that it's quite possible to achieve surf nirvana in a long weekend. Cellphones have reception, the roads are well paved, and most surf shops and guesthouses rent boards (for about $15 a day) and offer surfing lessons (prices vary from $20 an hour to $89 for the day). Note to aspiring female surfers: the instructors tend to be young and attractive, which makes having sun block rubbed onto your back and shoulders much more enjoyable. more...

A Swell Time: Those Who Surf, And Those Who Don't , Come in Waves to Beautiful Rincón
TRAVEL ARTICLE | SOUTH FLORIDA SUN-SENTINEL:
Rincon is everything the Caribbean ought to be: palm-shaded beaches, fabulous sunsets, friendly people and a quiet little town… Most of the tourist action occurs at Sandy Beach. A rustic beachcomber setting, it offers a handful of restaurants serving grilled fish and meats, as well as local fare. The Tamboo Tavern hosts live music on weekends and a daily happy hour. more...