Explore LGBTQIA+-Friendly Puerto Rico

An archipelago in the Caribbean Sea, as a U.S. territory, the Island of Puerto Rico makes for a convenient and beautiful escape for U.S. travelers who flock to the tropical destination for its colorful historic streets, bountiful beaches and vibrant culture. In addition to being easily accessible — stateside travelers can visit the region without ever reaching for their passport —, Puerto Rico is famously inclusive, landing the popular vacation spot atop many LGBTQIA+ folks’ travel wish lists.

To get a feel for just how inclusive Puerto Rico, and its beloved capital city San Juan, is, we chatted with local Rob Villacres who co-owns Coqui del Mar Guesthouse and Puerto Rico Gay Tours with his husband Vianney Le Parquic. And, right off the bat, Villacres seconded the island’s welcoming nature toward members of the LGBTQIA+ community. “As a queer couple, Puerto Rico has made us feel safe and accepted — even more so than other places where we have lived,” he said. “Besides federal regulation, that applies to the island, the local government has laws protecting the LGBTQIA+ community from discrimination. On a daily basis, people here are so friendly, and the community is diverse and vibrant. There’s a real queer renaissance here in Puerto Rico, you can feel the energy and it’s a really cool thing to experience.”

Ready to explore LGBTQIA+-friendly Puerto Rico? Here are some of Villacres’ expert recommendations.

Points of Interest

From flavorful eats and intriguing historical offerings to natural wonders and off-the-beaten-path adventures, Puerto Rico truly has something for every type of traveler. Considering the destination’s wide breadth of attractions, it’s no surprise Villacres found it challenging to call out just a few points of interest for LGBTQIA+ travelers. “Puerto Rico offers so much as far as culture, history, nature, beaches, restaurants and nightlife. To limit this to a few must-see items is difficult,” he said.

After some deliberation, here were Villacres’ top picks:

• “Take time to see Old San Juan. Walk through the streets, shop, find a restaurant that looks cute. Our favorite queer-friendly places in Old San Juan include La Sombrilla Rosa, a super cute LGBT lesbian-owned bar; El Cafetín bar, where the staff tends to get shirtless after dark; and Cosa Nostra bar and restaurant which is gay-owned.”
• “Going out at night in San Juan is a true experience. There are about five or six LGBT+ clubs and each has its own energy. Esquina el Watusi is the chill, outdoor place that’s perfect for pre-gaming. Toxic Night Club is the place to go get wasted: they often sell open bar tickets. Kweens Klub is the largest one, with amazing drag shows! SX The Club is the late-night one, smaller, perfect for those who don’t want to go back to their hotel alone.”
• “If you get the opportunity, go to a Voguing Ball of La Bori Vogue (@laborivogue) … the talent is incredible, and the creativity is off the charts!”
• “Go on a gay tour with Puerto Rico Gay Tours to see the queer monuments of San Juan or even have a gay visit of the rainforest.”
• “I gotta say, stay at Coqui del Mar Guesthouse, the gayest place to stay at, also clothing optional and 420-friendly in San Juan.”

In addition to exploring Old San Juan, we asked Villacres which other areas of the island might be of interest to LGBTQIA+ travelers. “There are two gay-owned guesthouses on the queer-welcoming island of Vieques, Puerto Rico — Casa de Amistad and the soon-to-open, Club Vieques —, Vieques also has one of the brightest Bio Bays in the world,” he said. Additionally, Villacres urged vacationers to attend Cabo Rojo Pride, “Also known as Boquerón Pride, (Cabo Rojo Pride) is an experience we would recommend absolutely every queer person to try at least once in their life. Just make sure to book a place at least six months in advance, it’s a small town that gets incredibly packed every year for this event.” 

Events and Festivals

Speaking of Pride, Puerto Rico plays host to various Pride festivals throughout the year, including in December making it an ideal destination for those looking to escape the winter blues. The region’s longest-running Pride is San Juan Pride which typically takes place the first weekend of June and has been in operation for over 30 years. However, as mentioned above, San Juan isn’t the only city to host Pride celebrations. “Boquerón Pride, in Cabo Rojo on the southwest coast, is a four-day long party, typically on the second weekend of June,” said Villacres. “(It’s) kind of like a street festival, very fun and inclusive, we never miss it!”

Other cities with Pride celebrations include Rincon to the west, Ponce to the south and Guayama to the southeast. “The final Pride of the year in North America is Winter Pride Fest, (which is) always the second weekend of December,” said Villacres. “This is one of the newest ones, and we believe it could become larger than June Pride as the weather in December is so incredibly nice here!” 

48 Hours in San Juan

To close things out, we asked Villacres our most challenging question yet: “If you only had 48 hours in San Juan, where would you spend them?” Here’s what he had to say.

“That’s a challenge, 48 hours in Puerto Rico makes for a busy vacation,” said Villacres. “I would arrive on Friday and start the evening with a nice meal in Old San Juan. There is world-class cuisine such as Marmalade restaurant, or, for ambiance, dinner at the Cannon Club with their live music session on a Steinway Piano and their parrots (yes, real parrots!). Saturday morning, start by exploring the streets of Old San Juan, the oldest city in the United States. Make sure to see the UNESCO site El Morro, a 500-year-old fortress and part of the U.S. Park System. In the afternoon, if you’re staying at Coqui del Mar, chill with us and the other guests by the pool and have some of our weekly Puerto Rican BBQ! (At) nighttime, there is a vibrant queer scene. Start the night at Esquina el Watusi around 9 p.m., then to the clubs such as Kweens, Toxic, El Purgatorio or SX Club. Sunday, enjoy a drag brunch at Wicked Lily before sunbathing with the local queer community on Atlantic Beach, which is our Sunday Gay Beach.”

Want to learn more? Click here to visit the Coqui del Mar Guesthouse website or here to learn more about Puerto Rico Gay Tours. Travelers can also follow Coqui del Mar Guesthouse on Instagram at @CoquiDelMarGuesthouse.