New hotels in Fajardo

We track one project in Fajardo: Moncayo, Auberge Resorts Collection, a planned resort of 68 suites and 15 villas inside a 1,100-acre private community on Puerto Rico's east coast, announced for 2027. It has not opened. The press materials place it between El Yunque National Forest, in the municipality of Río Grande, and the Puerto del Rey marina, in Fajardo. The site itself is in Fajardo: Hospitality Net files the announcement under Fajardo, the Puerto Rican outlet Metro describes the project as being in Fajardo, and Bloomberg reports that it is rising on the site of the stalled Cayo Largo development, a Four Seasons project that trade reports also place near Fajardo.

Fajardo is the main port of Puerto Rico's east coast. The municipality ends at a rocky headland, Cabezas de San Juan, and from its docks and marinas leave the boats that serve the offshore cays. Puerto Rico is a US territory: visitors use the dollar, and US citizens need no passport, although the island has its own character, language and food. The municipality had 32,124 residents in 2020, down from 36,993 in 2010. By road, Fajardo is roughly 31 miles from the San Juan airport, and more to the villages on the northeast coast.

What to do

A weekend in Fajardo

The Cabezas de San Juan nature reserve, at Las Croabas, covers about 435 acres of forest, mangrove, dry coastal woodland and coral reef. Its colonial lighthouse, El Faro, was built in 1880 and inaugurated on 2 May 1882, and it now operates as a museum. The reserve is owned and managed by the Conservation Trust of Puerto Rico, known as Para la Naturaleza, which asks visitors to reserve. Guidebooks have recorded closures for repairs after hurricane damage, so confirm that it is open before planning around it.

Laguna Grande, inside the reserve, is one of three bodies of water in Puerto Rico where microorganisms make the water glow at night all year (and one of seven in the Caribbean), and kayak tours after dark are the standard excursion. The glow is clearer on moonless nights, and tours should be booked in advance.

Seven Seas Beach is a public beach in the north of the municipality with calm water and picnic areas, and it is crowded on weekends. For a quieter day, boats cross to Icacos, an uninhabited cay in the La Cordillera Reef Nature Reserve. Water taxis leave from Las Croabas and take 15 to 20 minutes, at roughly $50 to $60 per trip for groups of six to twelve, according to one travel guide. The last boat back leaves around 4 p.m., and some operators take only cash. Catamarans and snorkeling charters leave from Puerto del Rey or from Villa Marina, just south of Las Croabas.

Puerto del Rey opened in 1988 and now belongs to Safe Harbor. Its owners count over 1,200 wet slips, other sources about 1,000, plus dry-stack storage, and the description of it as the largest marina in the Caribbean is the marina's own claim rather than a ranking anyone has verified.

El Yunque National Forest, the only tropical rainforest in the US national forest system, is on the western edge of the area and can be combined with a Fajardo stay. The Río Grande side has trails, waterfalls and a visitor center.

A full week

Vieques and Culebra, two islands to the east that are part of Puerto Rico, are the main reason to stay longer. Many older guides say the passenger ferries leave from Fajardo, but since October 2018 they leave from the terminal in Ceiba, south of Fajardo. Puerto Rico Ferry, operated by Hornblower, runs the service. The fast boat to Vieques takes about 30 minutes, and the crossing to Culebra, about 18 miles, takes 45 to 90 minutes depending on the vessel. Typical weekday departures from Ceiba to Culebra start at 4 a.m. and run through 7:30 p.m., and the first boat back leaves Culebra around 6 a.m. A 2026 guide gives an adult fare of $2.50 one way to Culebra, with a $2 environmental fee for non-residents, but non-resident fares were due to rise from 5 May 2026, so check the current table.

The tickets are the harder part. Only about 20 percent of seats are sold online, the terminal window opens an hour before each sailing, and weekends, holidays and the winter months can sell out, especially for Sunday afternoon returns. Tourists cannot bring a rental car to Culebra, and coolers, beach chairs and surfboards cost $6 each way, while snorkel gear in a carry-on is free. Golf carts, scooters and bicycles can be rented in Dewey, the island's main town, a short walk from the terminal. Small planes also fly to both islands from Ceiba's airport, with Vieques Air Link serving Vieques and Air Flamenco serving Culebra.

Vieques has Mosquito Bay, which Guinness World Records lists as the brightest bioluminescent bay in the world. The bay is protected, so gas-powered boats are banned and swimming is prohibited; visitors paddle in. Culebra has Flamenco Beach and the small cays around it, and Dewey, its main town, is small enough to cover on a rented golf cart.

A week also allows sailing day trips toward the Virgin Islands. The Moncayo materials cite trips to the Spanish, US and British Virgin Islands as part of the setting.

Where to stay

Moncayo and the Puerto del Rey coast

Moncayo, Auberge Resorts Collection is planned for 2027. The community is led by Juniper Capital and Capital United, with the investors Jose E. Feliciano and Kwanza Jones, and Auberge was selected to manage the resort. Studio Paolo Ferrari designed the resort and Hart Howerton the community. The hotel is about 15 minutes from Ceiba's airport, which puts it close to the ferry terminal too.

Resort guests would get privileged access to the community's amenities, according to the developer, while the Moncayo Ocean Club is open to owners. The resort would have 68 suites, each with a private garden and a plunge pool, and 15 oceanfront villas with three or four bedrooms. The wider project includes about 400 residences priced from $3 million, according to Crain's, an 18-hole golf course by Mackenzie & Ebert, a village center with a market and an organic farm that reports size at 100 to 200 acres. Water access is part of the plan, with boating, water sports and a private island beach, as are a private clubhouse and a sports club with tennis, pickleball and paddle tennis courts. Bloomberg reported in September 2024 that major construction would begin that November. The 2027 date is the developer's, and the hotel's timing should be treated as provisional.

The land has a history. A Four Seasons resort was planned there under the name Cayo Largo: a 2020 trade report described 136 rooms, about 315 residences and 610 acres of beachfront, with a debut then expected in the third quarter of 2021. That project stalled, and Juniper's team bought the site in 2022, converting more than $100 million of debt from the earlier effort into equity. An earlier phase of building had been halted by a court order over missing permits. A guest who wants a firm date for Moncayo should wait for Auberge to publish one.

Las Croabas and the Fajardo waterfront

Las Croabas is a fishing village with seafood restaurants on the water, near the Cabezas reserve. Hotels in this part of the municipality are older, mostly large resorts and guesthouses. The biggest is El Conquistador, a resort above the sea with its own offshore island, Palomino. It closed after Hurricane María in 2017, was sold by Blackstone to the Puerto Rican operator Royal Blue Hospitality in 2019, and reopened in phases from May 2021, with 230 rooms available in the first stage out of roughly 700 to 750 in the complex, depending on the source. Palomino was still recovering from storm damage at that point and was due to reopen to guests later.

Luquillo and Río Grande

To the west, the beaches of Luquillo and the resorts of Río Grande are 20 minutes away by car. The Four Seasons Resort and Residences Puerto Rico opened in 2025 at Bahia Beach in Río Grande and is the main luxury reference on this coast today. The neighboring guide to Río Grande covers that side of the coast.

Ceiba

Ceiba, south of Fajardo, has the former naval base, the airport and the ferry terminal. It is a practical choice for early departures, since the first boats to the islands leave before dawn.

Which hotel for your trip

Island hopping to Vieques and Culebra

Anyone planning to take the ferry will want to stay close to the Ceiba terminal, since early departures are the norm. Moncayo is about 15 minutes from Ceiba's airport, so the transfer would be short once the resort opens.

Beach and rainforest trips

The Río Grande resorts are better placed for El Yunque, while Fajardo is better for the cays and the lagoon.

Practical notes

Puerto Rico has a tropical climate, warm all year, with a rainy season from May to November. The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June to November, and the island was hit by Hurricane María in 2017 and Hurricane Fiona in 2022, so travel insurance and flexible bookings are sensible in late summer and early autumn.

San Juan's Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport is the main gateway, with a drive of roughly 50 minutes to Fajardo town in light traffic and more to Las Croabas. Ceiba's airport has limited commercial flights, mostly to Vieques and Culebra. A rental car is almost essential on the east coast, since public transport is limited. Roads are narrow, and traffic builds on the road from San Juan on Friday and Sunday evenings.

Water-based excursions depend on sea conditions, and boat operators cancel in rough weather. Check operators the day before, and carry insect repellent for the lagoon tours.

Frequently asked questions

Is Moncayo open?

No. Auberge Resorts Collection is expected to open it in 2027, according to the developer's announcement.

Where is Moncayo?

On Puerto Rico's east coast, in Fajardo, between El Yunque National Forest and the Puerto del Rey marina. It is about 15 minutes from Ceiba's airport.

How far is Fajardo from San Juan?

Roughly 31 miles by road from the airport to Fajardo town, about 50 minutes in light traffic and more at rush hour or toward the northeast coast.

Can I visit Vieques and Culebra from Fajardo?

Yes, but the passenger ferries leave from Ceiba, a short drive south, not from Fajardo. Early booking is advisable on weekends and holidays.