La Guancha

We visited on a Monday. There was nothing going on but a few couple having private picnics under the trees and enjoying the day. We looked around and took photographs. Nothing much to see as nothing was open. There was no food trucks and they had prisoners there cleaning up. We did enjoy the walk and stretched our legs while snapping a few pics. We did not get the pleasure of seeing any sea turtles which was our reason to visit but it was pleasant. It was free to walk around the grounds and beach.

Is a nice place to go for a walk, and a drink or something to eat during the day or at night. Security is good and there is plenty of parking. El paseo de la Guancha (the boardwalk) where the kiosks were is closed and will be for a couple of years until they rebuild it after the huricane and the earthquakes damaged it, but visitors can still go and enjoy the place. There are beautiful views of the Caribbean Sea were you can dip your feet or get wet from head to toes. A lot of families go there to enjoy the afternoon and get tje kids to run and play.

The park is technically closed due to previous hurricane damage (from what we were told)… you can also not swim here as there are warning signs all over mentioning the very rocky sea bottom and very strong rip currents. My husband and I visited in a breezy day, found a picnics table tucked under a tree, put our toes in the water, listened to Jimmy Buffett and played some Yahtzee… there was a lovely breeze and it was quiet. The park isn’t good for much more at this time other than perhaps a nice walk with beautiful views. We did try to use the open bathrooms, but I don’t think they’ve been cleaned in 15 years as they were completely disgusting… I did not go. Ew.

I came here to feed the fish and pelicans. Had a blast! The pelicans would get impatient and start biting our ankles which was hilarious. Everything else around was pretty much closed off. No boardwalk unfortunately. There is a guy at the dock that sells a decent sized bag of frozen sardines for $1.00. Absolutely worth it.

Sad that the boardwalk is still closed, but there is still lots to do. There are plenty of vendors, and events planned every so often. If you're lucky, you might catch the sea turtles laying eggs, or hatching and making their way to the sea for the first time.

Absolutely love this place. There's some food trucks that open at certain times during the day into later in the evening. Music, the beach and lots of space for kids to play or have a picnic❤️

Sadly a lot of places were closed! The bar would've been nice to have a cocktail at, but it didn't appear to just be closed for the day.

Beautiful place. You can see pelicans sitting and walking next to you

Love visiting this place and bringing my family and friend to this location. It was so sad to see all the destruction from the earthquakes and hurricanes. Puerto Ricans are resilient and to see this location still thriving and having nighly family gathering mainly in the parking area just warms my heart. Porta potty are near the Lion water fountain. Police Station on site. Beach access had a lot of shaded areas to relax and unwind. The marina was open. Unsure if open to the public. Hopefully the boardwalk gets fixed for our future generation to enjoy. Would recommend seeing the boardwalk without any boardwalk. Such a beautiful location.

Not much there even on a Saturday. There is a marina nearby, the beach is sandy, it's not the area for swim. There is lots of fish in the water at the marina. Interesting to watch. Obviously those are not the kind of fish to eat. Pictures looks great, but in reality not much.

Went on a Friday around 11am. There were plenty of families sitting in the shade having picnics so it seems lovely for that. There were children playing in the sand and people sunbathing, but the signs were clear it was not meant for swimming. The rest of it was a bit disappointing. Maybe the food stalls open later in the day, but at 11 the only other things to do was take pictures of the pelicans and the fish at the marina.

Pretty underwhelming. Went on a Tuesday and nothing was open so I'm sure if it were a weekend there would be a better review. There is not really a boardwalk so you have to walk in the sand. There are much more beautiful beaches in Puerto Rico.

Not much hear, unfortunately. Food trucks are okay but nothing special. Lots of stray dogs begging for food. Desafortunadamente, no se oye mucho. Los camiones de comida están bien, pero nada especial. Muchos perros callejeros pidiendo comida.

The food is excellent, the atmosphere is very clean and beautiful. The smoothie or the pina colada was fantastic

Not open during the weekday I believe. We went on a Tuesday. Nothing. However, keep in mind that most places in Puerto Rico are closed Mondays and/or Tuesdays. Things are more popping on the weekends. Not sure what else to say. There are playgrounds and whatnot but on a hot day, not usable. Best used during evening time when the UV index is high.

A very nice place to take a walk, relax on the beach, hunt for shells lots of baby hermit crabs so cute harmless, cute little frappe spot had to stop there. Kept maintained and cleaned.

I stopped in on the Monday afternoon prior to the 4th of July (Thursday). It was pretty dead, which is a shame, because this place looks like it has so much potential. Everything was closed off and nothing was open. No food or anything. The water is beautiful and calm. There were a couple of families there when I was there. Plenty of parking. After reading some of the 5-star reviews, weekend evenings must be the time to come for a livelier atmosphere.

This is one of the must do's when in Ponce. It's most popular on weekend nights. And it gets busier as the night goes on. Before the hurricane, you could actually walk along the wooden pier right next to the water and see the boats docked close up. And it was mainly a slew of food trucks. Now it's been closed off and you walk along the street in front of the restaurants and kiosks. Each building has four places -- two on each side and one on front and back. The most frequented ones are the more visible ones with lights and music. There's also karaoke in a couple of the places. People come to watch; to sing, to dance, and to eat. For teens it's like hanging out at the mall. On one end, there's a location that sells freshly caught fish, but it's not open all the time. There are still a couple food trucks but most are open air restaurants. Service is not fast so come to people watch and enjoy a beer. Most places have local food. There's also some ice cream and dessert places; plus some stands selling overpriced toys for the kids; jewelry, etc. There are large well lit parking lots so although the initial drive there seems like you're going to the end of the world, it's fine once you arrive. GPS works accurately getting you there.

We read that this was closed down and dead but here on a Saturday afternoon and seemed to be picking up. Despite the English name pleasures of the sea, their empanadas were a cut above since they were freshly fried and delicious. Also had a great ceviche feel Camaron from el patio. Across the way Frappe la Guarcha was great also for coffees and juices. Both were located near the fish feeding area.

La Guancha Boardwalk has been destroyed by storms and heavy winds, the place had potential with a little tender love and care. As it stands there is no boardwalk, only a small amount of kiosk that have food for sale. You cant appreciate the view to the ocean or fisherman place due to the entrance being blocked. It has ample parking and light. It's patrolled by county police so its kinda safe. Its family oriented.

We always stop at La Guancha when in PR. What a nice boardwalk. You are able to take a nice stroll and stop at any one of the various restaurants/bars along the way. The scenery is beautiful! Plenty of parking for you to enjoy and if you like you can even visit the beach which is close by. You cannot go to Puerto Rico and not visit La Guancha.

Nice place to go visit if your in Ponce. Ton of parking on the side road. There are two huge play grounds for the little ones on each side of the road. The side of the beach has a little exercise equipment playground for adults abs kids (be cautious some of the equipment needs repairing) & a lots of swings. The other side has slides, bars, and more the little once's. If you walk past the emergency service station there you'll find a little beach. It recommends not for swimming but you can definitely get your feet wet and it's a nice viewing point. There a ton of vendors. (It's currently only open from Friday to Sunday) we went on a Thursday so the only one that was open was a little bar that had practically everything you might want to keep you cool. After you pass the main vendor strip there are a few more restaurants and then a small area where the boats are docked. You can pay a $1 to feed the pelicans Sardine and there a lot of big fish in the water. It's a nice spot for sure.

Excelente y muy agradable lugar, buenísimo para pasar buen tiempo en pareja o en familia.

First family vacation in Ponce! We're Colombian - New Yorkers, so we were looking for a spot where we can listen to salsa and other Latin music, and feel the Latin vibes. We were told by locals to go to la guancha. we had the best time ever! We really got a feel of Puerto Rico! I recommend getting your drinks and food at the bar/store #5! It's owned by this wonderful lady and young man who treated us like VIP! They were super friendly and gave us traditional Puerto Rican quick bites and drinks! We had the best time and they made it even better!

The walk on the boardwalk is nice and there is a beach but it's more of a night time hangout place. When we went (around 4:00pm) there were only 2 or 3 kiosks open and the food didn't look too good. So we left and went somewhere else to eat. If you are there during the day and you're walking on the boardwalk - don't miss all of the life in water (tarpon, angel fish, tangs, sea cucumber, sea urchins, crabs). Just look over into the water and you won't miss them!

This was a nice place to see with beautiful views, but like another viewer said there isn't much to do. You can walk around for a bit, feed the birds and fish, maybe get some food from one of the restaurants (if they're open) but that's pretty much it. There wasn't much open when we went on a Monday at around 3 o'clock. The weekends might be more happening. There was a smoothie shop open when we went, one guy was working it so it took almost an hour to get two smoothies.

If you're in Ponce you have to stop by La Gauncha! Regardless of the time of day La Gauncha is where you can see the locals of Ponce and their culture. During the day it's a beautiful little walk along the water, while at night people from around the town gather here to chill, talk, and enjoy a drink or two. It's family friendly too! For those who've never been to Ponce it's a lot smaller than San Juan and even feels like a ghost-town when you compare the night life atmosphere to the bustling capital. That's cause here at La Gauncha people are way more likely to lounge around and just enjoy the night with friends and family. The drive can seem a little sketchy at night, but once you get to the actual boardwalk you'll see tons of people so just keep on!

Not what we expected. We arrived on a weekday and it wasn't crowded at all. The parking lot was wide open. It was a few people out there maybe 50 to 100 in the area we were. Most of the shops by the water were close. Seems to be they were still possibly recovering from the storms? Not sure but they had a couple areas that you could actually walk up on the water. Otherwise just wasn't worth going to. At least these days..... don't even have a picture to post......

The #1 Rule all the locals know: La Guancha is not for hanging out during the daytime! If you visit La Guancha during the day (or a Monday) there is nothing to see or do there. Everything that makes La Guancha fun and interesting happens at night. Thursday to Sunday nights to be exact. Basically, think of La Guancha as a big outdoor bar. Lots of different kiosks line La Guancha and sell food, drinks, and trinkets. Most kiosks have music and dancing. Some will show sporting events on TV (especially boxing). They sell different kinds of seafood and fried food, mostly finger food and bar fair. Drinks vary by kiosk as well. Bring cash. Certain times of the year there are festivals and special events that make La Guancha even more interesting (like around Christmas and New Year's). It's a good place for a low key night looking out at the bay. Singles go there to meet people as well. My only warning is, just like bars, fights between drunk people can and do break out from time to time. I do not consider this to be a family friendly place (even though I have seen kids there at night) it is for adults to hang out and get a drink so keep that in mind if you decide to visit.

It was ok; not much to do, no real variety of trinket shops and fried food. Feeding the birds was fun. Maybe it's different at night...

This was our second time coming here in a few years...wonderful memories! The food kiosks are diverse and fair-priced. My husband loves the mojito guy whom he thinks makes the best mojitos for only $5. This kiosk is on the far right end if you're facing the water. This is where the locals go. There is usually live music and dancing for such a cool cultural experience. Enjoy!