Dorado
A town named for gold on Puerto Rico's north shore, an old plantation turned into a beach estate of 1,400 acres, and San Juan's runways about thirty-five minutes east.
- Arrival
- San Juan Luis Muñoz Marín · SJU
- To the town
- About 35 minutes from San Juan by car
- Private jets
- Two 24-hour FBOs at SJU; light jets at Isla Grande
- Best time
- December to April
The city
A plantation that became a resort.
Dorado lies on the north coast west of San Juan, with a church on its main square, as few Puerto Rican towns still have, and a Spanish garrison of the 1800s, Casa del Rey, now a museum of Taíno and colonial history. The land of Dorado Beach was a plantation before Laurance Rockefeller turned it into a resort, and the area now has three golf courses laid out by Robert Trent Jones Sr.
Puerto Rico is a US territory, so travellers from the mainland arrive as on a domestic flight. The tourist board's high season runs from mid-November to mid-April, the drier half of a year that stays warm throughout; the summer and autumn are wetter, and the sea is at its warmest in September and October.
Arriving
San Juan for the jet, then west.
Every arrival comes through San Juan, either Luis Muñoz Marín International or the smaller Isla Grande airfield near the old city; the drive west to Dorado takes about thirty-five minutes.
- St Maarten 50 min
- Barbados 1 h 35
- New York 3 h 40
- Dallas 4 h 50
- Madrid 8 h 35 long-range jet
When to go
December to April.
The thermometer barely moves, 27 °C in January and 30 °C by summer, and the Atlantic follows a step behind. February and March see the least rain; from May to November showers are frequent, and August is the wettest month.
- 27° J 116 26°
- 27° F 82 26°
- 28° M 79 26°
- 29° A 121 26°
- 29° M 182 27°
- 30° J 151 28°
- 30° J 180 28°
- 30° A 195 28°
- 30° S 188 29°
- 30° O 171 29°
- 29° N 178 28°
- 28° D 151 27°
What to see and do
Days in and around Dorado.
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Landmark
Casa del Rey
A nineteenth-century Spanish garrison in the town, kept as a museum and cultural centre.
-
Landmark
Kikita
A surf beach in three parts, Cochino, Piedra and María, where Dorado's own surfers paddle out.
-
Landmark
Ojo del Buey
A stretch of shore named after a great rock shaped like the eye of an ox.
-
Golf
TPC Dorado Beach East Course
Robert Trent Jones Sr cut this 18 hole course from forest and mangrove in 1958, and most holes look over the Atlantic.
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Culture
Castillo San Felipe del Morro
Begun in 1539 and finished around 1790, the six level fortress guards the mouth of San Juan Bay and is part of a World Heritage Site.
Official site -
Culture
Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico
Housed since 2000 in a 1920 former municipal hospital, the museum hangs Puerto Rican art, José Campeche included, across 24 galleries.
Official site -
Opera & music
Centro de Bellas Artes Luis A. Ferré
Home of the Puerto Rico Symphony Orchestra, this arts centre opened in 1981 and stages opera, ballet and concerts in five halls.
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Food & wine
Casa Bacardí
Bacardí has made rum in Puerto Rico since 1936; guided tours here run from a history walk to barrel tastings in an ageing warehouse.
Official site -
Nature
El Yunque National Forest
With more than 28,000 acres and trails such as El Yunque Peak, this is the only tropical rainforest in the US National Forest System.
Official site -
Wildlife
Laguna Tortuguero Nature Reserve
Puerto Rico's largest freshwater lagoon, protected since 1979, where 83 bird species have been recorded, among them the Puerto Rican oriole.
Where to stay
Dorado Beach, and two choices further afield.
Shown for information. We have no arrangement with any of these hotels.
- Dorado Beach, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve A hundred and fifteen low rooms, all facing the sea, around Su Casa, a rebuilt plantation house; Forbes Five-Star and one MICHELIN Key.
- Four Seasons Resort and Residences Puerto Rico The former St. Regis Bahía Beach, the first hotel in Puerto Rico to earn a MICHELIN Key, about thirty minutes from SJU.
- Condado Vanderbilt Hotel Rated Four-Star by Forbes and selected by the MICHELIN Guide, for those who would rather stay in the capital.
Where to dine
The best tables nearby.
No MICHELIN guide covers Puerto Rico; tables rated by Forbes Travel Guide, 2026, shown for information. We have no arrangement with any of these restaurants.
- Positivo Sand Bar Forbes Four-Star Beachside Dorado
- 1919 Restaurant Forbes Four-Star Fine dining San Juan
- Flor de Sal Forbes Recommended Fine dining Dorado
Elsewhere in Puerto Rico
More reasons to come.
Flying to Dorado?
Choose how you arrive.
A Business or First Class seat on a scheduled airline, or an aircraft of your own. Tell us the date and how many are travelling, and we reply with one final price, our margin included.