Top Reasons to visit Puerto Rico

Vibrant "personality" plus no passport required for U.S. citizens

Vibrant Caribbean Culture: Puerto Rico is well known for its vibrant culture. While all the other islands of the Caribbean seemingly melt together in terms of culture, Puerto Rico proudly stands out as the place to go to really feel you're in a whole new country - ironic considering it is a commonwealth of the US. Downtown San Juan, and the beaches of San Juan's Condado, are where people congregate in dance clubs, restaurants, bars, or simply strolling the streets.

Grand History: Puerto Rico is brimming with history dating back to the voyages of Columbus, and even before. El Morro in San Juan is the most spectacular building on the island, but be sure to explore further a field and see some of the oldest churches in the Western Hemisphere, and ancient Taino Indian burial grounds.

Stunning Natural Beauty: Puerto Rico, more than any other island in the Caribbean, has a diverse terrain of forests and beaches, all set to the backdrop of lush, green mountains. Explore the jungles of the interior, and dive underwater to witness the impressive colors of coral, fish, and crustaceans that inhabit the warm waters. Be sure to bring a camera!

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Puerto Rico is an Estado Libre Asociado, that is, a commonwealth territory of the United States. The island's vivacious capital, San Juan, was founded in 1521. Though it is now the oldest capital city flying the US flag, it was once Spain's strategic center in the Caribbean, and to this day maintains the largest and best-preserved complex of Spanish colonial architecture in the region. Cathedrals, museums, and stately Spanish squares abound, creating an ambience of romance and colonial grandeur.

Several quiet country resort areas, small resort islands just off the coast, and protected ecosystems offer an alternative to the city experience, making a visit to Puerto Rico a potpourri of historic, natural, and ultra-modern luxury sensations. Visitors enjoy spending many days exploring the historic sights, as well as spectacular diving and fishing excursions, hiking, golfing, gambling and, of course, dancing to the salsa beat!

Approximate Air Travel Time

New York City: 3.5 hrs
Boston: 4 hrs
Miami: 2.5 hrs
Philadelphia: 4 hrs
Los Angeles: 8 hrs
Chicago: 5 hrs
Dallas-Fort Worth: 5 hrs
San Francisco: 8.5 hrs

Areas Within the Dominican Republic

San Juan

The energetic capital is divided into the Old and the New Quarter. The Old Quarter, founded in 1521, is a National Historic Zone and is the main tourist center of the city. Once completely enclosed by a wall, the most powerful fortress in the Caribbean, this fortified city repeatedly held off would-be attackers. Today it is the bustling cultural heart of Puerto Rico, marked by restaurants, shops, and 16th and 17th century buildings, many of which have been fully restored in Spanish Colonial style.

Dorado

Playa Dorado, a 30-minute drive west of San Juan, is a series of 6 white-sand beaches along the northern coast, reached by a series of scenic winding roads. Dorado is the island's oldest resort town and is known as the center of golf, casinos, and two major resorts. The resort area is very family-friendly with kid's camps and water playgrounds, including a 1,776-foot long fantasy pool.

Humacao

This small town is easily accessed from San Juan and is the site of 2 splendid luxury resorts. Palmas del Mar was originally a sugar cane plantation and its luxurious Mediterranean villas have pastel-pink connecting walkways, cobblestone plazas, and fountains adorned with hand-painted tile work. The Doral Resort at Palmas del Mar is the other first-rate beachfront resort in this unspoiled paradise. The resorts are self-contained, with restaurants, bars, air-conditioning, pools, golf courses, tennis courts, health clubs, equestrian centers, exercise rooms, beach, sailing, scuba diving, marina, water-sports center, fishing, bicycles, and casinos.

Rio Grande

This northeastern coast town is nicknamed "La Ciudad del Yunque" as it is the proud location of the spectacular El Yunque National Forest - the only tropical forest in the US National Forest System. It is also the last habitat of the extremely endangered native Puerto Rican Parrot. Sensational waterfalls, tropical plants, and wildlife - easily viewed along 13 trails - making this the most popular sightseeing destination on the island!

Las Croabas

Dramatically perched atop a 300-foot bluff with panoramic views of the ocean, offshore islets, and El Yunque, the Wyndham El Conquistador Resort & Country Club is a cluster of 4 distinct environments. The architecture is a blend of Moorish and Spanish colonial, with cobblestone streets, white stucco and terra-cotta buildings, open-air plazas with fountains, tiled benches, and gas lamps. Plants and parrots decorate many of the open spaces. The Las Casitas section is a private village with the quiet charm of a Spanish colonial setting, with private check-in, a pool, and a butler! One of the 4 hotels, Las Olas, is actually built into the cliff face. When you crave seclusion, hop a water taxi to the private Palomino Island.

Vieques & Culebra

These islands off the east coast of Puerto Rico are where the Puerto Ricans go on their vacations. The beaches are sandy and calm, and the islands seem almost lost in the 50s and 60s. Vieques has more tourist facilities, and the remnants of many sugar and pineapple plantations are testimony to the island's once-flourishing agricultural economy.

Western Puerto Rico

This less-visited part of Puerto Rico has some of the island's more fascinating terrain, varying from Arizona-type desert to dense green forests. White sandy beaches stretch along the shoreline, and rough waters are ideal for surfing and windsurfing.

Southern Coast

Founded in 1692, Ponce is Puerto Rico's second largest city, and home to the island's premier art gallery. Notably less urban than San Juan, Ponce and the southern coast of Puerto Rico are ideally suited for visitors who want a more relaxing vacation and who want to get to know the true island lifestyle. A day visit to San German, Puerto Rico's second-oldest city, reveals many more historical treasures, including the site of the oldest church in the New World.

Topography

Puerto Rico is the easternmost of the Greater Antilles, surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and the Caribbean Sea to the south. The island's terrain ranges from palm-lined beaches on four coastlines, to rugged mountain ranges that occupy three-quarters of the landscape, to gently rolling hills, waterfalls, tropical forests, and even dry desert-like areas. There are also two bioluminescent bays where people and fish shine at night.

Climate

Puerto Rico has one of the most unvarying climates in the world. Tropical temperatures average a pleasant 80° with year-round breezes. In the mountains, it is about 10° cooler during both summer and winter. The US Weather Bureau has never recorded temperatures in San Juan below 70°! Average monthly rainfall is 7 inches, peaking in August.

The most popular time to visit is between December and April, when the weather is at its best. Northerners escaping snow mean peak crowds in winter. June through October is the rainy season when afternoon downpours and cloudy weather are more prevalent.

What To Do & See in Puerto Rico

Diving

This US Commonwealth has shallow patch reefs on an undersea plateau and sheer, dramatic walls that lead to the greatest depths in the Western Hemisphere - the 5-mile Puerto Rico Trench. Near-shore clarity can sometimes be less than ideal, but visibility around the Mona and Desecheo reefs is in the triple digits all the time. Ten striking dive sites dot the island, mostly along the east, south, and west coasts, and are easily accessible for even novice divers.

San Juan

• Discover Old San Juan: Take a guided exploration and travel back 500 years through the cobblestone streets of this charming city. The fortified walls hold within them the fascinating history, culture, and heritage of Puerto Rico. Some of the impressive sites are relics of Spanish colonization, such as the Fort of San Cristóbal, the legendary Christ Chapel, Casa Blanca ("White House" - the first Spanish governor's house, now a museum), and the San José Church, which is the second oldest in the Western Hemisphere.
• Catedral de San Juan: It was begun in 1540 but, nearly from its beginning, has spent its entire life being restored from the ravages of hurricanes, looters, and time itself. Originally a thatch-roofed building, it was slowly built into a Spanish cathedral with a circular staircase and two vaulted Gothic chambers. In the early 20th century, the body of Ponce de León was moved here and placed in a marble tomb. There is also the wax-covered body of a Roman martyr encased in a glass box. None of the silver and gold treasures survived centuries of looters, but there are beautiful stained-glass windows and, of course, a tremendous legacy of history and faith.
• Castillo San Felipe del Morro: Known locally simply as El Morro, this fort guards the bay on the northwestern tip of the Old City. It was originally built in 1540 on its rocky promontory and is today a favorite exploration spot for history buffs.
• Museo de Arte e Historia de San Juan: This was the city's main marketplace in the mid-19th century. Local artists display their works in this Spanish colonial building and multimedia shows reveal the city's history; the museum occasionally hosts cultural events in its courtyard.
• Old Town Shopping: San Juan offers some of the best bargains in the Caribbean, and US citizens don't have to pay duties when returning to the States! Calle San Francisco and Calle del Cristo are the major venues with very good buys on native handcrafts including needle- and straw work, ceramics, and hammocks, as well as native Puerto Rican art. Puerto Rico is also the place to stock up on your rum, with many different types produced locally, ranging from light mixer rums to dark brandy-like rums. The hand-rolled cigars in Old San Juan and Puerta de Tierra are an excellent alternative to the forbidden Cubans!

Dorado

• Río Camuy Cave Park: The third largest underground river system in the world took millions of years to carve out this spectacular 300-acre network of subterranean chambers. These caves are part of a natural reserve that is recognized as one of the world's most impressive natural wonders. Ride a trolley down the spiraling sinkhole, into one of the largest caves.
• Arecibo Observatory: Two hours west of San Juan, this is the largest radar/radio telescope in the world used to monitor radio emissions from distant galaxies, pulsars, quasars, and similar other-worldly sources. Film buffs will recognize this as the set of the Jodie Foster box-office hit "Contact" and home base for SETI, the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence. A bilingual and interactive exhibit helps you understand how the radio telescope works.

Humacao

Centro Ceremonial de Caguana: The most important Indian ceremonial grounds of the Taíno culture from the West Indies. Most of the 30-plus courts discovered thus far are located in this site, which has been restored by the Institute of Puerto Rican Culture. The center features a large main court and 10 smaller courts, monoliths, petroglyphs, a botanical garden, and a collection of Indian artifacts that will help you learn about their sacred rites and way of life.

Rio Grande

El Yunque National Forest: This is the greatest natural attraction in Puerto Rico. Protected by the US Forest Service, it lies in the Luquillo Mountains of Rio Grande to the east of San Jan and is home to 4 types of forest and 240 species of tropical trees. Walk through the trails that wind casually past waterfalls and tufts of wildflowers while parrots fly around you and the island's mascot - a small frog called the coquí - calls out as you pass.

Las Croabas

Las Cabezas de San Juan Nature Preserve: Acquired by the Conservation Trust, the preserve is a stunning collection of lagoons, mangroves, dry forests, and coral reefs. This 316-acre point of land also includes a neoclassic lighthouse (in continuous operation since 1882), a nature center, an archaeological excavation, and a wilderness preserve easily explored along trails.

Dining in Puerto Rico

Although Puerto Rican cooking is somewhat similar to both Spanish and Mexican cuisine, it is really a unique tasty blend of Spanish, African, Taíno, and American influences. Locals call their cuisine cocina criolla (creole cooking), which can be traced back to the Arawaks - the original inhabitants of the island - who thrived on a diet of corn, tropical fruit, and seafood. When Ponce de León arrived in 1493, the Spanish added beef, pork, rice, wheat, and olive oil. Soon after, the Spanish began planting sugarcane, and African slaves brought okra and taro (known in Puerto Rico as yautia). In recent years, many restaurants have developed a renewed appreciation for traditional Puerto Rican cooking, adding local specialties to the menus of leading restaurants which also offer American, Spanish, Chinese, Italian, French, and Greek food.

Nightlife in Puerto Rico

Puerto Rican nights bring lively streets and a great chance to people-watch in one of the many beautiful plazas of Old San Juan. Casinos are generally open from noon to 4am and are much more intimate and friendly than the gambling houses of Las Vegas and Atlantic City. Get-togethers and party places include Bogart-style bars and dance clubs. Puerto Ricans dress up and head for the Latin clubs with large dance floors and bands playing spicy Latin rhythms. Salsa leads the music scene, and is described as what happens when you cross the big band sound with Afro-Caribbean rhythms. For daily happenings, check with your concierge upon arrival or look up the nightlife section of the English-language San Juan Star newspaper.

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