|
Puerto Rico Hotels All Inclusive
(All meals, beverages and more included)
|
|
Puerto Rico Hotels European Plan
|
Introduction to Puerto Rico
Dining Bets
Aquaviva (San Juan): Dauntingly stylish, this is one of the grand new
restaurants of Puerto Rico, specializing in a Latin nouvelle cuisine with fresh
seafood a specialty. You can count on the best catch of the day-the prime
specimens-which are then prepared with consummate skill.
Bar?(San Juan): Fashionable and popular, this is a creative showcase for a
fusion Caribbean and Mediterranean cuisine, occupying stately looking premises
in the Old Town. Sterling craftsmanship marks a menu that includes, for example,
five different kinds of carpaccio.
Parrot Club (San Juan): This addition to the San Juan scene has already been
acclaimed as one of the finest and most innovative restaurants on the island.
Its chef serves a Nuevo Latino cuisine that is a happy medley of Puerto Rican
delights, drawing upon the Spanish, African, and even Ta?o influences of the
island. Menu items are based on updated interpretations of old-fashioned
regional dishes-everything from criola-styled flank steak to a pan-seared tuna
served with a sauce of dark rum and essence of oranges.
Ramiro's (San Juan): Chef Jes? Ramiro has some of the most innovative cookery
along the Condado beachfront strip, along with the city's best wine list. Ramiro
has made his culinary reputation with such dishes as quail stuffed with lamb in
a port sauce and lamb loin in a tamarind coriander sauce, both equally
delectable. His dessert menu is two pages long and includes the town's best
souffl?. His death-by-chocolate mousse on a green grape leaf is equaled only by
his caramelized fresh mango napoleon.
Ajili M?ili (San Juan): On the Condado beachfront, Ajili M?ili provides the most
refined interpretation of classic Puerto Rican cookery on the island. Locals
find it evocative of the food they enjoyed at their mother's table, one example
being mofongos-green plantains stuffed with veal, chicken, shrimp, or pork. The
chefs take that clich?dish arroz con pollo (stewed chicken with saffron rice)
and raise it to celestial levels. The restaurant takes its name from the
lemon-garlic sweet chile salsa that's traditionally served here with fish or
meat.
Mark's at the Meli?(Ponce): Mark French has elevated Puerto Rican dishes to a
new high at this endearing restaurant that also serves an impeccable
international cuisine. He took over what was a backwater and turned the place
into an enclave of refined dining with such imaginative and good-tasting dishes
as tamarind barbecued lamb with yucca mojo.
La Cava (in the Ponce Hilton, Ponce): The stellar restaurant of this first-class
hotel, La Cava was designed to resemble a 19th-century coffee plantation. It's
the most elegant restaurant along the southern tier, and it serves delectable
international cuisine. From the ever-changing menu, you are likely to be served
everything from grilled lamb sausage on a bed of couscous to tuna loin seared
with sesame oil.
The Landing (Barrios Puntas/Playa Antonio): One of the best dining spots along
the western coast of Puerto Rico, this restaurant has a setting like a stylish
private home. Its international cuisine draws hundreds of patrons nightly who
enjoy jerk chicken and lobster kabobs, among other dishes, while taking in a
view of the legendary Rinc? surf.
Beaches
White sandy beaches put Puerto Rico and its offshore islands on tourist maps in
the first place. Many other Caribbean destinations have only jagged coral
outcroppings or black volcanic-sand beaches that get very hot in the noonday
sun.
Best for Singles (Straight & Gay): Sandwiched between the Condado and Isla Verde
beaches along San Juan's beachfront, Ocean Park Beach attracts more adults and
less of the family trade. Only Isla Verde beach to the east matches Ocean Park
for its broad beach and good swimming. The people-watching here is nothing
compared to the well-stuffed bikinis (both male and female) found on South Miami
Beach or Rio de Janeiro. However, for the Caribbean, Ocean Park is as good as it
gets. Because many gay boarding houses lie in Ocean Park, a lot of the beach
here is frequented by gay young men, mainly from New York. However, straight
people looking to meet someone while wearing swimwear will find plenty of
lookers (and perhaps takers).
Best Beach for Families: Winning without contest, Luquillo Beach, 30 miles
(48km) east of San Juan, attracts both local families, mainly from San Juan, and
visitors from Condado and Isla Verde beaches in San Juan. Beach buffs heading
for Luquillo know they will get better sands and clearer waters there than in
San Juan. The vast sandy beach opens onto a crescent-shaped bay edged by a
coconut grove. Coral reefs protect the crystal-clear lagoon from the often rough
Atlantic waters that can buffet the northern coast, making Luquillo a good place
for young children to swim. Much photographed because of its white sands,
Luquillo also has tent sites and other facilities, including picnic areas with
changing rooms, lockers, and showers.
Best for Teenagers: More families with teenagers check into the Hyatt Dorado
Beach Resort & Country Club west of San Juan than into any other competitor in
Puerto Rico, including the resorts along the San Juan beach strip. Six beaches
border the Hyatt resorts, each a strip of white sand fronting the north coast.
Because the Dorado features many activities for kids of all ages, its beaches
over the years have become family favorites. The Hyatt beaches originally opened
onto a grapefruit-and-coconut plantation, but today these 1,000 landscaped acres
(400 hectares) are devoted to fun, ranging from jogging and biking trails to
swimming in the longest pool on the island. Young people find it easy to meet
other teenagers here, not only on the beach but while participating in the
resorts' myriad of activities.
Best for Swimming: Whereas on much of the northwest coast of Puerto Rico, rough
Atlantic waters often deter bathers but attract surfers , the south coast waters
are calmer. On the south coast, Playa de Ponce, outside Ponce, Puerto Rico's
second-largest city, consists of a long strip of beautiful white sand that opens
onto the tranquil waters of the Caribbean. Less crowded than Condado and
Luquillo, Playa de Ponce is an ideal place to swim year-round in clearer, less
polluted waters than those along the more heavily populated northern coastline.
Best for Scenery: In the southwestern corner of Puerto Rico, Boquer? Beach lies
in a section of the island called the Cape Cod of Puerto Rico. The beach town of
Boquer? itself, filled with colorful scenery, stands at the heart of a 3-mile
(5km) bay, with palm-fringed white sand curving away on both sides. In addition
to this panoramic vista, you can also sample vignettes of local life. Fisherfolk,
sailors, and scuba divers are also attracted to this beach, where fresh oysters
are shucked on the spot, doused with Tabasco, and sold at various ramshackle
shacks. You can see that there are plenty of interesting photo ops at this
beach. While enjoying the scenery and the sands, you can take a break and order
a regional ice cream at one of the stands. It's made with sweet corn and dusted
with paprika. Sound awful? Try it: It's good.
Best for Windsurfing: Rinc?'s winter surf, especially at Playa Hig?ro, puts
Malibu to shame. Today surfers from all over the world are attracted to Rinc?,
which they have dubbed "Little Malibu." From Borinqu? Point south to Rinc?,
nearly all the beaches along the western coast are ideal for surfing from
November to April. As the windsurfing capital of the Caribbean, the Rinc? area
was put on the map when it was the site of the 1968 world surfing championships.
Some of the 16-foot (4.8m) breakers here equal those on the north shore of Oahu.
Best Beaches for Being Alone: The main island is filled with isolated sandy
coves that only the locals seem to know about. The best, all guaranteed to
delight the escapist in you, stretch between Cabo Rojo (the southwesterly tip of
Puerto Rico) all the way east to Ponce. Beginning in the west, directly east of
Cabo Rojo, you'll discover Rosado Beach, Santa Beach, Ca? Gorda Beach, and
Tamarindo Beach. Access to many of these is limited because of poor roads, but
the effort is worth it. Be sure to bring the necessary supplies.
Best for Snorkeling: For snorkeling, we prefer to escape from the Puerto Rican
mainland altogether, heading for the isolated beaches of the offshore islands of
Vieques and Culebra, part of the Spanish Virgin Islands. In Vieques alone there
are some 40 beaches, most of them officially unnamed even though U.S. sailors
once stationed on the island have nicknamed their favorites-everything from
Green Beach to Orchid. The best beach for snorkeling on Vieques is Playa
Esperanza, especially that spot in front of the Trade Winds Guesthouse. Another
favorite location, which we discovered when directed there by a Navy SEAL, is
across the little harbor at Cayo de Afuera. This site gives you the best preview
of dramatic (and living) antler coral. Nurse sharks and the occasional manatee
also hang out here.
On the neighboring island of Culebra, the beaches are less visited by snorkelers,
even though they open onto coral reefs and clear waters. The snorkeling is not
so hot at the island's most frequented beach, Flamenco Beach. But all you have
to do is take a 15- to 20-minute hike from the parking lot at Flamenco over the
hill to Playa Carlos Rosario, which offers some of the best snorkeling in Puerto
Rico. A barrier reef virtually envelops the beach, and you can snorkel all day.
For other great snorkeling, you can walk along the cliffs south of here for
about a quarter mile (.4km) to a place called "The Wall," which has 40-foot
(12m) drop-offs, rainbow-hued fish, and other delights.
Hotel Beaches
Wyndham El San Juan Hotel & Casino (San Juan; tel. 800/WYNDHAM or 787/791-1000):
This posh resort occupies the choicest beachfront real estate at Isla Verde
Beach, one of the finest in Puerto Rico. Ideal for swimming, the golden sands
near the airport evoke South Miami Beach. Picnic tables are found here, and the
beach is also good for snorkeling. But it is mostly the sands themselves that
provide the attraction-that and all the many facilities of El San Juan resort
itself.
Hyatt Resort at Dorado (Hyatt Dorado Beach Resort & Country Club; tel.
800/233-1234 or 787/796-1234): Lying 18 miles (29km) west of San Juan, this posh
resort was carved out of a plantation. Today it opens onto several miles of
white sandy beaches at the mouth of the R? de la Plata. Since the turn of the
20th century, Dorado, which means "golden," has attracted U.S. presidents and
rich folks like the Rockefellers. Today families can be seen romping along its
sands.
Copamarina Beach Resort (Ca? Gorda; tel. 787/821-0505) lies west of Ponce,
Puerto Rico's second-largest city. A laid-back retreat, the resort opens onto
one of the best and least crowded beaches in southwestern Puerto Rico. This
appealing beach is set a quarter mile (.4km) south of Gu?ica at the edge of a
government-protected marshland known for its rich bird life. Its pale beige sand
fronts a backdrop of bohios (thatched huts), where you can retreat from the
noonday sun.
Natural Attractions
El Yunque (tel. 787/888-1880 for information): Forty-five minutes by road east
of San Juan in the Luquillo Mountains and protected by the U.S. Forest Service,
El Yunque is Puerto Rico's greatest natural attraction. Some 100 billion gallons
of rain fall annually on this home to four forest types containing 240 species
of tropical trees. Families can walk one of the dozens of trails that wind past
waterfalls, dwarf vegetation, and miniature flowers, while the island's colorful
parrots fly overhead. You can hear the sound of Puerto Rico's mascot, the coqu?
a small frog.
R? Camuy Caves (tel. 787/898-3100): Some 2 1/2 hours west of San Juan, visitors
board a tram to descend into this forest-filled sinkhole at the mouth of the
Clara Cave. They walk the footpaths of a 170-foot-high (51m) cave to a deeper
sinkhole. Once they're inside, a 45-minute tour helps everyone, including kids,
learn to differentiate stalactites from stalagmites. At the Pueblos sinkhole, a
platform overlooks the Camuy River, passing through a network of cave tunnels.
Las Cabezas de San Juan Nature Reserve (tel. 787/722-5882): This 316-acre
(126-hectare) nature reserve about 45 minutes from San Juan encompasses seven
different ecological systems, including forestland, mangroves, lagoons, beaches,
cliffs, and offshore coral reefs. Five days a week (Wed-Sun), the park staff
conducts tours in Spanish and English, the latter at 2pm only. Each tour lasts 2
1/2 hours and is conducted with electric trolleys that traverse most of the
park. Tours end with a climb to the top of the still-working, 19th-century
lighthouse for views over Puerto Rico's eastern coast and nearby Caribbean
islands. Call to reserve space before going, as bookings are based on stringent
restrictions as to the number of persons who can tour the park without damage to
its landscape or ecology. The cost is a relative bargain, $5 for adults, $2 for
children under 13, and $2.50 for seniors.
Additional Information about tra
vel to Puerto Rico
|
Whatever you want to do on a tropical vacation or business trip-play on the
beach with the kids (or gamble away their college funds), enjoy a romantic
honeymoon, or have a little fun after a grueling negotiating session-you'll find
it in Puerto Rico. But you don't want to waste precious hours once you get here
searching for the best deals and the best experiences. We've done that work for
you. During our years of traveling through the islands that form the
Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, we've tested the beaches, toured the sights,
reviewed countless restaurants, inspected hotels, and sampled the best scuba
diving, hikes, and other outdoor activities. We've even learned where to get
away from it all when it's time to escape the crowds. 
