Puerto Rico

Explore beyond the shore. . .

Links: Film | Official Site

With its authentic Latin culture, diverse attractions, breathtaking beaches and abundant natural scenery, Puerto Rico offers an exciting story at every turn. Puerto Rico’s various regions, offer a host of exhilarating experiences that will refresh and invigorate visitors, no matter what their interests.

Located at the gateway to the Caribbean, the island of Puerto Rico is 110 miles long and 35 miles wide. San Juan, the capital city is a unique juxtaposition of old and new as well as traditional Puerto Rican and colonial Spanish flavors in Old San Juan. Puerto Rico’s second largest city, Ponce is just 90 minutes from San Juan by car. In 1493 Columbus claimed Puerto Rico for Spain, and the island remained under Spanish rule until 1898 when Spain ceded the island to the U.S. in the Spanish-American War. In 1917, under the Jones Act, Puerto Rico’s residents became U.S. citizens and the island became a commonwealth of the U.S. in 1952.

Puerto Rico is easily accessible to visitors with its three major airports. The island’s largest airport, the Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport, is located in the Isla Verde section of San Juan, minutes from the Condado area. Most major hubs including Atlanta, Chicago, New York, and Washington, D.C. offer daily non-stop service to San Juan. U.S. citizens do not need passports to visit the Island.

Over 12,000 guest rooms ensure that island guests will be easily accommodated in Puerto Rico’s world-class hotels and resorts. Puerto Rico’s quarter million square feet of meeting space also makes the island ideal for meetings and incentive programs. Luxurious hotels and resorts, located conveniently throughout the island, reflect Puerto Rico’s lush beauty and can accommodate groups of all sizes.

Puerto Rico offers 272 miles of coastline and hundreds of beaches. Water sport lovers will enjoy activities such as snorkeling; scuba diving; sailing; deep-sea fishing and windsurfing. Sports enthusiasts also appreciate the more than 100 tennis courts and 12 championship golf courses located throughout the island. The island offers some of the finest dining in the Caribbean – visitors can feast on Puerto Rican specialties; a mix of Spanish, Creole and Indian flavors – or choose to sample cuisines from around the world. Puerto Rico offers visitors a wide variety of nighttime and cultural activities including international casinos and nightclubs typically located in major hotels, and theater, dance, opera and outdoor concerts.

From local crafts to international designer luggage, Puerto Rico offers shoppers a multitude of shops and factory outlets. Calle del Cristo is the main shopping area in Old San Juan where visitors will find discounted high quality gold and jewelry, as well as major outlets such as Ralph Lauren. The area of Condado is famous for its chic stores located in Ashford Avenue like Louis Vuitton and Cartier. In the San Juan metro area there are many malls that offer specialty stores for clothing, fine foods, home accessories, arts and crafts and more. The most recognized of all is Plaza Las Américas, located in the heart of San Juan. It is currently the Caribbean’s largest shopping center with more than 186 stores.

Historical Old San Juan – the only walled city in the Caribbean, is a haven for history buffs. The city boasts four fortresses from the Spanish colonial empire. Visitors can walk the cobblestone streets of the old city or visit the myriad historic sites and buildings dating from the 17th and 18th centuries. Outside San Juan, visitors can explore the unique El Yunque Rainforest, the only tropical rainforest in the U.S. National Forest system. The island’s oldest natural wonder, the Camuy Caves is the site of one of the longest underground river systems in the world. Certain to amaze visitors is Caguana Indian Ceremonial Park, a treasured preservation of stone monoliths and petroglyphs dating from 800 A.D. Man-made attractions include the Arecibo Observatory, the site of the largest radio/radar telescope in the world.

Images and information is courtesy of The Puerto Rico Tourist Office