Travel
Puerto Rico: A Vacaion Paradise
by Margarita Hutchison
If you live in beautiful Vermont or its neighboring states,
you may not want to leave, but perhaps this article will inspire you to
consider taking at least a brief respite from the ice and cold to visit
sunny Puerto Rico. Our focus for this visit will be on some of the vacation
highlights travelers will find in the northeastern coastal region from
San Juan to Fajardo: El Yunque, the only rainforest in the US Forest System;
the beaches; sailing; snorkeling; and a little about the culture and night-life
that abound here.
Puerto Rico, with its mostly Spanish-speaking population of 4 million, is about the size of Rhode Island, and is located in the northeastern Caribbean, 1,000 miles southeast of Miami. Direct flights from Boston, New York, and Hartford whisk travelers to San Juan International Airport within 3.5 to 4 hours. Fares usually start at $225; since it is a commonwealth of the United States, no passports are required, so travel to this enchanted island truly is a breeze.
Upon arrival at the modern, partially open-air airport, passengers immediately feel the tropical breezes that bring temperatures remaining a steady 80 degrees year-round, except in the mountain areas, where it is cooler, especially at night.
Your eyes are immediately taken by the colors: lush greens, vividly colored buildings, glorious azure sky, and animated people. Within minutes, travelers can sunbathe on a white sandy beach or swim in the warm waters of the Caribbean sea.
World-famous Luquillo Beach is only a half hour drive from the airport. As you approach the beach, you will see one of Puerto Rico’s cultural highlights: a row of approximately 70 kiosks, or little shack-style snack bars and casual restaurants which offer pina coladas, made fresh with local coconut and pineapple juices, as well as one of the numerous Puerto Rican rums. Foods available here include an assortment of empanadillas, arepas, and other Criollo (Puerto Rican) foods; you can even partake of a huge swordfish steak dinner for under $15. Luquillo Beach, a former coconut plantation, stretches for miles of uninterrupted walking, jogging, swimming, or just plain lying under a beach umbrella listening to gentle waves lapping on the shore.
Another beach, Seven Seas, just outside Fajardo, offers unspoiled beauty in a tropical paradise. Surfers love “La Pared,” a beach area boasting waves that draw surfers from around the world.
A short ride from the beach in the direction of El Yunque, the Caribbean National Forest, will take you to another time and place, eons ago. You will see philodendron leaves the size of houses, and Impatiens – the lovely little flower Vermonters use for borders and hanging planters – growing to the size of trees.
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| Waterfalls in El Yunque Rainforest. photo Diane Cutter |
Driving or hiking in this rainforest preserve of nearly 30,000 acres is like going back to prehistoric times; ferns and vines grow everywhere, and the deep scent of the lush forest will fill your lungs with pure oxygen, as your imagination anticipates the arrival of a dinosaur just beyond the next tree. There are easy, moderate, and strenuous walks and hikes, with or without guides, most of which pass several huge waterfalls. The views to the sea and from the mountaintop are spectacular, and the waterfalls are unforgettable. You can play in them, enjoy a natural waterfall’s hydro massage, or just sit on a boulder nearby and contemplate the wonder of this tropical paradise.
For some truly unusual nightlife, don’t miss the Bioluminescent Bay, part of the Las Cabesas Nature Preserve. This lagoon provides one of our planet’s only remaining mango-lined bays, and it’s filled with microscopic sea critters that light up so intensely that a school of fish swimming under your kayak will appear illuminated, as if Tinker Bell just waved her magic stardust wand under the water. It truly is an unforgettable, once-in-a-lifetime marvel to experience the natural beauty of this bioluminescent bay; it costs about $30 for a four-hour easy guided kayak trip. Guaranteed, your heart and soul will soar like Peter Pan and Wendy’s!
Sailing, SCUBA diving, and snorkeling are fabulous here. The best snorkeling is offshore, at one of the small, uninhabited islands an hour’s sail off the coast. Waters are clear turquoise, usually calm, and you will see an abundance of every variety of tropical fish – without sharks, I am happy to report. Sailing adventures range from charters to captained trips on genuine old-time, wooden fishing sailboats to sleek, modern catamarans. Prices range from $55 and up, including lunch, beverages, and snorkeling gear for a full day’s trip.
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| Villas Margarita. photo Margarita Hutchison |
Nightlife includes tropical breezes and magnificent views at many fine restaurants and clubs with a wide range of prices, along with music, music, music. Puerto Ricans have a special affinity for music, and everywhere you go, you usually hear the live sounds of salsa, meringue, or reggae. For the GLBT crowd, the best place to go for nightlife is Old San Juan, where gay bars, drag shows, and evening cruises just for gays can easily be found, all for very reasonable prices. For you quieter folks, just sitting on a mountain hillside, swinging in a hammock, with a tropical breeze wafting by, can be a wondrous experience. The local tree frog, coqui, can sing you to sleep with its famous lullaby.
Now that I have you dreaming, you should think about the kind of place in which you’d like to stay. You can find everything from inexpensive B&Bs starting at about $60/night to very fancy hotel rooms at the Conquistador or Westin Resorts for $250 and up. Villas, houses, condos, and apartments are also available for approximately $100/night and up.
Margarita Hutchison lived in Vermont for nearly half a century before deciding to move to Puerto Rico to enjoy its climate and Latin culture. She currently teaches part-time on Roosevelt Roads Navy Base at New Hampshire College and Columbia College. She and her daughter, Heather, moved to their tropical paradise (2.5 acres) in 1998 and have been operating Villas Margarita for less than a year.