Where to Go Next: Puerto Rico

No passport? No problem. Enjoy a five-star Caribbean getaway in Puerto Rico, with world-class beaches, nightlife, fishing and golf, hiking in a rainforest, plus history, eco-adventures and more.

My personal “must do” favorite spots in Puerto Rico from multiple visits over the years include these –

Old San Juan, where picturesque streets and buildings transport you back to the 18^th and 19^th centuries.

Many of the the streets are uneven cobblestones, so be sure to wear sturdy shoes.

El Morro, the formidable hilltop fortress built by the Spanish in 1540 to protect the island from invasion, with picture postcard views of turquoise Caribbean water.

It is part of the National Park Service, and also famous for its wandering cats.

Bioluminsecent Bay, where you can glow like an angel while you snorkel with tiny algae that light up like fireflies, off Vieques.

It’s one of the few bioluminescent bays in the world, and an absolute “must do” for any ecoXplorer.

El Yunque, the only tropical rainforest managed by the US Park Service, with miles of hiking paths, dozens of waterfalls, hundreds of species of colorful birds, flowers and ferns – and also giant land snails the size of your palm.

Listen for the sound of the coqui, a tree frog named for its signature song, which sounds just like its name – koh-kee.
The eastern entrance is less crowded.

The Museum of Art in Ponce, designed by world-famous American architect Edward Durrell Stone, which has re-opened after serious damage by Hurricane Maria.

This is the home of one of the world’s most recognized paintings, Flaming June, by Frederick Lord Leighton, a beautiful woman in a flowing red-orange dress. It’s one of my absolute favorite paintings in any museum in any city in the world, and has returned to Ponce after being loaned to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC while her home was being repaired

Tour a rum factory. After all, Puerto Rico is famous for its rums.

Sample the goods anywhere in Puerto Rico in a daiquiri, frozen or over ice. Or, sip and savor an aged dark rum in a snifter, as you would a fine brandy.

Visit a natural cavern. The magnificent Camuy caverns run through the third largest subterranean river in the world.

Try your luck at one of the world-class casinos in San Juan.

And, of course, go to the beach.

Puerto Rico has 270 miles of coastline and is regularly featured in lists of world’s top beaches, including Flamenco Beach in Culebra.
My personal favorite is Shipwreck Beach on the eastern side of the island.

Originally published in 2014 as a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Puerto Rico, The All-Star Island promotion, I have updated it with additional information from two visits to the island since then, and republishing it now in response to recent ugly criticism of the island during a presidential political rally.

ecoXplorer Evelyn Kanter is a journalist with 25+ years of experience as a newspaper and magazine writer, radio & TV news producer & reporter, and author of guidebooks and smartphone apps – all focusing on travel, automotive, the environment and your rights as a consumer.