Aji caballero
Pick up car rental
Scenic Drive
Coming From San Juan: Take Rt. 22 West to Exit 75B (Rt. 10 South). Take Rt. 10 South to Utuado. Make a left at traffic light (Rt. 111 East). At the 2nd traffic light make another left to continue on Rt. 111 East. About 15 minutes later, at the end of Rt. 111 make a left at the intersection with Rt. 140 North toward Florida. Continue for another 15 minutes to Rt. 612. Turn left and go over small bridge. One minute down the road on your left is the entrance to Casa Grande. Upon entering the driveway bear right into the parking lot or take the left fork up to the hacienda to unload your baggage and check in. Take a deep breath. You made it!
The Coffee of Popes and Kings Returns Alto Grande
Wed-Fri 12-4pm
Rio Camuy Cave Park Open Wednesdays through Sundays and holidays; 8am to 4pm. For information call: (787) 898-3100 or (787) 763-0568.
El Yunque Luquillo beach
Drop off car 8am
Luquillo beach
Every day Fajardo to Culebra: 9 a.m., 3 p.m., 7 p.m. Culebra to Fajardo: 6:30 a.m., 1 p.m., 5 p.m.
Culebra Divers Flamenco Beach Playa Carlos Rosario - Snorkling Cemetary Zoni Beach
Take Ferry from Fajardo Bahia Corcha Bahia de la Chiva Playa Plata
Fly from Vieques to San Juan
Vieques Air Link Flight 803 7:30 am to Isla Grande Airport San Juan
Fly back to Chicago.
Getting lost among the cobblestone streets of Old San Juan, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Climbing the battlements of Fuerte San Felipe del Morro, the 16th-century fort that dominates the waterfront.
Dining at one of the other stellar restaurants along the southern end of Calle La Fortaleza, a strip so trendy that locals call it "SoFo."
Taking a dip at the Balneario de Luquillo, one of the prettiest beaches in Puerto Rico.
Sitting elbow-to-elbow with locals at one of the dozens of outdoor seafood shacks on the highway before you get to the Balneario de Luquillo.
Gasping at the eye-popping views from the lighthouse at Reserva Natural Las Cabezas de San Juan.
Culebra Divers Culebra Dive Shop Reef Link Divers Bicycle Scooter
Watching the sunset from the cantilevered deck at Al's Mar Azul, the best happy hour spot on Vieques.
Hiking to the deserted lighthouse on one of the islands that make up the Refugio Nacional de Vida Silvestre de Culebra.
Discovering Playa Media Luna, or one of the dozens of other deserted beaches that fringe Vieques.
Hike through the Bosque Estatal de Gunica, where the cactus may make you think you're in the American Southwest.
Stroll around San German, whose cobblestone streets are lined with architectural treasures.
Hiking to the lighthouse at El Combate, a peninsula that juts out into the Caribbean Sea.
Relaxing in your private plunge pool at the Horned Dorset Primavera, perhaps the most romantic inn in the Caribbean.
Sampling fresh seafood at any of the dozens of oceanfront eateries along Joyuda's "Golden Mile."
Island-hopping to Desecheo Island or Mona Island.
Hiking in the Bosque Estatal de Toro Negro, home to the island's highest lake and tallest mountain.
Feasting on roasted suckling pig at one of the roadside lechoneras near Cayey.
Reliving scenes from the movie Contact at the Observatorio de Arecibo, the world's largest radar-radio telescope.
Playa Flamenco. On Culebra's north coast is an amazingly lovely stretch of white sand. This beach, with its almost perfect half-moon shape, is consistently ranked as one of the two or three best in the world. Once you see it, you'll know why. Mountains rise up on all sides, making it feel miles away from civilization. It's only when the propeller planes fly low over the beach that you remember that the airport is just over the ridge. During the week Playa Flamenco is pleasantly uncrowded; on the weekend, though, it fills up fast with day-trippers. This is the only beach on Culebra with amenities such as restrooms, showers, and kiosks selling simple fare. Off Rte. 251, west of the airport, Culebra, Puerto Rico.
Playa Soni. On Culebra's northeastern end, this beach is far more isolated than Playa Flamenco, and it's just as beautiful. From the shore you can catch a glimpse of St. Thomas and St. Croix. To get here, take Route 250 east until you reach the end. Rte. 250, 11 km (7 mi) northeast of Dewey, Culebra, Puerto Rico.
Playa Sun Bay. East of Esperanza this is easily the most popular of the dozens of beaches that ring Vieques. Its white sands skirt a mile-long, crescent-shape bay. You'll find food kiosks, picnic tables, and changing facilities. On weekdays, when the crowds are thin, you might also find wild horses grazing among the palm trees. There's often nobody at the gate to take your money. Rte. 997, Vieques, Puerto Rico.
Balneario de Luquillo. A magnet for families, this government-maintained beach is well equipped with changing areas and restrooms, lifeguards, food stands and picnic areas, and even stands where you can order a cocktail. It's most distinctive facility, though, is the Mar Sin Barreras (Sea Without Barriers), a low-sloped ramp leading into the water that allows wheelchair users to take a dip. The beach is off Route 3 as you head toward Fajardo. Off Route 3, Luquillo, Puerto Rico.
Visiting Vieques & Culebra: Puerto Rico's offshore islands-still relatively undiscovered by the modern world-remain an offbeat adventure, and they've got great beaches, too. The most developed is Vieques, which attracts visitors with its gorgeous stretches of sand with picnic facilities and shade trees. It is an ideal retreat for snorkelers and tranquillity seekers. The beaches are nearly always deserted, even though they are among the Caribbean's loveliest. Nearly three-quarters of the island is owned by the Fish & Wildlife Service. The even less developed Culebra has a wildlife refuge, coral reefs, and Playa Flamenco, another of the Caribbean's finest beaches. And is it ever sleepy here!
Diving off Mona Island (Mayagez): Surrounded by some of the most beautiful coral reefs in the Caribbean, Mona Island has the most pristine, extensive, and well-developed reefs in Puerto Rican waters. In fact, they have been nominated as a U.S. National Marine Sanctuary. The tropical marine ecosystem around Mona includes patch reefs, black coral, spore and groove systems, underwater caverns, deep-water sponges, fringing reefs, and algal reefs. The lush environment attracts octopuses, lobster, queen conch, rays, barracuda, snapper, jack, grunt, angelfish, trunkfish, filefish, butterfly fish, dolphin, parrotfish, tuna, flying fish, and more. The crystal waters afford exceptional horizontal vision from 150 feet to 200 feet (45m-60m), as well as good views down to the shipwrecks that mark the site-including some Hispanic galleons. Five species of whales visit the island's offshore waters.
Attending a Cockfight: Although a brutal sport that many find distasteful, cockfighting is legal in Puerto Rico and has its devotees. The most authentic cockfights are in the town of Salinas in the southeast. But it's not necessary to go that far to witness one of these bouts. Three fights a week are held at the Coliseo Gallistico, Route 37 (tel. 787/791-6005), in San Juan. Betting is heavy when these roosters take to the ring.
Meanwhile Porta Caribe and South Puerto Rico have the secret hideaways, making for some of the best scuba diving in the region, particularly in La Parguera, Guanica and Ponce's Caja de Muertos (Coffin Island).