Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Hurricane Earl, Puerto Rico

Hurricane Earl, caused power and water outages throughout the island in Puerto Rico.  Hotels in San Juan were not affected by the outages.  The airport was closed for awhile and some flights were diverted, but currently the airport is operating normally.

All eyes are now watching tropical storm Fiona, which is heading to Puerto Rico.  Is to early to tell whether it will reach hurricane status.

Friday, August 27, 2010

San Juan, Puerto Rico

San Juan, Puerto Rico

Best Places To Play Golf In Puerto Rico

Golf in Puerto Rico

Whether you are a first timer or a seasoned pro, Puerto Rico has the perfect golf course for you.  Puerto Rico has over 20 golf courses, the most of any island in the Caribbean.  Puerto Rico is called the golf capital of the Caribbean.  Most of the courses, have been designed by golf industry leaders like: Jack Nicklaus, Robert Trent Jones,Sr., Arthur Hills and Chi Chi Rodriguez, a Puerto Rican native.  There is variety in the design of all the courses, beautiful landscaping, and locations with view of the mountains, the Caribbean and Atlantic Ocean.  Puerto Rico has hosted numerous tournaments, including the PGA Tour.

Here are the best places to play golf in Puerto Rico:

  • Trump International Golf Club
    36-hole golf course, waterfront location, 40 minutes from San Juan.  Designed by Tom Kite, has four diverse nines: The Ocean Course, the Lake Course, the Palm Course, and the Mountain Course.

     
  • Wyndham Rio Mar Beach Golf Resort
    36-hole golf course, with two championship courses: The Ocean Course and the River Course. Located 45 minutes East of San Juan.

     
  • Dorado Del Mar Beach & Golf Resort
    36-hole golf course, located West of San Juan, with two courses: East Course and West Course.  It has the Atlantic Ocean as a backdrop and the fourth hole in the East Course is considered by Jack Nicklaus, as one of the top ten in the world.

     
  • Plantation Golf Club
    18-hole golf course, 30 minutes West of San Juan, designed by Robert Trent Jones,Sr., is considered a long and difficult course.

     
  • El Legado Golf Resort
    18-hole golf course, 45 minutes South of San Juan, designed by its owner Chi Chi Rodriguez, for all players, from amateurs to professionals.  Fountains, waterfalls, lakes and colorful gardens, are all part of this golf course.  

     
  • Palmas Del Mar
    36-hole golf course, southeast of San Juan, in Humacao, has two championship 18 hole courses: The Palm Course and the Flamboyan Course. This course has the Caribbean Ocean as a backdrop.

     
  • El Conquistador Resort & Country Club
    18-hole golf course, located in the northeast coast of Puerto Rico facing the Atlantic Ocean. Designed by Arthur Hills, the course travels through major elevation changes. The course takes advantage of the beautiful views, from El Yunque National Forest, to the Atlantic Ocean.

Friday, August 20, 2010

Culebra - Flamenco Beach, Puerto Rico. Paradise!


Culebra, Puerto Rico

Culebra is an island off the eastern coast of Puerto Rico. Culebra is a popular weekend destination for Mainland Puerto Ricans and tourist from around the world. Culebra has one of the best beaches in the world, Flamenco Beach. The beach extends for a mile, with white coral sand.  Flamenco Beach is protected by the Department of Natural and Environmental Resources as a Marine Wildlife Reserve.


There is very little commercial development on the island, because of its protective status.  The Culebra National Wildlife Refuge is a National Wildlife Refuge in Puerto Rico and it was created in 1909. Culebra has one of the oldest bird sanctuaries in the United States.  More than 50,000 seabirds of 13 species find their way to this part of the ocean every year to breed.  Many other bird species permanently call Culebra home and three species of sea turtles: Leatherback, green sea, and hawksbill use the waters around Culebra, and nest on refuge beaches.

                                                                    

Thursday, August 19, 2010

Tourist areas of San Juan, Puerto Rico

Isla Verde Beach





Isla Verde, Puerto Rico, is the major tourist spot on the island.  Isla Verde, has the best beach in the San Juan area, and it is surrounded by resorts, including The Ritz Carlton, El San Juan Hotel, The Intercontinental Hotel and many more. Isla Verde is 20 minutes from Old San Juan and 15 minutes from Condado, the other tourist areas.
La Fortaleza







There are many activities in the area: water sports, shopping, restaurants, casinos and nightlife.  Isla Verde is an affluent area, where many celebrities live. The beach is lined with coconut palm trees and is a favorite with the local residents.  Isla Verde is 10 minutes from San Juan International Airport.




Old San Juan, Puerto Rico, is a major tourist attraction.  The historic nature of its picturesque colonial buildings and narrow streets made of blue cobblestone, some of which date back to the 16th century, is a tourist must see attraction.

The historic forts, El Morro and The Castle of San Cristobal , are located in Old San Juan.  There are many restaurants and art galleries in the area.
Condado Lagoon
Old San Juan was declared a World Heritage Site in 1983.





Condado, Puerto Rico, is a tourist area located between Old San Juan and Isla Verde.  The area has numerous hotels, restaurants, and nightlife activities.  The landmark hotels: Vanderbilt Hotel, and La Concha Resort are located here. Condado is a residential area with an adjacent lagoon.


The main avenue, Ashford Avenue has many shops, restaurants, casinos and nightclubs.






                                                                              
 

                                                                           

                                                                           

                                                                                     
                                                                        
                                                                         

                                                                           
                                                                         



                                                                      

                                                                 

Saturday, August 14, 2010

Puerto Rican Coqui

The little frog of Puerto Rico with its distinctive sound, El Coqui  as it is called, is found all over the island. The frog is called Coqui, because of the loud sound the males make at night. This sound, is the way the Coquies talk or sing to each other.

Many years ago, I heard a story - don't know if its true- about a Spanish nun who was in Puerto Rico for a short time and fell in love with the Coqui, and decided to take one Coqui with her back to Spain.  Back in Spain, the Coqui would sing every night.  Two weeks passed and the Coqui stopped singing.  The nun wondered if the little frog was ill.  Four days later, the Coqui died.  As the story goes, the Coqui had died of loneliness.  It was singing - talking- but got no response.  Perhaps, if she had taken a pair of the little frog, they would have kept each other company.

Here is a link to images and sounds of the Coqui:




                                                                  
 



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Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

San Juan, Puerto Rico to become a walkable city

San Juan, Puerto Rico to get green urban design upgrade.


http://issuu.com/sanjuannews/docs/finalreportsummary_walkablecity_july3-final

Monday, August 9, 2010

Top Five Attractions in Puerto Rico

Old San Juan
El Yunque

  1. El Morro Fort and Old San Juan: El Morro is a World Heritage Site and a National Historic Site in the U.S. National Park Service.  Old San Juan is the historic colonial section of San Juan.

  2. El Yunque: Is the only rain forest in the U.S. National Forest System.


  3. Bioluminescent Bay: In Laguna Grande, Fajardo. The East region of Puerto Rico.

  4. Camuy Caves and Arecibo Observatory: Camuy Caves is a system of subterranean caves, and the Arecibo Observatory has the world's largest single-dish radio telescope. It is located in the northwest mountains of the island.

  5. Culebra and Vieques: These are two islands located off the eastern shore of Puerto Rico. Both of these islands have beautiful beaches, and the pace of life is slower than the mainland.

                                                                   

                                                                     
                                                               
                                                                


Sunday, August 8, 2010

Isla Verde Beach, Puerto Rico

Isla Verde Beach, Puerto Rico

Top Ten Puerto Rico Beaches



  1. Flamenco Beach: Located in Culebra, an island 17 miles east of the Puerto Rican mainland.

  2. Icacos Beach: Is a cay in the north east, a few miles off shore of Fajardo.

  3. Seven Seas: In the east coast of the island, in Fajardo.

  4. Crash Boat: In the north west, in Aguadila.

  5. Isla Verde Beach: Located in Carolina, in the San Juan metro area.

  6. Luquillo Beach: Located 30 miles east of San Juan.

  7. Boqueron Beach: In the southwestern corner of the island, in Cabo Rojo.

  8. Sun Bay Beach: Located in Vieques, an island 8 miles east of the Puerto Rican mainland.

  9. Shacks Beach: In Isabela, north west coast of Puerto Rico.

  10. Rincon Beach: In the north west coast, considered one of the best surf spots in the world.


Monday, August 2, 2010

Isla Verde Beach... El Yunque National Forest... San Juan, Puerto Rico