Sunday, December 22, 2013

Puerto Rico



 

Sunday, December 15, 2013

Rincon, Puerto Rico To Build Water Park



The Puerto Rican government is planning to build a water park and a theater in the northwest tourist town of Rincón, Puerto Rico.  At a cost of $4.85 million, the water park will be built near the Friendship Plaza and the theater, along with a boardwalk, will be part of an 8,000-square-foot recreational center that will be built at the site of the old Rincón Theater.


Rincon is a tourist destination and is well known for its surfing.  No date was given as to when these projects will begin.


                                                                      
Puerto Rico Is The Place Mouse Pad
Puerto Rico Is The Place Mouse Pad by puertoricoistheplace
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Sunday, December 8, 2013

Puerto Rico




                                                                    

Sunday, December 1, 2013

Things To Do In Puerto Rico When It Rains



Puerto Rico is located in the Caribbean and therefore tropical, which means a chance for rain or showers on any given day.  Luckily in the tropics, the rain comes and goes very quickly, (unless it is during the hurricane season, July-November) and then the sun comes out again.  If you are visiting Puerto Rico and there is rain in the forecast, here are a few ideas for things to do in San Juan, Puerto Rico when is raining:


Puerto Rican Restaurant - Go to a Puerto Rican restaurant and try some typical dishes, like mofongo, alcapurrias, bacalaitos and arroz con gandules.

Puerto Rico Museum of Art - The Puerto Rico Museum of Art is located on De Diego Avenue near the Condado Area, and has a great collection of Puerto Rican art.

Plaza las Americas: Plaza las Americas or Plaza, as it is known in Puerto Rico, is the largest mall in the Caribbean.  Plaza also has restaurants and movie theaters.

Fine Arts Cafe Cinema: Fine Arts Cafe Cinema is the nicest movie theater in Puerto Rico with comfortable seats, and shows mostly foreign movies.  They sell wine and beer along with pop corn, soda, cold sandwiches, and sushi. 

Casinos: Try your luck at one of the resort casinos in the tourist areas of Isla Verde and Condado.   Casinos at the hotels are always open. 


These should keep you entertained on a rainy day in San Juan.  Even if there is rain in the forecast that does not mean that it will rain all day, so enjoy these ideas for a few hours and return to your scheduled events once the weather has cleared.  Enjoy your time in Puerto Rico.    


                                                             









Sunday, November 24, 2013

Vega Baja, Puerto Rico


                                                                   

Sunday, November 17, 2013

Posadas (Inns) To Open In Puerto Rico


The  government of Puerto Rico has launched a new project to diversify its tourism by creating a network of inns (posadas) and guest houses in traditional downtown areas around the island.  The hotels in the posadas program must have a minimum of seven rooms and a maximum of 75 rooms.  Hotel operators are required to build alliances and agreements with local businesses to supply merchandise, food services, laundry and other operations.  The goal is to multiply the economic impact in these areas.


The first inn, La Posada San Blas in Coamo, Puerto Rico, is a 19-room inn in the urban center of Coamo and It includes a bar, a courtyard, a gallery and a dining room.  The next inns to open will be Posada Ojo de Agua in Rincón, which will begin construction early next year, and inns in the areas of Orocovis and Vega Baja.  These posadas will strengthen the cultural, architectural and historical offerings of the urban centers.


                                                                
Puerto Rico Is The Place Mug
Puerto Rico Is The Place Mug by puertoricoistheplace
Look at Puerto rico Mugs online at Zazzle.com
     

Sunday, November 3, 2013

The PUR Puerto Rico Benefits Program



A new benefits program, aimed at promoting the island of Puerto Rico as a tourism destination, has started in Puerto Rico.  The “PUR Puerto Rico,” program, by the The Puerto Rico Hotel & Tourism Association, is an upscale marketing platform that includes hotels, restaurants, shopping, and entertainment.  Clients get access and accumulate PUR benefits with a card sent either by mail, email, or information centers at hotels, casinos, restaurants, and other participating establishments.


The program has more than 1,500 sales points in Puerto Rico.  There are electronic terminals where clients can buy entertainment offers and pre-paid products as well as recharge their card with cash.   Hilton Hotels and Casinos, the American Society of Travel Agents, the Restaurant Association and shopping centers, have already committed their support for the The PUR program.


                                                                       

Sunday, October 27, 2013

Vega Baja, Puerto Rico






Sunday, October 20, 2013

Paradores In Puerto Rico



Paradores (small inns) in Puerto Rico are very popular with the locals particularly during long weekends.  You can find paradores all over the island and they are a great option to large chain hotels.  Paradores are known for their hospitality, affordable rates, Puerto Rican cuisine and picturesque locations.  Each parador has a unique experience and they can be found at the beach, mountain, coast or town. 


Here are the paradores in Puerto Rico:

Parador Bahía Salinas - Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico

Parador Boquemar- Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico

Parador Caribbean Paradise - Patillas, Puerto Rico

Parador Combate Beach - Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico

Parador Costa Del Mar - Yabucoa, Puerto Rico

Parador El Buen Café - Hatillo, Puerto Rico

Parador El Faro - Aguadilla, Puerto Rico

Parador Guanica 1929 - Guanica, Puerto Rico

Parador J.B. Hidden Village - Aguada, Puerto Rico

Parador Joyuda Beach - Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico

Parador MaunaCaribe - Maunabo, Puerto Rico

Parador Palmas de Lucía - Yabucoa, Puerto Rico

Parador Perichi's - Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico

Parador Villa Antonio - Rincón, Puerto Rico

Parador Villa Parguera - Lajas, Puerto Rico

Parador Villas del Mar Hau - Isabela, Puerto Rico

Parador Villas Sotomayor, Adjuntas, Puerto Rico

Parador Vistamar - Quebradillas, Puerto Rico




                                                                 




Sunday, October 13, 2013



                                                  
Dorado, Puerto Rico





Sunday, October 6, 2013

Museums In San Juan, Puerto Rico


The area of Santurce, in San Juan, Puerto Rico, has some of Puerto Rico's best cultural centers and has three cultural meccas dedicated to the arts:


1) Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico, or Puerto Rican Museum of Art, is a must-visit destination for art-lovers.  The building is beautiful, the collection of local, regional and international artists is excellent, and the sculpture gardens outside are worth a stroll.


2) Museo de Arte Contemporáneo is devoted to contemporary arts in all its mediums, and it is a companion to the Puerto Rican Museum of Art.


3) Centro de Bellas Artes Luis A. Ferré is the Puerto Rico's premier venue for plays, concerts and theater.


If you love the arts, make sure to save some time to visit these museums in San Juan, Puerto Rico.


                                                               




Sunday, September 29, 2013


Vega Baja, Puerto Rico


                                                             
   

Sunday, September 22, 2013

Red Lobster To Open In Puerto Rico


Restaurant Operators Inc. will open the first Red Lobster restaurants in Puerto Rico.  Red Lobster is focusing more on the Hispanic market.   Red Lobster is the nation's largest seafood chain, and the decision to operate in Puerto Rico is Red Lobster's latest expansion beyond the continental United States. 


Also, Restaurant Operators Inc, have plans to open Olive Garden and LongHorn Steakhouse restaurants.  Restaurant Operators Inc. will develop a minimum of eight Olive Garden, three Red Lobster and three additional LongHorn Steakhouse restaurants in Puerto Rico by 2017.  The first Olive Garden and the next LongHorn should open this year in Puerto Rico.  


                                                                 


Sunday, September 15, 2013

Marchiquita, Manati, Puerto Rico


                                                          
Puerto Rico Is The Place Hat
Puerto Rico Is The Place Hat by puertoricoistheplace
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Sunday, September 8, 2013

Puerto Rico To Expand Convention Center District In San Juan



The government of Puerto Rico is planning a $36 million project to help expand and revitalize the main convention center in San Juan, Puerto Rico.  The expansion project will have 250,000 square feet of office and commercial space, as well as the construction of a Hyatt hotel.  Puerto Rico has the largest convention center in the Caribbean which includes a Sheraton hotel and casino.  The expansion project will be named the Puerto Rico World Trade Center Building (no relation to the former World Trade Center in New York City).


                                                                


Sunday, August 25, 2013

A Second Puerto Rican Restaurant Opens In Los Angeles

Old San Juan Restaurant, Los Angeles

Old San Juan Restaurant, Los Angeles

Old San Juan Restaurant, Los Angeles

Old San Juan Restaurant, Los Angeles

Old San Juan Restaurant, Los Angeles

Old San Juan Restaurant, Los Angeles

Old San Juan Restaurant, Los Angeles

Old San Juan Restaurant, Los Angeles

Old San Juan Restaurant, Los Angeles

Old San Juan Restaurant, Los Angeles

Old San Juan Restaurant, Los Angeles

Old San Juan Restaurant, Los Angeles

Old San Juan Restaurant, Los Angeles

Old San Juan Restaurant, Los Angeles

Old San Juan Restaurant, Los Angeles

Old San Juan Restaurant, Los Angeles

Puerto Ricans and Angelinos have a new restaurant to enjoy.  Old San Juan, a new Pueto Rican restaurant has opened in Los Angeles.  Old San Juan Restaurant is the second Puerto Rican restaurant in Los Ageles.  The first one was Mofongo restaurant, in North Hollywood, which we wrote about sometime ago. 


Old San Juan Restaurant is located in the area of Los Angeles called Atwater Village.  The exterior of Old San Juan Restaurant, is painted gray and white just like La Fortaleza, the Governor's Mansion in Puerto Rico.  The restaurant is comfortable with tables and booths, and is decorated with pictures and decorations of Old San Juan and Puerto Rico.  Old San Juan Restaurant offers all the traditional Puerto Rican dishes you expect: pasteles, arroz con gandules, lechon, alcapurrias, etc.  


When we visited we tried a number of entree and appetizers from their extensive menu.  We had: Bacalaitos, alcapurrias, sorullitos, pasteles, camarones al ajillo (garlic shrimp) with arroz con gandules, carne guisada (beef stew) with white rice and amarillos, pastelon (plantains and ground beef) and arroz con gandures and arugula salad.  For desert it was flan de queso (caramel cream cheese custard).


We enjoyed the ambiance, the music and everyone was very friendly and attentive.  When you are in the restaurant you forget that you are actually in Los Angeles and not in Puerto Rico.  The owner and executive chef of the restaurant is Chef Luis Castro who used to be the chef at Madres, the former Jenefer Lopez restaurant in Pasadena.  Old San Juan Restaurant has live music, lechon a la varita (pork on a stick) on Friday's, a daily buffet of Puerto Rican food on weekdays and an area for private parties.  Call the restaurant for more information.


If you have plans to visit Puerto Rico, go to Old San Juan or Mofongo restaurant and try some of the Puerto Rican cuisine before your trip.


                                                               




 


Sunday, August 18, 2013

Puerto Rico


                                                                

Sunday, August 11, 2013

Exploring Royal Isabela Resort In Puerto Rico



Royal Isabela, Puerto Rico

Royal Isabela, Puerto Rico

Royal Isabela, Puerto Rico

Royal Isabela, Puerto Rico

Royal Isabela, Puerto Rico

Royal Isabela, Puerto Rico

Royal Isabela, Puerto Rico

Royal Isabela, Puerto Rico

Royal Isabela, Puerto Rico

Royal Isabela, Puerto Rico

Royal Isabela, Puerto Rico

Royal Isabela, Puerto Rico

Royal Isabela, Puerto Rico

Royal Isabela, Puerto Rico

Royal Isabela, Puerto Rico

Royal Isabela, Puerto Rico

Royal Isabela, Puerto Rico

Royal Isabela, Puerto Rico

Royal Isabela, Puerto Rico

Royal Isabela, Puerto Rico

Royal Isabela, Puerto Rico

Royal Isabela, Puerto Rico

We decided to take a trip to Isabela, Puerto Rico, on the north coast, and decided to visit and explore the very much talked about, Royal Isabela Resort.  While driving there, we had to ask other drivers for directions to Royal Isabela Resort three times, since there are no signs leading to it.

The third driver was nice enough to lead us to a private road and showed us the entrance to the resort. They have a guard at the entrance gate and the guard does not let you in unless you have a reservation or have an appointment to see the property.  We said we wanted to look around and maybe have lunch at the restaurant.  After the guard called for permission, he let us in and explained how to get to the restaurant.  On our way, a golf cart approached us and the driver (a hotel employee) led us to La Casa, a beautiful one-story building designed around a sugar mill replica, where Rafael was waiting for us in the concierge office (which actually is the reception area).  Rafael took us in his “taxi - limousine” (a golf cart) and showed us the resort’s facilities:


The Royal Isabela has over 3,000 acres of land on the cliffs of the coastline overlooking the Atlantic Ocean.  The golf course is not a resort course but a more challenging one, reminiscent to those of Scotland.  Only members and Casita guests can play golf here.  There is a library, a restaurant-bar with a wood burning oven (great for pizza), La Casa golf course bar, a tennis court, two swimming pools and 20 one-bedroom Casitas with private plunge pool and a fabulous view of the ocean or gardens.


The Royal Isabela has an organic farm which provides fresh produce for the restaurant and guests.  Guests can pick their organic produce for their meal and take it to the restaurant for preparation.  The chef changes the dinner menu daily depending on what is available from the farm and the fisherman's catch.  Room service is available so that you can enjoy dinner in your Casita.



This is the perfect place for golfing, long walks, biking and enjoying the beautiful surroundings and ocean breezes.  A stay at Royal Isabela in Puerto Rico will renew your spirit.  We enjoyed the ambiance of the Royal Isabela and are sure you will, too.