Ponce renaissance

The recently opened, 100-room executive tower is definitely the place to be for business travelers, though. Hilton's HHonors rewards members can even cash in their points and stay for free. The tower's features include beachfront views and easy access to the lounge and business center. Sixteen meeting rooms can accommodate up to 1,400 people--making the hotel a favorite for corporate getaways. The executive lounge, open daily for complimentary breakfast, tea-time cocktails and post-dinner drinks and dessert, is particularly welcome after a hard day of number-crunching.

In addition, two conference rooms are available to rent, complete with audiovisual equipment and local phone calls included. For a fee, fax, photocopying and secretarial services can be hired. National and international couriers are located in the hotel, as well as the standard computer terminals with Internet and printers.

If you aren't busy pounding the laptop by day, don't worry, there's plenty else to do. Sun-worshippers flock to the pool and the private strip of beach behind it. The neighboring Costa Caribe Golf and Country Club has a 32,000-square-foot clubhouse, tennis courts and a 27-hole par-72 PGA championship golf course designed by Bruce Pesse Jr.

The hotel's three restaurants are less exciting. La Cava, the more upscale of the two, will do in a pinch, but avoid the "theme nights" at La Terraza, which are usually dominated by a local wedding party. Acqua Pazza, the Italian restaurant at the clubhouse on the golf course, is dependable, but if you have a car, the town of Ponce offers much more interesting Argentine and Puerto Rican menus. Try driving over to Carite Forest, where you can sample roasted pig and other delicacies from roadside stands run by locals.

The two hotel bars are more rewarding than the restaurants. You can't go wrong with a poolside piña colada at El Bohio or an indoor margarita at Los Balcones, the Mexican bar.

Your best bet for nightlife is the casino, which is one of the biggest in Puerto Rico and draws an interesting crowd of locals as well as hotel guests. Featuring more than 200 slot machines, two mini baccarat tables, six blackjack tables and more, the casino and next-door cocktail lounge keep things lively until 4 A.M.

If you feel over-indulged after a night of gambling-induced cocktails, don't count on the limited fitness center to pay your dues. Instead, join a hotel-organized basketball game or a quick tennis match--even the video arcade inside the casino will burn off a few calories.

It may not look like much from the outside, but if you can get past the stony exterior we promise it's worth it. Not only is the Hilton Ponce and Casino a good hotel with a festive resort feel, but it also provides a great jumping-off point for exploring Ponce.

Forbes Fact

Serrallés Hotel bought the Hilton Ponce and Casino in December 2000. Since then, the company has invested $152 million in the property, including $5.6 million to build a 722-foot-long bridge across the Portugués and Bucana rivers, which connects the hotel and the golf course. Puerto Rico is home to at least 23 golf courses, many designed by famous golfers such as George and Tom Fazio, Jack Nicklaus and Juan "Chi Chi" Rodríguez, a Puerto Rican native.

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