Experience Puerto Rico

Spas
No matter how you spend your days on Puerto Rico, you're sure to welcome indulgent spa treatments to help you unwind. You'll find a wide variety of treatments offered by spas ranging in size from tiny (only one treatment room) to huge (an impressive 25 treatment rooms).

Have your skin smoothed with locally grown coffee grounds, tropical fruits or seaweed. The options for massage are just as diverse: Consider a yoga-sage targeting mind, body and soul; a jet-lag massage focusing on the neck and back; a volcanic-stone massage; or side-by-side his-and-her massages. One specialty involves mud made with medicinal herbs and plants grown on the island.

Shopping
In San Juan, the souvenir-happy make a beeline for the Plaza las Américas, a 200-store mecca for the credit-card set. In Old San Juan, walk through the cobblestone streets in the historic district, where Calle del Cristo is a hub of retail activity. Here, stores overflow with jewelry, designer apparel and art. Bargain-hunters will find outlet shops that stock big-name brands such as Polo and Guess. Outside the boutiques, the Plaza de la Darsena and Paseo de la Princesa are chock-full of craft vendors. El Alcázar is an antiques emporium, replete with furniture, crystal, silver and art from across the globe. Additional malls can be found near the airport, in Ponce, in Caguas and in Río Piedras.

Travelers seeking uniquely Puerto Rican products tend to stock up on santos, which are wooden figurines of religious people and scenes; mundilla lace; island-made rum; and vejigantes, papier mâché masks. While you're shopping, be sure to stock up on the robust coffee grown on Puerto Rico.

Undiscovered Puerto Rico

East Coast
Natural wonders and sporting opportunities make Puerto Rico's east coast worth a special trip. Fajardo, known as the Metropolis of the East, is a launching point for Vieques and Culebra (see below) as well as for day sails to small cays. Fajardo itself wows with a 316-acre nature reserve, an 1882 lighthouse and a bioluminescent lagoon, as well as spectacular snorkeling and diving. Río Grande, once full of sugarcane and coffee plantations, is popular for El Yunque, the Caribbean National Forest. Carnival masks are made in Loíza, which also boasts the oldest church in continuous use on the island: 335-year-old Iglesia San Pactricio. You'll find a horseracing track in Canóvanas, a spectacular mile-long beach in Luquillo, and especially good crafts in Las Piedras.

Vieques
The U.S. Navy kept Vieques to itself for several decades. The island is open to the public now, and thanks to its decades-long isolation it's as pristine as it is beautiful, boasting lovely secluded beaches. Boutique hotels dot this largely uninhabited destination, where history buffs can tour a fort whose construction was begun in 1845 but never completed; the Vieques Art and History Museum and the Vieques Archives also offer a fascinating glimpse of the past. The beach at Esperanza is quiet and beautiful, yet is near a conservation gallery and touch pool. Take an electric boat trip to a bioluminescent bay.

Culebra
The last bit of Puerto Rico to change hands from pirates to colonists, Culebra is a pristine little landmass, only seven miles by four miles in size. Flamenco Beach has soft white sand and clear water; it's nearly deserted, yet it does offer basic amenities. Culebra has been a bird refuge since 1909 and is protected by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The must-see attraction is the National Wildlife Refuge, which covers most of the island plus 23 surrounding ones. Together they encompass subtropical dry forest, mangroves, brush and grasslands. Endangered sea turtles nest here, and the endangered Culebra giant anole, a lizard, originated here. It is estimated that 60,000 sooty terns nest on the Peninsula Flamenco. The island is also a popular spot for snorkeling and fishing.

Caribbean Travel & Life is the magazine for anyone in search of the perfect tropical getaway. Each issue presents expert insider’s advice on where to find the Caribbean’s best beaches and attractions, its finest resorts and spas, liveliest beach bars and activities, and its friendliest people.

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