Recreation | Shopping | About Puerto Rico | Visitor Links

Puerto Rico is full of island charm and cosmopolitan excitement, featuring imposing natural wonders, beautiful beaches, thrilling nightlife, historical monuments and cultural activities for the enjoyment of everyone, all within a scenic, Caribbean backdrop and great weather year-round. Best of all, The Villas at Palmas del Mar's capable Tour and Travel staff has the experience and know-how to steer you in the direction of your vacation fantasies -- from rental cars and island maps for a spontaneous adventure of your making to guided tours of the country’s most valued points of interest.

Astounding Natural Wonders:
Puerto Rico’s world of romance and mystique can be found as easily as rounding a bend on one of our tree-lined country roads. Discover breathtaking mountain vistas and out-of-the-way lighthouses atop spectacular coastlines. Scuba dive along sheer walls studded with marine life. Cross a phosphorescent bay on a dark night. Kayak one of the most beautiful fresh water lakes in Puerto Rico. Snorkel along the clear waters and coral kingdoms of Vieques, Monkey Island or Culebra. With so many opportunities to titillate your senses amid pristine natural wonders, you may feel like an adventurer on a deserted island!

Old San Juan Charm:
Whether you visit this 500-year-old neighborhood during the day or at night, you will find countless adventures and pleasures to fulfill every whim and mood. Its streets, paved with blue cobblestones, contain unique shops, open-air cafes, tree-shaded squares, historical monuments and galleries brimming with spectacular Caribbean artwork. This is also the site for El Morro, a six-level fortress built in 1539, with 18-foot-thick sandstone walls rising 145 feet above the sea. After sundown, the area’s acclaimed restaurants, concert halls, nightclubs and casinos come alive . . . and continue entertaining until the wee hours of the morning. Old San Juan is a must-see for every visitor to Puerto Rico.

Cave Expeditions:
West of San Juan are the Catedral and Rio Camuy Cave Parks. The Catedral Cave’s two-hour expedition involves your choice of rappelling off the cliffs or walking down the trails of the forest to the cave. The central gallery of this 400-foot-long cave is over 70 feet high. The incredible 268-acre Rio Camuy Cave Park is the site of the great subterranean caverns carved out by the Camuy River over one million years ago. The impeccably maintained trails gently descend 200 feet through a fern-filled ravine to the cathedral-like caves.

El Yunque Rain Forest:
If you have never seen a rain forest, you must check out this U.S. National Forest (officially known as the Caribbean National Forest). Beautifully preserved and teeming with colorful wildlife, El Yunque offers plenty of hiking trails among waterfalls, ferns and wildflowers, granting you the unique opportunity to appreciate nature’s bounty. The entire area is a bird sanctuary. If you’re lucky, you might see the protected blue, red and green Puerto Rican parrot. Remember to keep an ear open for the song of the shy Coqui frog.

Bacardi Rum Distillery:
In addition to its spectacular natural wonders, Puerto Rico is also world-renowned for its Bacardi rum. A tour of the Bacardi distillery, bottling plant and museum is quite popular with vacationers, who also love the opportunity to taste some of the Bacardi product!

Indoor rock climbing:
Here’s a unique experience for the entire family: it’s the only indoor climbing gym in Puerto Rico, which also features a video arcade, indoor playground and Cybex gym.

Historic City of Ponce:
Founded in 1692 by Ponce de Leon’s great-grandson, this is the second largest city in Puerto Rico. Its downtown plaza is truly picturesque with lovely fountains, several museums and the imposing Catedral de la Guadalupe. At the back of the cathedral is a red and black, century-old wooden firehouse, El Parque de Bombas. This unique firehouse is open to the public, with exhibits on the second floor. For a tour of the city’s historic district, three free transportation choices are available: a trolley tour, weekend horse & carriage rides and a daily "chu-chu" train tour to the waterfront. Ponce is also the site of the world-class Museum of Art which houses over 1,000 paintings and 400 sculptures, including the finest collection of European works in the Caribbean, many important Puerto Rican pieces, some Inca pottery and Thai pieces.