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Las Cascadas Waterpark (Highway 2 km 126, Aguadilla) — this is the largest water park on the island. The park has attractions for all ages: a wave pool, a passive river and a children’s area with slides, pools and other attractions suitable for their age. For those who want to test their strength there is a fun area with obstacles. In a water park the slides cannot be miss, here you have five to choose from: a 90 degrees, another in the form of braids, a mountain-shaped and two in the form of a serpent. For security measures, to use these slides you should be at least four feet tall. The prefer attraction of the adults is the crazy river; where they use a one person raft to descend rapidly from a mountain.

The park has several fast food kiosks selling: pizza, sandwiches, hot dogs, fired chicken with potatoes, hamburgers, ice cream, nachos with cheese and soft drinks. It’s not allowed to bring food or drinks to the park. For your convenience there are: restrooms, showers, chairs, tables, umbrellas, a souvenir shop and “lockers” at $5 per day. Admission is $25 per adult and $23 per child, children under 3 are free to view all pricing see the photos. The parking has a fee of $3. The park is open from May to August from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm during the months of February through September, weekends only.

Cueva Ventana (“Cave Window” in English) — is a large cave situated atop a 800 ft. high limestone cliff in Arecibo. The cave overlooks the Río Grande de Arecibo valley. It is visible from PR-123 but is accessible from a trail that begins adjacent to a Texaco gas station located along PR-10. The Disney Channel Original Movie “Wizards of Waverly Place: The Movie” was shot inside the cave and throughout the Island in 2009, a movie based on “Treasure Island” in 2011 and, recently, the 2013 film “Runner, Runner” starring Justin Timberlake and Ben Affleck, filmed in the Summer of 2012. It is a popular tourist attraction to Puerto Ricans as well as tourists visiting from outside Puerto Rico. An admittance fee of $3.00, established by the owner of that gas station, is required to enter the trail to the cave on Saturdays and Sundays due to its popularity. The number of visitors is at its most popular on both Saturdays and Sundays from early morning to an hour before nightfall.

Parque de las Cavernas del Rio Camuy — located about one hour west of San Juan, Rio Camuy Cave Park, a collection of limestone caves, is one of just a handful of spots in the world where you can see so many natural formations in one park. This 268-acre sight features cathedral cave with its ancient petroglyphs, the spiral sinkhole with its 205 steps leading to the bottom, and the 170-foot high Cueva Clara, accessible via tram. The park is open Wednesdays through Sundays, and facilities include a cafeteria, picnic area, gift shop and theater.

Puerto Rico has some of the deepest and longest caves in the world, and it’s a special thrill to rappel down a cliff-face to enter Cueva Camuy. Donned with life jacket and lamped helmet, you’ll ever remember the 250-foot rope descent, Spider-Man-style into the gaping mouth of the Angeles cavern. Dripstone formations take on surreal forms in the cool, moist depths, where you slide down mud chutes and body raft in the care of experienced guides. Aventuras Tierra Adento offers trips.

El Yunque Rain Forest (Rio Grande, PR) — Get a chance to see a real tropical rain forest at El Yunque. The 28,000-acre park is about 24 miles (a one-hour drive) from San Juan and the only such forest in the United States. El Yunque is home to more than 240 species of plants, birds and animals, 26 of which are found nowhere else on earth. Visitors can enjoy these wonders on foot, on horseback or by enjoying a meal at one of the park’s picnic areas. There is a modest admission charge, and discounts are offered to those 60 years and older and to children under 16 years old.

Pack your raingear and hike the crown jewel of Puerto Rico’s national parks—carpeting the slopes of the rugged Luquillo Mountain Range. From the El Portal Visitor Center, the Sendero El Yunque climbs 1,365 feet through an eerie cloud forest. This 2.6-mile trail puts you atop the summit at 3,496 feet. When it’s clear the 360-degree views are spectacular. Add a twist to your return hike by diverting along Forest Road 10 to the Mt. Britton observation tower, resembling a castle turret. A spiral staircase leads to a viewing platform. One of the potential thrills with visiting El Yunque is coming across pre-Columbian Taino Indian carvings (called petroglyphs) on large rocks located at El Hippie and La Caona Falls.

Golf in Puerto Rico combines the visual cornucopia of its natural environment (lakes, rivers, rainforests, mountains, palm trees, and miles of beachfront) with the challenge of negotiating courses designed by some of the biggest names in the business. Here are the island’s best courses:

Trump International Golf Club (100 Clubhouse Drive, Rio Grand) – located in Rio Grande (a 45-minute drive east of San Juan), it has two championship 18-hole courses in a breathtaking setting that will test players at all levels of the game. Designed by PGA pro Tom Kite, it is the setting for the PGA Puerto Rico Open.

Dorado Beach Resort & Club (100 Dorado Beach East, Dorado) – Every golfer’s dream, Dorado Beach has multiple par 72 courses in a stunning coastal setting.

Bahía Beach Resort & Golf Club (State Road 187 km. 4.2, Rio Grande)– Located on Puerto Rico’s northeastern shore, Bahía Beach is the closest 18-hole course from San Juan. It also benefits from its spectacular beachfront setting. Designed by master golf course architect Robert Trent Jones, Jr., the course is accessible to the public with advance tee times.

Rio Mar Beach Resort & Spa, a Wyndham Grand Resort (6000 Rio Mar Blvd., Rio Grande) — Formerly the Westin Rio Mar, the two courses at The Wyndham have quite a pedigree. One was designed by “The Shark” himself, Greg Norman, and the other was built by Tom and George Fazio. After, enjoy one of the finer clubhouses on the island.

The Arthur Hills Golf Course at the El Conquistador (1000 El Conquistador Avenue, Fajardo) — Perched on the edge of Puerto Rico’s eastern coast, the par 72 Arthur Hills Golf Course ranks among the world’s best places to play by Golf Digest (2008/2009) and The Wyndham El Conquistador has been listed as one of the world’s best golf resorts by Travel & Leisure (2008 reader survey). It is one of the few courses in the Caribbean that has various levels of elevation, as opposed to largely flat greens. It also helps that there’s an award-winning spa awaiting you after the 18th hole.

The Costa Caribe Golf & Country Club (1300 Sancho’s Avenue, Ponce) — The only major course in Ponce, Costa Caribe is a recent addition to Puerto Rico’s golf scene and part of the city’s beautiful Hilton resort. The club features Puerto Rico’s only island green, 27 holes with beautiful ocean views, and an excellent clubhouse, among other amenities.

Coamo Springs (Road 546 km. 1, Coamo) — Sandwiched (forgive the pun) between San Juan and Ponce, The Coamo Springs Golf and Tennis Club is one of the best courses in Southern Puerto Rico. It’s the only one in the south to boast an 18-hole, par 72 championship course, and the only golf course in Puerto Rico with a USGA Certified Green Mix

Palmas del Mar (170 Candelero Drive, Palmas del Mar, Humacao) — A fine resort tucked away along the southeast corner of the island (in the town of Humacao), Palmas del Mar has two championship 18-hole golf courses.

Isla Verde Beach is the longest and widest in San Juan. It is ideal for swimming, and it, too, is lined with high-rise Miami Beach-style resorts. Many luxury condos are on this beachfront. Isla Verde is good for watersports, including parasailing and snorkeling, because of its calm, clear waters, and many kiosks will rent you equipment, especially by the El San Juan. There are also cafes and restaurants at hotels and more reasonably priced individual restaurants nearby.

Isla Verde Beach extends from the end of Ocean Park to the beginning of a section called Boca Cangrejos. The most popular beach is probably behind the Hotel El San Juan and the Intercontinental San Juan hotels. But Pine Grove beach, behind the Ritz-Carlton, is a great swimming beach and very popular as well, particularly with surfers and sailors.

SAN JUAN BEACHES

All beaches on Puerto Rico, even those fronting the top hotels, are open to the public. Public bathing beaches, with lifeguards and facilities, are called balnearios and charge for parking and for use of lockers and showers. Beach hours in general are 9am to 5pm in winter, to 6pm off-season. Most balnearios are operated by the Puerto Rico National Parks Company, with others operated by island municipalities. For all balnearios, entrance is free but the parking carries a fee. So even when the beaches are closed, you can still enjoy them. There just won’t be facilities open, lifeguards, or, in some cases, available parking.

There are two public beaches in the San Juan area with lifeguards, bathing and changing rooms, and showers. El Escambrón public beach (Ave. Muñoz Rivera) is right next to the Caribe Hilton and surrounded by two sprawling parks. There’s a great swimming beach protected by reefs and rock formations jutting out of the water. The famed El 8 surf spot is just to the west, however. There’s good snorkeling around the rocks with lots of fish. There’s a snack bar and a full-scale restaurant located here. The other public beach is Isla Verde public beach (Av. Los Gobernadores, Carolina), a huge expanse of white sand and tranquil waters between Isla Verde and Piñones. There are lifeguards; changing rooms, bathrooms and showers; and picnic areas and barbecue grills, as well as an on-site restaurant.

famous with beach buffs since the 1920s, Condado Beach put San Juan on the map as a tourist resort. Backed up against high-rise hotels, it seems more like Miami Beach than any other beach in the Caribbean. All sorts of watersports can be booked at the activities desk of the hotels. A small beach near the Condado Plaza hotel is the only one with lifeguards, which are on duty from 8:30am to 5pm. There are also outdoor showers. The beaches in the rest of the Condado are much nicer, but because there are no lifeguards and the surf can get rough, particularly by the San Juan Marriott, swimmers should exercise caution. There are powerful rip tides here that have been responsible for past drownings. There are no public toilets here. People-watching is a favorite sport along these golden strands, which stretch from the Ventana del Mar park to beyond the Marriott. The best stretch of beach in the Condado runs from the Ashford Presbyterian hospital to Ocean Park. The area behind the Atlantic Beach Hotel is popular with the gay crowd; the beach farther along, with Marriott guests and surfers, is also pretty but has extremely rough waters at times.

One of the most attractive beaches in the Greater San Juan area is Ocean Park Beach, a mile (1.6km) of fine, gold sand in a neighborhood east of Condado. This beach attracts young people, travelers looking for a guesthouse rather than the large hotel experience, and those looking for a big gay crowd. The beach runs from Parque del Indio in Condado all the way to the Barbosa Park in the area known as El Ultimo Trolley and offers paddle tennis, kite-boarding, and beach volleyball. You can grab lunch and refreshments from several area guesthouses, and vendors walk up and down the beach, selling cold beer, water and soft drinks, and even snacks such as fried seafood turnovers. Farther east, there’s no real beach at Punta Las Marías, but it’s one of the favorite launch points for windsurfers.

Sheraton Old San Juan Hotel & Casino (101 Calle Brumbaugh, Old San Juan) — It’s impossible to ignore this ground-floor casino, the only place to gamble in Old San Juan. You can see the gaming room from the hotel’s main stairway, the balcony above, and the lobby. Light bounces off the Bahía de San Juan and pours through its many windows; passengers bound off their cruise ships and pour through its many glass doors.

San Juan Marriott Resort & Stellaris Casino (1309 Avenida Ashford, Condado) — The crowd is casual and the decor tropical and bubbly at this spacious gaming room. Right outside, there’s a huge bar, where Latin musicians perform on weekends, and an adjacent café.