By David A. F. Sweet
Unless a major hurricane strikes, Puerto Rico is often a forgotten part of the United States. An American territory since the Spanish-American War whose residents became citizens in 1917 (in time to be drafted for World War I), it’s far from the mainland, and many Americans prefer to venture to closer Caribbean islands, such as the Bahamas.
The Wyndham Grand Rio Mar offers different ways to enjoy the water.
Our family decided to spend spring break in Puerto Rico, a new adventure. From the San Juan airport, the trip to the Wyndham Grand Rio Mar resort takes about 35 minutes. After being waved through the gate, we drove past golf holes and condominiums adorned with Spanish roofs. After checking out a blue parakeet by the bellman desk, going through the doors into the lobby is jaw-dropping; suddenly, there’s a vista of the Atlantic Ocean through windows about 30 feet high.
Champagne is served near the check-in counter. You might need quite a few glasses, as we waited, perhaps two hours for our room, even though we arrived after 3 p.m. Regardless, once we opened the door, we had a sensational view of a kid-friendly pool below us (site of many Marco Polo games) and the beach and ocean beyond.
Sailors Delight is a tasty rum-infused drink.
Sunshine and tropical winds greeted us daily on the beach (tip: make sure to arrive before 11 a.m. to get chairs and an umbrella). The waves are as big as what you’d see on the East Coast of Florida, perfect for bodysurfing. One cool feature the Wyndham offered: a wrist band with a room key scanner attached, which let us in no matter how long we had been tossed about in the Atlantic.
Just off the beach, the 5 o’Clock Somewhere Bar is, as you can imagine, a bit touristy (it’s part of the Jimmy Buffett Margaritaville brand) but also a lot of fun, especially while watching March Madness games. Sailors Delight, a concoction of spiced rum, coconut rum, watermelon puree and pineapple juice, tasted fantastic.
Puerto Rico is home to three bioluminescent bays. We kayaked into one from the ocean (a 25-minute paddle), but though we were promised “a mesmerizing display of nature’s brilliance as the waters come alive with millions of tiny bioluminescent dinoflagellates,” we saw only a handful. More satisfying was our trip to the only rain forest in the U.S. system, the El Yunque National Forest, which sits a few miles from the hotel. Bamboo and ferns line the sinuous narrow lane, along with a waterfall, and a stop at an observation tower offered a great view.
For a tour of Old San Juan, we procured a driver recommended by a friend; that was well worth the price, especially given his knowledge of the island. He dropped us off first at the nearly 500-year-old El Morro Fort, which rests on the edge of a cliff, before conveying us to Barrachina, “birthplace of the world-famous Pina Colada 1963” as its menu notes. Featuring a courtyard and housed in an elegant building from the 19th century, Barrachina was a perfect spot to enjoy the original recipe.
The nearby rain forest has many nice views.
Old San Juan features narrow streets with vibrant shops and blue cobblestone from the 1500s. It has a European feel that belies its location in the Caribbean. For dinner, though, we headed east to San Juan and to the restaurant 1919 in the Condado Vanderbilt Hotel, built the same year as the restaurant’s name. It was an excellent choice, with drinks overlooking the ocean and then a four-course prix fixe dinner, with choices ranging from the local chayote salad with goat cheese and warm Brussel sprouts, gnochetti and wild sea bass.
Though it was tough to return on a rainy, windy Chicago evening, the warm memories of Puerto Rico will stay with us for a long time.
Unsung Gems columnist David A. F. Sweet can be reached at dafsweet@aol.com.
