Puerto Rico

Even those limited to a quick visit find it easy to fall under the beguiling spell of the cobblestone streets, pastel-painted colonial buildings and grand fortresses of Old San Juan. From the ramparts of El Morro, the allure of this place is evident in every direction, in the maze of crooked lanes and in the endless sparkle of the Atlantic. By day, lose yourself in historical stories of blood and drama; by night, tap in (and tap along) to the condensed cluster of bars and clubs constituting the neighborhood's nightlife.

The rub of sand between your toes, the dazzling shimmer of turquoise water and the rhythmic shush of cresting waves – Puerto Rico’s beaches possess all the qualities of a daydream. Take your pick from the golden, crescent-shaped heaven of Culebra's Playa Flamenco (considered among the world’s best beaches); the embarrassment of riches on Vieques; the coconut-oil-scented crowds of Playa Isla Verde, San Juan’s own little slice of Brazil; the secluded, mangrove-shaded hideaways in the south; or the roaring surf of the west, culminating in isolated bays like Playa Santa.

The bleachers at island béisbol (baseball) stadiums reveal a lot more than nine innings of play – they offer a glimpse at the Caribbean love affair with this sport. Even if their numbers are sometimes small, Puerto Ricans love the low-key games and dirt-cheap tickets that get fans right up to the Winter League Baseball action. Witness upstart farm leaguers looking for their big shot: they'll be facing off against fading stars of the Major League who, in turn will be looking to go out in a blaze of glory in San Juan's Hiram Bithorn Stadium.

Few experiences can inspire the awe of floating on inky waves under a canopy of stars and witnessing one of nature’s most tactile magic tricks: the otherworldly sparkle of bioluminescent waters. Kayaking into Puerto Rico’s bioluminescent bays and seeing the jeweled flicker of water drip from your hands or illuminate a paddle stroke promises an experience of profound wonder. Or you can just glide along on an electric boat. Best bet: the bioluminescent bay at Vieques.

San Juan's restaurants impress their international audiences with the Caribbean's most inventive fine dining. Recent years have seen a revolving door of hot restaurants in Old San Juan, while in the edgy Santurce district you'll find ever-creative, high-profile eateries and a burgeoning food-truck culture. An emerging foodie scene on hipster Calle Loíza will also keep your taste buds tingling. Expect the traditional, elemental essence of Puerto Rican flavors fused with preparations from across the globe. A glut of great cafes, serving the feisty Puerto Rican coffee, await across the capital.

Ponce, the so-called ‘Pearl of the South,’ boasts a wealth of museums with enough diversity to satisfy the most intellectually rapacious museum hunter. The city is rightly proud of its action-packed past: sample its glory days at ornate Casa Wiechers Villaronga, its grimmer days at poignant Casa de la Masacre de Ponce, and beeline to the Caribbean's best art museum, Museo de Arte de Ponce. Then absorb the island's premier indigenous site, Centro Ceremonial Indigena de Tibes, and round off your historical romp in the beautiful Plaza Las Delicias.

Spend half a day rumbling down the rocky, cactus-lined paths of Bosque Estatal de Guánica and you will traverse some of the most interesting mountain-biking terrain in the Caribbean. They’re not well groomed or technical, but trails in this Unesco–protected site, or those in less-traveled karst country forests like Bosque Estatal de Susúa, bring the DIY thrills of the sport to Puerto Rico’s unique subtropical wilds. For calmer rides, consider the rough yet quiet nature-reserve roads on Vieques or the cycle trails and lanes behind the beaches in Isabela.

Lush forests, verdant hills and crashing waterfalls attract visitors to El Yunque, the only true rainforest in the US National Forest System. It’s a place to embark on hikes (short and sweet, with information boards and tourist hoards, or long and lonely, with coqui frogs for company) through the oxygen-rich mist and gawk at Jurassic-sized ferns. Bring a raincoat and binoculars, too; of the 26 species found here and nowhere else on Earth, you’ll want to keep a sharp eye out for the Puerto Rican parrot, one of the world's 10 most endangered birds.

If you tried to savor every single example of colonial grandeur – all the fountains and historic squares, every dignified plantation house and buttressed 19th-century municipal hall – Puerto Rico’s architectural gems would demand a stay of months. But if just one location outside of Old San Juan earns time on your agenda, take a stroll around Ponce and its historic main square. In the west, Puerto Rico's second oldest city, San Germán, dates to 1511, an age that blows away anything in the continental US.

Maybe the syncopated sounds of salsa rule the island’s nightlife, but the croak of the coqui frogs – whose sound is just like their name – rules the night. These little creatures are the unofficial mascot of the island and its most constant soundtrack. Puerto Rico's wild population also includes exceedingly rare birds in Bosque Estatal de Guánica and lazy reptiles on the remote Isla Mona, sometimes dubbed the Galápagos of the Caribbean. While not native to Puerto Rico, monkeys can be spied at locales like Cayo Santiago off Playa Humaco. In the waters offshore, the sea life adds to a naturalist’s agenda, with tropical fish, coral, turtles and even manatee.

Many of the island’s most marvelous places for snorkeling and swimming lie on satellite islands off the main island’s east or south coast and at coral reefs in the southwest. In the morning, waters in these areas are crystal clear and usually calm enough to paddle around for hours enjoying visibility up to 75ft. Expect a riot of brightly colored fish, coral formations and, if you’re lucky, a lazy ray or two. The legendary reefs lacing La Parguera on the South Coast and the consistently clear waters of Isla Desecheo, off the West Coast, attract divers and snorkelers.

In winter, the cold weather brings righteous swells to the island’s west-coast surfing capital of Rincón, where some of the most consistent, varied and exciting surf locations in the Caribbean can be found. And while the double overheads and excellent tubes attract an international set of would-be pros, beginners can paddle out to tamer breaks nearby. At sunset, crowds of locals and visitors replenish themselves with inexpensive eats and ice-cold beer in suave restaurants, laid-back beach bars and around bonfires on the sand.

Let the scholars debate over whether the origins of salsa are rooted in the clubs of New York or the islands of the Caribbean and just feel the beat. There’s no doubt that it lives on as the essential heartbeat of Puerto Rico (especially at venues in San Juan). You’ll hear the basic rhythm of the clavé (percussion instrument; literally ‘keystone’) driving Puerto Rican pop music and traditional songs. The secret to grooving to its rhythms on the dance floor is handed down from one generation to the next.

If you were to draw the Puerto Rican food pyramid, it might only have four elements – rice, beans, plantains and pork. Of these, pork rules the roost; you’ll find it fried, grilled, stewed and skewered. But it’s the mighty lechón (savory, smoky, suckling pig, spit-roasted for up to eight hours) that remains the island’s favorite lunch. On the weekends, the roadsides near Guavate abutting the Bosque Estatal de Carite are a virtual parking lot for lechoneras (eateries specializing in suckling pig), with locals and visitors feasting alike.

Puerto Rico’s legendary coffee plantations offer caffeine junkies a rare opportunity. Here in the remote Central Mountains, you can sip a steaming cup of rich, fresh coffee while looking over the rolling hills and quiet valleys where the beans are grown, roasted and brewed. The winding Ruta Panorámica, a white-knuckled scenic route through the peaks, takes travelers past one picturesque plantation after the next; go through the village of Jayuya, in the heart of coffee country, where haciendas such as Pomarrosa or San Pedro offer tasty and hugely informative coffee breaks.

Puerto Rico's interior might, in its wild forests, rushing white water and gaping limestone karst systems, already be screaming the word 'adventure' at you, but the island has made things a little easier by manufacturing particular portions of its astonishing wildernesses into dedicated high-adrenaline destinations. Toro Verde Nature Adventure Park near Barranquitas now sports the world's longest zipline, where you whoosh Superman-style several kilometers on a cable high over a drop-dead-gorgeous valley. Puerto Rico's only professionally designed mountain-bike circuit is here too. Other great adventure parks also dot the Central Mountains, like the more family-friendly Batey Zipline Adventures.