Golf in Puerto Rico

If you love golf, you're going to love Puerto Rico, the golf capital of the Caribbean. There are currently over 23 spectacular golf courses. In fact, last month, the island hosted the Puerto Rico Open, part of the PGA tour, at the Trump International Golf Course in Rio Grande.

Puerto Rico's own Juan A. "Chi Chi" Rodriguez, has a golf resort on the south side of the island -- El Legado. Chi Chi, now retired, has won eight times on the PGA TOUR and enhanced his profile on the Champions Tour, as he wowed his fans with 22 victories and his signature sword move. He was also the first Puerto Rican to be inducted in the World Golf Hall of Fame.

Bank/WireImage ~ Chi Chi Rodriguez

But you don't need to be a world champ to appreciate the beauty and variety of our courses. All of Puerto Rico's courses share the island's year-round summer weather, tempered by the cool, gentle breezes of the trade winds. You are almost guaranteed a brilliant tropical sky and glimpses of sparkling white sand beaches backed by the blue Atlantic or the turquoise Caribbean. The greens are truly green, planted with strains of Bermuda grass adapted for our climate, including Tiff Dwarf and GN1, a new hybrid, developed in Florida by Greg Norman.

Many of our golf courses are part of world-class resorts, so after you have played to your heart's content, you can relax in the pool and recharge your batteries in the spa before getting back to breaking par. You don't have to be a hotel guest, however. All courses - except those on military installations, which are limited to authorized personnel - are open to the general public.

Information from:
http://www.pgatour.com/2008/tournaments/r483/03/20/chi.chi/index.html
http://www.gotopuertorico.com/puerto-rico-golf.php
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juan_%22Chi-Chi%22_Rodr%C3%ADguez

Island Hoping - Part I

Puerto Rico is actually an archipelago. Going island hoping to one of over 100 offshore islands and cays is a great day trip idea... And most certainly you will find yourself in one of the most beautiful beaches you've ever seen and have the entire place for yourself.

Vieques

The island municipality of Vieques is six miles the eastern city of Fajardo. You can get there by air from San Juan or Fajardo or by sea in a government ferry, or you can join a group with a tour operator or charter a private vessel. Compared to the other outer islands, Vieques is large and lively—some 10,000 people live on the strip of land that straddles the center of the 21-mile long by five-mile-wide island. The settled part of the island has unique and interesting hotels and guesthouses, a score or so places to dine, a picturesque lighthouse, and a Spanish colonial fort. Most of the land is a wildlife refuge and a haven for fishing, boating, hiking, swimming or soaking up the sun. You’ll want to rent a jeep to navigate the refuge’s rustic roads to some of the most gorgeous and colorfully named beaches in the Caribbean (Red, Blue, Green, and Purple Beach are some examples). Sun Bay, a popular Puerto Rico National Parks Company beach, has changing facilities and allows camping (with a permit, call 787-741-8198). The most famous attraction in Vieques is the bioluminescent Mosquito Bay, where the waters are teeming with microscopic dinoflaggelates that light up with an eerie glow when disturbed. To plan your tip to Vieques, click here.



Culebra

Culebra is also an island municipality, with about 2,000 residents. Much of the seven-mile long by three-and-a-half-mile wide island—and all of the surrounding cays—are a wildlife reserve, open from dawn to dusk. Many of the beaches are accessible only by jeep except for the truly exceptional Flamenco Beach, a vast horseshoe of soft, white sand, a seemingly endless expanse of clear, waveless, turquoise water framed by emerald hills and backed by an impossibly blue sky. Flamenco Beach has been rated the second most beautiful beach in the world by the Travel Channel. To get there you can take a shuttle from the ferry terminal for a small fee. Flamenco also has wonderful camping facilities (787-742-0700). A slightly more remote (you will need to rent a Jeep) but no less impressive beach is Zoní. It is not as placid as Flamenco (there are waves) but you are more likely to spot a turtle than a crowd there. To plan your trip to Culebra, click here.

Ferry Information:

FEES:

Passenger Ferry
Fajardo to Vieques round trip = $4 per passenger
Fajardo to Culebra round trip = $4 per passenger
Children ages 3 to 11 = $1
Senior Citizens 60 to 74 = $1
Senior Citizens over 75 get to ride for FREE

Note: There is an extra fee for beach equipment going to Culebra, i.e., tent $2, sleeping bag $1

Car and Cargo Ferry to both islands
Compact cars = $15
Large cars = $19

Visa and Master Cards accepted.

ITINERARY:

VIEQUES

Passenger Ferry - Fajardo to Vieques
Monday(non holiday) thru Friday 9:30AM, 1:00PM, 4:30PM, 8:00PM
Saturday, Sunday and Monday(holiday) 9:00AM, 3:00PM, 6:00PM

Passenger Ferry - Vieques to Fajardo
Monday(non holiday) thru Friday 6:30AM, 11:00AM, 3:00PM, 6:30PM
Saturday, Sunday, and Monday(holiday) 6:30AM, 1:00PM, 4:30PM

Car and Cargo Ferry Fajardo to Vieques
Monday thru Friday 4:00AM, 9:30AM, 4:30PM

Car and Cargo Ferry Vieques to Fajardo
Monday thru Friday 6:00AM, 1:30PM, 6:00PM


CULEBRA

Passenger Ferry - Fajardo to Culebra
Monday thru Friday 9:30AM, 1:00PM, 4:30PM
Saturday and Sunday 9:00AM, 2:30PM, 6:30PM
Schedule may vary on local holidays.

Passenger Ferry - Culebra to Fajardo
Monday thru Friday 6:30AM, 11:00AM, 3:00PM
Saturday and Sunday 6:30AM, 11:00AM, 4:30PM
Schedule may vary on local holidays

Passenger Ferry - Culebra to Vieques
Monday, Wednesday and Friday 8:00AM, 4:30PM
Tuesday and Thursday 4:30PM

Note: On weekends if you are in Vieques and want to go to Culebra, you'll have to take the ferry to Fajardo and then to Culebra.

Note: You are subject to be searched as per federal and local laws while using or traveling in Puerto Rico Port Authority facilities.

*going to Vieques and Culebra on weekends might be near impossible, please arrive very early to get your tickets.
*Report to the terminal one hour before departure.
*Itinerary is subject change due to availability of passengers and weather

Happy 3 year Anniversary!

This post is coming one month too late. We celebrated our 3 year anniversary on March 4th. This date marks our first date. We are one of those couples that don't know exactly when our relationship became 'official'. We have been inseparable since the first date, so that is why we chose that day. On Saturday March 7th we celebrated by going to the Melting Pot and to the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra. I had never been to the Melting Pot and I loved it. It was so much fun! It was also our first trip to the STL Symphony, where we joined Monica, Paul, and Paul's parents. David Robertson conducted with Hubbard Street Dance Chicago dancing while the orchestra played. The program included Mozart Symphony No. 40, Britten Variations on a Theme of Frank Bridge and Ravel’s Boléro. This was, by far, our fanciest date ever.

Pictures of Puerto Rico

Click here to view a slideshow of pictures of Puerto Rico from msnbc.com.

Booking your Trip

Friends and family are starting to book their trip to Puerto Rico! To get great deals when booking your trip, look for airfare + hotel + rental car deals.

I didn't get a block of rooms at a hotel because they were offering prices that were way over the fares you find online. To get the best hotels fares, either book it together with your airfare and car rental, or go directly to the hotel website. Regular hotel prices are between $135-$200 per person per night.

Some of our friends are staying at the Embassy Suites, Dorado. It is about 20 minutes from San Juan, so not in a very touristy place. Yet it is still close enough to all the tourist attractions and it has a great beach right there!


View Larger Map

If you need some other hotel recommendations send us an email at pearsonacevedo@gmail.com.

Airfare update

Again, I used kayak.com to search for Dec. 25, 2009 to Jan. 1, 2009 +/- 3 days.

Prices include all taxes and fees.

ATL-SJU: from $284 with Delta (SAME)
AUS-SJU: from $508 with Delta (UP $50)
CHI-SJU: from $360 with Delta (SAME)
DEN-SJU: from $458 with Delta (SAME)
GDL-SJU: from $759 with Multiple airlines (UP $265)
MIA-SJU: from $451 with Delta
MSY-SJU: from $617 with Delta (SAME)
NYC-SJU: from $393 with Delta (UP $137)
SFO-SJU: from $558 with Delta (UP $100)
STL-SJU: from $408 with Delta (SAME)
TPA-SJU: from $474 with AA (Down $24)

I am hoping AA comes down in prices, specially for travel on Dec. 25th and Jan. 1st. If you book with AA, don't forget to use our discount code. Another factor to consider is that smaller airlines have not released tickets for these dates yet. I think Spirit will release by mid-April and JetBlue will release by May. Skyscanner.com is a cool website that compares fares from all the different airlines.

List of airlines that travel to PR:
Air Canada; Air Sunshine; Air Tran; American Airlines; American Eagle;Continental; Cape Air; Copa; Delta; Iberia; JetBlue Airways; LIAT; Northwest Airlines; PAWA Dominicana; San Juan Aviation; Seaborne Airlines; Spirit Airlines; United Airlines; US Airways

Group Discount Codes

Airfare

American Airlines
If you are traveling to Puerto Rico (SJU) from anywhere where American Airlines and One World partners provide services between Dec. 20th and January 3rd you will get 5% off the lowest published fare. The authorization number is A23D9AC. The percentage discount can be booked on-line at www.aa.com for AA/AE flights only. Use the authorization number noted above without the preceding A as the aa.com promotion code. A ticketing fee of $20.00 USD per ticket will apply for any ticket purchased through an American Airlines Reservation Office, subject to change. For airport purchase the ticketing fee is $30.00.

Car Rental

Avis
The code is AWD# D003737. You can book online or by calling 1-800-331-1600.