The Bioluminescent Bay near Fajardo

One of the most amazing experiences was our evening at the bioluminescent bays near Fajardo. The microscopic organisms called dinoflagellates that live in the water glow when they dart away from movement. The entire bay glowed as we went through the water.

Ponce

Ponce, the second largest city in PR, has a beautiful 19th century feel- horse-drawn carriages, lovely main square, beautiful fountains, gardens and pink marble bordered sidewalks. The main square (Plaza las Delicias) with the Catedral de Nuestra Señora de la Guadalupe (Our Lady of Guadalupe Cathedral) is gorgeous.

We even found some Puerto Rican road dogs enjoying the park bench.

Our favorite building was the Parque de Bombas, a structure built in 1882 for an exposition and converted to a firehouse the following year. Today it's a museum tracing the history of Ponce's fire brigade

Rincon

We got to the western coast and found Rincón (“corner” in Spanish). The town is famous for it’s surf- it was the site of the World Surfing Championship in 1968.

We checked out the waves and made a stop at the Horned Dorset Primavera, a gorgeous hotel with 40 whitewashed villas scattered among tropical gardens. We just looked…..

Arecibo Obervatory

We got our rental car and headed out of San Juan. Our first stop was the Arecibo Obervatory, the world’s largest radar/radio telescope. This huge 20 acre dish was constructed in a 563 foot deep karst sinkhole. It is the largest curved focusing dish on earth- which gives it the largest electromagnetic wave gathering capacity. It’s operated by Cornell University under cooperative agreement with the National Science Foundation.

Photos from Wikipedia

Puerto Rico Route

From Boston to San Juan

We decided to take a break from corporate life and get some sunshine and easy travel. We landed in San Juan and found the most funky inn located in the heart of Old San Juan. The owner, Jan D’Espopo, has filled the 200 year old hotel with her own art…in the halls, the staircases, and the rooms. The rooms are all unique-with hand-woven tapestries, four poster beds, curious antiques- and views of the coast from the rooftop terrace. (Gallery Inn 204-206 Calle Norzagaray, Old San Juan)

We loved San Juan- especially Old San Juan. The original city was founded in 1521 (the second oldest European founded settlement in the Americas) and they have restored over 400 building from the 16-17th century –gorgeous Spanish colonial architecture. The narrow streets are paved with blue-gray stones that were used as ballast on Spanish ships).

Old San Juan is partially enclosed by walls. Sitting on a hill overlooking the harbor is the Fortress (La Fortaleza), built in 1533.