It is time for one of the pleasurable rites of spring for globetrotters. Throughout the U.S, millions of K-12 children and colleges and universities are embarking on their annual winter break. Families’ are planning their much coveted break from the doldrums and grip of Old Man Winter. The typical spring break destinations, lovely and serene during other times of the calendar year,( (i,e,, South Padre, Cancun, Daytona Beach and Fort Lauderdale) may not be for families or travelers wanting to perhaps avoid the crush of partying college students.
Instead why not select our Caribbean sister and U.S. commonwealth of Puerto Rico that would welcome and appreciate tourists’ dollars. Puerto Rico’s recovery after Hurricane Maria at the end of 2017 had a heart wrench slow start (just in restoring basic services such as electricity) , but according to Brad Dean, the CEO of Discover Puerto Rico (www.discoverpuertorico.com) , the tourism industry has recovered with the re-opening of 4000 restaurants, 189 attractions, 13 golf courses and 16 casinos. Seventy-five percent of the island’s hotels are now accepting reservations after extensive renovation and upgrading their properties.
Surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, the island consists of 360 coastal miles with several connected commonwealth islands including Vieques, Culebra, Culebrita, Palomino, Mona, Monita, and various small isolated islands. Besides coastal world class sandy beaches, Puerto Rico is geography is mountainous with rivers and drains. The five largest cities include San Juan (the capitol city), Bayamon, Carolina, Ponce and Caguas.
Because it is a U.S. territory, no passport is needed, but be aware that your bags will be inspected by U.S. customs before departure targeting diseased agriculture and illegally prescribed drugs. Arriving to the island most commercial and private jets will land at the Luis Muñoz Marin International Airport in Carolina. The longest flight from a major city in the continental U.S. is Los Angeles at approximately 7.5 hours with the average flight time from other cities ranging from 3.5 to 4 hours.
Resort Hotels and private villas all provide complimentary transportation in buses or vans and the major rental car agencies are located at the airport or taxi companies offer an alternative mode of getting around the island. Public transportation includes the bus system, trains, water ferries and shuttles. An interesting note is that cruise ships also introduce over a million passengers a year in visiting the island as an official port of most carribean cruise lines.
Both Spanish and English are the official languages, however Spanish is primarily spoken. Government officials need to be bilingual and tourist related businesses will have employees who are fluent in English. It is advised as a visitor in being respectful to the culture, to learn some basic Spanish. -AJ
Puerto Rico is open for business!
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Content Hat Tip
Wiki Travel – https://wikitravel.org/en/Puerto_Rico
Thanks to Photographers from Unsplash and Pixabay
Unsplash
Ricardo Dominguez – Puerto Rico’s Flag
Alexis Antonio – Iguana
Pixabay
AndPon – cruise ship seen from San Juan city street
TheBrandsman – sunset in Puerto Rico
MiriamS – Beach shot
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