Golfing in Paradise

Where can you combine golf with horseback riding on a tropical beach, a massage at a full-service spa, a night of passionate flamenco, and fascinating tours of historical buildings and art museums?

Puerto Rico!

Now is a great time to plan your golf travel to this Caribbean island paradise that combines challenging golf with fabulous sightseeing and just plain relaxing with a range of accommodations and exotic cuisines.

TROPICAL GOLFING

As you enjoy the best golfing in the Caribbean, soak in the lush verdant surroundings, winding rivers, bluffs, and spectacular ocean views. Want diversity? You can hone your skills on the 15 island courses designed by such luminaries as Robert Trent Jones Sr., Rees Jones, Tom and George Fazio, and Greg Norman.

At Palmas del Mar, the Flamboyan championship golf course designed by Rees Jones offers me wide fairways, distinctive bunkering, a 23-acre lake, and a notable crosswind on the 8^th hole. The course crosses the Candelero River, skirts the seashore, with rolling greens for memorable golf. For a change of pace, there is the Palm, designed by Gary Player, is known for its lush tropical landscape, water hazards, and panoramic views. The small, elusive greens are interspersed with marshes, jungle, and coconut groves for a totally tropical ambience.

At Rio Mar, you have your choice of the ocean course and the river course. The former, by Tom and George Fazio, is a classic layout, with Atlantic panoramas in the distance and the occasional iguana up close and personal. Greg Norman’s riverside course, ideal for all levels, is framed by vistas of mountain and sea, follows the natural terrain while preserving native vegetation.

DELIGHTS OF OLD SAN JUAN

Most golf packages can include time in San Juan so that you can get to know the culture. Fodor’s recommends planning one to two days to indulge you in the sightseeing and shopping in Old San Juan. Founded in 1521, this designated U.S. National Historic Zone is chock full of carefully preserved and restored examples over 400 examples of 16th- and 17th-century Spanish colonial architecture. More than 400 buildings have been beautifully restored. Bring your camera to capture shots of lacy wrought-iron balconies draped with bright flowers over cobbled streets. 

Plan on dressing up a bit in San Juan, as the natives do, when you go out on the town to enjoy the many art galleries, museums, bars, casinos, music venues, and live theater.   It’s not a duty-free port, but you will find intriguing local crafts and can often watch the artisans right at work, making small religious figurines, cigars, lace, and Carnival masks. (As Puerto Rico is a territory of the U.S., your dollar works just fine.)

Your biggest concern will be how to fit in all the golf, water sports, touring, and entertainment possible in beautiful San Juan and environs. When you consider all that Puerto Rico has to offer, you’ll want to arrange your golf trips to visit again and again.