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. 

Visit Eastern Canada for Cool Golf Vacations

When summer temperatures soar across much of the United States and Europe, even the most avid golfer loses some enthusiasm for hitting the links. That’s the time to head north for your golf vacations to some of the best golfing on the planet.

From spring through early fall, Canada is the perfect spot for golf trips, with great courses and spectacular scenery in addition to very delightful climates. From the Maritimes to the mountains, individuals, groups, and families will find plenty of activities in addition to great golfing.

PEI: Golfing in the Maritimes

Starting on the East Coast, you have Prince Edward Island, with more than a century of golf history. In fact, readers of Score magazine rated PEI as “Canada’s Best Golf Destination” two years in a row. It has 10 of the top 100 courses in the country, as rated by Globe and Mail, and some of the top courses in North America according to Golf Digest.

Since “the Emerald Isle” is only 120 miles long and 20 miles across, all of these are within a short drive of each other, and include links, river and woodland courses. Highly recommended courses include Brudenell River, by far the most popular, Dundarave, The Links at Crowbush Cove, and Mill River.

PEI is also a very affordable vacation destination, and you’ll find many special golf packages to this maritime setting. You’re never more than 15 minutes from the shore, so plan on some fishing. The island also has great cycling routes and is home to “Anne of Green Gables.”

Quebec: Golfing in the Mountains

If you are up for a challenge, head for Tremblant. Just 90 minutes north of Montreal and about six hours north of Boston, you’ll find one of the most popular golf resorts in Northeastern America. Mt. Tremblant itself is the crown jewel of the Laurentian Mountains. Like Whistler in the west, it has been transformed from a ski resort to an all-year vacation hub given its proximity to Parc du Mont-Tremblant, a huge provincial nature park.

This resort village offers everything, including Quebec’s best golfing, with stunning views of lakes, forest, and mountains, and accommodations and dining from modest to luxurious. Off the course, you can choose from cycling, hiking, and some of the world’s best canoe waters. Let your booking agent help you plan the golf packages that meet your entire vacation needs.

In fact, there is so much to see and do in both of these eastern Canada resorts that you’ll want to return to them again and again for your golf vacations!