Imagine a place where it is just cool in the winter and not freezing. A place where you can lay down in a hammock and listen to nothing except the waves crashing against the sand in a beautiful beach. A place where not only crickets sing, but the wonderful soothing sounds of the native Coqui. No, I'm not just making up such a place. That place is the island of Puerto Rico.

Puerto Rico is an incredible vacation for the whole family. The island is very family oriented and makes your family feel right at home. You have the wonderful and beautiful beaches for the surfer and beach lover. The great non stop nightlife for that party girl. Filling up your schedule with activities will be easy in Puerto Rico. You can explore the forests and see beautiful scenes like waterfalls in El Yunque. Puerto Rico also is rich in culture as you can explore Old San Juan and step foot in the same exact place were the Spaniards stood at in El Morro. Take a drive down to the south to Ponce and visit the Taino Village and see how the native Taino Indians lived. A must do in Puerto Rico is the Tropical Trail Rides, a guided horseback tour through the "real" Puerto Rico! Step inside of the oldest fire station in Puerto Rico in the very popular Plaza las Delicias. Eat the local Ponce ice cream in "Los Chinos". Walk around and keep an eye out during the summer for dolphins at Ponce's boardwalk "La Guancha". Make sure you order some pinchos while your there, a personal favorite for yours truly.

You will fall in love with Puerto Rican food when you visit any local restaurant and order some "comida criolla". Alcapurrias, bacalaitos, sorullitos de maiz, rellenos de papa, empanadillas and much others fall into this exquisite category. Their main dishes are to die for with their arroz con gandules, arroz con pollo, and pernil. You can't leave the island and say you went to Puerto Rico without trying the foods mentioned above.

As you can see history and food is a big part of Puerto Rico. Scenery is right behind it though. You can explore caves and caverns in Las Cavernas de Camuy. Puerto Rico is ideal for bird watching because the temperature remains fairly constant and see one of the fifty species of birds seen here, the bird watching will not disappoint. Imagine you laying down on a hammock, drinking a cold freshly made pina colada, and listening to the soothing breeze. This could all come true in Puerto Rico. Like they say "Your not dreaming, your in Puerto Rico!"

By: Jason Hobbs