Last week I teased about the launch of Porta Atlántico. This week I thought I'd introduce it properly with my list of five things to do in the region.
It's a pretty cool list, too. The Camuy Caves, Arecibo Telescope, awesome beaches and what might be the best golf course in Puerto Rico, if not the Caribbean, are a pretty outstanding combination for a tourist region. There are whole islands that don't offer as much.
And the truth is, these five headliners only scratch the surface of what to see and do in Porta Atlántico. There's the small fort in Toa Baja that used to be El Morro's partner in the defense of San Juan against enemy ships; the colorful Festival of Masks in Hatillo, celebrated every year since 1823; the Blue-Flag beach at Punta Salinas; surfing at Jobos Beach; and the outlet mall at Barceloneta -- to name just a few things.
And pretty soon, there will be a cluster of shiny new hotels to welcome you when you head out of San Juan to explore Puerto Rico's newest destination. I'll announce those as they come along. For now, I'll leave you with this: when one destination gives you the third-largest subterranean river in the world; the largest single-dish radio telescope in the world; one of only a handful of beaches to receive international accreditation for environmental awareness and conservation; and what will soon be Puerto Rico's only 6-star hotel ... if one destination gave you all that, wouldn't you want to get out and explore it?