1. Puerto Rico
The land of enchantment. Looking for a tropical place to visit but want to avoid tourist traps and long lines? Puerto Rico might be the place for you. First off, a little background on the island. Puerto Rico was a Spanish Colony up until 1898 when Spain ceded the island to the United States as part of the Spanish-American war. Currently, Puerto Ricans are U.S. citizens, and the island is considered a commonwealth of the U.S. One wonderful thing about Puerto Rico is that any American citizen can visit the island with a passport, thus elminating the need to get a foreign tourist visa. However, any non-U.S. citizen will need a valid passport and an American tourist visa. Although Spanish and English are both considered the official languages, Spanish is the primary language.
Places to Visit:
El Yunque National Rainforest
Old San Juan
Playa Tortuga (Turtle Beach)
2. Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is an island nation located on the island of ‘Hispañola’, with the other country being Haiti. Hispañola, is the second largest island in the carribean (after Cuba). The term ‘Tropical Paradise’ seems to be thrown around a lot, but the Dominican Republic is just that. With an average temperature of 82 F, you can enjoy this wonderful island paradise all year round.
Interesting facts: Spanish is the spoken language in the Dominican Republic. Although most people associate soccer with many Spanish speaking countries, baseball is the country’s national sport. Dominicans love their baseball! Some of the greatest baseball players have come from there, Albert Pujols, Sammy Sosa, David Ortiz, just to name a few.
The Dominican Republic, maybe more so than other carribean nations, is known for its cuisine. Dominican cuisine is predominantly made up of a combination of Spanish, indigenous Taino, and African influences. Here is a short list of some popular Dominican dishes:
Rice and bean combination- “La Bandera”
Cassava-Type of Root, many times made into a sweet type of bread.
Plantain-Can be served raw, fried ect.
Longaniza (Sausage)
Stewed goat
Fish cooked with coconut milk
When to visit: The so-called ‘cool’ or winter season, runs from November to April. The humidity is relatively low during these months, and it tends to cool down in the evenings much more than in the summer months. The summer season runs from May To October, and although the temperature typically averages around 87, the humidity increases more than during the summer season. The Dominican Republic is located in an area where hurricanes can occur. Officially, the Caribbean hurricane season runs from the beginning of June to the end of November. Historically, hurricane activity in the Dominican Republic has occured during the months of August and September. Your best bet would probably be to visit during the months of November to April to avoid the high humidity and the rainy season.
Punta Cana
