If you like natural swimming pools, Charco Azul (blue pond, in English) is one of Puerto Rico’s most famous ones. Located in the middle of the Carite Forest, about 10 minutes up the road from the lechnarias in the Guavate region of Cayey, it’s the perfect spot for a picnic and swimming.

Playita del Condado is a small, public beach located on Ashford Avenue next to the Conrad San Juan Condado Plaza. Located between the Atlantic Ocean and the Condado Lagoon, it has shallow, calm water, a golden sand beach, rinse showers, and beach chairs and umbrellas available for rent.

Imagine speeding around a race track, in a convertible, with the wind whipping through your hair. What fun! OK — miniaturize that thought and think go-karts! There are a couple places in Puerto Rico that offer go-kart rides for a reasonable price.

Whether you have just a couple of hours or a couple of days, there are plenty of things to keep you busy and entertained in the northeast part of Puerto Rico. From the rain forest to beaches to biobays, we’ve put together a list of activities sorted by the amount of time you need to do each.

Get some exercise on vacation and take a tour of the San Juan area at the same time. Rent The Bicycle, in Old San Juan, offers bike rentals and guided bike tours in the Old San Juan, Condado and Piñones areas. They offer options that are great for cruise ship visitors, tourists and locals alike.

Many visitors to Puerto Rico get the bright idea that they want to take their rental car on the ferry from Fajardo to Culebra or Vieques. Not only is that not recommended, it’s difficult to do and doing so may void your rental car contract.

Enjoy a 1 or 2 hour horseback riding tour in the foothills of El Yunque at Hacienda Carabali in Luquillo. They have over 70 horses ready to take you through the trails that criss-cross their 600-acre property. These tours are good for beginners and less experienced riders.

Salsa is practically the national dance of Puerto Rico. You can brush up on your moves, or learn your first basic steps, with some Salsa dancing lessons during your vacation. We’ve been going for the past couple of weeks. It’s fun!

What do you do once you’ve hiked on all of the official trails in El Yunque National Forest? You start looking for unofficial trails … which is exactly what we did. We found a new trail (currently under construction by the Forest Service) that leads from the north side of El Yunque down to the south side. Though it’s not for the casual hiker, it does provide some nice views and an exhilarating workout.

Imagine all sorts of fun, outdoor activities like swimming pools, a paint ball field, skate ramps for skateboard and in-line skates, an “inflatables” park, a rope obstacle course, go carts, pony rides, mountain bike trails and food. Now put them all together in one spot and what do you get? Moisty Skate & Family Park in Cagus, that’s what.

For the real Puerto Rican local market experience, head to Rio Piedras. There, you will find a large indoor Mercado de Rio Piedras (Rio Piedras Market) and blocks of outdoor sidewalk shopping where the locals go to shop!

If you are a birdwatcher, then Puerto Rico needs to be added to your must-visit bucket list. Puerto Rico has so many different geographical regions, all within a small 35×100 mile area — rain forests, dry forests, and forests in-between, seaside, mangroves and mountains. You have a pretty good chance of seeing at least a few of the 17 endemic birds and many of the 300 different types of bird species that call Puerto Rico home at some time throughout the year.

My favorite Puerto Rican dish is Arroz con Habichuelas, or rice and beans. The beans are actually a stew, with potatoes, squash, other veggies, some ham and, of course, beans. Everyone here makes Habichuelas, so it was only a matter of time that I was able to find a good recipe. I got this recipe from a local woman and it’s really easy and delicious. Give it a try and enjoy!

Visiting Vieques is usually best done as a multi-day trip — when you have time to rent a car and explore the most remote beaches. But what do you do if your vacation schedule only allows time to spend one day on Vieques? Head on over to Vieques and spend the day at Sun Bay, one of the many beautiful beaches on the island.

The Aibonto Flower Festival (Festival de Flores de Aibonito) will be held this year from June 26 through July 5, 2009. It’s a wonderful day of flowers, plants, shopping, music, food and more!