Lionfish are beautiful fish that have distinctive red, maroon, brown and white stripes on their head and body, and fan-like fins. They are native to the Indo-Pacific oceans, but have started to show up in the waters of the Atlantic and Caribbean. There have been numerous Lionfish sightings reported around Puerto Rico and the surrounding islands.

We had some guests staying with us last week, and I discovered that the husband brought his SCUBA gear and wanted to fit in a couple dives during their stay with us. As it turned out, he was the only SCUBA certified member of the family, and he would need a dive buddy. So I made some calls, and was able to hook us up for a 2-tank dive mid-week with Sea Ventures out of Palmas del Mar in Humacao. It turned out to be a nice morning of diving for both me and our guest.

Zingiberales is a family of tropical plants that includes heliconias, gingers, bananas and cannas, among others. These are some of the plants we fell in love with during our travels and now we take pleasure in introducing other people to these wonderful flowering plants. Here’s an easy opportunity for you to get to know these plants for yourself.

Like most people, we enjoy a bit of adventure when we travel. We heard about a new activity operator near San Juan, Green Zebra Adventures, that offers something that sounded like a cross between an ATV and go-kart activity. It looked interesting, but how different was it than your typical ATV tour? We decided to give it a try to find out.

Being originally from the north-eastern States, flower shows were always a rite of passage for the beginning of springtime. We’re happy that we can continue that tradition here in Puerto Rico. We spent some time today at the annual Puerto Rico Orchid Society Festival de Orquídeas – Colores de mi Tierra just outside of San Juan.

With all the talk of the economy and the recession, it’s always helpful to find a way to save some money on vacation. Order the 2010 Puerto Rico Entertainment Book and you’ll be able to find 50% off and 2-for-1 discounts at lots of restaurants, attractions and services across the island.

Andrew travels to Puerto Rico where the flavors of the food tell the history of the island, from the deep-fried treats brought in by Africans to the roasted pork made popular by the Spanish. Tune in on June 9 @ 10pm on the Travel Channel.

It’s possible to find budget lodging in Puerto Rico – it just takes a little research and planning. In this article we present some ideas to kick-start your planning effort.

If you’re embarking on your cruise from San Juan, then you’ll be able to purchase duty free liquor and cigarettes at the pier before you board the ship. We were in Old San Juan the other day and came upon a copy of ad for the duty free store at the cruise pier, which we’ve scanned so that you have some idea of what’s available and how much it will cost.

The Ceiba International Airport (RVR) opened at the end of November 2008. Located at the old Roosevelt Roads Naval Base, this airport replaces the recently closed Diego Jiménez Torres Airport (FAJ) in Fajardo.