How “Sweet” It Is to visit Puerto Rico’s Beaches

         Where to start!  So many beaches – each with its own unique flavor and style!  We’ll start our journey with one of the most popular – San Juan’s Isla Verde.  Isla Verde Beach is actually a series of beaches  that stretches for miles and miles in front of posh resorts and luxury high rise residential apartments, guest houses, restaurants, night clubs, and private mansions.

Isla Verde Beach caters to everyone and is an ideal place to enjoy an extravagant tropical day at the beach. Isla Verde is a place where people meet with family and friends to picnic, read their favorite book, or just soak up the sun. Visitors looking to relax can take a tranquil sea side stroll; the more adventurous people go parasailing, waterskiing, surfing, body boarding and jet skiing or participate in one of the many beach and water sports offered by the hotels and seaside shops. Like all of the really great beaches (because everyone wants to be there!), Isla Verde Beach  can become very busy and sometimes crowded on weekends and during the summer.

There  are lots of places to eat and enjoy live entertainment in and around Isla Verde Beach. Numerous hotels, restaurants, seaside shops and take-out shops provide the perfect opportunity to satisfy your appetite while local bars and night clubs offer superb cocktails  - including the best Pina Coladas in the world!  [Spoiler alert if you only want to explore on your own!]  Here’s an Insider’s Tip:  When you’re hungry, you’ll find Isla Verde Avenue full of restaurants, but do yourself a favor and take a break from the fast food. Order some delicious take-out Cuban sandwiches or their awesome shrimp mofongo from the local Mi Casita which is in the Plazoleta de Isla Verde. Take the sandwiches to the beach – and sit on tables oceanfront, or simply in the sand and watch the action.

When you combine the idyllic beach setting of Isla Verde Beach with the sounds of laughter and friends and family, you will discover that San Juan’s Isla Verde Beach is the perfect place to visit for singles and families!

And to help prove how “Sweet” it is to visit Puerto Rico’s beaches, we’re including a recipe for a great Puerto Rican dessert.  Puerto Rico has some of the most scrumptious desserts among the different cuisines of the world.  Puerto Rican desserts are usually some form of custard or nisperos de batata which is sweet potato balls with coconut, cloves and cinnamon. Guava jelly with queso blanco (white cheese) is an extremely popular traditional Puerto Rican dessert.  Lots of the desserts that you will find in Puerto Rican cuisine are made from delicious local fruits such as orange layer cake, banana cupcakes or guava cupcakes, and coconut is a also a very common dessert ingredient.   One of the most delicious and popular Puerto Rican desserts is Flan  so here’s a simple recipe for you to make your own  "Sweet Taste of Puerto Rico".

Cream Cheese Flan

Ingredients

3 whole eggs plus 3 egg whites

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese

1 can of evaporated milk

1 can of condensed milk

1 teaspoon of vanilla

3/4 cup of sugar

 

           Procedure

Take the sugar and caramelize it in a small sauce pan. Do not let the sugar burn. It should be a golden caramel color. Pour this caramel into an 8" round dish. Make sure to coat the bottom and the sides of the pan. Place all other ingredients in a blender and mix till it has a smooth consistency. Pour into the pan filled with caramel. Place pan in "bano de Maria". Bano de maria is a larger pan that has an been filled with an inch of water. This will help cook the flan. Place the larger pan with flan pan in it in the oven at 350 degrees. (25-30 minutes) You can check the flan by poking it center with a knife. If the knife comes out clean then the flan is done. 

Don't want to wait for more?  Then here’s a link to get you to more information on what  Puerto Rico has to offer http://welcome.topuertorico.org.  And, here’s an  800 # that you can  call to get free tourist information from the Puerto Rico Tourism Company: 800-866-7827. They publish the official tourism guide  - Que Pasa! Magazine - which includes information on accommodations, restaurants, shopping centers, casinos, transportation services, special events and fiestas. 

           But, don’t forget,  the Beach Bums update once a week  - we’ll be including some more “personal experiences” from friends and family who have lived or visited there.  You won’t want to miss them so be sure to come back!