Active Pursuits

Active vacationers have a wide choice of things to do in San Juan, from beaching to windsurfing. The beachside hotels, of course, offer lots of watersports activities.

Bike Rentals

The best places to bicycle are in city parks like Luis Muñoz Marín (Hato Rey) and Luis Muñoz Rivera (Puerta de Tierra). You can make it from Condado to Old San Juan driving mostly through the latter park. There are also bicycle trails; we recommend the coastal boardwalk running along Piñones, which is beautiful and safe, especially on the weekends. There are bike rentals available in the area during weekends, although most San Juan streets are too crowded for bicycle riding. Hot Dog Cycling, Av. Isla Verde 5916, La Plazoleta Shopping Center (tel. 787/721-0776), open Monday to Saturday 9am to 6pm, charges $5 per hour for rentals, $25 for a full day.

Cruises

For the best cruises of San Juan Bay, go to Caribe Aquatic Adventures. Bay cruises start at $25 per person.

Deep-Sea Fishing

Deep-sea fishing is top-notch here. Allison tuna, white and blue marlin, sailfish, wahoo, dolphin (mahimahi), mackerel, and tarpon are some of the fish that can be caught in Puerto Rican waters, where 30 world records have been broken. Charter arrangements can be made through most major hotels and resorts. The big game fishing grounds are very close offshore from San Juan, making the capital an excellent place to hire a charter. A half-day of deep-sea fishing (4 hours) starts at around $550, while full-day charters begin at around $900. Most charters hold six passengers in addition to the crew.

There are three marinas in the San Juan metropolitan area, with fishing charters and boat rentals available at all three. The Cangrejos Yacht Club (Route 187, Piñones; tel. 787/791-1015) is right near the airport on Route 187, the road from Isla Verde to Piñones, while the two other marinas are next to each other near the Condado bridge and the Convention Center in Miramar: San Juan Bay Marina (tel. 787/721-8062) and Club Nautico de San Juan (tel. 787/722-0177).

Capt. Mike Benítez, of Benítez Fishing Charters (tel. 787/723-2292), is the most experienced operator in San Juan sailing out of Club Nautico. His crew is knowledgeable and informative, and the 45-foot air-conditioned deluxe Hatteras called the Sea Born is plush and comfortable. We also recommend another veteran outfit, Castillo Fishing Charters (tel. 787/726-5752), that has been running charters out of the San Juan Bay Marina since 1975. Capt. Joe Castillo runs the company with his son José Iván and daughter Vanessa and they also know their stuff. The Legend, a 48-foot Hatteras, is also an excellent vessel built for fishing and comfort. Capt. Omar Orracar of Caribbean Outfitters (tel. 787/396-8346) runs deep-sea fishing charters but also runs fly-fishing trips in San Juan lagoons for snook and tarpon. The boat is docked at Cangrejos Yacht Club.

Golf

The island's best golf courses are within a short drive of San Juan. The legendary Dorado courses are 45 minutes west at the Dorado Beach Resort & Club (tel. 787/796-8961). Designed by Robert Trent Jones, Sr., these courses have hosted professional tournaments, including the World Cup of Golf. Fees for guests are $160.

Driving east for 45 minutes will get you to the world-class golf courses of Río Grande and Fajardo. The Wyndham Río Mar Beach Resort golf offerings (tel. 787/888-7060) include two world-class courses, stretching out in the shadow of El Yunque rainforest along a dazzling stretch of coast. There is a 6,782-yard (6,201m) ocean course by Tom and George Fazio, and a 6,945-yard (6,354m) course by Greg Norman that cuts through jungle and mountain areas. Greens fees for guests are $175, for walk-ins $200. The Trump International Golf Club (tel. 787/657-2000), also in Río Grande, is actually four different nine-hole courses sprawled out across 1,200 acres (486 hectares) of coast. Each course is named after its surrounding environment: the Ocean, the Palms, the Mountains, and the Lakes. Fees range from $140 to $160 for visitors.

Berwind Country Club (tel. 787/876-5380) in Loiza is the nearest full-size course to the city. Built on a former coconut plantation, it's a beautiful place with ocean views, towering palms, and frenzied tropical foliage. Experts say the course is quite challenging, with plenty of water hazards and three of the toughest holes to finish on the island. And with greens fees of $65, it's a bargain. On weekend mornings, the course is reserved for members. The 9-hole Río Bayamón Golf Course (tel. 787/740-1419) is a municipal course in the San Juan suburb Bayamón. Greens fees are $30 and rentals just $15.

Horse Racing

Great thoroughbreds and outstanding jockeys compete year-round at Camarero Racetrack, Calle 65 de Infantería, Route 3 Km 15.3, at Canovanas (tel. 787/641-6060), Puerto Rico's only racetrack, a 20-minute drive east of the center of San Juan. Races begin at 3pm Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and holidays. The clubhouse has a fine dining restaurant, the Terrace Room, that serves good local food, and there's Winner's Sports Bar with pub fare. The grandstand has free admission.

Running

The cool, quiet, morning hours before 8am are a good time to jog through the streets of Old San Juan. Head for the wide thoroughfares adjacent to El Morro and then San Cristóbal, whose walls jut upward from the flat ground. The seafront Paseo de la Princesa, at the base of the governor's mansion La Fortaleza, is another fine site. San Juan Central Park (Calle Cerra; exit from Av. Muñoz Rivera or Rte. 2; tel. 787/722-1646) has an excellent professional track in an outdoor track and field stadium with bleachers. There is a similar setup at Parque Barbosa right off the beach in Ocean Park. A renovation of the park is slated to be completed by 2009.

Condado's Avenida Ashford and the hardpacked sands of Isla Verde are busy sites for morning runners as well.

Joggers' Trail or Romantic Walk -- El Morro Trail, a jogger's paradise, provides the Old City's most scenic views along San Juan Bay. The first part of the trail extends to the San Juan Gate. The walk then goes by El Morro and eventually reaches a scenic area known as Bastion de Santa Barbara. The walk passes El Morro's well-preserved walls, and the trail ends at the entrance to the fortress. The walkway is designed to follow the undulating movement of the ocean, and sea grapes and tropical vegetation surround benches. The trail is romantic at night, when the walls of the fortress are illuminated. Stop at the tourist office for a map, and then set off on the adventure.

Scuba Diving

In San Juan, the best outfitter is Caribe Aquatic Adventures, Normandie Hotel San Juan, Calle 19 1062, Villa Nevarez (tel. 787/281-8858; www.diveguide.com/p2046.htm). Its dive shop is open daily from 9am to 9pm. This outfitter will take you to the best local dive sites in the Greater San Juan area. Dives begin at $125 per person and a resort course for first-time divers also costs $125. Escorted dive and snorkeling jaunts to the eastern shore are also offered. Snorkeling lessons or tours lasting 1 hour and including basic equipment go for $50. Another good outfitter is Ocean Sports. Its main office is Av. Isla Verde 77 (tel. 787/268-2329), but it also has other offices at the Isla Verde Mall, near the Ritz-Carlton at the other end of the avenue; and right on Avenida Ashford in Condado near the big hotels. It offers diving courses and scuba diving, as well as snorkeling trips in San Juan and also to the east coast. Kayak rentals are also available.

Snorkeling

Snorkeling is better in the outlying portions of the island than in overcrowded San Juan. But if you don't have time to explore greater Puerto Rico, you'll find that most of the popular beaches, such as Luquillo and Isla Verde, have pretty good visibility and kiosks that rent equipment. Snorkeling equipment generally rents for $15. If you're on your own in the San Juan area, one of the best places is the San Juan Bay marina near the Caribe Hilton.

Watersports desks at the big San Juan hotels at Isla Verde and Condado can generally make arrangements for instruction and equipment rental and can also lead you to the best places for snorkeling, depending on where you are in the sprawling metropolis. If your hotel doesn't offer such services, you can contact Caribe Aquatic Adventures, which caters to both snorkelers and scuba divers.

Still, even if you are staying in San Juan and want to go snorkeling, you are better off taking a day trip to Fajardo, where you'll get a real Caribbean snorkeling experience, with tranquil, clear water, and stunning reefs teaming with tropical fish. Several operators offer day trips (from 10am-3:30pm) leaving from Fajardo marinas, but transportation to and from your San Juan hotel can also be arranged. Prices start at around $69 per person, or $99 including transportation to and from San Juan. Even if you don't particularly want to snorkel, the trips are still worth it for a day of fun in the sun. The trips usually take place on large luxury catamarans, holding about 20 passengers or more. Most have a cash bar serving drinks and refreshments, a sound system, and other creature comforts. Typically, after a nice sail, the cat will weigh anchor at different snorkeling spots and then in sheltered waters near one of the scores of small islands lying off Fajardo's coast, the perfect spot for a swim or sunbathing. Most trips include lunch, which usually is served on a beach. The boats know the best reefs and hot spots for bigger fish, and will plan the trip according to weather conditions and other variables. A huge reef extending east to Culebra protects the ocean off Fajardo's coast, which makes for calm seas with great visibility.

Inquire at your hotel desk about operators providing service there. There are many reputable companies. We and friends have all been satisfied with Traveler Sailing Catamaran (tel. 787/853-2821), East Island Excursions (tel. 787/860-3434), and Catamaran Spread Eagle (tel. 787/887-8821). Erin Go Bragh Charters (tel. 787/860-4401) offers similar day trips aboard a 50-foot sailing ketch, which is an equally pleasurable experience.

Swimmers, Beware -- You have to pick your spots carefully if you want to swim along Condado Beach. The waters at the beach beside the Condado Plaza Hotel are calmer than in other areas because of a coral breakwater. The beach near the Marriott is not good for swimming because of rocks, a strong undertow, and occasional rip tides. There are no lifeguards except at public beaches. Ocean Park is better to swim, but can still be hazardous when the tides kick up. Isla Verde beach is generally much calmer, especially at its eastern end.

Tennis

Most of the big resorts have their own tennis courts for their guests. There are 20 public courts, lit at night, at San Juan Central Park, at Calle Cerra (exit on Rte. 2; tel. 787/722-1646), open daily. Fees are $3 per hour from 6am to 5pm, and $4 per hour from 6 to 10pm. There are also four racquetball courts here. The Isla Verde Tennis Club (tel. 787/727-6490) is open all week, weekdays from 8am to 10pm, Saturdays from 8am to 7pm, and Sundays from 8am to 6pm. Courts cost from $15 to $20 hourly.

Windsurfing/Kite Surfing

The most savvy windsurfing and kite surfing advice and equipment sales and rental are available at Velauno, Calle Loíza 2430, Punta Las Marías in San Juan (tel. 787/982-0543). A beginner's class with equipment rental in either kite or windsurfing is $150; private lessons with gear included are $50 hourly. One-day rental cost for windsurfing gear is $75, 3 days $150, and 1 week $225; for kite-surfing gear 1 day is $40, 3 days $90, and 1 week $130. The staff here will guide you to the best windsurfing, right near the store in Punta Las Marías and Ocean Park. Office hours are Monday to Friday 10am to 7pm, Saturday 11am to 7pm. There is a summer windsurfing camp for kids.