Puerto Rico

Hotels in Puerto Rico offer options for every kind of traveler, from the weekend partyer to the family vacationer to the romantic couple looking for downtime. A recent flurry of renovations has brought many hotels in Puerto Rico up to a new level of spit and polish, not to mention style. One thing Puerto Ricans understand is clean, colorful, modern design; hotels here are downright chic, from the lobby to the pool to the decor of the guest rooms. Some downsides? Service on Puerto Rico is a bust. Expect to ask for ice and never receive it, to come back to your room and find the bed not yet made. Everyone is kind and courteous, but too overworked or undertrained to provide consistent help. If service is a real priority for you, book into the Ritz-Carlton or the Copamarina. On-site restaurants at the large resorts in Puerto Rico can also be lackluster. The offerings almost always feature 1) a "New York–style" steak house and 2) a generic Japanese sushi/noodle bar. Unless you're staying at La Concha, Numero Uno, Gran Meliá, or Villa Montana, book all your special meals at any of the terrific stand-alone restaurants in San Juan.

In Puerto Rico, hotels are mostly located in the Old San Juan neighborhood of the capital San Juan. You'll also find beach resorts in San Juan, out in the neighborhoods of Condado and Isla Verde. Puerto Rico's calmer, larger golf-and-beach resort options (like the Gran Meliá, El Conquistador, and the Wyndham Rio Mar) lie about an hour's drive east of the city. Much smaller, individually owned, sand-centric resorts can be found on the western side of the island in surfer-cool Rincón (the Horned Dorset) and Isabela (Villa Montaña), and to the south along the Caribbean Sea (the Copamarina).

Similar escapes from stress can be found on the tiny islands of Vieques and Culebra, a puddle-jumper flight east of Puerto Rico. Boho-glam Vieques is growing in popularity, as the vanguard Hix Island House and the W Retreat & Spa attest. Scene-averse travelers prefer Culebra, whose calling cards are its phenomenal deserted beaches like Flamingo, and its eclectic, tiny, casual hotels, like Club Seabourne.