Holidays in Puerto Rico: Bruce Forsyth lets us in on his exotic little secret

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By
Bruce Forsyth

PUBLISHED:

14:21 GMT, 8 April 2012

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UPDATED:

14:21 GMT, 8 April 2012

We call Puerto Rico the best kept travel secret in the Caribbean. It is a gem of an island and I have a special reason to adore the beauty of the place: my wife Wilnelia was born there and, as Miss Puerto Rico, went on to win the Miss World title back in 1975.

We spend several blissful months there each year yet the island remains largely ignored by British holidaymakers. Perhaps this is because many are confused as exactly where and what it is. For the record, Puerto Rico, in the north-eastern Caribbean, is an ‘unincorporated territory’ of the United States, having been taken over by the US at the end of the 19th Century. Puerto Ricans are American citizens and the US Congress legislates many aspects of their life. Now, at last, there are signs that Britons are finally waking up to the charms of this unique island, with British Airways offering direct flights there.

A quiet beach in Puerto Rico's lush Dorado area

Perfect retreat: A quiet beach in Puerto Rico’s lush Dorado area, where Bruce Forsyth and wife Wilnelia have a home

Discovered by Christopher Columbus in 1493, Puerto Rico has retained its long-standing Spanish culture which, combined with American efficiency, makes it very distinctive from so many other Caribbean holiday destinations.

It’s a very beautiful place for a holiday. Wilnelia has family on the island and our house there is the perfect place to recharge my batteries after a series of Strictly Come Dancing. We enjoy wonderful restaurants, good nightlife and incredible beaches, not to mention fabulous weather year-round. There is also the culture – the island’s amazing music, for example. But what really makes Puerto Rico even more special are the friendly, hospitable people.

Our house is on the north side of the island about 45 minutes from the capital, San Juan. There are many lovely beaches and resorts close to where we live. One of our favourite resorts is the luxurious St Regis Bahia Beach, which is the most beautiful property and would be the perfect setting for a honeymoon. Another favourite is the Waldorf Astoria hotel El Conquistador, where a boat takes you to a little private beach called Palomino. You feel as if you own the beach – that’s a great sensation.

When I married Wilnelia, one of the first things I wanted to know about Puerto Rico was the quality of the golf courses. I needn’t have worried; the golf is fantastic and I’m pleased to say our house is located on what is probably the island’s best course – Dorado Beach.

In fact, our house is on the sixth hole of the Dorado West Course. I’ve paced it out and I’m just 25 yards from the fairway. Dorado has four excellent championship golf courses. The famous East and West Courses, designed by Robert Trent Jones Snr, are located in a secluded seaside sanctuary along two miles of north-easterly shores, within the former Rockefeller estate. They run through lush jungle and coconut groves, offering very challenging golf.

Bruce and his wife Wilnelia enjoy a cocktail at the St Regis Bahia Beach Resort

Tropical flavour: Bruce and his wife Wilnelia enjoy a cocktail at the St Regis Bahia Beach Resort

Luckily we don’t get many balls in our garden – though we did get a cracked window last year. A bigger problem is iguanas. We have an infestation of them. Fortunately, they look more dangerous than they are. If you play golf in Florida, the hazard there is alligators, which are much more terrifying.

I knew the Caribbean quite well before I came to Puerto Rico – particularly Antigua and Barbados. I also knew Bermuda well, which isn’t in the Caribbean but offers a similar experience, with great golf courses. But I hadn’t seen anything that compares with the golf courses on Puerto Rico. With its lushness, Dorado bears comparison with the National in Augusta, home of the Masters.

A round of golf is the ideal antidote to stress. I write this in Puerto Rico, where I have been playing 18 holes three times a week for the past six weeks, and I feel great. When we first arrived, we both had flu but we recovered quickly thanks to the gorgeous climate.

It’s so good here in the winter that we can’t understand why the British aren’t queuing up to get in. Britons have been going to Barbados for years. Antigua, the British Virgin Islands and Jamaica also have a faithful following. They are all great places but we would argue Puerto Rico rivals them all. I’m not sure any other island has such beautiful beaches or anything to beat the wonderful strip of hotels just off Old San Juan, the island’s oldest settlement.

Old San Juan is an authentic old Spanish town, unspoilt in every way. It’s like walking into another era.

Bruce's wife Wilnelia being crowned Miss World in 1975

Island beauty: Bruce’s wife Wilnelia being crowned Miss World in 1975

If the guys come here to Puerto Rico to play golf, the women can occupy themselves at the wonderful shopping malls with very good prices – the sterling/dollar exchange rate is particularly good at the moment.

Wilnelia is in raptures about the shopping. It’s marvellous because you have all the big American stores but also fabulous local designers. It’s a very fashionable place.

Puerto Rico also offers plenty of things to see when you’re on holiday. El Yunque, situated in the Luquillo mountains in the island’s north-east corner, is the only tropical rainforest in the United States National Forest System.

As rainforests go, it’s not huge, but it nevertheless has more than 1,000 plant and animal species – with excellent paved and well-marked trails for hikers.

Friends who have been there are amazed how quickly you find yourself surrounded by jungle noises, with mysterious mists creeping down hillsides. Yet some of the more than a million people who visit the forest each year never even leave their cars, taking in the roadside waterfalls and dense landscape from Route 191, the only road through the preserve.

You’ll also want to enjoy the beach. Puerto Rico has several that arguably belong in the world’s Top 10. One of our favourite places is Cabo Rojo, in the south-west of the island.

No other town offers such a variety of beaches in one location. All are calm, with azure waters and white sand, and they are very family-friendly. Some are very quiet, where you may have a spot all to yourself, while others have more facilities, shopping and dining nearby.

Our favourite places here include Playa Sucia, which has frequently been voted the most scenic beach on the island, and the nearby Boqueron Bay Beach.

Our top eating places include El Meson Gallego in San Juan, rated one of the best places to eat on the island but with surprisingly affordable prices.

The cuisine has its roots in Galicia in northern Spain, and popular dishes include Spanish ham, beef and seafood as well as caldo gallego (Galician soup), Madrid-style tripe, lentil stew, paella, Asturian fabada stew and Galician octopus with potato and paprika.

The golf course at St Regis Bahia Beach

Fairway to heaven: The golf course at St Regis Bahia Beach, one of Bruce’s favourite resorts on Puerto Rico

I couldn’t write about Puerto Rico without mentioning the dancing. Wilnelia loves the nightlife in Old San Juan, where you can find live music and bars with big salsa bands. In Puerto Rico, most social events end with a dance.

They love dancing here, especially the salsa, which Wilnelia says I’m pretty good at. I also do a fine Merengue, although she tells me we need to do a little more practice on the turns.

Puerto Rico is one of those places you can be as quiet or as crazy as you want, because there’s so much nightlife. I have to take the craziness carefully.

If I go out one night, I must stay in the next. It’s the same with my golf. If I play one day, I don’t play the next. I try to pace myself.

When I was a little boy, we always used to spend our summer holidays in Newquay in Cornwall. I have great memories of the beaches there and Newquay’s five little bays – for a child, it was a wonderland.

Now, I’m very fortunate to have discovered a new wonderland in the Caribbean.

When I was in San Juan recently, I bumped into a young British couple in their early 20s who had never been to the island before.

They said: ‘What a wonderful time we’ve had in Puerto Rico!’ ‘Well, spread the word!’ I replied.

Getting there

For further information, visit topuertorico.org.

Western Oriental (020 7666 1214, wandotravel.com) offers seven nights in Puerto Rico from £1,799 per person, including bed and breakfast at the St Regis Bahia Beach, return flights with British Airways, private transfers and US$75 (£47.30) food and beverage credit per room. Other operators featuring Puerto Rico include DialAFlight (0844 556 6060, dialaflight.com).