I object somewhat to any reference of Puerto Rico as a “country” because even though that term is generic and refers merely to any populated territory with an organized government, “country” is a term that usually refers to independent sovereign nations and at least subconsciously implies “separateness” from all other political entities and Puerto Rico is just a US territory and for all practical purposes, and for 99.99% of all legal purposes, it is as much a part of the US as New York, California, Florida, Texas, Alaska or Hawaii—or any of the 50 States of the Union.
Having clarified that minor linguistic and legal point, which always rubs me the wrong way, the “place with the best view” in Puerto Rico is an intensely personal thing because Puerto Rico, even though it is only 100 miles by 35 miles, has an incredibly diverse geography and topography and even though it is squarely in the tropics, the rugged topography creates a series of “microclimates” in various places so that many spots in Puerto Rico feel very different from each other in terms of temperature, vegetation, and humidity.
By way of illustration, if you like an ocean view or a modern city view or a mountain view or a tropical forest view, or a historic colonial quarter view in Puerto Rico, there are many places to choose from. Here are a few examples:
1- Partial view of Greater San Juan Metro Area (facing southeast):
2- Another partial view of San Juan Metro near where most of the modern hotels are (facing east):
3- Another view of the area where most modern hotels are (different angle):
4- A typical mountain view, this one is from the southern coffee-growing town of Yauco;
Having clarified that minor linguistic and legal point, which always rubs me the wrong way, the “place with the best view” in Puerto Rico is an intensely personal thing because Puerto Rico, even though it is only 100 miles by 35 miles, has an incredibly diverse geography and topography and even though it is squarely in the tropics, the rugged topography creates a series of “microclimates” in various places so that many spots in Puerto Rico feel very different from each other in terms of temperature, vegetation, and humidity.
By way of illustration, if you like an ocean view or a modern city view or a mountain view or a tropical forest view, or a historic colonial quarter view in Puerto Rico, there are many places to choose from. Here are a few examples:
1- Partial view of Greater San Juan Metro Area (facing southeast):
2- Another partial view of San Juan Metro near where most of the modern hotels are (facing east):
3- Another view of the area where most modern hotels are (different angle):
4- A typical mountain view, this one is from the southern coffee-growing town of Yauco;
5- A wide angle shot of the historic colonial district known as Old San Juan, from the Atlantic Ocean (picture taken from the north facing south):
6- A closer view of Old San Juan (side street facing the inner harbor):
7- A partial view of Luquillo beach, routinely included in lists of the ten most beautiful beaches in the world (facing east):
8- Another view of Luquillo beach but including a distant view of El Yunque, the only tropical rainforest in the whole US National Forest System (facing west):
9- A closer but still distant view of the US Caribbean National Forest a/k/a El Yunque (view from the north-facing south):
10- A much closer view of El Yunque rainforest:
11- One of the many natural waterfalls in the El Yunque rainforest:
12- A general view of the southern city of Ponce, the second largest urban center in Puerto Rico, which is much drier than the Island’s north coast, where the capital city of San Juan is located (picture facing south with the Caribbean Sea in the background):
6- A closer view of Old San Juan (side street facing the inner harbor):
7- A partial view of Luquillo beach, routinely included in lists of the ten most beautiful beaches in the world (facing east):
8- Another view of Luquillo beach but including a distant view of El Yunque, the only tropical rainforest in the whole US National Forest System (facing west):
9- A closer but still distant view of the US Caribbean National Forest a/k/a El Yunque (view from the north-facing south):
10- A much closer view of El Yunque rainforest:
11- One of the many natural waterfalls in the El Yunque rainforest:
12- A general view of the southern city of Ponce, the second largest urban center in Puerto Rico, which is much drier than the Island’s north coast, where the capital city of San Juan is located (picture facing south with the Caribbean Sea in the background):