Welcome to EyeTour’s first ‘Business Spotlight’ post.  We’ll be taking a look at businesses throughout the island of Puerto Rico that offer exciting, pleasant, and unique opportunities to visitors and locals alike.  First up: Caribbean Images Tours in the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico’s ‘Pearl of the South’.

All photographs courtesy of Caribbean Images Tours, LLC.

Caribbean Images Tours provides half day professionally guided eco-tourism snorkel trips to Caja De Muertos from La Guancha Boardwalk in Ponce, Puerto Rico.

The company generally anchors around Caja de Muertos island (literally ‘box of the dead’ - as in ‘coffin’) in two spots: one of them located within a enclosed reef and the other right off the island. Both are no deeper then 8-10 feet and offer a great view of the corals, fish, and other creatures as you float on top of the water with a comfortable distance between you and the sea floor.

Caribbean Images Tours specializes in beginner and novice snorkelers, and have successfully taken non-swimmers on their trips. The company provides all equipment and instruction, giving full briefings before going into the water and while adjusting any snorkel equipment that might need adjusting. There is bottled ice water and light refreshments on board as well. Caribbean Images Tours doesn’t believe in just letting people jump in the water and go off on their own. The company strives to make their trips safe, fun, and educational and offers a hands-on approach to each adventure, getting into the water with guests and guiding them throughout.

Half day snorkel trips are from 9:00 AM to 12:30 PM and 1:00 PM to 4:30 PM.  All trips are by reservations only.

Price is $55.00 per adult and $45.00 for children 12 years of age and under plus 7% Puerto Rico sales tax.  Cash only.

For more information you can contact Caribbean Images Tours by email at info@caribbeanimagespr.com or by phone at 787-821-5312 or 787-244-6283.  You can also learn more by visiting the company website.

———————————————————–

If you’d like your business to be featured on EyeTour.com’s blog, write us at info@eyetour.com.  Be sure to include information about your business, including: a short description, contact info, information about rates and special offers, website, and any audio-visual material such as promotional videos, brochures, and/or photographs.  By sending us information about your business you acknowledge your rightful ownership of all copyrighted materials sent - EyeTour is not liable for any information published online that has been sent to us without the proper authorization.

Puerto Rico is famous for many things but it is probably best known for producing some of the world’s finest rums.  With that in mind, here’s a brief primer about everything you might want to know about rum (but were afraid to ask) including: cocktails, brands, history and culture.

I’m willing to bet most visitors to Puerto Rico come for the beaches, the weather, the historical sites and the natural wonders.  But in the back of their minds they’re probably thinking “Hmm, I’ve heard they make some good rum down there on the island.  I think I’ll try some when I’m there”.  So, even though they don’t come exclusively FOR the spirit, it’s undoubtedly a persuasive attraction.  And, really, who can blame them.  Puerto Ricans do not take it for granted that they live on an island that produces high-quality product, we consume it without prejudice.  It’s not a stretch to consider it an intrinsic part of our culture - and of the Caribbean’s as a whole - as much as wine is part of the French way of life, or vodka in Eastern Europe.  Rum serves as a link to our past, both the mythical and the real; from the decks of pirate ships to the sugarcane fields of the centrales azucareras.

Although antecedents of rum production can be traced back to centuries before the European arrival into the New World, the beginnings of what we now know as rum are a direct effect of the colonization process of the Americas.  The world-wide demand for sugar led to an expansion of the mono-culture of sugarcane all along the Caribbean islands and places like Brazil.  Molasses, the by-product from the refinement of sugar, was so readily available it began to be fermented and distilled; thus, rum was born.  Cheap and intoxicating, the spirit’s appeal was widespread, and what was once boot-legged and illegal became a money-making venture.  By mid-19th century, the Bacardi company and the Serralles family were already producing high-quality rum and continue to do so to this day.  If you find yourself in the southern city of Ponce, be sure to check out Castillo Serralles - a 20th century mansion that was the family home and now serves as a museum and cultural landmark.

Museo Castillo Serrallés

So, now you know a bit about rum’s origins, it’s history. Now, you want to try some.  The two most popular rums are made on the island:  Bacardi - the world leader in rum sales - has a plant in the city of Cataño, just across the bay from Old San Juan, that gives guests regular tours of the facilities (trust me, it’s a nice day trip if you can squeeze it into your schedule).  In Old San Juan you can find Casa Don Q, a museum dedicated to the Serralles family and its flagship product, Ron Don Q - the island’s top-selling rum.  Also, the Rums of Puerto Rico Tasting Bar, located in the same building, offers visitors a chance to try several cocktails made from the wide variety of products available. Try any combination of drinks from Cuba Libre, Piña Colada, Daiquiris, Mojitos and anything else you can think of, don’t be shy, the first drink is complimentary and it’s a fine way to learn what to order whenever you go to another bar.  Though Bacardi and Don Q are the most popular potent potables, they are by no means the only ones available: Ron Barrilito (in two or three star varieties) is a classic gold rum perfect for sipping on the rocks or with a mixer, Palo Viejo and Ron Llave are also popular options.

Festivals, such as the Taste of Rum inaugural festival and competition, are a perfect way of relishing the pleasures of rum to the maximum.  The Taste of Rum will be held during Memorial Day weekend at Paseo La Princesa in Old San Juan and is a unique chance to experience everything the island has to offer: great food, great crowds, and, of course, great rum.