As someone with Puerto Rican roots who returns often, I’ve come to see the island not as a single destination, but as a place that constantly reveals itself in new dimensions.

Say ‘fore’ close to the water at Caribbean golf courses. Many 18-hole fairways in the region boast breathtaking views of land and sea, all elements that can also make for wonderfully challenging play. Here are 8 top greens to try for tee time:

Puerto Rico continues to shine as a premier travel destination, especially for golf enthusiasts seeking an unforgettable experience. With 18 courses nestled amid breathtaking landscapes, the island offers an unmatched combination of exceptional golf, stunning ocean views, and several courses framed by lush El Yunque rainforest.

When architect Robert Trent Jones built the Dorado Beach course in Puerto Rico in the 1950s for developer Laurence Rockefeller, it was a feat of engineering. Jones had to drain swamps, clear mangroves and excavate innumerous tons of rock and earth from the hostile tropical rainforest to lift the course off the jungle floor.

It has to be the stone tower rising from a cliff. Royal Isabela resembles a fortress, especially from a distance. But La Casa, the property's main building, was actually patterned after an antique sugar mill: a tribute to the island’s agricultural history.

The best beaches in Puerto Rico are some of the most ideal places to soak up all the Caribbean glamour that earned this island its rather endearing epithet, Isla del Encanto.

Escape to an intimate oceanfront resort on Puerto Rico’s spectacular northwest coast. Blessed with stunning Atlantic views and a dramatic landscape lush with native flora and fauna, Royal Isabela is an epic backdrop for heartwarming family vacations, unforgettable golf getaways, romantic escapes, milestone celebrations, and gracious resort living.

Saying Puerto Rico golf courses are beautiful is like saying a vacation is good for the soul — it goes without saying. While choosing one course here to be the most beautiful is impossible, you’ll find plenty of contenders for that title around the island. Play them all and judge for yourself!

Let’s talk a bit about what it’s like to drive in Puerto Rico. I say that as someone who for eight days in March (as I’ve written in previous posts) drove the 300-odd miles around that Caribbean island/U.S. territory..

Puerto Rico is one of the world’s best-kept secrets when it comes to winter holiday celebrations. The season starts in late November and continues into mid-January, offering travelers a long window of time to enjoy the celebrations.