Puerto Rico is a getaway that easily pleases

The day before I left Midwestern dreariness for the bright sunshine and turquoise waters of Puerto Rico, I sent an e-mail to my brother in Detroit.

"Don't tell Mom," I began, "but I thought someone in my immediate family should know that I'm headed to an island in the Atlantic where they speak a language that I don't. And I'm going alone. Repeat: Don't tell Mom."

My mom is a world-class worrier, and if she knew that her daughter was headed on a solo vacation to a remote island, she would, to put it mildly, freak out. When I've embarked on past adventures -- competing in triathlons, flying across the country to visit friends -- she's offered to buy me presents or give me straight-up cash if I would simply stay at home on my couch.

My couch, however, doesn't have the same sense of adventure that I do.

So, in a nod to easing the fears of my mother (which she didn't have because she didn't know I was going), I chose a vacation in Puerto Rico precisely for its ease: the ease in traveling there, the ease of relaxing on the beach there, the ease at sightseeing solo while visiting a walled fortress, a tranquil beach and a rain forest.

Puerto Rico is, after all, a U.S. territory. I didn't have to exchange money or even tote along my passport at any point in my travels.

Only problem was no problem

The accessible beaches and pools were accented by the thoroughly interesting history of Old San Juan and the United States' only tropical forest -- the captivating El Yunque -- about a 45-minute drive from my hotel in the Condado area of San Juan.

The one glaring problem? Spanish is the primary language in Puerto Rico. But, thankfully, most Puerto Ricans also speak English, and the rest, I discovered, can understand improvised sign language quite well.

So, I arrived in Puerto Rico one autumn evening, stepping into 80-degree warmth while the Cleveland I left that morning shivered. My first stop was Isla Verde, the resort area just outside the San Juan airport. The beach was mere steps from my hotel, and some of the swankiest accommodations on the island -- the Ritz-Carlton, the Inter-Continental -- lined the serene water border.

Isla Verde was strictly for lounging, I soon discovered, and after an afternoon of reading by the pool and relaxing in a hammock dangling above the sand, I realized I'm not strictly a lounger.

Alone and at ease in San Juan

Relocating to a hotel in Condado, another area closer to historic Old San Juan, I felt like I'd traveled to Miami (except cooler). The beach was still just outside my hotel, though the imposing waves and rougher water discouraged me from sticking more than a toe in the ocean. But a Starbucks was also across the street, and I felt more invigorated.

From this base, I was able to stroll nearby streets lined with pricey shops and delectable restaurants or hop a bus to Old San Juan, where it seemed the real spirit of Puerto Rico thrived.

My travel guide led me on a walking tour of the walled fortress edging Old San Juan. The history, from the first governor in Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de Leon to the early Spanish rule, was everywhere. I stopped to tour El Morro, the formidable fort built in 1540 complete with tunnels, dungeons, cannons and spectacular views. A half-submerged submarine cruised lazily from the port. The sun beat down near 90 degrees as I strolled into town. A street vendor sold flavored shaved ice -- piragua -- outside the fortress, and I greedily gobbled up the strawberry-flavored cup I bought for $2.

Farther down the street, I discovered Old San Juan's shopping district housed in the tall, brightly colored buildings that line the narrow streets. In shop after shop, I saw tiny statues or carvings of frogs. They were cute, but I was somewhat confused by their presence.

But the next day, when I braved the Puerto Rican roads and kamikaze drivers in a rental car to drive 45 minutes east to the El Yunque rain forest, I understood why the frog was everywhere.

Because of the rain forest, the tiny "coqui" frog is the national mascot of sorts. In the mists of the forest, I hiked a well-maintained path to La Mina, a thunderous waterfall that visitors often swim in. Along the way, I spotted lizards and snails, but not a single coqui -- though I heard its constant chatter all around.

Rain forest discovery

El Yunque proved to be the highlight of the trip, with lush vegetation unlike anything else I'd seen. Curtains of trees lined every hiking path I ventured on, and spontaneous rivers and waterfalls flowed through every crevice. I came across other hikers only occasionally, otherwise feeling as if I were discovering my own nook of natural beauty at every turn.

When I returned to Condado from El Yunque, after I'd spent the afternoon stretched out by the pool, my cell phone rang. (Puerto Rico is so easy to visit that cells even work thousands of miles from home.) It was my mom.

I let it ring. I had one more day to savor my easy, worry-free vacation and I wanted to enjoy it.