Puerto Rico Travel Guide
Puerto Ricooooooo! A small island with diverse terrain: tropical forests and the most beautiful beaches. The best part? You feel like you’re in a different world, but can travel to the island without a passport (as Puerto Rico is a US Territory)! Itching for a winter getaway, I chose to travel to Puerto Rico in January. YES to sunshine and NO THANK YOU to the humidity. The weather was perfect - I think it was the perfect time to go!
Since Maria, the people of Puerto Rico have worked hard to rebuild and encourage visitors to return to their island. I wasn’t sure what to expect after the hurricane, but I was curious enough to book a ticket! I mostly stuck around San Juan (with two day trips to the east and west of the island), and, although we did see some remainders of the hurricane damage, everything was mostly back up and running. Most of the locals we interacted with were happy to have us exploring their island! Puerto Ricans adore their island and love to share their love with others.
And, I must say, if Puerto Rico isn’t on your list of places to visit, it should be. (As a first time visitor to the island and a glutton for information, I did a lot of research). This particular blog post will take the form of a First Timer’s Guide! For our inaugural trip, we decided to take a long weekend and travel Thursday - Monday. It was definitely a short visit, just enough to dip our toes into what all the island has to offer!
STAY
We found the perfect little AirB&B close to an up and coming foodie area in PR. Santurce! We had a couple of AWESOME food options within 4 blocks and the beach was a 5 minute walk!
When I return, I’ll try to stay in Old San Juan. There is a lot of hustle and bustle in that area, the proximity would make logistics a bit easier. HOWEVER, we did explore the island a bit, and it was nice being in our own space with parking for the car. Plus, I felt more immersed in the everyday life in Santurce, so it was a good location for our first experience.
DO
Good, Lord SO MANY THINGS.
Culebra. We debated about catching a private catamaran tour to Culebra, and I’m SO GLAD we ended up booking the excursion. Culebra was a highlight of our trip, so picturesque I couldn’t stop staring if I tried! Crystal clear waters, mile long beaches and fantastic snorkeling. You would definitely need a rental car for the drive to Fajardo (which was easy peesy); however, some of the tours offer hotel pickups in advance. Personally, I liked having my own vehicle (go at your own pace).
Hiking the forests. Puerto Rico has multiple forests on the island. We booked a tour through AirB&B Experiences to do BodyRafting in Arecibo, which is a sub-tropical forest on the east side of the island. The hike itself was a fun challenge and our tour guides did a great job of showcasing the local ecosystem. I would definitely recommend getting outside of San Juan and exploring some of the forests. Yunque is the more popular forest on the island, and I will definitely make a point to visit when I return.
Old San Juan. Fun fact: the island’s capital was originally located more towards the center of the island, but was moved to it’s current location (Old San Juan) for military purposes. The tip of Old San Juan is often referred to as the gateway to the Caribbean. So, they built a couple of forts (castles, technically) for their armed forces to keep watch on the seas. We spent a full day walking around Old San Juan, enjoying all of the happy colors of the painted buildings, purchasing popsicles from street vendors, and popping in and out of shops (maybe enjoying a pina colada or two). Paseo de los sombrillas was such a fun spot, we visited twice! I would also recommend researching a self-guided walking tour of the city. We used a guide to hit all of the historical stops and read about the history.
El Morro. This could have been lumped in with Old San Juan, but I wanted to highlight this stop. El Morro is a castle/fort on the Atlantic side of San Juan, historically used as a military fortress (keeping watch for foreign invaders + pirates). The castle is a great piece of history in San Juan! So GO for the history, STAY for the views. My jaw kept hitting the old stone floors of El Morro as I looked out to sea. The waves crashed up on the rocks and the coastline stretched for miles! It was incredible, and I would HIGHLY recommend visiting.
EAT/DRINK
Old San Juan Faves
Raices (Order their mofongo! Fairly touristy, but they have a great selection of local dishes)!
Barrachina (Home of the FIRST pina colada! Barrachina had my favorite pina colada on the island, and we had a DELICIOUS meal here, too).
Don Ruiz Cafe (Coffee shop close to El Morro. GREAT COFFEE and I was surprised by how much I enjoyed their breakfast sandwiches. DELISH)!
La Factoria (Despacito was filmed here! And for good reason - their cocktails are FANTASTIC! DO NOT MISS).
Santurce
Lote 23 (LOCAL FAVE. Outdoor food truck park in the middle of a high rise neighborhood. We were able to catch some live music and enjoy a number of different food dishes! We loved it, because it felt more off of the beaten path and like we were truly surrounded by islanders).
Tresbe (Another outdoor patio dining style eatery out of a giant shipping container! Loved the casual vibe here - the shrimp tempura was AMAZING).
La Coctelera (I sipped a vodka cocktail out of a lightbulb! Upscale cocktails and dining - I’d recommend grabbing a cocktail here).
Bar Bero (Old school barber shop turned cocktail bar - they even kept some of the old barber chairs for seating! Neat spot to grab a drink after dinner).
We LOVED our Puerto Rico trip. We were on the island long enough just to hit some highlights! If you have the capacity, I would recommend staying for at least 4 full days. OR. Just planning to re-visit (like me)! After my visit, I’ve come to believe that the silver lining after Hurricane Maria has been a hyper focus on community. All of the locals we interacted with really seemed to share a bond and an increased sense of island pride. And you can feel the positivity - it flows through the island like the ocean breeze.
