A Guide to Puerto Rico 7.6.23
A guide to making the most of your trip (including the best eats, of course)
I am in no way an expert on Puerto Rico. I'm just someone who booked a flight a week before going and managed to have what I would consider a successful trip with little time to plan. In the midst of a pandemic, Puerto Rico offered a unique chance at a getaway that simultaneously kept me in the United States (didn't even need to dig out my passport), but felt so far removed from my daily life. Yes, I go to the beach often, but do I get to see cows on the beach in Miami? Obviously not.
So here is the week-long itinerary that worked for me, where and what I ate, what I suggest you skip, and what not to miss.
Days 1-2: Old San Juan
Assuming you are flying into SJU, it will make the most sense to begin your trip with San Juan. Some people will tell you to stay in Condado, but in my opinion, unless you want to eat in American restaurants and go to a dirty Starbucks for your coffee, I'd say it isn't my favorite area. Old San Juan was my favorite place in the capital. There is undoubtedly the most to do, you will never tire of the colorful buildings , it is rich with history, and it is walkable. We didn't need any taxis or Ubers when we stayed here. The only problems we encountered were, due to how popular the area is right now, many restaurants had long waits, and it gets loud at night! Earplugs were lifesavers.
What to do, eat, drink, and see in Old San Juan
A trip here is not complete without visiting Fort San Cristóbal. This fort took over 100 years to complete in order to shield the city from attacks. You'll see many people sunbathing and lounging in the grassy areas near the fort and flying kites. If you're up for a bit of a trek, you can complete the mile-long walk along the outer fortifications along the water. Just be aware that it is very sunny, hot, and there are stairs.
After working up a sweat, you'll probably be ready for a cold beer. Head over to Birra y Empanadas. This is a great little spot where locals and tourists alike hangout, listen to reggaeton, drink local craft beer, and eat homemade empanadas. We stayed in Old San Juan for two days and came here three times. Yes, it's that good. To be honest, we came to San Juan without any itinerary or reservations. I mostly enjoyed aimlessly walking around and admiring the colors. You can feel safe walking around here with no destination in mind. After a couple of beers, we just walked, and walked, and walked.
It's not hard to walk the entirety of Old San Juan, but make sure you walk down Calle Fortaleza, as it is the most beautiful street in the city. Walk it all the way down to the governor's home, taking into account that it is quiet and residential here. You'll see the most stunning homes, the street covered in shady trees. This will take you to the wall of the fort, and this will be a great spot to enjoy the sunset. Once you're hungry for dinner, brace yourselves for a wait, because it's very likely there will be one in Old San Juan. To be honest, we were not impressed with much of the lunch or dinner we had anywhere during this part of our trip (which is why we stuffed ourselves full of those delicious empanadas). We did, however, have a nice breakfast at La Carreta. Whatever you do, make sure you try pan de Mallorca while you're in San Juan. They can be found at several bakeries, but many of them were closed for some reason. I ordered it at La Carreta, and it was delicious. It's essentially egg bread with a generous dusting of powdered sugar. You can get it as a sandwich, or simply buttered like I did.
After a day or two in Old San Juan, I think it's safe to say you can continue exploring elsewhere. While we did not need any transportation in San Juan, renting a car was key for the rest of our trip. If you want to see a lot of Puerto Rico (and why wouldn't you?), I think renting a car is a necessity. It gave us the freedom to deviate from our plans, add stops wherever and whenever we felt like it, and hit the road whenever we wanted. Cars are in high demand right now, especially in Puerto Rico. It ended up being our biggest expense, but it was worth it without a doubt. Before departing San Juan, we picked up our car and began our road trip.
Day 3: Piñones and Fajardo
Some people will recommend the beaches in San Juan, but we found beautiful, less crowded beaches about 30 minutes east in the town of Piñones. People just pull over on the side of the road, cross the street, and walk onto the beach. There are even cheap chair and umbrella rentals. One of the coolest things about Piñones are the endless kiosks selling coconut water and other refreshments but mostly an array of fried food. You should stop and try an alcapurria, which is a fritter stuffed with beef or crab, and a bacalaíto, a salt cod fritter. This would be a great place to spend a relaxing day.
Afterwards, and I cannot recommend this highly enough, go another hour east to Fajardo. This may seem like a sleepy town where not much goes on, but this is where we witnessed one of the coolest phenomenon on earth - a bioluminescent bay. But before I get ahead of myself, let me tell you where to eat in Fajardo. You'll want to make a reservation in order to ensure you get a table at La Estacion, a place that calls themselves 'Nuyorican BBQ.' Their menu showcases American BBQ and locally caught fresh seafood. This place made me wish my stomach was bigger: I ordered lobster cocktail with fresh, local starfruit, pork belly with smoked pineapple, macaroni and cheese, head-on shrimp, and tres leches ... and I still wanted to try more.
After you've eaten and feel energized, you're ready for the main event. There are only five bioluminescent bays in the entire world. Three of those are right here in Puerto Rico, and one of those is in Fajardo. If you are confused and need a quick science lesson, bioluminescence is light emitted by living organisms - the simplest way I can put it, animals/funghi that glow in the dark. That means that the water glows! While in Fajardo, you can book a kayaking tour at night and see the water literally glow. I consider myself very fortunate to have witnessed this. Yes, it was a little scary to kayak through mangroves and not be able to see, putting all of my trust into a guide. You get over it quickly, though, as soon as you dip your hand into water and it glows blue! This is something one must take advantage of while traveling here. We used Pure Adventure and felt safe the whole time.
Day 4: El Yunque
Did you know that El Yunque is the only tropical rainforest in the U.S.? We drove from Fajardo to El Yunque, about a 25 minute drive, following a guide the entire time. We also followed a guide with a group in the park. You do have the option of entering the park yourself for free if you can manage to snag a vehicle pass, but they can be tricky to get. We decided to go with a guide because we felt more comfortable having someone help us navigate. Just know that while exploring El Yunque, you need an ample amount of bug spray, close-toed shoes you don't mind getting muddy and drenched (I wore my Lems), SPF, and clothes you can get wet. Do not take anything with you you do not want to get wet. After hiking a bit and even climbing some rocks, you will want to jump in the water (you can even jump off mini cliffs)!
Days 5-6: Rincón
Rincón, a beach town on the west coast, was our longest drive but our favorite place. It is about three hours from El Yunque, where we departed from, but perhaps this was due to traffic. If you enjoy snorkeling, this is your town. If you enjoy pristine beaches, this is your town. We frequented Steps Beach a number of times during our short stay here to snorkel, catch the sunset, and just take in the view. It was never crowded and always clean. It's a great place to see marine life, and we even saw some runaway cows that got loose. When you're ready for lunch, head to The Beach House. These were the best fish tacos I've ever had.
Rincón is a small little town, so it can be tricky to get a table for dinner. We eventually found a small, romantic spot called Estela that was able to seat us immediately. They had a small but good menu and even a vegan menu. I had lamb vaca frita with bbq eggplant - delicious.
Day 7: Arecibo and Santurce
The day before flying out of SJU, we decided to see as much as we could on the way back to San Juan. We stopped in Arecibo along the way in order to see the Ceuvas del Indios, a rocky spot on the water where the Tainos are said to once have met. This spot offers beautiful views of rocks and caves. There is a man who tries to charge you for parking in his lot, claiming you need a ticket to enter, but if you follow the red and yellow fence and then walk towards the water, you will find a free entrance. This was perhaps the hottest I got on the entire trip. You'll have no shade, so wear a lot of sunscreen, bring plenty of water, and wear comfortable shoes. Be sure to pay attention where you are walking as there are some huge, deep holes in the rocks. You can fall hundreds of feet if you don't pay attention!
After exploring Cuevas del Indios, we made our way back to San Juan. Since we'd already seen Old San Juan, we took a visit to the Santurce neighborhood. Santurce is San Juan's artistic hub, so there is plenty of cool street art to see. To be honest, a lot of places closed really early here, yet bars and restaurants near La Placita didn't seem to come alive until night time. It was tricky to figure out what to do here. We did, however, find Lote 23, a huge food truck park with so much good food that our eyes became bigger than our stomachs.
Although everything at Lote 23 looked truly delicious, I know I made the right call by going to Pernileria Los Proceres. Puerto Rico is known for their pork, and after getting one whiff of what was coming out of there I was sold. Not only was this sandwich the best thing I ate on my trip, but it was one of the best things I have ever eaten. That's saying a lot.
After that sandwich, paired with a great sour beer, I just wished I could live in this food truck park. Dramatic? Maybe. But alas, our trip was coming to an end and I needed to say goodbye to my pernil.
What I learned:
Not all of the beaches in Puerto Rico are nice. In fact, I often felt like the beach here in Miami is nicer. I only felt differently about Piñones and Rincón. I also know I didn't see every beautiful beach, to be fair.
The police are very on top of parking tickets. I saw many tickets being issued. Be careful!
Puerto Rico loves Burger King and Church's Chicken. There are seriously both every mile. What is the deal?
Puerto Rico makes the best pork. I think I have made that clear.
I like to be spontaneous, but it pays to make dinner reservations in Puerto Rico.
No amount of sunscreen or bug spray is too much.
