Since I was single and discovered the beauty of Latin America, I had wanted to go to Puerto Rico. The home of reggaeton, street parties, a colonial style old town, nightclubs, beautiful beaches and the iconic location where Despacito was filmed; who wouldn’t want to go there? I had my trip researched and booked but then the pandemic happened. Fast forward two and a half years later, and I finally had my Puerto Rico trip booked. But it was going to be a different trip, as now I had my girlfriend and little did she know, I was planning to propose in San Juan. Puerto Rico is scenic and safe so it was the perfect place to get engaged, to read about it and the views from Castillo El Morro, click here.
Flights from Winnipeg to Puerto Rico aren’t the best. There are long layovers, and it’s costly. We saw a cheap flight from Fargo, with an extremely long layover in Dallas, Texas. I’ve never been and who wouldn’t want to go to the city that shares their name. Useful tip, if you can find a cheaper flight with a long layover in a cool city, take it. No rushing and waiting around in the airport, instead get out, explore, and get a good night’s rest in a hotel.
Puerto Rico had its ups and downs. The food is supposed to be great, but the food was some of the worst I’ve had in Latin America. The local dish called Mofongo is good, but not great. Mofongo is smashed plantains topped with different types of meat. Despite being a territory of the USA, the Americanized food wasn’t as good as food from mainland USA. The food was also expensive. Although, after listening to a local we tried Bebo's, which was Puerto Rican barbecue, which was cheaper and tasty.
Our first stop to try the local food was at Lote 23 in the Santurce neighborhood. Santurce is a young district, covered with graffiti and art and known for the iconic street party in La Placita en la noche. La Placita is a square of bars in Santurce where they shut down the street and the people partying in the bars spill out onto the street and hop bar to bar. We went to La Placita one night; for partiers it is a must do experience. Loud music, plenty of dancing, multiple bars, dancing and drinking in the street. If you don’t like big crowds, or want to hold a conversation without yelling, La Placita isn’t for you. Plus the lines for drinks are long, but being a fellow degenerate, it was right up my alley for a night or two while travelling with the missus. She was a good sport and came with me but it wasn’t her cup of tea.
But back to Lote 23; it is a gastronomic park with a large range of food trucks and stands. The park showcases local food, Puerto Rican spin on American dishes, along with other Latin food. When we were there, we had tacos, Mofongo and stuffed arepas. Arepas are Colombian and Venezuelan patties (South American tortilla). The ones we had in Lote 23 were stuffed and it was our favorite dish we had of the day.
Besides try the local cuisine and party in La Placita, the highlight of Puerto Rico is that there’s plenty to do. We were there for 7 nights, and it wasn’t enough time to experience the vast array of experiences the island has to offer. There is plenty of nightlife, and the next best highlight after La Placita is La Factoria. La Factoria is a multi roomed bar in Old San Juan. The bar is packed and is famous for it’s cocktails. Did I mention, it’s the bar where Despacito was filmed? The cocktails were good but overpriced and the music was too loud to hold a conversation. But I’m glad I got to go there at least once in my lifetime.
The other location of Despacito is La Perla, a colourful but impoverished neighborhood in San Juan. If you’re in Old San Juan, it is the adjacent neighborhood, so it’s just a walk over. Some people will tell you not to go there, but as long as you’re careful you’ll be fine. I wouldn’t go at night, but in daytime it was perfectly fine. On our first morning in San Juan, we were supposed to go for a coffee, but we wandered and I ended up tricking the missus to coming with me to explore. We wandered the streets and marveled at the colourful buildings and view of the Caribbean. While walking we picked up a few beers in local stores (at a very cheap price) and walked around beer in hand. During our walk we mostly encountered workers and were only offered illicit substances once. At the bottom of La Perla we came across a bar overlooking the water, where we had a few drinks, chatted with a Colombian tourist and enjoyed the vista and the sounds of the sea. We ordered deep fried pork, which was quite tasty and instead of coffee filled up on beer. It was one of my favorite experiences in Puerto Rico.
The beaches are phenomenal. If you’re staying in San Juan, there are two main beaches you can go to. Depending where you stay, you can walk there or take a short cab ride. There’s Condado and Isla Verde. We went to both. Condado is more for walking around and having lunch/dinner, but we enjoyed the beach for a couple of hours. Isla Verde was a beach with aqua blue water, was lined with hotels, restaurants and jet skis. I went Jet skiing and it was overpriced but a fun experience riding the aqua blue waves while overlooking San Juan.
Not only are there beaches right in San Juan, but being a Caribbean island, the island is full of beaches. Puerto Rico boasts some of the best beaches in the world. Crystal blue water, lush rain forests and isolation are some ways to describe the beaches. To learn about Flamenco Beach, which has been rated a top 10 beach in the world click here.
There is also Casa Bacardi, which is a short ferry ride from Old San Juan. At Casa Bacardi there are a variety of tours to select from where you can learn the history of Bacardi, taste the rum, get a tour and visit the gift shop. If you have time and like rum, it is worth a visit.
Puerto Rico is also one of the few places in the world with a bioluminescent bay where you can see the algae light up in the water at night. We did the Bio Bay tour with Kayaking Puerto Rico and you can read the review of the experience here.
And finally for hikers, you can go to El Yunque rainforest, the only rainforest in the USA (technically P.R. is in the USA). There are several hikes, waterfalls and views in El Yunque. The views are tremendous and the flora is lush and diverse. But be prepared, it’s hot and the hike is excruciating. I’ve never been one for hiking; excruciating pain and exhaustion for a beautiful view that you enjoy for 15 minutes at the end, no thanks. But the fiancé likes hiking so I made it happen. Plus, I paired it with a trip to Luquillo beach, and an overnight stay in Fajardo where we did the bio bay kayaking followed by the tour to Flamenco beach.
Those are just some of the things you can do in Puerto Rico, and more specifically San Juan. We only explored the eastern portion of the island so there’s a whole island more to explore. As you can see there is a lot to do, so activities, excursions and things to do is the highlight of Puerto Rico. If you go you won’t be bored. Plus, even strolling through Old San Juan and taking in the colonial architecture and colours is another bonus. The beaches are tremendous too. And, like me, you could even get a tattoo there.
The negatives of travelling to Puerto Rico are the prices (it uses the American dollar) which asides from beer, things aren’t cheap and the food is sub par. Also, the people can be fun and nice but aren’t always the friendliest. They aren’t bad, but they don’t compare to the people of Cuba and Colombia.
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