APRIL 3, 2022 /TRAVEL, CENTRAL AMERICA, PUERTO RICO

LIFE IN PUERTO RICO [PUERTO RICO TRAVEL GUIDE]

One of the perks of working remotely is the ability to work from anywhere in the world, as long as there is electricity and stable internet connection. So for a month together with my boyfriend we decided to live in Puerto Rico.

Puerto Rico is located on the Caribbean, meaning that it has beautiful beaches and nature. Not that many people know, but Puerto Rico is an US territory, if you need a visa for the USA you will also need an US visa to visit Puerto Rico, for US citizens tho you only need your ID to visit Puerto Rico. The island is a fusion between American, Spanish and Caribbean culture, an island that has many things to offer from nature, to beautiful sandy beaches to wonderful historic sights.

Living for a month in Puerto Rico, I got to see most of the places worth the visit and even managed to see some less known sights. 

The temperature is pretty constant all year round, so Puerto Rico makes a great destination throughout the year, like the rest of the Caribbean islands Puerto Rico is not immune to hurricanes, hurricane season is considered May through November so if you plan on visiting Puerto Rico then make sure to check the weather in advance.

Where to stay:

We stayed in Condado neighborhood in San Juan, which is often called the Miami of Puerto Rico, since it quite resembles Ocean Drive in Miami. We rented an apartment for the duration of our stay. However, if you are going for a shorter stay there are multiple hotels and resorts you can choose from. My recommendation would be to stay in San Juan or Dorado.

Getting around:

San Juan is pretty walkable from one place to another. Also, Uber is pretty inexpensive so we used Uber to get from one place to another in San Juan. As for exploring outside of San Juan you would need to rent a car, since uber outside of San Juan is more sacred and in locations such as the El Yunque National Park uber cars are not allowed. We rented a car usually during the weekend when we wanted to explore the island more, make sure to book a car with a known rent a car company.

Must see’s:

Old Town San Juan- a must visit when in Puerto Rico. San Juan is the capital of Puerto Rico and it’s pretty modern, however the old town is a real charm. Spanish influenced architecture, small squares throughout the town, color houses, small restaurants and cafes, souvenir shops.. Beautiful for a stroll in any part of the day, perfect to have lunch or dinner in some of the many restaurants there.

Visit Castillos San Felipe El Morro and San Cristobal- located near the old town of San Juan are the two famous fortresses dating back from the 16th century, built to protect the city from attacks. Both forts are open to visit, the ticket is 10$ per person and it’s valid for both sights if you visit them in the same day.

El Yunque rainforest- something you should absolutely not miss if you ever go to Puerto Rico. El Yunque rain forest is the only rain forest the US has. Because of covid-19 restrictions the number of visitors is limited and there are tickets that should be reserved beforehand on this website they release tickets the day before, so make sure to reserve your tickets in time (one ticket per vehicle). El Yunque is a 40min drive from San Juan, the easiest way to get there is by car, I would suggest renting one. You would need a whole day for El Yunque forest, make sure you wear comfortable shoes for walking/hiking, bugs repellent, and bring extra clothes. Since it’s a rain forest, rainfalls are very frequent, but they only last for a couple of minutes. There are many trails you can hike, some unfortunately are closed since the Maria hurricane in 2017 including the famous La Mina falls. We did the Angelito trail, a short and easy trail that finished with natural swimming pools that you can swim in and Britton Tower trail, that goes all the way to the top of El Yunque forest where Britton Tower is situated.

Condado Area- known as the Miami of San Juan, this neighborhood does look like Miami, with many hotels, apartment buildings in art deco style, restaurants and bars it does give off that vibe. There are multiple beaches you can visit that are beautiful and fun places to grab a bite or a cocktail.

Ponce- the second largest city of Puerto Rico. Located on the south of the island, is around a 2h drive from San Juan. The center of Ponce has a beautiful square with fountains, Spanish influenced architecture, color houses and the most famous fire station Parque de Bombas. A few hours are just about enough to go around Ponce.

Las Salinas in Cabo Rojo- a not so popular place to visit, more like a hidden gem. The Salt Flats are truly beautiful, first glance I was like where are the pink waters this does not look like the photos, but after going a bit further in the salinas I saw the beautiful shade of pink.

Must do’s:

Kayaking or paddle boarding- spend a few hours kayaking or paddle boarding. There are multiple places where you can rent a kayak or paddle board. We decided to kayak on the Condado Lagoon, it was super fun and since it’s a lagoon the water is calm and easy to paddle/kayak.

Rum tasting at Casa Bacardí- another must do activity while in Puerto Rico. Spend a day taking part on the rum tasting tour at Casa Bacardí, learn about the process of how rum is made, the history behind Bacardí rum, tour the property and taste Bacardí rums, some of which can be only found there. Do book tickets prior to visiting.

Tan on Flamenco Beach- voted as one of the best beaches in the world. Flamenco Beach is located on the neighboring island of Culebra, which can be reached from the main island either via ferry boat or plane, my advice would be to fly to Culebra if you are planning on being there only for a day, since the ferry takes longer time and it’s a bit disorganized. The beach is beautiful, with white sand beach, make sure to bring chairs and umbrellas with you since you cannot rent them there, there are a few shops for food and drinks. 

Watch the sun set from Crash Boat beach in Aguadilla- all the way on the northwest part of Puerto Rico is the town of Aguadilla, famous for it’s surfing beaches. But also on that side you have a beautiful sun set which you should not miss.

Sip on a Piña colada- Puerto Rico is the birthplace of the Piña colada so sipping on one whether virgin or no should be on your list. I got a Piña colada on the beach in a carved pineapple which was so cute.

Swim in the natural pools in El Yunque rainforest- there are many natural swimming pools in El Yunque. The easiest to go to are the pool on the Angelito Trail, it’s a very short and easy trail.

Where to eat, must try’s and bar recommendations:

Bar recommendations:

La Factoría

Breakfast/Brunch spots:

Kabanas

what to try: fish tacos

Lunch/Dinner spots

Raíces Restaurant 

what to try: Beef Mofongo and arañitas

El Jibarito

what to try: Pasteles and arroz con habichuelas

Mamacita’s

what to try: any fish or sea-food

Desserts

Piragua- shaved ice with local fruit syrup

Señor Paletta

what to try: ice-cream from local fruits like gunabana, papaya

Hope you enjoyed reading my Puerto Rico travel guide, comment down if you’ve visited Puerto Rico before. You can also check my vlogs from Puerto Rico here.