We just wrapped up a 4 day/4 night trip to San Juan, Puerto Rico and we wanted to share with you lots of the details including how to get here, where to stay, where to eat, and what to do while visiting Puerto Rico. So pack a bag and join us in sunny puerto Rico.
About Puerto Rico
First, just a little bit about Puerto Rico.
Puerto Rico is a beautiful Caribbean island located in the northeastern Caribbean Sea. It is an unincorporated territory of the United States and has a rich cultural heritage blending Spanish, African, and Taíno indigenous influences.
The island is known for its stunning beaches, lush rainforests, and vibrant cities. One of its most famous attractions is El Yunque National Forest, a tropical rainforest with diverse wildlife and breathtaking waterfalls.
Puerto Rico's capital city, San Juan, is a popular tourist destination with its historic Old San Juan district, featuring colorful colonial buildings, cobblestone streets, and impressive fortresses El Morro and San Cristobal.
Puerto Rico has definitely faced challenges in recent years, including the devastation caused by Hurricane Maria in 2017 and of course the impact of the pandemic on tourism. Despite this, the island has shown resilience and continues to recover and rebuild, much of which was evident with the construction going on around us while we were there and talking to locals about the rebuilding and recovery process.
Puerto Rico is known for its vibrant culture, including music, cuisine, and festivals and you are likely to see festivals going on in Old San Juan. We were here for Mother's Day and we could tell it was a big celebration for families to go out to eat.
We found that most people speak English, especially in the San Juan, El Yunque and Fajardo areas that we visited.
Getting There
Puerto Rico's status as a U.S. territory allows for the use of the U.S. dollar as its currency and enables visitors from the United States to travel without a passport. Its warm tropical climate makes it an appealing destination year-round.
I use T-mobile and it worked just like I was in the US. Scott has Xfinity and he could have used the activated his International pass but we just chose to use my phone and the wifi at the hotel.
San Juan airport has direct flights from most major US cities and local told us Frontier and Spirit have added a lot of flights a day from several major Us cities and I talked to two different people who had flown Frontier to get here. We used Delta from Atlanta.
If you are going to stay near San Juan, Old San Juan, or the Condado area and mainly go to your hotel and stay in the area, you can use Uber. We rented a car but I checked some rates and it is $10-15 from Airport to Condado area and $10-15 from Condado to Old San Juan.
If you plan to venture out, which we would definitely recommend, we would suggest renting a car either from the airport or, if you just want it for a day or two, there are some car rentals in the Condado area.
Pro tip we learned! When we arrived the Budget and Avis line was very very long so rent from one of the companies where you go straight to the aisle and pick up your car - we rent from National Car rental.
Where to Stay
We decided to stay at the Condado Ocean Club. It is about 10 minutes from Old San Juan by car or about 15 min from the airport. It is a smallish (96 room) Adults Only boutique hotel right on the ocean with an infinity pool and onsite coffee shop (Detox) and restaurant (Social) that also provides food that can be ordered by the pool and room service. We booked it through Booking.com and paid for it with our own money so this is not a sponsored post. The links to the hotels on booking however are affiliate links and so if you book and complete your stay we do receive a small commission.
We would definitely recommend booking the Premium Ocean View Room. This view was totally worth it. They also have Lagoon view rooms and ocean view rooms with balconies and terraces but they are on a lower floor and this view (we were on the 10th floor) was everything. (The photo doesn't do it justice).
This hotel has been recognized by Travel & Leisure Magazine in both 2021 and 2022 with a World's Best Award.
Two others that I considered before booking were:
Condado Vanderbilt Hotel, part of the iprefer Hotel rewards program. This is a 5 star hotel with a comparable price point but the Adults Only and views of the Ocean Club led us to choose it instead.
As you know we have the Marriott Bonvoy Titanium Elite Status so I typically look within that brand first. The San Juan Marriott Resort & Stellaris Casino is also in this same area. (It is worth mentioning here that Puerto Rico is a big destination for Casino goers as well. It is just not our thing so we don' go into it here but if you enjoy a Casino, that's another reason to visit Puerto Rico). This is a larger property, and the beach is a little wider on this property (there was a small, public rocky beach where we were but the pool at the Ocean Club is the star). There are also water slides at the San Juan Marriott so we assume that it is a kid friendly resort.
After visiting Old San Juan, I think staying in Old San Juan would be a great experience too. It is not close by the water or beach but close to everything in old San Juan, especially the dining options.
For staying in Old San Juan, check out the Gallery Inn, which looks gorgeous with a courtyard pool or the larger Hotel El Convento, with several restaurants and a rooftop pool.
What to See and Do
We arrived on a Saturday and stayed through Wednesday morning. We took an early flight on Saturday so the plan on Saturday was to get a bite to eat, relax at hotel, rest, and maybe go out to dinner. We typically recommend this for travel days and especially not to book something to do if you can help it in case you have a travel delay or are just too tired to enjoy it.
After checking into the hotel, we ate lunch at La Marqueta (open Thursday through Sunday) La Marquesta is an Outdoor Food Hall conveniently located in the Condado area with restaurants and bars. We had tacos & Ceviche from one of the stalls. While the food and drinks were good, we found it to be little on the expensive side for a food truck market but we found everything in Puerto Rico to be more on the expensive side. We spent the afternoon relaxing in the pool before heading to town for dinner.
Picture by the water at La Marqueta
Old San Juan
We found out that a lot of restaurants close by 9 and most places want you to have a reservation (they always asked if we did).
If you drive into Old San Juan, the best place to park is in the public deck that is close to the port (turn left when you get into Old San Juan or following the signs that say Public Parking). Parking on the street may be available during the day, during the week but the signs say permit only for residents in the evening and on the weekends. The streets are narrow and lots of people seemed to drive around the streets so save some time and just park in the deck (its around $4 for a few hours), and wear shoes that you can walk easily on cobblestone streets. The town is actually quite small and you can reach one end to the other in about 10-15 minutes walking.
We had planned to try an al fresco rooftop wine bar and I even texted with the restaurant to see if we needed a reservation and what time the kitchen closed. Unfortunately after we were seated our server informed us that they had run out of quite a few things and so the chef said that he was done for the night. So we were off to find Plan B.
We walked back to a place that we had passed that looked cute and hoped for the best.
We ate at Bacaro - excellent drinks and food (we both had 2 different specials) but it was Italian, not exactly what we were looking for for our first night in Puerto Rico but it was good and we got to eat.
We knew that we wanted to return to Old San Juan during the day to see the colorful architecture during the day.
Sunday was our out and about adventure day because Scott would be working from the hotel Monday and Tuesday.
We had breakfast in Old San Juan at cafe Cuatro Sombras. We got there pretty early and it was not too busy but it was very busy by time we left, which Scott had read online. We found that all restaurants in Puerto Rico had you scan the QR code to see the menu and even though this was a order at the counter coffee shop, we didn't notice that we could have ordered some sandwiches from the online menu until we had already ordered from their selection of pastries at the counter.
After breakfast we walked toward the fort along the wall. Put in Casa Rosa or Paseo del Morro to walk along the old fortress wall. We also just wandered the streets to look at the architecture and take some pictures. You can go into the forts, El Morro and San Cristobal, but we were headed to El Yunque so didn't have a lot of time.
Unsure of the lunch options in the National Forest we picked up lunch at Cafe Manolin old San Juan - a diner style restaurant offering local cusine (we choose the Cuban Sandwiches with fries & plantains to carry out with us and it may have been our least expensive meal).
El Yunque National Forest
The biggest thing on our list for our short tip was to see El Yunque National Forest and the waterfalls. So after Old San Juan in the morning, we headed to El Yunque (Hoon K) about 50 min outside Old San Juan.
I would recommend downloading two things before you head out.
1. The offline map of El Yunque National Forest. In google maps type in El Yunque National Forest, let it load, click the ... at the top right and then click download offline map.
2. Download the El Yunque National Forest app and take a look around before you go to help plan your visit.
Pro Tip!
In order to see most of the waterfalls you'll need to go to recreation.gov in advance to get a parking pass. It's only $2 and It is available 30 days in advance and then again 24 hours in advance for either 8 - 11 and 11-2 entry (you must go in by 3) and you have to be out by 5. They did have people stationed there physically checking you name. A few hours is enough to drive to the end of the road, take a walk on a few of the shorter hikes (some are still closed from the hurricane). There are a few concession type areas on the way in but we brought our own food and water. There are a few restrooms stationed throughout.
There is a visitors center before you get to the parking pass area ($8 entry fee) that has an film, interpretive center, trails, shop, restaurant and more. We opted to skip this due to our limited time and head straight for the waterfalls.
Here's what we did at El Yunque
Stop at La Coca Falls. Its just beside the road but there's a parking area nearby.
Climb up the top of Yokaku Tower for breathtaking views all the way to the ocean.
You can swim in the pools as the base of Juan Diego Creek so you may want to bring along a swimsuit and towel. For all of the trails we found that you need sturdy shoes as the paths were slippery and muddy due to the frequent rain in the rainforest. We walked to the base of the first falls.
Visit the Bano Grande Historic Site. The remains of a swimming pool built by the Civilian Conservation Corps.
Take a Hike to Bitton Tower (about 45 min each way).
Then you'll head back the way you came, stopping anywhere you missed or want to see again.
Other places in the Area
We wanted to see one more area on our Adventure day so we headed toward, Fajardo and Seven Seas Beach
We then headed toward the Fajardo area to spend the last part of the day seeing the beaches in the northeast part of Puerto Rico. I put La Chiva Natural into the GPS and off we went, knowing we would also pass Seven Seas Beach as well and would decide where to stop once we arrived. Being Mother's Day and Sunday the parking and beach were still very crowded and we passed a few interesting places to eat that seemed to have a lot of people. We decided to go ahead and eat some dinner before it got too late so we circled back around, parked on the side of the road, and headed toward La Estacion.
La Estacion is an open air restaurant that is an Esso gas station transformed. It is open Thursday - Sunday and features. Their claim to fame is mixing traditional BBQ techniques with Caribbean Flavors. They cook on open fires and their ingredients are sourced from local farms and local waters. When they run out of something they are out. We could have waited for a table but ate at the bar. Read more about La Estacion here. The owner and his wife were actually there when we dined which I think is always great. You can make reservations 2 weeks in advance on Resy as well (see the link from their website).
We lingered for a couple of hours eating delicious BBQ and enjoying the wonderful cocktails you find in Puerto Rico and since the sun sets around 6:45 and it was an hour back we headed back to San Juan.
On Monday we had breakfast at local restaurant just down the street from the Ocean Club called Pannes. They have excellent coffee, huge portions, and traditional food. I had empanadas for breakfast along with eggs and fruit and breakfast and lunch served all day (including cocktails - you are at the beach).
Since we were both working during the day on Monday and Tuesday, we decided to schedule a mixology class at the Bacardi distillery on Monday afternoon. The last tour is at 4:30 and they ask you to arrive around 4 to get checked in and be sure to have time to enjoy a handcrafted welcome cocktail. It is about 15 minutes from Condado area or Old San Juan so plan accordingly.
The tour starts with a brief tour via golf cart of the exterior of the facility where they point out the stills. You are then escorted into a courtyard where they tell you about the history of the Bacardi family and the Rum. There you taste a reserve rum and then head off to the cocktail class. Although there were 40-50 people the class was super organized and we learned how to make a Mojito and a shaken Pina Colata. We learned some tricks for both here but won’t give away too much. You’ll have to pay them a visit and learn the secrets for yourself.
You can also do just a tour without a class or stop by and enjoy a cocktail under their pavilion by the water and enjoy their seating area.
Dinner after Bacardi at La Vergüenza Viejo San Juan rooftop. You walk all the way to the top of the hill away from the port and the restaurant is just across the street from the water. No reservations are taken here so you just have to leave it to luck to score a seat on then 2nd or 3rd level outdoor deck. The food was one of the best meals we enjoyed in Puerto Rico. I had fish tocos and Scott had the pork dish with rice and beans. the service was great but don’t be in a hurry as it took a long while to get the food. We also ordered some beef empanadas and cocktails so that helped us pass the time.
Our last night we decided to try the restaurant SOCIAL at the Condado Ocean Club. With its location right in Condado, it was apparent that most people dining here were not actually staying at the hotel, for both breakfast and lunch. You can order from their Pool menu during the day if you are relaxing by the pool. In the evening is an upscale restaurant but enjoys an open air patio directly by the ocean. The location cannot be beat. The feature specialty cocktails and a few tapas. The standout for us was the Caramel Bread Pudding with a Pineapple topping. This was probably the most expensive meal we had in Puerto Rico.
What to do with Additional Time in Puerto Rico
I would take a ferry or plane and spend a couple of days in the island of Vieques (v a Kay’s) or Culebra. I had looked into this but with our limited amount of time on a first trip, wanting to see Old San Juan and El Yunque, and not knowing what the internet situation would be like, we opted to stay closer to San Juan. I did find these places on Vieques and these on Cuebra though when I was doing my pre trip research.
Scott said he would bring his golf clubs and play some of the beautiful courses here on the island. Our server at Social recommended he try out the Grand Reserve Golf Club and plan a stay at either the Hyatt Regency Grand Reserve or the St Regis Bahia Beach Resort for a splurge trip.
He also recommended that we plan a day or more to see the Northwest Coast and the Rincon area and visit Survival Beach and Crash Boat Beach or travel even further south to the coastal town of Ponce (Pon Say) and see La Guancha or catch a boat tour out to Caja de Muertos. He did say that the best bet for accomodations in those areas were small homes and apartments for rent.
See a few in Rincon area here. And in Ponce here.
There’s always the next trip, right?
Puerto Rico Packing List
- Bathing suits and cover ups
- Flip flops for by the pool
- Tropical clothing - shorts, t shirts, tank tops. It is humid and we’ve had some rain.
- Rain coat if you are visiting El Yunque (El Hoon K) which is a rain forest and tevas or sturdy walking shoes. The hike to Juan Diego creek and Britton trail were slippery and muddy
- People tend to dress up a little at night when going out, but you’ll be fine with casual dress as well but I brought along a few sundresses and my Birkenstocks becomes they are both sturdy and can be dressy.
- You’ll want sturdy walking shoes for Old San Juan and for El Yunque because of the cobblestone streets. We brought along our thicker soled Tevas with the treads, Mens & Womens.
- Camera of course. The water is gorgeous and the colors in old San Juan are beautiful
- Crossbody or sling bag for wallet/phone etc. I brought this one.
- Denim jacket for plane, ferry, taxi etc.
- Foldable bag you can use to take to the pool or beach.
You can find all our favorite travel gear here.
If you just have a few days, maybe a long weekend, this would be a perfect itinerary for you or you could add on the additional suggestions. Or if you have been to Puerto Rico and have other favorite places and activities, drop us a note or leave a comment. We love hearing from you and are inspired by your stories.
