You are probably reading this and shivering, because you just spent the last twenty minutes scraping the ice off of your car, because yes people, “Winter is Upon Us”! But do not fear, because in today’s blog I want you to strap on your day-dreaming caps, and prepare for your next sunshine-filled vacation getaway.
Welcome to Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States, (Yes, that means PR is still in the US). This Caribbean Island just south of Florida is approximately the size of Connecticut, making it possible to see a wide array of the entire Island on your trip.
When preparing for my trip to PR, I noticed buying early on did not matter much, since flight prices stayed relatively consistent throughout the year. What I did notice is how I saved by buying two separate “one-ways”. I bought my one way from Seattle to San Juan about six months out, and than my one way back a couple weeks before my trip, I saved roughly around $100 US dollars, (sounds like you’ll be ordering plenty of Pina Coladas on the beach, am I right?). Next on my list was to book accommodation, I will be the first to say that “Hosteling” is the way to go. Forget all that you have heard about hostels, because the fact of it all is that it is a total misconception to allow an opportunity to host travelers on a budget, but also to help engage with other travelers and gain hindsight into their local surroundings. Through online research, I stumbled upon the “Nomada Urban Beach Hostel” located in the Calle Loiza section of San Juan, PR. I chose this specific one destination to stay because it was in close proximity to the beach, was on a very bustling nightlife street, and came to be very affordable. All in all for my stay of 5 days I paid $154.47, so basically $30 US dollars a night. Once I knew when I would fly out and where I would be staying, that is when the real fun was to begin, it was time for me to plan my adventure.
DAY 1:
I landed at Luis Munoz Marin International Airport at around midnight, I was told that ride sharing such as Uber/LYFT were not allowed to pick up at the airport, so I was directed into a line to a taxi service to exit the airport. My taxi ride was about a 5 minute drive to my hostel which turned out to cost my a measly $20 US dollars (YIKES, I know!). I was kindly greeted upon arrival, I checked in, received my key for access into the building (as it was securely monitored for guest only in and out), and received all the information needed going forward that would make my stay as pleasant as possible, such as lock, towels rentals, and all other necessities that could be provided if need be. Once I was done with all the front desk tasks, I was brought to my 4-person two bunk room, it was smallish, but with ravishing walls and interesting paintings it felt comforting. Beyond that, the hostel included my needed air conditioning, a very interesting lounge with comfy couches, television installed with fire stick, an xbox, computer section with high-speed internet, and a bar. The next floor up included the kitchen and a mini balcony, from there was the rooftop with lounge seats and an amazing view looking over all of San Juan. Once I got the rundown of my stay I decided to hit the sack from a long day of flying, and prepare for my new adventure in the morning.
Day 2:
I woke up bright an early on my first full day on the Island, I caught Uber to to the Casa Bacardi factory where the well known Bacardi industry started it all. I decided to sign up for a mixology class tour which came out to about $60 US dollars, this included a free alcoholic beverage made by a professional mixologist, than I was taken on a tour around the facility and learned lots about the process of the rum making industry. From there we entered the mixology classroom and were designated to our stations with the necessary supplies needed to make the drinks we were about to learn. Not only did we get to create our specialty island drinks, such as a mojito, but we also got to consume them and keep a commemorative Bacardi glass as a token. Finally we exited the classroom and entered souvenir shop, a lot of neat and interesting options, but pricey in my opinion.
After our seventy-five minute tour, I decided to catch an Uber to Old San Juan, yes the San Juan everyone envisions with the beautiful pastel buildings and cobblestone roads. Immediately as I arrived I decided to test out many of the bars, since everything was in close proximity. I spent the rest of my night out on the town, drinking, socializing, and just having a great time.
**My top bars that I recommend checking out are Cafe teatro (they have hanging swings you can swing on in the bar, need I say more?), La sombria rosa (they offer frozen sangrias 5 for 5, and it’s so worth it), and finally La Factoria, yes the same bar famous for being the “Despactio” music video. What is really neat about La Factoria is that there are three parts to it, for example first part opens at say 5pm, then the next at 8pm, and finally the final one at 10pm, only downside is the age restriction is twenty-three years old and up.
Day 3:
I decided to do a little more of historical adventure seeking, I went to visit “Castillo San Cristobal”, they are the well known forts set up along the cliffs of Old San Juan, built by the Spaniards in 1783 to defend San Juan against outside attacks.
After the trip back in history, I decided to some of the local cuisine known as “Mofongo”, it is a Puerto Rican delicacy made up of plantains, mashed with salt, garlic, broth, olive oil, and wooden pilon. In my opinion I was not a huge fan, but its always good to try something once in most cases. Soon after I stopped and tried a Pina Colada at the Barrachina Restaurant, that claims to have started it all. Finally I did some souvenir shopping to end my third day on the island.
Day 4:
On my fourth day of my trip I decided to go to a very uncommon place in the Caribbean, I chose to take a day trip to El Yunque National Forest, little known fact is that this is the one and only rainforest found in the entire Caribbean. Also a side note, you must rent a car, because no driving service will offer you assistance as it is seen as a huge liability going up into the mountains. So the down side to venturing out this far is the extra cost to rent a vehicle to get there, but you should be happy to know that when you rent a vehicle in Puerto Rico you do not have to pay for tolls, so I was toll free through it all. But none of that matters once you reach for and are amazed by the oversized plants and beautiful colors of El Yunque.
Day 5:
This was my last day in Puerto Rico, I checked out of my hostel early in the morning and caught a ride to Old San Juan to reel in all the last seconds of my extraordinary trip. Lucky for me it was Emancipation Day in Puerto Rico, to celebrate to embellishment of slavery in 1873. I could not ask for a better final day, as I strolled the colorful streets, sipping on my frozen sangria, and hear laughters of children, as I seen in the distance and array of kites being flown through out the free range of land right on the outskirts of the city. I took a second to soak it all in, and I continued on with the rest of my final day, where I eventually stumbled upon the much anticipated weekly event simply known as “La Placita”. It was the talk of the town my whole time visiting, and now I was about experience this market square, full of live music, street performers, food vendors, and bars galore.
To take away from it all, I got to experience a whole new world without ever leaving home. I experienced a whole new culture, tried new things, met new faces, and at the heart of it all, just really learned to live outside of my element, and I can sit here today, and tell you that it was the best damn decision I ever made!
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