The Excellent 4 Days in Puerto Rico

Castles atop craggy cliffs. Cobblestone streets paved with blue bricks. Chirping Coqui frogs. Mountains, Caribbean Sea, tropical rainforest, and bioluminescent bays. Welcome to Puerto Rico, a lush, enchanted place that defies easy clarification. It’s each an island and an archipelago with its personal small islands; it has a robust Latino id regardless of belonging to the U.S. as a territory; its language, meals, tradition, and historical past are knowledgeable by a mixture of Indigenous Taíno folks, Spanish colonizers, West African folks introduced towards their will, immigrants from Europe, China, different Caribbean, and Latino nations, and mainland USA. Its complexity can also be its magnificence, and its story remains to be unfolding. And it’s a magical place to go to.

Spending 4 days in Puerto Rico is simply sufficient to get a style of what the island has to supply. On our 4-day Puerto Rico itinerary, you’ll discover the historic metropolis of San Juan, wander the colourful, blue-cobblestone streets of Previous City; snorkel within the clear blue waters of Culebra, one of many islands off the coast; hike by means of the tropical rainforest of El Yunque looking for waterfalls and lagoons; and kayak by means of a bioluminescent bay. 

Disclaimer: Our journey was sponsored by Southwest Speedy Rewards™ Credit score Playing cards from Chase. All opinions, suggestions, dangerous jokes, and errors made throughout this journey (we made so many errors, y’all, it’s nearly spectacular) had been 100% my very own.

Psst: Check out these different posts to assist plan your Puerto Rico itinerary:

Puerto Rico Journey Suggestions

Visiting Puerto Rico from the U.S. is surprisingly fast and simple—you don’t even want a passport, or to trade forex! However we do have just a few tricks to reduce stress throughout your journey.

• Methods to Get to Puerto Rico: You’ll must fly into San Juan, and since Puerto Rico is a U.S. territory, you don’t want a passport to go to. You additionally don’t must undergo customs while you arrive, making it an incredibly fast and simple direct flight from Florida! We flew on budget-friendly Southwest Airways, our favourite airline. We love flying Southwest as a result of they don’t cost change or cancelation charges (fare distinction could apply. Failure to cancel a reservation at the least 10 minutes previous to departure could lead to forfeited journey funds). We truly needed to reschedule our journey attributable to a hurricane! Plus, you possibly can test two baggage without spending a dime (weight and measurement limits apply), so that you don’t want to fret about overpacking.
  • Bonus Tip: Ebook your journey with the Southwest Speedy Rewards Credit score Playing cards from Chase You’ll maximize your Speedy Rewards^® factors by flying Southwest, plus get 2X factors on native transit, together with rideshare or your Speedy Rewards automotive rental accomplice purchases—which might all be used to pay for extra flights afterward, and depend towards the coveted Companion Move^®. Southwest’s Companion Move is the profit that lets you choose one individual to fly with you without spending a dime (not together with taxes & charges from $5.60 one-way) each time you buy or redeem factors for a flight. Be taught extra right here.
  • Permit a TON of time on the airport while you go away the island. Earlier than going by means of safety, you MUST ship ALL your baggage by means of agricultural management. They won’t allow you to by means of with out this. Count on an extended safety line and potential delays.
• Methods to Get Round Puerto Rico: Outdoors of Previous San Juan, most of Puerto Rico isn’t actually walkable. That mentioned, we’ve designed the itinerary so that you just don’t want a automotive—you’ll be reserving excursions with resort pickup and drop-off. You’ll be able to take an Uber or taxi to get to and from the airport (and get 2X the factors for doing so if you happen to use your Southwest Speedy Rewards Credit score Card from Chase). If you happen to do resolve to lease a automotive, like we did, it’s fairly fast and simple to do proper on the airport and driving is not any totally different than anyplace else within the U.S. Nevertheless, we don’t advocate renting a automotive and have designed this itinerary to keep away from it. Right here’s why: parking is tough to seek out and costly, navigating Previous San Juan is difficult, and isn’t it extra enjoyable to simply sit again and let another person drive you round anyway? If you happen to’ll be touring with children, go forward and lease a automotive, in any other case, skip it. You gained’t want it for this itinerary.
• We advocate basing your self in Previous San Juan and taking day journeys, then returning to your resort every night time. A lot of the highlights of Puerto Rico are comparatively near San Juan (it’s a small island, in spite of everything) so that is one of the best place to base your self throughout your keep. Throughout our journey, we truly rented a automotive and stayed in Luquillo for 2 days. We selected to lease a automotive as a result of we would have liked extra flexibility attributable to touring with an toddler, and we wished to attenuate the time we spent within the automotive (although actually, I’m undecided we actually did. It felt like we spent a number of time driving round!). And whereas Luquillo is good sufficient, it simply didn’t really feel prefer it was definitely worth the schlep for simply 2 days, and we wished we had stayed in San Juan as an alternative. We’d solely advocate transferring from San Juan if you happen to can e-book lodging which can be definitely worth the journey, just like the El Yunque Rainforest Inn, which we sadly didn’t e-book far sufficient prematurely to expertise (however actually need to subsequent time we go to)! As for the automotive, it could have been a lot simpler to simply e-book actions and never have to fret about driving ourselves round—in order that’s the best way we designed this itinerary.
• Keep within the shade! Puerto Rico may be very near the equator, so the solar is sturdy. Standing within the shade is definitely a 15-degree temperature distinction from standing within the solar. And in fastidiously designed Previous San Juan, on one facet of the road, the sidewalk is at all times within the shade!
• Maintain onto your hats—and different easy-to-blow-away stuff. Puerto Rico is characterised by a robust commerce wind always blowing off the Caribbean. In reality, the wind performed a significant position within the colonization of Puerto Rico: it’s the primary giant island you hit when the wind pushes your ship west from the coast of Africa, 5,000 miles to the east. The wind is splendidly refreshing and carries with it many tales—and any hats that aren’t securely tied to your head. (My favourite sunhat stayed put!)

4-Day Puerto Rico Itinerary

San Juan is a colonial metropolis, and Puerto Rico—colonized by Spaniards—looks like a Latin nation. However it’s a U.S.-owned territory, a colony someplace between the boundaries of statehood and the independence of self-governance.

It is a complicated liminal area that I’ve been considerably acquainted with for my total life with out totally greedy as a result of a not-small portion of my household is Puerto Rican. On my mom’s facet, seven first cousins had been born and raised in Puerto Rico; all of them had a bunch of youngsters, and now I’ve a TON of cousins in Puerto Rico. My mother grew up near her first cousins, making frequent journeys backwards and forwards—she to their hometown of Arecibo, Puerto Rico, they usually to her hometown of Louisville, Kentucky. 

However for numerous causes, she hasn’t visited Puerto Rico because the late Seventies. The Puerto Rico my mom remembered was crumbling across the edges: boarded-up buildings, rampant poverty, and a harmful place for a younger girl to be out alone at night time. However since then, town has utterly reworked itself, because of the laborious work of the neighborhood and a groundbreaking dedication to historic preservation.

So, when Southwest Speedy Rewards Credit score Playing cards from Chase provided to fly us to any of Southwest Airways’ many locations, I picked San Juan. I wished my mother and I to reunite with our cousins, and for them to satisfy Jeremy and Child A for the primary time ever! 

Plus, it was a once-in-a-lifetime alternative to take a three-generation journey: a 9-month-old child, my 70-something-year-old mom, and me. (…And Jeremy, in fact!)

And thank goodness we had my mom alongside—not solely did she assist us out by watching Child Some time we had been off snorkeling, scuba diving, and kayaking, however she talked us off of many, many ledges throughout the course of this journey. 

You see, we’ve at all times been disaster-prone vacationers. (It’s form of our declare to fame. Notoriety? Anyway, it’s positively our factor). However throwing a child within the combine? Y’all. 

Like, our brains have ceased to operate as they as soon as did. We’re half-humans. It’s really spectacular what number of absolute rookie errors we made on this journey. As an illustration:

• We missed a bioluminescent bay tour. We didn’t understand it was half-hour away from the place we had been staying till we obtained within the automotive, ten minutes earlier than the tour was set to depart. Fortunately, we had been in a position to e-book a brand new journey for the subsequent night time.
• We timed our go to to coincide with the yr’s largest and greatest competition, Fiestas de la Calle San Sebastián. However then we managed to utterly miss the competition by leaving a day earlier than it truly began. (In equity, we did truly look it up, and what we discovered on-line gave us a unique date than the precise begin date!)
• Due to the competition, many of the metropolis was closed in preparation for the large occasion. Which means just about all of the museums we wished to go to had been closed. Fortunately, our cousins knew among the folks working there (and are extraordinarily convincing) and we managed to speak our approach into a few spots—and it seems that among the museums simply have completely attractive grounds even if you happen to can’t go inside!
• Throughout our journey to El Yunque, we didn’t understand that the primary path was closed till after we arrived. Caught in the course of the forest with no cell service, we weren’t positive which trails could be child pleasant—and Child A was NOT down for an extended, windy drive and a bunch of stops to attempt to determine it out. We managed to make 2 two stops (which, granted, had been implausible!) earlier than driving again house to place her down for a nap.
• We left our superior resort in Previous San Juan to go keep at a trip rental by the seashore in Luquillo as a result of we wished to have quicker drives to El Yunque and the Bioluminescent Bay. Nevertheless it solely minimize our drive time by about 20 minutes, and the holiday rental was a significant letdown—the entire transfer wasn’t actually value it, actually. We wished we had both simply stayed in San Juan and brought day journeys, or booked early sufficient to snag a spot on the gorgeous El Yunque Rainforest Inn!
• And the cherry on high: throughout our resort transfer, we managed to drive midway to Luquillo earlier than realizing we forgot our baggage in outdated San Juan. Which was completely shut down by police for the competition. Which began as we left. And was additionally 40 minutes behind us. We thought we had been so intelligent timing that drive throughout Child A’s nap, however as an alternative, we turned a fast one-hour drive right into a two-hour lengthy cry fest.

Yeah. Tough. We’re so off form. However we made it by means of. And actually? Our journey was nonetheless completely unimaginable!

And fortunate us, we had my mother, who spent a lot of her journey sitting within the backseat with Child A exuding calmness and Grandma Power as Child A screamed and we panicked. She had snacks. She had toys. She managed to get Child A to sleep! My baby-friendly journey tip? Carry your mom together with you! 

… And never only for the help, both. There’s one thing so splendidly fulfilling about touring together with your prolonged household, and I’m really grateful for the chance to journey for my real love and make new recollections with my mother. We traveled along with my grandmother Katy, my journey icon and muse, nicely into her 90s. I can solely hope that Child A nonetheless desires me to affix her on adventures after I’m older! 

Anyway, again to the itinerary. See, each time we fumble the ball and make dumb errors (which is … nicely, each journey, actually) we be taught what NOT to do. After which cross that alongside to you, dearest traveler, in an effort to keep away from making all of our many, many errors. 

So, this itinerary has been deliberate round what we WISHED we did, in addition to the issues we did do this we actually, actually loved. We additionally sprinkled in just a few baby-friendly journey ideas for these of you who can even be toting alongside tiny vacationers.

With out additional ado, let’s bounce into your first day in Puerto Rico!

Day One: Previous City San Juan & Meals Tour

You’ll begin your 4-day Puerto Rico itinerary by exploring the colourful streets of Viejo San Juan—the second oldest metropolis within the Western Hemisphere. The blue-bricked streets of this stunning 500-year-old metropolis are lined with brilliant pastel facades painted salmon, sky blue, bubblegum pink, apple inexperienced, lilac, or canary yellow—a particularly chosen and permitted colour palette decided by historic preservation that dates again to the Nineteen Fifties. You’ll be taught all about that in your tour in the present day!

You’ll start your day with the very best option to expertise a brand new place—stuffing your face filled with its meals—on a strolling meals tour with locally-owned tour firm The Spoon Expertise. This fascinating and informative tour combines stops at native cafes and eating places with deeply researched insights into San Juan’s previous, connecting threads of historical past and delicacies with Puerto Rico’s Caribbean family members, Indigenous peoples, and the enslaved African peoples who introduced their very own cooking methods and elements with them to contribute to the tradition and culinary melting pot of Puerto Rico.

You’ll style candy pan de Mallorca over regionally brewed espresso; be taught in regards to the Indigenous Taíno folks whereas sampling a dish that has barely modified because the Spanish colonizers realized it had therapeutic powers; sip cocktails and pattern recent fish ceviche whereas studying about Caribbean delicacies; and high it off with a candy paleta. And an entire bunch extra.

After your tour, you’ll stroll away with a full stomach, some Speedy Rewards factors, and a deeply knowledgeable context for the historical past of San Juan and Puerto Rico, able to see town in a brand new gentle.

… You’ll even be stuffed, so we’re skipping lunch (and probably dinner) in the present day! 

For the remainder of the afternoon, you’ll be taking it straightforward and exploring any components of town that you just didn’t get an opportunity to see in your tour. Take into account doing a self-guided strolling tour if you happen to’re up for it, or—if you happen to’re something like us and must go take a siesta to sleep off your meals coma—reserve it for the final day of your journey while you’ll be revisiting all of the stuff you had been too drained to do in the present day after your meals tour.

There are a number of museums in Previous San Juan, a number of stunning plazas, and TWO centuries-old castles—three if you happen to depend the mansion that seems to be like a citadel. 

Right here’s what we advocate seeing in Previous San Juan:

• El Morro and Castillo San Cristóbal: These are San Juan’s well-known 14th and fifteenth century Spanish forts. You’ll be able to both stroll round by yourself or take a tour. The historical past is fascinating—and preserve an eye fixed out for kites being flown within the sturdy commerce winds in entrance of El Morro!
• Museo Casa Blanca: That is the oldest repeatedly occupied home within the Western Hemisphere. It was in-built 1521 for Juan Ponce de Leon, the primary governor of Puerto Rico (who was quickly ousted by Christopher Columbus’ brother, the drama!). At the moment, the home is adorned with Sixteenth and Seventeenth century rooms to take you again in time. Even if you happen to don’t go inside to discover, it’s value a go to simply to stroll across the gorgeous out of doors gardens and grounds, that are free and open to the general public.
• Parque de las Palomas: We extremely advocate visiting this tiny sq. nestled into the cliffside partitions, stuffed with pigeons and works of handmade artwork. You should purchase seed to feed the pigeons on the onsite kiosk if you wish to, though that’s just a little terrifying, actually. Child A was extra within the rainbow of colourful ribbons hanging from the bushes and the handmade artwork and gardens lining a pathway to the magical Cafe del Nino. This little espresso store kiosk is a gem, y’all! You’ll discover kid-friendly smoothies and grown-up drinks, too—attempt a Espresso Frost, which includes a slice of tres leches in your espresso, like a Puerto Rican affogato. Subsequent to the cafe is a play space for all ages, with kid-sized chairs and toys set out for little ones, set to a soundtrack of Disney music. It’s magical!
• La Fortaleza: You’ll be able to’t miss this opulent castle-looking white constructing—you’ll cross it whereas exploring Viejo San Juan, and also you’ll see it from many of the viewpoints of the outdated metropolis partitions! At numerous factors since its Sixteenth-century development, La Fortaleza has served as a fortress, an arsenal, and a jail—in the present day it serves because the completely baller Governor’s Mansion. They’ve excursions right here the place you possibly can study Puerto Rico’s historical past and try and movie a miniature model of Cribs for TikTok.
• Museo de San Juan: This museum dives even deeper into the historical past of San Juan.
• Museo de Arte Contemporaneo de Puerto Rico: This artwork museum options cutting-edge, fashionable Puerto Rican artwork. For much more artwork, take a look at Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico, which has all kinds of Puerto Rican Artwork. (Enjoyable reality about my mother and most of my Puerto Rican cousins: they freaking love artwork. Like, they’ll take total journeys the place they simply go to artwork museums each single day and by no means get bored with them. I’m … not fairly on that stage.)
• La Casa del Libro Museum: This museum is a should for bibliophiles. It homes a world-renowned assortment of uncommon books relationship again to the fifteenth Century, plus historic paperwork, printing presses, and book-related paintings. And the present store is cute, too!

If you happen to’ve obtained room for dinner, decide up a chunk to eat from a meals truck at Plaza Dársenas. It’s straightforward to seek out: simply search for the completely huge cruise ships docking within the harbor and observe the gang of sunburnt vacationers!

Day Two: Snorkeling & Seaside Day

Puerto Rico is a Caribbean island surrounded by heat, sensible blue water filled with marine life—so that you’ll spend your day exploring underwater on a snorkeling tour to stunning Culebra, an island off the coast of Puerto Rico. 

Oh, did we point out Puerto Rico is an archipelago??? With its personal islands?!! Yup!

Positioned 20 miles off the japanese coast of Puerto Rico, Culebra’s white, sandy shores are surrounded by cays internet hosting vibrant underwater landscapes. It’s what you’re in all probability picturing while you consider snorkeling on a Caribbean Island.

Properly, apart from the large, rusting, graffiti-covered tanks. They don’t often make the screensaver-worthy psychological photographs, however they’re an iconic characteristic of Culebra’s seashores and hearken again to the time when Culebra was a naval base, shortly adopted by the point everybody packed up and went house and was like eh, transferring these tanks is an entire factor, let’s simply go away ‘em right here. Nonetheless, they do make a neat selfie backdrop!

Within the clear, calm blue waters off Culebra you’ll discover turtles munching on seagrass, in addition to remoras, bluetail fishes, angelfish, and even stingrays, all having fun with the thriving ecosystem within the protected Culebra Nationwide Wildlife Refuge.

To make your go to stress-free, we advocate reserving a snorkeling tour that features pickup, drop off, and lunch, so all you must do is present up in your swimsuit. This tour begins with a ship journey to ​​Carlos Rosario Nature Reserve to snorkel with yellowtail snapper and eagle rays, then lunch on the sandy seashores of lovely Cayo Luis Peña—e-book it on Viator.

• Journey Tip: Don’t overlook to pack reef-safe sunscreen, which helps shield the very wildlife you’re right here to see! We additionally extremely, extremely advocate a pair of swim leggings, which cuts down on the quantity of reef-safe sunscreen you must use (as a result of it’s kinda… thick, and never in a great way) whereas being cute and comfy AF! We additionally advocate bringing a quick-drying journey towel and a dry bag.

For dinner after your snorkel tour, head to Deaverdura in Viejo San Juan. Heads up, there’s often a line out the door—if that tells you something! The no-frills restaurant has a restricted menu that modifications repeatedly however at all times consists of scrumptious Puerto Rican staples, like roast pork with a scrumptious cilantro sauce, one of the best crimson beans and rice we loved throughout our total journey, and phenomenal coconut flan. Get pleasure from it with a rum and tamarind cocktail. 

Now that we’ve advised you what we advocate, let me let you know about what we truly did. We couldn’t precisely take a child on an all-day snorkeling journey (she’s extra of a scuba diver), so as an alternative, we every booked a brief tour at a seashore close to San Juan, Escambron Marine Park. The lagoon there’s a good calm spot to swim, with a tiny seashore and shallow water (nice for little ones). If you happen to deliver some snorkeling gear (like this set), you possibly can attempt to spot turtles!

Jeremy took a scuba diving tour with Scuba Canine. They helped to rebuild and preserve marine life on this bay after a devastating oil spill, they usually’re a implausible and moral firm. It’s a relaxed and quiet place to dive, and also you’ll see some attention-grabbing constructions constructed from salvaged constructing supplies that at the moment are being transformed into coral reefs. If you happen to’re model new to snorkeling and don’t really feel comfy doing it by yourself, you possibly can take a snorkeling tour with them, too.

When you have a automotive and simply need to do a self-guided seashore day (for baby-related causes or not, we don’t decide), right here’s what we advocate:

• Mar Chiquita: That is my cousin’s favourite seashore! It’s a quiet, uncrowded seashore with an exquisite lagoon you can swim and snorkel in. It’s not often crowded and has good calm water for swimming. 
• Playa Ocean Park: The biggest seashore in San Juan, there’s loads of room to unfold out, which suggests no crowds. You’ll typically see kite surfers right here having fun with the wind.
• Balneario El Escambron: That is the place we went—there are a few seashores right here together with a small, calm lagoon with just a few turtles and fish. You’ll have a view of a Seventeenth-century fort right here! Carry meals, as there’s not a lot close by.
• Isla Verde and Balneario de Carolina: This seashore is gorgeous however could be crowded. The principle draw is that it’s proper by the airport. We had an hour to kill earlier than our flight, so we stopped by right here on the best way!z

Day Three: El Yunque Nationwide Park & Bioluminescent Bay

El Yunque Nationwide Forest is without doubt one of the United States’ solely tropical rainforests, and it’s enchanting. Positioned simply 45 minutes away from San Juan, it’s a simple day journey. The winding drive by means of the rainforest on its principal path is gorgeous: you’ll climb up the mountains as the plush forest stretches beneath you till you possibly can see all the best way to the intense blue Caribbean Ocean.

There are numerous stops alongside the highway in El Yunque, the place you’ll find gushing waterfalls, azure swimming pools prepared for swimming, cliffs to leap off into mentioned azure swimming pools, and hikes winding by means of the plush rainforest, most of which result in azure swimming pools. Say azure swimming pools another time, Lia.

It’s form of a road-to-Hana scenario, the place you drive alongside and benefit from the view and pull off to make stops right here and there, besides minus banana bread and plus mountains. 

The trick is to know which stops to make forward of time, because you gained’t have any cell service when you enter the park (shock!). You’ll need to plan out the place you need to go prematurely, or cease by the customer’s middle when you arrive.

However planning stuff out forward of time takes effort, so the best option to do a visit to El Yunque is with a tour that can decide you up out of your resort in San Juan, take you to some implausible spots to swim and hike (azure swimming pools!!), feed you, after which drop you off again at your resort once more. You don’t have to fret about making a reservation to enter, driving, or discovering meals in the course of a rainforest whereas an overtired child screams at you from the backseat.

This El Yunque day journey is ideal for adventurous vacationers: you’ll hike, swim within the … you already know whats, cliff-jump, do some Tarzan rope swinging, and zoom down a pure waterslide. 

For a extra laid-back day, do this tour: you’ll swim, slide down a pure waterslide, and do a 15-minute hike, and then you definitely’ll head to the close by city of Luquillo to relax on the seashore and eat dinner on the well-known Kioskos de Luquillo (which is, by the way, additionally the place we advocate consuming lunch or dinner if you happen to do that day journey by yourself).

As for us, we made just a few implausible stops on our self-guided journey. We climbed up the Yokahú Tower to absorb the view stretching all the best way to the coast of Luquillo. We additionally discovered a stunning, quick little path alongside Juan Diego Creek, which led to some attractive swimming holes and waterfalls, plus a log that Child A was like, enthralled by. I feel possibly we’d by no means proven her a log earlier than? Anyway, she liked it.

We had been hoping to do just a few different straightforward hikes which can be imagined to be implausible with children, together with Angelito Path (which is definitely exterior the park entrance, and a shorter drive) however after her huge log journey, Child A was too near needing a nap to be versatile sufficient to allow us to cease and discover. Nonetheless, what we did get to do was fantastic.

• Journey Suggestions: If you happen to’re visiting El Yunque by yourself, the gorgeous Customer’s Heart on the entrance of the forest will assist you determine your plan for the day! Additionally, and that is VERY IMPORTANT: earlier than your journey, you’ll must reserve your entry prematurely. Just one reservation per automobile is required, and it may be booked as much as one month earlier than your go to. Tickets in your automotive are free, although there’s a small payment to make your reservation. A restricted variety of reservations are launched 24 hours previous to opening.

After your rainforest tour and dinner, it’s time for one more bucket-list journey: kayaking after darkish in a bioluminescent bay.

A bioluminescent bay is extremely uncommon—there are simply 5 on this planet, and to not brag or something, however Puerto Rico is house to a few of them. These ecosystems happen when microscopic, single-celled organisms referred to as dinoflagellates develop in portions large enough to provide a “glow-in-the-dark” impact when stimulated by motion. While you paddle or splash the water, the tiny organisms gentle up like tiny fireflies or dancing sparks within the water.

You’ll be able to solely see them when it’s pitch black (our tour had us huddle underneath a tarp to dam out ambient gentle) and also you’ll must make actions underwater to see them—so don’t anticipate to see like, an entire glow-in-the-dark bay. We’ve heard (from my cousins) that on extraordinarily uncommon events, you possibly can even bounce within the water and swim. If you happen to do get the chance, please inform us about it so we will marinate in our jealousy!

You gained’t be capable of seize the bioluminescence together with your cellphone or a digital camera, (any ambient gentle in any respect will make them disappear, like little water faeries) however the sundown over the palm tree-studded hills of Fajardo was so gorgeous that I want I’d introduced my cellphone or digital camera in a water-resistant bag like this one (however in fact I forgot to pack it as a result of my mind solely capabilities half in addition to it used to since having a child).

Puerto Rico is house to bioluminescent bays in Fajardo, on the island of Vieques, and in Ponce. All three would require a visit from San Juan to see them; and though Vieques is taken into account the “prettiest,” Fajardo is the closest one to town in addition to El Yunque, which is why you’ll be squeezing in each adventures on the identical day (we’re all about #lowstress right here).

The easiest way to slot in each El Yunque and the bioluminescent bay kayaking journey is to e-book a tour that mixes each, like this one which picks up and drops off from San Juan and consists of lunch and dinner, plus mountain climbing and swimming in El Yunque and the sundown kayaking tour. (You too can e-book a tour individually, like this one, when you have a automotive and might get your self to the tour in a well timed method, which as we talked about earlier, took us two makes an attempt).

We advocate reserving your tour proper at sundown: that approach you get an exquisite sundown kayak and examine over the bay after which a cool night time kayak! Truthfully, the precise bioluminescence a part of the tour, whereas cool, is fairly temporary—however a sundown and night kayaking tour remains to be actually freakin’ cool.

• Journey Suggestions: If you happen to can, attempt to time your journey as near the brand new moon as doable, (though we did our journey ON the brand new moon, and I’m undecided how a lot of a distinction it made). And do not forget that the ecosystem in these bays are delicate, so please don’t go on a tour that makes use of a gasoline boat to drive you round! Kayaking is greatest.

Day 4: Viejo San Juan & Sundown Cruise

In your last day in Puerto Rico, you’ll seemingly be exhausted from two straight days of adventuring and need to spend your final day taking it straightforward. (Ask me how I do know). 

So, for in the present day, you’ll be exploring Previous San Juan once more and stopping on the many museums, plazas, historic houses, and castles you didn’t get an opportunity to go to in your first day since you had been handed out in a meals coma.

However first, begin your day without work proper by placing your self again right into a meals coma with brunch at Chocobar Cortes, a chocolate store slash brunch spot slash espresso store. The menu creatively incorporates bitter, nutty Caribbean-grown chocolate in completely sudden methods, like chocolate French dressing, chocolate ketchup, and chocolate-ham-and-cheese croquettes (they’re scrumptious)! 

Strive their twist on conventional Puerto Rican meals like pan de Mallorca and upgraded variations like chalupitas de mofongo, stuffed mofongo shells with chocolate guacamole (kinda bizarre? Sure. Kinda good? Additionally, sure). Scrumptious. The price of your meal will profit Fundación Cortés, which helps Caribbean artwork and native artists.

After brunch, get out and discover these blue-bricked streets! Pop into native shops to choose up souvenirs (you possibly can browse locally-crafted souvenirs on the handicraft market in Plaza Dársenas), hit up extra museums and plazas, see whichever citadel you skipped on day one, and seize a candy paleta from Señor Paleta to chill off within the warmth.

In your final night in San Juan, take a stunning sundown cruise within the bay on the foot of the historic forts and partitions of the outdated metropolis. You’ll get pleasure from cocktails and appetizers on board a schooner because the solar units over the Caribbean horizon.

When you’ve mentioned your last goodbye to the solar, head to among the finest eating places in Puerto Rico for dinner: Santaella. The flagship of world-renowned Chef Santaella options upscale variations of genuine Puerto Rican dishes and cocina criolla crafted lovingly with native elements (sourced from a farmer’s market just a few toes away, as native because it will get) made tapas-style, which is my favourite as a result of it means you get to attempt numerous issues with out actually committing.

After dinner, make your approach again to your resort one final time. Say goodbye to the pleasant stray cats alongside the best way, the chirping Coquí frog, and that heat commerce wind breeze. Possibly cease by a bar for one final piña colada, as a result of like, they had been invented right here so that you in all probability can’t get them at house, proper??

After which, lastly, say your goodbyes. Adios, Puerto Rico—you had been magical.

The place to Keep in San Juan, Puerto Rico

For our itinerary, we advocate staying in San Juan and taking day journeys to discover close by points of interest on the East Coast of the island. This implies you gained’t must lease a automotive or fear about transportation aside from taking an Uber to and from the airport—straightforward peasy.

What we truly did throughout our journey, although, was just a little totally different since we had been touring with a child (being caught on a day tour with a child—are you able to think about?!). We rented a automotive and moved halfway by means of our journey from San Juan to a seashore city near El Yunque Nationwide Park and the bioluminescent bay in Fajardo, in order that we had been near our day journeys and minimized the time spent with a cranky child in a automotive seat. However if you happen to aren’t touring with a child, that’s utterly pointless and actually not what we might advocate based mostly on our expertise. 

That’s, except you possibly can snag a reservation on the El Yunque Rainforest Inn, a attractive eco-lodge that we actually wished to e-book however didn’t work out with our dates!

In terms of lodging in San Juan, you’ll see a number of beachfront resorts close to the outdated metropolis in an space referred to as Condado, a few 10-minute drive from Viejo San Juan. Personally, we actually aren’t resort folks and we favor to be inside strolling distance to “stuff,” so we selected to remain inside Viejo San Juan itself, which was superior. Town is small and walkable, so we had been at all times only a few minutes away from our resort. We had been completely satisfied to commerce off a non-public seashore for ocean views from the excessive partitions across the metropolis, walkability, and colonial attraction! 

• We stayed at Villa Herencia Lodge, a small and delightful boutique resort within the coronary heart of Viejo San Juan, subsequent to town partitions, an exquisite plaza with a gorgeous view of the cliffside Governor’s Mansion (La Fortaleza). The rooms are small, nevertheless it’s greater than made up for by its phenomenal location, and a beautiful roof-side terrace! We’d fortunately keep right here once more.
• We additionally advocate Lodge El Convento in Previous San Juan. This centrally-located resort was an outdated convent (therefore the identify) however is now residing its greatest life as a superb boutique resort with a baller rooftop pool and ocean views. Plus, it’s a Southwest Lodge Accomplice, so you possibly can earn 2X the factors throughout your keep if you happen to use your Southwest Speedy Rewards Credit score Cardfrom Chase! 

Puerto Rico Non-Income to Help

As moral and sustainable vacationers, it’s deeply necessary to us that now we have a constructive impression on the locations we go to. Puerto Rico has a strained relationship with tourism. On the one hand, the earnings from vacationers instantly helps locally-owned companies—as long as guests such as you proceed to hunt out and patronize them! However, as a U.S. territory, Puerto Ricans are inclined to really feel like the fantastic thing about their island is commonly offered to the very best bidder, leaving locals and communities with out a say within the growth and preservation of their houses.

Puerto Rico, like many Caribbean islands, can also be topic to frequent hurricanes. In recent times, the islands have been devastated by a number of hurricanes—and whereas it has bounced again in great methods, there’s nonetheless a lot work to be finished. A neighborhood journey blogger pal of ours, Jen Ruiz, wrote a implausible article on the significance of visiting Puerto Rico even within the wake of hurricanes—learn it right here.

We’d encourage you to take your patronage of regionally owned companies a step additional and contemplate donating to those non-profit organizations that are working to keep up, enhance, and help Puerto Rico’s area people. This listing was supplied to me by certainly one of my Puerto Rican cousins and consists of organizations both she or her community have been concerned with personally.

A community-based feminist non-profit group centered on offering sources and schooling on feminine growth in areas like well being & healthcare, financial empowerment, lowering home violence, and activism. In addition they present emergency aid and funds to girls in impacted communities (for instance, when Hurricane Fiona hit, they had been actively working in Loíiza—a municipality that was unable to get fast help from FEMA and the Pink Cross—to supply a soup kitchen and provide drive).

Home violence and gender-based violence are large points in PR. Governor Pierluisi issued a state of emergency on the difficulty in 2021 (that lasted till June 2022) to analysis it. Even Dangerous Bunny has launched two songs elevating consciousness of it, “Solo de Míi” and “Andrea.” 

This is a corporation that goals to have 33% of Puerto Rico’s land underneath protected standing by 2033 to guard Puerto Rico’s ecological programs. Not solely do they handle numerous lands across the island (that are donated to them or they buy), however in addition they supply academic excursions that vary from the historical past of sugar plantations to certainly one of Puerto Rico’s three bioluminescent bays, volunteer actions like tree planting or hen counting, and scientific analysis alternatives. 

As a Caribbean Island, Puerto Rico is extremely in danger to the impression of worldwide warming (which you’ll be able to see within the frequency of lethal hurricanes like Maria or Fiona). Coastal sealines are disappearing and flooding is turning into an increasing number of frequent. By defending Puerto Rico’s ecological programs, Para la Naturaleza hopes to maintain these programs intact to assist preserve the island ecologically sustainable and supply residents and vacationers alike a brand new appreciation for connecting with their surroundings and the impression they’ve.

You’ll see stray animals everywhere in the island. Save a Gato works solely with the feral cat colony in Previous San Juan (you’ll in all probability see them whereas strolling round!). They apply entice and launch (TNR) the place they seize the feral cats, neuter or spay them, and launch them again into the colony as these cats are too skeptical and aggressive to people to be rehomed. Nevertheless, if a feminine cat is pregnant, they let her go totally to time period and have the kittens adopted as soon as they’re of age. 

Not solely are there tons of stray cats, however stray canines as nicely (right here in PR they’re referred to as “satos”). Moreover, many of those stray animals escaped abusive or hoarding conditions. 

Amigos de los Animales is a shelter and academic non-profit that not solely fosters and adopts stray or abused animals to loving houses, but in addition offers a six-week animal cruelty and investigation course to native police, animal welfare, and animal management facilities (or anybody on the whole) to boost consciousness on the indicators of animal cruelty and abuse.

It is a no-overhead fund that invests 100% of donations to affiliated organizations working in critically affected areas in Puerto Rico. It goes to each short- and long-term humanitarian efforts from emergency provides after a hurricane to re-building faculties or neighborhood amenities.

Each a non-profit and fund, United Method works with 123 organizations all through the island offering them with funds and sources to proceed their work. Their principal focuses are schooling, monetary independence, and well being, but in addition present an emergency aid fund throughout occasions of crises like Hurricane Fiona.

Casa Julia de Burgos was the primary home violence shelter in Puerto Rico and continues to supply sources, consciousness, and help to these dealing with home violence. Not solely do they provide shelter and a speedy re-housing program, however in addition they supply trauma-informed childcare to the youngsters of home violence. 

Are you able to pack your snorkel fins and head to Puerto Rico? What questions on visiting can we reply?

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Disclaimer: Our journey was sponsored by Southwest Speedy Rewards Credit score Playing cards from Chase. Be taught extra right here. All opinions, suggestions, dangerous jokes, and errors made throughout this journey (we made so many errors, y’all, it’s nearly spectacular) had been 100% my very own. 

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