Puerto Rico
January 2022
3 Days
In 2022 we attended a wedding in Puerto Rico (thank you to the couple for having it in January!) and stayed a few extra days with a group of friends. This was our first time in Puerto Rico and were able to do a mix of activities from exploring Old San Juan, to hanging out on the beach and taking a tour of the bioluminescent bay at night. I also developed a deep love of fried red snapper, eating a whole one nearly every day!
Daily Itinerary
Walk the streets of Old San Juan
Visit the Castle El Morro on the water
Lay on the beach until sunset at Isla Verde Beach
Have a beer at Ocean Lab Brewing overlooking the water
Spend the afternoon at Ocean Park Beach
Puerto Rican barbeque at Bebo's BBQ
Start the day with a Mallorca at Kasalta
Hike in El Yunque Rainforest and slide down the waterfalls
Kayak at night to see the glowing planktons
Day 4
Visit the beach at La Poza del Obispo and the nearby Arecibo Lighthouse
Eat a whole red snapper at Mi Casita Seafood in Piñones
Day 5
Travel to the west side of the island
Stop for a dip at Cascada Gozalandia
More beach time at Crash Boat Beach
More red snapper at Guayabos Sea Breeze
Day 6
Breakfast at Ricomini Bakery
Take a boat out for the day at La Parguera
Delicious fried chicken at Reef Pop
Flights
United Airlines Economy ORD-SJU: cash one-way
American Airlines Economy SJU-ORD: 8,000 American miles + $6 taxes & fees
Hotels
We stayed in an Airbnb on this trip near Isla Verde
Food (With Beli Ranking)
Bebo's BBQ (8.5) - Walk-up counter serving delicious barbecue chicken and pork.
Mi Casita Seafood (7.9) - In Piñones near the water serving delicious seafood with outdoor seating. Don't miss the red snapper here!
Guayabos Sea Breeze (7.5) - Near Aguada on the west side of the island. Serving delicious seafood and other Puerto Rican dishes right near the water.
Ocean Lab Brewing (7.3) - Upscale brewery serving craft beers and good food.
Reef Pop (7.5) - Small joint in La Parguera serving fresh fried chicken. Perfect after a day out on the boat.
Kasalta - Famous bakery in Puerto Rico with President Obama once visiting. Amazing breakfast sandwiches and pastries.
Ricomini Bakery - Another delicious bakery with a few locations on the west side of the island.
Full Itinerary
Day 1
Old San Juan
Our first day in Puerto Rico we spent wandering the narrow streets of Old San Juan. Some buildings date to the 16th century, so it has a similar feel to walking the cobblestone streets of European cities. Many of the colorful buildings today house shops, art galleries, and most importantly ice cream shops serving paletas.
Plaza de Armas in Old San Juan - Puerto Rico 2022
Castillo San Felipe del Morro
The Castle, often referred to as El Morro, was built by the Spanish in the 16th century and served as an important defense for the island until 1961 when the United States Army retired from the Castle. Today you can visit for free to learn more about the history and look out to the ocean.
The Lighthouse in El Morro - Puerto Rico 2022
Isla Verde Beach
Our Airbnb was in a condo right on Isla Verde Beach, a beautiful beacn and popular tourist area with many hotels along the beach. After our day of exploring, it was nice to be able to just walk right out to the beach and spend the late afternoon before getting a quick bite to eat at one of the small restaurants on the beach.
Sunset at Isla Verde Beach - Puerto Rico 2022
Day 2
Ocean Lab Brewing
We had a slow morning after the wedding and went to Ocean Lab Brewing for lunch. Ocean Lab is probably the most commercial craft brewery in Puerto Rico and you can find their beers in many stores across the island. The brewery itself is very pretty with an open-air bar overlooking the beach club next door and the ocean beyond. The food was pretty good too.
View from Ocean Lab Brewing - Puerto Rico 2022
Ocean Park Beach
A short drive away is the largest beach in San Juan, Ocean Park Beach which is open to the public. The beach is popular with kite surfers and we saw a number of them during our afternoon on the beach.
Kite Surfers at Ocean Park Beach - Puerto Rico 2022
Bebo's BBQ
Not to be confused with other Bebo's on the island, this place is right near the airport in Carolina. It's a walk-up counter with a few seats outside and has some of the most delicious barbecue chicken and pork I've ever had. And incredibly cheap!
Bebo's BBQ - Puerto Rico 2024
Day 3
Kasalta
Throughout Puerto Rico, you'll find bakeries that serve delicious pastries but are also popular breakfast stops serving all sorts of sweet and savory breakfast dishes. Kasalta is probably the most famous bakery as President Obama once visited, but it's also incredibly delicious. My favorite is the breakfast sandwich on Mallorca bread (a type of sweet bread with powdered sugar).
Kasalta - Puerto Rico, 2022
El Yunque
A popular tour you can do in Puerto Rico is an all-day visit to the El Yunque rainforest and then a kayak tour at night through the biolumiscent bay which has plankton that glows when agitated.
El Yunque is the only rainforest in the United States and is located in the Northeastern part of the island. The tour picked us up from a hotel near our Airbnb in San Juan and we spent the morning hiking and playing in waterfalls.
Once it was dark out, we kayaked through mangrove channels out to Laguna Grande, the most popular place to see the glowing plankton, although the glow was very faint when we visited. If you go, make sure to wear bug spray because the mosquitos were terrible!
El Yunque - Puerto Rico 2022
Day 4
La Poza del Obispo
This beach is located in Arecibo, about an hour drive west from San Juan. The waves here are big, but there's a natural barrier formed by the rocks which creates a much calmer pool you can go in. The Arecibo lighthouse is right nearby from which you can see the whole beach. When we visited, the beach was nearly empty and was a great place to hang out with a cooler full of Medalla!
La Poza del Obispo - Puerto Rico 2022
Mi Casita Seafood
Piñones is a beautiful coastal neighborhood just near the airport which remains undeveloped and has a number of restaurants along the waterfront. Mi Casita Seafood has the best whole red snapper I've had.
Whole Red Snapper at Mi Casita Seafood - Puerto Rico 2022
Day 5
Cascada Gozalandia
On our second visit to Puerto Rico, we stayed on the west side of the island in Aguada. But, if you were traveling west from San Juan you could make a stop at Gozalandia waterfall on the way for a quick dip or a dive if you are feeling adventurous.
Cascada Gozalandia - Puerto Rico 2024
Crash Boat Beach
On the west side of the island, Crash Boat Beach is the place to go for the party with lots of music and food stalls set up along the beach. The turquoise waters also make this a popular spot for snorkeling. The parking lot is tiny so be prepared to walk. We showed up in the late morning and had to park pretty far away with a steep walk downhill with a couple of fully packed coolers. But, it was well worth it and we stayed until sunset.
Sunset at Crash Boat Beach - Puerto Rico 2024
Guayabos Sea Breeze
After the beach, we went to Guayabos Sea Breeze not far from where we were staying. The restaurant is right on the water and since there were a few people that wanted to eat red snapper with me, we got a huge plate of it. Garry approved!
Fried Red Snapper at Guayabos Sea Breeze - Puerto Rico 2024
Day 6
Ricomini Bakery
Ricomini has a number of locations across the island serving delicious pastries and breakfast items. If you can't make it to Kasalta or don't want to wait in the line, this is a good second option.
Ricomini Bakery - Puerto Rico 2024
La Parguera
On the Southwest side of the island, far from San Juan, the small town of La Parguera is not too crowded and is a great place to go if you want to spend any time on the water. From here we rented a boat and spend the entire day out on the water in between the small islands.
La Parguera - Puerto Rico 2024
Reef Pop
Back on land, there are a handful of bars and restaurants in the main town square. After a day on the water and in the sun, our boat captain recommended Reef Pop for some delicious fried chicken.
Reef Pop - Puerto Rico 2024
Overall
At just a 4 hour flight from Chicago, Puerto Rico is a great place for a beach vacation while still technically not being international. On a first trip, you don't even need to venture far from San Juan to get great beaches and great food although there's definitely a lot more to explore on the island outside San Juan. We've had a blast every time we've gone and it's especially fun to be able to go to the beach with your own cooler without worrying about various rules about bringing outside food and drink.
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