Your Exciting 7-Day Itinerary: Puerto Rico 🇵🇷

I was in Puerto Rico when the world was just starting to come out of COVID-19. Puerto Rico had just recently stopped requiring COVID-19 tests to enter the island.

Let’s backtrack a little bit.

I was in a transitioning period between two jobs and had asked my new employer to give me a month after I quit my last job to refresh and recuperate before I started my new role and they happily let me have my month. Although, when I went to put my 2 weeks in at my old job, my boss at the time asked me if I would be able to stay an extra week and a half to help wrap up a project I was on and possibly train the next person in line. Of course, I didn’t want to burn any bridges so I gladly said yes but that cut down my 1 month off to 2 weeks. For 1 of the 2 weeks, I was traveling with family for my mom’s birthday and that left me with just 1 week to really plan a trip and I honestly could’ve gone anywhere for a week. Europe, Asia(Specifically Thailand. I’m dying to get back to Thailand), Somewhere in Africa, or even Abu Dhabi to see the grand mosque but given that I was starting a new job, I did not want to risk getting COVID abroad and getting stuck there because, at the time, America was still requiring a Negative COVID test for all international arrivals.

Some facts about Puerto Rico

• 🌳 United States Forest System only consists of one rainforest and that’s El Yungue which is in Puerto Rico. The forest receives over 120 inches of rain every year.
• 🍹 Pina colada was invented in Puerto Rico.
• 🥃 Puerto Rico houses the world’s largest rum distillery known as Casa Bacardi and you can take an official tour of it which includes a mixology class.

Before you go

• ⏰ If I’m being completely honest, there is no “right” time to go to Puerto Rico. Given that it’s located in the Caribbean, the weather is always beautiful. One thing I would say is that August to November is their hurricane season so I would personally try to avoid those months but if you do decide to go during those months, it’s considered their off-peak season and so you will find very good hotel deals and things will relatively be a little cheaper on the island.
• 📅 I went from April 23rd, 2022 – April 30th, 202. (7 nights, 8 days, Saturday – Saturday). Puerto Rico is a huge island and usually, tourists come to visit San Juan and that’s it but I HIGHLY recommend staying for a week and exploring the rest of the island.
• 🛂 For US citizens, you won’t need your passport to travel to Puerto Rico. Although, once you’re there, it will feel like you’re in a different country. Puerto Rico does not feel anything like the United States.
• 💰The currency is US Dollar.
• 🇺🇸 Language is a mix of English and Spanish.

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Today I will go through:

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1. Airport: SJU, Luis Muñoz Marin International Airport
2. Getting to the city center
3. Day 1 to 4
   • Where to Stay: Old San Juan
   • Day 1
     • Pick up Rental Car
     • Casa BACARDÍ
     • Condado Beach
     • Dinner: Lote23
   • Day 2
     • El Yunque National Rainforest
     • Lunch: Mohito Lab & Play Liquillo
     • Bioluminescent Kayak Tour
     • Dinner: Puerto Fino
   • Day 3
     • Castillo San Felipe del Morro
     • Castillo San Cristobal
     • Lunch: Buns Burger Shop
     • Isla Verde Beach
     • Dinner: The Cave
     • Night out in Puerto Rico
   • Day 4
     • Brunch: Chocobar
     • Iglesia de San Jose Church
     • Plaza de Armas
     • Dinner: Lote23
4. Day 5
   • Where to Stay: Mayagüez
   • Survival Beach Trail
   • Lunch: Crash Boat Beach
   • Faro Los Morrillos Lighthouse
   • Dinner: Cinco de Maya
5. Day 6
   • Brunch: Cabra Toasta Coffee House
   • Gozalandia Waterfall
   • Condado Beach
   • Flight back

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1. ✈️ Airport: SJU, Luis Muñoz Marin International Airport

There are multiple different airports you can fly into:

1. Rafael Hernández International Airport, (1 hour 45 mins to San Juan)
2. Mercedita International Airport, (1 hour 15 mins to San Juan)
3. Luis Muñoz Marin International Airport, (15 mins to San Juan)

Flying into Luis Munoz Marin International Airport is probably your best bet. That’s the “main” airport in Puerto Rico and has a lot more commercial flights than other airports.

2. Getting to the city center

Day 1 – 4

Where to stay: Old San Juan

I stayed at Mango Mansion Hostel.

This hostel was best for a lot of reasons but here are some of the reasons why I loved this place:

1. Location Location Location. I could not have asked for a better location. It was a short walk from a beach, restaurants and let’s not forget the amazing nightlife. it was a 4 min walk to La Placita, the central hub of the nightlife in Puerto Rico.
2. The hostel had two pet dogs 😊
3. I stayed in a room with 11 other people and the bathrooms were outside the room.
4. The bathroom & Toilets were separate. I love this because if someone is showering, someone else can use the toilet.
5. The staff was very helpful and sweet.
6. Clean sheets, towels, and breakfast are included in the stay.
7. A great front porch/garden with hammocks

One reason why I didn’t like this place:

1. Their reception is “only open” until 11 PM and anyone checking in after 11 PM gets charged a $10 fee if you let them know in advance. If you don’t let them know and just show up at the hostel after 11 PM, it’s a $20 fee. I thought this was odd as I didn’t really have an option other than that 1 AM flight that got me into Puerto Rico. It’s technically not really my fault that I was checking in late.
2. In the long run, $20 might not seem like a lot but when you’re backpacking on a budget, that’s a lot. It could easily be a dinner or lunch and in some cases, both. 😂

If you are not traveling alone and need to look for a decent hotel, Puerto Rico is full of them. Check some out here:

Booking.com

Day 1

1. Pick up a rental car

2. Casa BACARDÍ

After arriving in San Juan late at night, sleep in on your first morning in Puerto Rico. Get ready late in the afternoon and head to Casa BACARDI.

Casa BACARDI is a renowned rum distillery featuring historical tours, mixology classes, tastings & an outdoor patio. I made a few friends while checking in and upon some good conversations on what to do, they told me they were doing a mixology class at @casabacardipr in the morning. I originally did not have it as one of the things to do on my itinerary but after talking to them, I booked my spot on the same tour as them.

There are a lot of vendors you can book it through. You can either book it through their website or via GetYourGuide which is my personal favorite when it comes to booking excursions.

Once you arrive on-site at Casa Bacardi, you will be greeted with a welcome drink and this is where you check in for your mixology class. Once you are checked in, you will be taken for a tour of the distillery, and at the end of your distillery tour is going to be a mixology class.

Rest assured, it was a great decision and I would recommend it to anyone visiting Puerto Rico 🇵🇷

💰: $83.63 w/tax
💻: Casa BACARDI
⏳: 1-2 hours

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3. Condado Beach

Condado Beach is a very famous beach among tourists in Puerto Rico. When I was there, it sort of reminded me of Miami Beach with resorts lined up and lot of different restaurants along the beach. The best thing about Condado beach is that it’s a short 10-minute drive from Old San Juan. If you are going straight from Casa BACARDÍ, then it will be a 17-minute drive.

4. LOTE 23

End your day by having dinner at LOTE 23: I loved this place because it’s like a small area where a lot of food vendors come together so you have so many different options. I got Arepas from a kiosk called Budera. I ordered myself 2 Vegetarian Arepas and they were really good! (10/10)

Here are their Instagram handles: @lote23pr @budarepr

Day 2

1. El Yunque National Rainforest

One of the biggest and must do items for Puerto Rico is to visit the El Yunque National Rain Forest.

El Yunque National Forest is a tropical rainforest in northeastern Puerto Rico. From El Portal Visitor Center, a walkway winds through the surrounding treetops. Trails run to La Mina waterfall and Mount Britton, then up to the high-altitude dwarf forest. In the south are ancient petroglyphs, made by the area’s indigenous Taíno people. The forest comes alive with the nightly calls of coquí tree frogs.

There are lot of ways to get get to El Yunque and reserving tickets on the government website is nearly impossible. I went with the second best option. Booking it via a tour company. .

I booked the tour via @tripadvisor but a similar tour is offered on @viatortravel. It was one of the best days in Puerto Rico. The tour guide was really funny, friendly and made the whole experience very memorable.

Details:
💰: $55
💻: @tripadvisor
⏳: 4-hours
📝: Bring good pair of shoes as it’s very muddy
📝: Don’t forget your water bottle, stay hydrated
📝: Sunscreen

2. Lunch at Playa Liquillo

Playa Liquillo is a famous beach among tourists. It is a quick 52-minute drive from San Juan downtown and only a 14-minute drive from El Yunque National Rainforest. I would recommend making this an all-day tour. Explore El Yunque in the morning and then head to Playa Liquillo for an afternoon swim and chilling on the beach. Another great reason to visit Playa Liquillo is that the whole strip along the beach has amazing restaurants, souvenir shops, and open bars. One of my favorites was Mojito Lab. This place is right on Liquillo Beach and is a great place to grab fresh juices, and tasty mojitos with different flavors you probably haven’t seen or heard of.

Their Instagram handle: @mojitolab69

3. Bioluminescent Kayak Tour

Going to watch this bioluminescent lagoon was by far the most magical experience I’ve had. In Puerto Rico and around the world. This experience comes in the top 5 on my once-in-a-lifetime experiences list. Bioluminescence is the production and emission of light by living organisms. It’s similar to fireflies but in water and much cooler. There are only 5 places in the world where you can experience this and Puerto Rico is one of them.

I booked the tour with a company called Island kayaking adventure with some of the friends I made at the hostel. The meeting point for a lot of these kayak tours is at this place called “Kayak Village” and it’s exactly what it sounds like. Different kayaking vendors have set up their shops here and at the end of the day, they launch their kayaks from this point. It’s really cool to see all the different companies and their different color kayaks. It was a great experience! The team was very professional and knew what they were doing.

One thing I recommend to everyone that asks me about Puerto Rico is if you are planning on exploring more of the island and not just the capital city San Juan, please rent a car. They’re cheap to rent especially if you book in advance and don’t get one of those fancy ones.

⏰ 2 Hours Activity, their Instagram handle: @islandkayakingadventure
💰 $59
📍 Fajardo, Puerto Rico 🇵🇷

4. Dinner at Puerto Fino

A great Italian restaurant right by the kayak village. Perfect place to end your day after the bioluminescent kayak tour. I ordered Creamy pesto penne with some veggies.

Their Instagram handle is @puerto_fino

Day 3

1. Explore Old San Juan: Castillo San Felipe del Morro

The significance of this fortification is that it was an important military outpost for Spain and later the United States. Once you buy a ticket and enter, it’s amazing to see and imagine how soldiers used to probably lived back in the day. You’ll see servant quarters, Fort kitchen, and beds where soldiers sleep. Even outside of the fort, the views are vast and very scenic. Worth spending an hour exploring this fort.

REMEMBER to le no trace behind. Pick up after yourselves. Do not leave behind left-over food, wrappers, and water bottles.

💰$10 Entrance Fee (This entrace fee also works for our Stop #2.)

2. Explore Old San Juan: Castillo San Cristobal

After exploring Castillo San Felipe del Morro, head across to explore Castillo San Cristobal included in the ticket of San Felipe del Morro. It was the largest fortification build by the Spanish at the time covering about 27 ACRES of land. Pretty much covering the whole city San Juan. In fact the city was sealed the fort’s double gates. This fort/castle has a really good views of all the cruise ships docking into San Juan. I met someone who’s partner was working on the cruise ship and so they were exploring San Juan solo and when we got to the view where we could see the docked cruise ship, they mentioned that their partner works on that ship.

After a closed access to San Juan to help ease the flow of traffic in and out of the walled city.

Your $10 entrace fee for Castillo San Felipe del Morro will work here as well. Just make sure to save your ticket and show it at the entrace.

3. Lunch at Buns Burger Shop

This is their version of in n out. A quick fast-food burger shop and surprisingly it was really good. Even in America, I’m not a huge fan of in n out because there is not much you can get as a vegetarian but Buns Burger Shop actually had a good amount of vegetarian-friendly options.

4. Relax at either Isla Verde OR Condado Beach

Isla Verde and Condado Beaches are both very close to San Juan downtown. Both beaches have an ample amount of restaurants and so pick one and have lunch. It’s going to be a very light day today because we will be exploring some amazing nightlife Puerto Rico has to offer. So explore the forts and relax at the beach before you head back to the hostel to get ready for an amazing night out.

5. Dinner at The Cave

Great Cuban cuisine and fresh cocktails. They have a lot of food in Spanish/Tapas style. I ordered a couple of things and was satisfied. This is on a bit of the pricey side so if you want something cheaper, then visit @thecaveoldsju

5. Party it out in Puerto Rico

I make it a priority to check out the nightlife of any city/country I visit. You don’t necessarily need to drink to go have a fun night out and dance a little bit. Also, the majority of these places have virgin drinks on their menu.

You have to check out the nightlife in Puerto Rico. Few great spots in I would recommend:

• 1️⃣ La Factoria – A great place to go do some salsa. (This place is hidden behind an actual bar)
• 2️⃣ Caftin – Right across La Factoria (They close the street (Calle San Sebastián) at night so it actually turns into a big street party)
• 3️⃣ Go to La Placita (an area/Street filled with loads of outdoor pubs and bars)
• 4️⃣ Favorite places at La Placita: Tulum, Aguardiente, Trifongo Taíno, Toñita’s Café

Day 4

1. Brunch at Chocobar

After a successful night out, you will want to wake up late. This is a great day to sleep in and start your day with a heavy meal at Chocobar. It’s a “Relaxed eatery offering a breakfast & brunch menu with chocolate used in every dish.” When they say chocolate is used in every dish, they really mean it. Their ketchup was regular ketchup + chocolate. I know, it sounds disgusting but it definitely surprised me.

2. Explore Old San Juan: Iglesia de San José Church

The church was nothing extraordinary but for someone that loves architecture photography, it was great to see this Spanish Gothic style architecture somewhere in the United States. It is also in the middle of San Juan which makes it easy to make a stop in.

3. Plaza de Armas

This is the main square in San Juan. There is a beautiful water fountain in the middle and loads of shops all around the square. This is also a great spot to have a quick snack. There are also a lot of different streets you can explore while in this area. I remember there was a street that was covered in umbrellas, and another street had a huge Puerto Rico flag and great photo ops as there are a lot of murals.

4. Dinner at Lote 23

Go back to Lote 23 to have dinner. As I’ve mentioned before, Lote 23 has a lot of different vendors and last time we tried an Arepas stand but this time look for a different vendor and try out a different kind of food. La Neta is a good option if you are looking for a taco shop. They also have churros for dessert 😋

Day 5

Where to stay: Mayagüez

I stayed at this Airbnb: https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/29859145?s=42&unique_share_id=6DEE18D9-3CED-4B48-9C37-FF73E22CCE89&%24web_only=true&_branch_match_id=1158628200267899677&_branch_referrer=H4sIAAAAAAAAA8soKSkottLXT0zKS9LLTdVP1TcNrnRNy40MKK9IAgAFTs8GHQAAAA%3D%3D&source_impression_id=p3_1677476717_33wg1XrvZt7oHyUc

It was perfect because it was right in the middle of Mayagüez and also had a balcony which is where I chilled and people-watched in the morning. I took this time to reflect upon the whole trip and to just be thankful that I was able to live and travel the way I do.

1. Survival Beach Trail

2. Cool off & Have Lunch at Crash Boat Beach

3. Faro Los Morrillos Lighthouse

4. Dinner at Cinco de Maya

Drive 50 minutes north from the lighthouse to stay overnight in Mayagüez. I recommended staying overnight in Mayagüez because the town is in between Cabo Rojo (Lighthouse & Sunset viewpoint) and San Juan.

Two reasons for that:

1. It is unsafe to drive 3 hours that late at night back to San Juan but you also don’t want that long of a drive the next day either. So, driving 50 minutes to stay in Mayagüez is a great way to “meet in the middle”.
2. There are other things you can do on your way from Mayaguez to San Juan. So, instead of wasting your time driving during the day, it pays off to drive halfway the night before and head out to explore other things the next day on your way to San Juan.

Cinco de Maya is located in Mayagüez and it’s easily my favorite Mexican restaurant on the island. I ordered a Vegetarian Chimichanga and it was really good. The service and taste went above and beyond my expectations. It’s also a very lively atmosphere with patio seating and string lights.

Day 6

1. Brunch at Cabra Tostá Coffee House

A great breakfast/brunch spot. It’s a great spot to sit down and eat but since I slept in, I got it to go. A veggie wrap with diced potatoes and an iced latte with almond milk kept me filled up for the majority of my day.

2. Gozalandia Waterfall

3. Relax at Condado Beach

4. Drop off rental & Flight back

6. Photos

I hope you enjoyed reading my itinerary for Puerto Rico and I also hope that in one way or another, I’ve helped you plan your trip to this beautiful island. If you liked this, please check out my other city blog/itineraries and leave a comment! Also, let me know what else you would like me to cover on my next city blog in the comments below. I would really appreciate it. Lastly, check out my most recent blog post about New York City 🗽

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