The Puerto Rico Guide

After a successful trip to Santorini last year, my friends and I wanted to plan another island trip - so after considering factors like price, distance, and “newness” to us (basically, whether or not we’ve been to the place before), we landed on Puerto Rico. And I’m so glad we did.

I have so many details I want to share, like where to park when visiting Old San Juan, thoughts on which bay might be best for bioluminescent kayaking, and honest thoughts on the places we ate, so this guide will be formatted as a line-by-line review of our 9-day, 8-night itinerary for four people.

Here is a high-level rundown of the key activities of our trip:

Day One: Arrive late at SJU
Day Two: Sleep in and explore the neighborhood
Day Three: El Yunque National Forest
Day Four: Coffee farm tour
Day Five: Chill beach day in San Juan
Day Six: Day trip to Culebra (the highlight of our trip!)
Day Seven: Overnight stay in Vieques for bioluminescent kayaking
Day Eight: One final dinner in Old San Juan
Day Nine: Early flight back home

And if you’d like to see the video version of this guide, you can find it here.

Day One: Arrive late at SJU

11:30pm - Pick up rental car

We arrived at SJU at around 11:30pm, and had a rental car booked for pick-up at that time. (In an attempt to hack the system, I had tried to book it for 12am the following day, but wasn’t able to submit the booking that way.) When we got to the rental car area, it seemed like all of the companies were open and operating, so I wouldn’t worry much if you have a late flight in.

The best way to get around Puerto Rico is a rental car, hands down. If you are a US citizen, you don’t need a special license or anything (since Puerto Rico is a US territory), and having a car gave us the freedom to do what we wanted to do. Double check that the car has AWD/4WD because the roads can be dicey at times.

I suppose if you are just there for a few nights and only staying in San Juan, I could see you getting by with taxis and Uber (but no Lyft), but for us, staying for at least a week was the right move.

12:30am - Check into Airbnb

Our Airbnb was in Puerta de Tierra, which is near Old San Juan, but is quite residential and not a very picturesque part of the island. While it was convenient and had lots of street parking in front of the apartment, the building itself was pretty old and had lots of water pressure issues (the water would come out in random bursts, which was bearable at first but with four girls, it became quite a nuisance).

Other than that, the Airbnb was a good base for us - far away from the commotion of Old San Juan but close enough (<5 min drive) to see the action, and enough room for us to settle in for the week.

During our research, the area of Condado was highly recommended, so I would consider looking at hotels or Airbnbs there during your search.

Day Two: Exploring the neighborhood

A mosaic art installation near our Airbnb

1:00pm - Lunch and coffee stroll

Since we got in late the night before, we slept in, grabbed lunch at McDonald’s (no judging), and took an afternoon stroll around our neighborhood. We got drinks at 787 Coffee, a chain with locations around Puerto Rico and in New York. It was here we learned that service in Puerto Rico can take a long time, so and factor that into your planning.

We also took a stroll by Balneario del Escambrón which seemed like a good place to go if you are already nearby, but not a place you need to make the effort to visit. That being said, it was pretty gloomy that day and we only walked by quickly, so take my opinion with a grain of salt!

4:00pm - Old San Juan

Finally, we drove over to Old San Juan (our first of many times during the trip). We came upon a parking lot called Multipiso Covadonga, which was located right at the edge of Old San Juan and cost us $5 flat. We parked here every time we visited Old San Juan, and found that it was much easier to pay in-person at the booth instead of using the automated machine. However, the card machine was broken the final time we parked there, so best to have some cash on you just in case.

The view from Castillo San Felibe del Morro

A couple of historic parts in Old San Juan are Castillo San Felipe del Morro and Puerta de San Juan, but I think the best thing to do is just wander around and see what stores, restaurants, and buildings you stumble upon.

My favorite sliver of Old San Juan was a street called Caleta de San Juan, which was overflowing with plants and trees and lined with vibrant green buildings that were perfect for a little photo shoot.

8:00pm - Dinner at home

It was Good Friday, so a lot of restaurants and stores seemed to be closed, and since we got in late the night before, we weren’t able to buy any groceries. So after we picked up our friend from the airport (she was joining the trip a day late), we got McDonald’s (again) for dinner. No regrets.

Day Three: El Yunque National Forest

8:30am - Breakfast

We started out our day with breakfast at Café Don Juan, where we had decent breakfast sandwiches that would sustain us for our rainforest trip. (We were actually going to eat at Café con Cé, but it was closed.)

We then picked up some snacks and water at Supermercado Pueblo and then took a 45-minute drive to the park. We happened to be in the middle of a rainstorm, so the drive was pretty scary for us but is usually nothing out of the ordinary. Luckily, the rain cleared up by the time we got to the park, and the cloudy, misty weather ended up creating the perfect conditions for hiking at El Yunque.

11:00am - Explore the park

To visit El Yunque National Forest, you can book a guaranteed reservation (which costs $2 per car) up to a month in advance. Once you are in the park, you can park at various lots along the way and visit different trails and waterfalls nearby each parking lot. We ended up doing the Mt. Britton trail, which was 1.3km (less than one mile) or 45 minutes one way. As I mentioned, the trails are well-maintained and paved nicely, so even though it had rained, my running shoes provided enough traction for the hike.

4:00pm - Drinks in Old San Juan

$5 guava and passionfruit mojitos at El Cafetín

After getting back to our Airbnb and having an instant ramen snack, we showered and got ready to head out to Old San Juan again for some dinner. The restaurant we chose, Deaverdura, wasn’t open until 5pm, so we killed time by getting $5 mojitos at El Cafetín. It was our first round of drinks of the trip, and for that price, you can’t go wrong!

5:00pm - Dinner at Deaverdura

We had high hopes for Deaverdura after reading positive reviews and even getting affirmation from a family we met who had come back for the second day in a row - plus, it was our first proper Puerto Rican meal, so we were excited to try the local cuisine. However, our food took about 45 minutes to come out, and when we finally got it, we devoured it in about five minutes. The food was good, but not worth the time we waited. From this point on, we knew to account for long wait times, and made sure we didn’t allow ourselves to get to a hangry state right before dinner.

Devouring our food because we were hangry

We were still hungry that we got a second dinner of empanadas and soup at Ajo de País, so at least we went home with enough food in our bellies.

Day Four: Coffee farm tour

10:00am - Breakfast

We started out our day with breakfast at Café Comunión, which had a fitting name because it was Easter Sunday. I got the chorizo toast, which I expected to have ground chorizo, but ended up having small slices of chorizo instead (it was still good, just not what I expected). We also got a french toast with fruit which was a solid choice. The service here was also very slow, but perhaps they were understaffed for the holiday.

12:00pm - Drive to the mountains in Adjuntas

The central mountains of Puerto Rico are home to lots of coffee farms that provide tours and tastings. I found Sandra Farms via Google, and booked a tour ($30pp) because they happened to be the only farm I found that would do a tour on a Sunday - but there are lots of coffee farms so definitely look through the other options to find one that works best for you.

The lush landscape of the central mountains of Puerto Rico

The drive to the farm was an adventure. About two hours from San Juan, the majority of the journey takes you across several highways, but the last 30-45 minutes take you on a steep climb through the mountains. There were potholes, unpaved roads, (what felt like) 45-degree inclines, and hairpin turns. This is where that 4WD comes in, because as long as we drove slowly and carefully, it wasn’t too bad.

2:00pm - Coffee tour

Our tour group had about 9-10 people total, and we learned about how coffee is grown and roasted, how quickly you should consume coffee once it’s packaged, and tasted beans that had been prepared in different ways. I’m pretty sensitive to caffeine so I don’t drink a lot of coffee, but I thoroughly enjoyed the tasting, and especially enjoyed their special coffee-infused chocolate.

Due to all of the hurricanes in recent years, much of the farm has been damaged, so the majority of their revenue comes from tours - so we were happy to be able to support by basically buying out their gift shop.

Sandra Farms does have tours available to book via Airbnb Experiences, but our guide recommended to simply book directly with the farm (which is what I did in my quest to find an available tour on a Sunday). You can find their contact information here.

6:00pm - Dinner in Condado

After another two hour drive back to San Juan, we decided to get dinner at Cayo Caribe, which is a chain restaurant known for seafood. After learning our lesson with Deaverdura, we grabbed some fries from an empty fast food restaurant next door as an appetizer while we waited (but hilariously, even the single order of fries took at least 15 minutes).

We got an assortment of seafood dishes, from ceviche to codfish croquettes, but the main event here is the red snapper. While everything here was good, we probably ordered a bit too much, especially given that lots of the dishes were fried. They have a huge menu, so this could be a convenient place to go with a large group where people might have different preferences.

Day Five: Chill beach day in San Juan

11:00am - Frappes and coffee

After two days of excursions (to the forest and the coffee farm), we decided to take a chill day at the beach. We started by getting frappes at The Frappe Factory & Latidos Café. While you can get a coffee-based frappe, you can also get them with fruit (so basically a smoothie). I got a mango frappe, which was the perfect, refreshing way to start the day.

12:00pm - Beach time

We were originally going to go to Carolina Beach because it has a parking lot, restroom, and showers, but when we got there learned that it’s closed on Mondays and Tuesdays in the off-season.

6:30pm - Dinner in Old San Juan

Rested from the beach, we went out to Old San Juan again for another Caribbean dinner, this time at El Jibarito - what a different experience it was compared to Deaverdura. The restaurant wasn’t empty or packed, but still had a bustling atmosphere…and our food came out so quickly. I was actually shocked at how fast the food came out here, and perhaps that had an affect on how much I enjoyed it.

All of the meats were tender and nicely seasoned, and the portion sizes were also much bigger than Deaverdura’s. We all enjoyed the white rice and beans more than the yellow rice (you can choose one as a side for your protein). Being Korean, we also needed salsa picante, and our server kindly brought us a bowl after seeing how quickly we were going through it.

8:00pm - Drinks at La Factoría

Decent (but not the best) drinks at La Factoría

La Factoría was one of the most recommended spots in Old San Juan, so we got a nightcap at this dark and moody bar. Drinks were about $10-12 each, which is a steal compared to the New York prices I’m used to, but in my opinion they were a bit watery. The bar had a few different rooms/areas, and I could see how it would be a fun spot on a weekend, but since it was a Tuesday night, we caught a calmer, quieter, version of it.

Day Six: Day trip to Culebra

6:30am - Coffee and tour pick-up

For this day trip, we booked a tour that, for $175pp, included transportation, snorkeling, and time at Flamenco Beach (this beach became our #1 highlight of the trip). With a 7:15am pickup, we got coffee at a small outdoor stand near our Airbnb called La Mezcla, and then took the hour-long journey via van to the Ceiba ferry terminal.

9:30am - Ferry to Culebra

Our guides led us onto the ferry (a public ferry that you can book tickets for online - but our tour was inclusive of our ferry tickets), and we took a 45-minute to one-hour journey to the small island of Culebra, which is also part of Puerto Rico.

11:00am - Snorkeling

I hadn’t been snorkeling since I was about eleven years old at Catalina Island, so this was a nice treat (and the equipment was also included with the tour). The entire snorkeling portion took about an hour, and we saw lots of coral, a few different types of tropical fish, and a stingray! (I was hoping to see some sea turtles, but the stingray will do.)

12:00pm - Flamenco Beach

The beautiful entrance to Flamenco Beach

That being said, it was very convenient to be on a tour and be able to fully unplug and not worry about any logistics.

5:30pm - Ferry back to Ceiba

We enjoyed the sunset during our ferry ride back to Ceiba, and once we docked on the main island, our entire ferry was subjected to a drug sniff test. It was a bit chaotic as the police tried to get hundreds of people to line up in a straight line with their bags on the ground, but we got through it. If you’re taking the ferry and there’s a big commotion with the police, don’t panic as it’s mostly likely a random drug search like this one.

8:30pm - Instant noodle feast

During our ferry ride, we were already plotting our move for dinner: cooking up the Shin Ramen and Buldak we packed from home (and eating it with haetban, gim, and canned kimchi tuna). It was glorious. IYKYK.

Day Seven: Bioluminescent kayaking in Mosquito Bay

9:00am - Breakfast at Spiga

The guava butter and ham brioche rolls are a must

After checking out of our Airbnb (we stayed for one night in Vieques, and one final night back in San Juan before flying home), we got breakfast Spiga in Old San Juan - and their pastries are out of this world. We first got a guava roll and ham & cheese brioche roll to share (as side dishes to our breakfast sandwiches and eggs), and ended up buying more to go because they were so good.

We then wandered around some shops in Old San Juan and I got some hot sauce, jam, and tea at Spicy Caribbee - a great spot for gifts and souvenirs.

11:00am - Drive to Ceiba Ferry Terminal

It was time to go back to Ceiba, but this time to take the ferry to Vieques (instead of Culebra). Like I mentioned earlier, you can buy tickets for the ferry online in advance. The tickets cost $2.25 per person, and $1 for each of our suitcases. You can also buy tickets in-person at the booth, but I recommend purchasing online to guarantee a departure time that you want.

Per Puerto Rico Ferry’s recommendation, we got to the terminal about an hour before departure (it takes about 1-1.5 hours to drive from San Juan to Ceiba), and headed into the boarding area about 30-40 minutes before. The boarding area closes 10 minutes before departure.

You can’t take your rental car from the main island onto Vieques, so we parked our car at the terminal for $20-25.

2:30pm - Arrival in Vieques

From the ferry station in Vieques, we grabbed a taxi and headed over to our hotel, Casa de Tortuga, which was just a short walk away from our kayaking meeting point. We quickly learned why you can’t bring your rental car onto Vieques - as our taxi driver put it, Vieques is “the Wild Wild West.” Not only are the roads bumpy and many times unpaved, but there are 2,000 wild horses roaming the island. Although lots of people rent UTVs when they visit Vieques, our driver recommended against it, as it can be dangerous to maneuver around the roads and sudden horse appearances.

3:30pm - One more beach

This was our last chance to catch some rays at the beach, so we walked over to Playa del El Cayo near our hotel. This was my least favorite beach as it was right next to a pier, but living in New York, I’ll take any beach I can get. If you are spending more time in Vieques, there are many other beaches you can check out on the island, as well as a large wildlife reserve.

6:00pm - Fish tacos at Duffy’s

Why is it that the restaurants you don’t plan to visit always turn out to be the best? Duffy’s was one of the spots along the main street by our hotel, and came recommended to us by our taxi driver earlier in the day. Their fish tacos were the perfect post-beach meal, and the restaurant even had two homemade salsas that were both delicious.

9:00pm - Bioluminescent kayaking at Mosquito Bay

Puerto Rico is home to three bioluminescent bays, and the brightest in Puerto Rico (and the world!) is on Vieques. Being the overachievers that we are, we decided to check out the best of the best, which is why we were staying overnight on Vieques in the first place (you cannot make this into a day trip since the kayaking is done at night, and there are no late ferries out of Vieques). We also planned to go as close to the new moon as possible, since the darker it is outside, the brighter the bioluminescence.

While the bioluminescent kayaking tour was a unique experience, it was quite unpleasant having to wade barefoot through decomposing leaves and mud that smelled like sulfur. Plus, kayaking itself was difficult to get the hang of (maybe I should have lifted some weights in preparation for this trip!).

Although I don’t regret it, I would maybe consider visiting one of the other two bio bays that are on the main island for more convenience: Laguna Grande (about 1.5 hours from San Juan by car) and La Parguera (about 2.5 hours from San Juan by car). If you still decide to go bio bay kayaking in Vieques, wear clothes you don’t mind getting dirty or can be easily washed/air-dried, and some cheap flip flops or shower shoes.

And while Mosquito Bay is not named after the insect but a pirate ship, we still got eaten alive by mosquitos all day and night in Vieques - so come prepared with bug repellent!

Day Eight: Fancy dinner in Old San Juan

11:00am - Breakfast at Kristy’s

Fluffy pancakes with strawberries cooked into the bottom

After checking out of our hotel, we got breakfast at another local joint called Kristy’s. We each got a breakfast pastelillo (kind of like a fried empanada) and shared the fluffiest pancakes. Definitely recommend!

12:30pm - Taxi to the ferry station

We weren’t exactly sure which taxi company to call to take us back to the ferry station, so we stopped into a random gift shop and someone kindly wrote down a few taxi company numbers for us. We ended up using Vieques Taxi, which you can call at 787-741-TAXI (8294) and it cost us $40 including tip. This driver took Venmo, but you should always have cash on you just in case.

1:00pm - Lunch at Buga’s

To kill time before our 3pm ferry, we got margaritas and nachos at Buga’s Mexican Restaurant. It wasn’t anything special, but they had a nice patio to sit on and relax before making the journey back to San Juan.

6:00pm - Check into our last hotel

After a 1.5 hour ferry ride and one-hour drive from Ceiba to San Juan, we checked into the Hampton Inn & Suites by the airport. We all had very early flights the following morning, and the Hampton is just a 5-10 minute ride away from SJU.

8:00pm - Five-course meal at Marmalade

We headed back to Old San Juan for one last meal at Marmalade, which offers a 5-course meal for $135pp. Unlike some other coursed meals, Marmalade allows you to choose your five courses across a few categories, so you can customize it to your liking. My favorite item was the white bean & truffle soup (which also happens to be their house special).

Live commentary at dessert

Overall, the food was tasty and had good portion sizes (which I appreciate from a fancier restaurant), but it was way too rich for our liking. We were only able to pick at our fourth (main) course and fifth (dessert) course, and could barley walk back to our car! The restaurant had a nice atmosphere for our final dinner of the trip, but I desperately needed a crisp Coca-Cola after the meal.

11:00pm - Return rental car at SJU

After dinner, we returned the rental car at the airport so we wouldn’t have to worry about it before our super early flights. Once you start seeing signs for the airport on the highway, stop following Google Maps and just follow the signs to get to the rental car return area. We followed Google Maps exactly and got routed through a strange, dark path and had to backtrack. We then took an Uber back to the hotel, which cost about $12.

Day Nine: Early flights home

4:30am - Taxi to SJU

Two of us had a 5:30am flight, so we took an early cab to the airport. I called the front desk of my hotel about 15 minutes before we needed to leave, and they called a taxi for us. Make sure you have cash on you to pay your driver (or take an Uber if your flight is at a more normal time than mine was). Our ride cost $20.

The TSA PreCheck line in the JetBlue terminal was closed, but was open for my friend flying Southwest. Since my line was closed, they gave me a TSA PreCheck card that allowed me to go through security without taking off my shoes.

Also, be sure to take out any food from your bag and put it on a tray (even if it’s dry, like chips or tea). Because I had some food and snacks in my bag, they had to run it through the machine again. Overall, getting through security (with the limited TSA PreCheck benefits) took me 20-25 minutes including the rescanning of my bag.

Puerto Rico is a beautiful place where you can relax at the beach, zip-line in a rainforest, trek into the mountains, hop around islands, and drink endless mojitos and piña coladas. I’m so glad we spent just over a week there, and would absolutely go back someday and explore even more that the island has to offer.