Puerto Rico: Isla del Encanto

Welcome back to my blog! And as per usual, I am sorry for the lack of content but with the new job (started in March of this year) and the wedding, there was definitely a pause on traveling. But hopefully now with the stability, I can start vamping up the travels again. So without further ado, let’s get to it!

So from May to August, Jake and I were on the graveyard shift, working from 8:30 pm to about 7:00 am. Our exposure to sunlight was pretty much nonexistent. And all the while, I was planning our wedding, so summer flew by. We slept and worked. When we finally moved to a day schedule, we were on a desperate search for Vitamin D. Jake said “we should go somewhere tropical”. And I was more than happy to oblige. We had been working so hard, dealing with work, the wedding, we just needed a break. We dubbed it our prenuptial honeymoon. I began my research. I checked for the weekend after Labor Day because we could each take a day off to make it a 4 day weekend (since we worked Labor Day). I checked flights out of Atlanta into a multitude of “tropical” locations. I looked at flights to Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Bermuda, Aruba, and Puerto Rico was the winner. We weren’t looking to spend too much due to the wedding so when I saw that tickets were only $200 roundtrip, definitely couldn’t pass that up. Let me preface with the reason the tickets were so cheap, we went through Frontier Airlines. We were also very worried about the experience we’d have because of all the stories we’ve heard; stories of cancelled flights with no solutions or compensation, delays, lost luggage, and it is definitely a no frills airline. But for our purposes, we figured we couldn’t pass up the $200 deal and decided to take the chance. We did not have any issues so thank goodness for that. The flight was about three hours. There are no outlets and you have to pay for any in-flight service, which includes beverages. But we knew this ahead of time so we brought our own battery packs, snacks, and beverages. Just keep these things in mind should you think about considering Frontier Airlines.

We flew out of Atlanta Thursday September 6th around noon and landed in San Juan around 3:00 pm. I have been to San Juan before and really enjoyed Old San Juan so we decided to stay there. I wanted to find a room that was both reasonably priced AND in a good location. I found our hotel, Da House Hotel, with my trusty Booking.com. It was right in the heart of Old San Juan off Calle Francisco; close enough to walk to both El Morro Fortaleza and the beach. Our room also had a cute, little balcony. It came out to $352.90 for 3 nights, including the taxes. And for the quality and location, I would say it was definitely a steal. I would absolutely stay there again.

While we were there, we didn’t really have a set itinerary other than the half-day tour we booked to go see El Yunque Rainforest. We just wanted to walk around freely, find good food, and just relax. After we checked in to our hotel, we went to look for food. We went to eat at Restaurante Raíces where they had fantastic mofongo. If you have never had mofongo, you are missing out. Mofongo is Puerto Rican dish made with fried green plantains and can be filled with a meat of your choice. Ours were served to us in a wooden pestle and mortar and it was fresh and delicious.

After that, we just wanted to walk around and take in the city. We walked down the Paseo de la Princesa while the sun was setting and it did not disappoint. I read a few suggestions to walk down that road to the Raices Fountain around sunset and it was absolutely beautiful. It was at that point, I truly felt like I was on an island in the Caribbean, and during a different time no less, with pirate-esque sailboats in the background, palm trees, and the fort standing behind the fountain. We continued walking and found ourselves on the Paseo del Morro walking around the huge fort walls. If you decided to take this stroll, be aware that there are TONS of cats along the Paseo del Morro. After the hurricane, due to people being displaced, and just the general number of street cats, cats were running rampant. They had an informational board up explaining that a group of people come to feed the cats, they have them spayed or neutered, and care for them until someone adopts the cat. Jake is a cat whisperer so he was in heaven. The cats were EVERYWHERE: in the bushes, on the rocks, in the dirt, everywhere. So if you don’t like cats, I would not suggest the Paseo del Morro. Also keep in mind that the paseo goes all the way around the head of the fort and in order to get out the other side, the gate needs to still be open, and they are open until 6 pm. We learned the hard way when we got to the other end and the gate was locked so we had to walk the paseo all the way back from where we came.

The next day, the weather was perfect so we packed up a towel, sunscreen, and some drinks, and walked down to El Escambrón Beach. We found some stairs that led down to the water so we walked down and stopped for some pictures. We figured we would just walk down that coastline until we got to the more populated beach and that proved to be a little more difficult than we thought. Unless you’re unopposed to walking and climbing all over urchin infested sea rocks, I would head back up to the main road to walk down to the populated beach. This was another mistake we made. Well, for Jake it was a breeze but he’s as agile as a Billy goat, for me on the other hand, I ended up crashing like a wave on those rocks, ripping a nail off, scraping skin off my hand, and leaving a sizable bruise on my bum. I was very lucky to not fall into the urchins. The rest of our time at the beach was lovely though, the water was a great temperature, so pretty and clear, and I just got to lay out and relax.

That evening, we got a little dressed up and went out for a nice dinner at La Punto de Vista Restaurant . This was a cute rooftop restaurant and it was happy hour while we were there. The drinks were tasty and they were tall :) . I had these delicious tostone cups filled with savory pulled pork and it's making my mouth water just thinking about it. Speaking of food, we went to the same breakfast place all three days. For me, that's a little bit of a travel no-no because I generally want to try new places but we loved this restaurant so much, we just kept going back. Cafeteria Mallorca is like a little diner with an old-timey feel where you could quickly become a regular, and we did. It's most famous for its sandwich La Mallorca which is ham, cheese, and egg on sweet bread covered with powdered sugar. I know, I know, the powdered sugar almost threw me off too because generally, I don't really like mixing sweet and savory; but let me tell you, this sandwich was delicious! That sandwich, paired with un cafe con leche, what more could you need and how much more Puerto Rican could you get? There are plenty of other options on the menu, and delectable pastries in the window, but be sure to try a Mallorca before anything else, you will not regret it.

After dinner at the Punto de Vista, we went out for a drink but called it an early night because we had booked a half-day tour of El Yunque Rain forest that was scheduled to leave early in the morning. I found the tour through recommendations on TripAdvisor. We went through a website called Viator. The tour included pick-up and drop-off, visiting La Coca Falls, trail hike, swim "break" in the river, visiting Yokahú Tower, and stop at local town for afternoon snack, oh and this was all guided. It was $65 per person and I highly recommend it if you are wanting to see El Yunque but either don't plan on renting a car to get there, or just need a little guidance in your expedition. We really enjoyed ourselves being outside and the water was extremely refreshing. Not unlike the rest of the island, the rain forest was also severely affected by hurricane so many of the trails were washed away in landslides. The guided tour ensures you are able to enjoy the rain forest while being safe. Things to note, be sure to wear comfortable shoes, bring a bathing suit if you care to swim, bring bug spray, and bring water.

Once we returned from the tour, we had ourselves a little mid-afternoon nap and freshened up for our tour at the Bacardi Factory. We arrived at the Casa Bacardi a few minutes before our tour to check in. We then got on a tram like at Disney World, while the tour guide gave us a history of the grounds. We were escorted to a smaller room where we were able to test 5 different rums. Now, be warned, you are tasting straight rum. I cannot handle rum that way so I was not able to test them all. For you rum lovers out there, this will be heaven for you. Once the tasting was over and we were borderline inebriated, we went back to the main entrance which is like an outdoor tent with a bar. We purchased the tasting tour tickets for $50 which also included a beverage. So we sat outside enjoying our beverage, and of course took advantage of the photo op. Our evening with ended with a lovely dinner at Casita Miramar. They have a menu that is created each night and if you're looking for a romantic atmosphere, I would absolutely recommend this location.

That Sunday it was time for us to fly home. We had some time before having to head to the airport so we finished up souvenir shopping and made one more stop at Cafeteria Mallorca. We were able to do and see so much within just those 3 full days that we were there. We also did not feel too overwhelmed with all of those activities, we left feeling relaxed and refreshed.

If you're looking to get a way for a 3 or 4 day weekend, definitely consider this beautiful island. Your patronage is absolutely appreciated because this island is still hurting from the hurricane and you visiting boosts its economy. We barely scratched the surface on everything Puerto Rico has to offer, from its rich culture and Caribbean cuisine, to the gorgeous beaches and lush mountains. And especially for my fellow Boricuas who have yet to visit Puerto Rico. It's a wonderful experience to see the culture your family comes from. All in all, we had a great time and encourage you to visit as well. Plus, you don't even need a passport! As always, if you have ay questions or want helping planning your trip to Puerto Rico, don't hesitate to ask. Thanks so much for reading!

Te veo pronto,

Goose

#airport #traveling #blog #YouTube #romance #Facebook #bookingcom #instagram #roadtripwithgoose #puertorico #casabacardi #mofongo #mallorca