Puerto Rico Living!

By, fancyn

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This is definitely one of my top trips in all my travels. It all started when we were looking for a destination to celebrate our 10 year wedding anniversary…a big deal if you ask me!

I was always intrigued by Puerto Rico which is a U.S territory but at the same time maintains a unique identity. It was peak season (Christmas/ New Years) a time when a lot of New York residents escape winter to PR but I was determined to make it happen. From Los Angeles, we got a connecting flight through Ft. Lauderdale and booked a beachfront Airbnb in Condado, San Juan, PR. We really scored with this Airbnb because it was literally on the beach!!

On the first day we spent time familiarizing with the neighborhood. Enjoying delicious pina colada in real pineapple cocktails and eating mofongo which is a delicious local dish made of plantains and your meat of choice baked in.

The Airbnb was in a beach community called Condado which was about 20 minutes from the airport. We booked shuttle transportation because based on research, parking was a problem and we didn’t want to be stuck with a rental with nowhere to park. However we would need one later to tour the Island.

On the second say we visited Old San Juan. We took an Uber ride from Condado to Old San Juan and had an awesome driver that basically gave us a history and sightseeing lesson during the ride. This is a historical site that was about the war that was fought against the Spaniards. The grounds and building were surreal and with incredible historical content.

On the 3^rd day, this was our actual anniversary so we splurged on a 5 star restaurant called the 1919 Restaurant and it didn’t disappoint! The food was delicious and the service amazing. After this bougie experience we needed to get back to our roots and we sought out the party scene in PR and La Placita de Santurce was it!! This is a plaza that has different bars and eateries in the same area and it’s happening and lit on weekends. This was definitely the place to be and it reminded me of the Nairobi party scene for reference.

On the 4^th day, we wanted to see what the rest of the island had to offer so we picked up a rental car from the airport ( a nice travel hack coz that means we had a ride back to the airport 2 days later) and to our pleasant surprise, our compact rental was upgraded to a jeep! What a lovely ride it was through the beachfront and mountains and ultimately getting to the rainforest known as El Yunque rainforest. This was such a sight to behold. Nature at it’s best, untouched and beautiful.

The 5^th day happened to be New Year’s Eve and Wow! What can I say about the parties? Puerto Ricans know how to party and usher in the new year. We were spoilt for choice on where to ring in the new year but settled on the Hilton and they had an amazing party complete with free champagne and fireworks! This is definitely one of my most memorable NYE celebrations.

On the 6^thday , we saved the Barcardi factory for last. Rum is the drink of choice on the island and Cuba Libre (rum & coke) is the standard call drink at any bar. We did a tour of the factory which we learned was relocated from Cuba after political conflict and they needed to find a new home. They walked us through the whole manufacturing process and it was quite fascinating. We got to taste all the offerings and buy drinks at a fraction of the U.S price  to bring back to the U.S.

All in all, Puerto Rico ranks up there as one of my favorite destinations. I loved everything about it! The people, the food, the music, the scenery and just the overall vibe of the island.