We are currently moving around more than we usually do. Recently, we had the chance to spend a little time in San Juan, the capital of Puerto Rico. It was our second visit. We remembered enjoying it the first time, and the second did not disappoint. If you are spending a few days there anytime soon, here are our recommendations.
Wandering in Old San Juan
San Juan is a beautiful city, even when it’s hot. We really enjoyed exploring the Catedral de San Juan Bautista. It’s one of the oldest churches in the Western Hemisphere (dating to 1521) and it contains the coffin of Ponce de León.
If you happen to get warm (and you will), stop off for a paleta, which is what popsicles dream of someday becoming: they’re often fruit-based, but you can find milk- or cream- ones too, like the chocolate one you see below from Zippops Gourmet Paletas, pimped out with caramel sauce and chocolate chips.
Now that you’re cooled off, back to wandering: the buildings of Old San Juan are painted in brilliant colours, and covered in beautiful flowering plants. There are tons of bars and restaurants too: we liked Vaca Brava, with an enormous hanging meat platter. (Beware: they said it served 4 but it was more like 8!)
Snorkeling in Culebra
When you are in the Caribbean, you probably want to get in the water. San Juan has some lovely beaches, which we enjoyed. But we also took a snorkeling trip to Flamenco Beach on Culebra (an island off the east coast of Puerto Rico). The water was stunning, and crystal clear. And there were a couple of small reefs with fish on them too!
Piña Colada
This is less of a sight and more of a taste: the piña colada was invented here, in 1963, at Barrachina. (Or maybe at the Caribe Hilton, but the former has it literally chiseled in stone.) Piña colada is not our typical drink but we’re not going to lie: they were GOOD!
El Morro and San Cristóbal
These two massive fortresses mark out the western and eastern sides of San Juan. Castillo San Felipe del Morro was begun as a tower in 1539 and reached its current form in the eighteenth century. Castillo San Cristóbal, the largest Spanish fortification in the western hemisphere, was built in the eighteenth century to ward off land attacks on the old city. The sun shines a lot in Puerto Rico, and there isn’t much cover, so they are HOT. But also, paradoxically, a cool place to wander around. Fun fact: in the early 20th century, when El Morro was a U.S. Army base, all of that green space above was filled with an officer’s club, baseball diamond, and a hospital.
Ziplining in the Yunque forest
Think meandering minimalists, think adventure travel, yes? Not so much. But we were peer-pressured into it and had half of a fantastic time. The other half took some great pictures. Rainforest Zipline Park was super-professional and the staff genuinely friendly. There were eight lines in all, the first one low and short, to get you used to the experience. One of them was 2300 feet (700 metres) long, and another was half a mile (800 metres) high.
Those are just some of the fun things to see (and eat and drink) in San Juan, Puerto Rico. We hope you get there some time to enjoy them!
