Zach got us tickets for Puerto Rico back in August as an early birthday & Christmas present and we knew that come January, we’d be itching to get in some warm weather!
We flew out of Des Moines and into Chicago. First stop: beer.
We got into San Juan around 2:00 a.m. and stayed at the hotel attached to the airport. This was an excellent & convenient option. It’s definitely not luxurious, but we were too tired to care at that point!
We rented a car with my credit card points (Chase Sapphire) and drove east towards Luquillo because of a few recommendations from online & a friend. First stop on the way – a bakery. I am truly a caffeine addict; I brew two cups in my Chemex every morning, so when we ordered a latte, vacation truly begun.
Luquillo offered a long stretch of sandy beach and kiosks with several food options. Zach’s priority: ceviche and a beer. Medalla is the beer of choice in Puerto Rico and we made sure to consume it on the regs.
The one place we couldn’t use our credit card points on was our Airbnb, which happens to be the cutest little house in Naguabo in southern Puerto Rico. In fact, there was a bottle opener attached to the exterior.
Our second morning, we hit up the beach at sunrise to experience a quiet morning and the glow of the early sun. We got followed by one dog, who then met up with his other dog pal, who then drew in two other dogs! I’m a big animal lover, but it was a little uncomfortable being the only ones on the beach with four stray dogs.
After escaping dog stalking, we headed to El Yunque, which was one of our favorite parts of the trip. One thing we did before we went was sign up for a day of canyoning. We were pumped to do this & paid pretty good money, but we were the only two signed up for Sunday and they don’t take out that small of a group. We decided to go solo & explore as best we could using the La Mina trail. Best advice for El Yunque? Get there early! Parking and traffic got really bad late morning/early afternoon. There are enough people on the trail to help point you in the right direction, so follow whatever trail is open!
Our post-rainforest adventure brought us back to our Airbnb, where we decided to suit up & head back to Luquillo beach. We made a pitstop at a restaurant in Naguabo in hopes that the craft beer bar would be open. In fact, most of the restaurants we got most excited about online weren’t open, so be open-minded in these moments & go to one close by! The fritters become very near and dear to me on this trip. Fried goodness in every single bite.
We both passed out at Luquillo beach; thank goodness sunscreen was involved! Zach went for a beach run, we drew in the sand, did one last run into the water, and headed back for a night in Naguabo. There happened to be a huge street festival we really wanted to go to, but parking and traffic was a nightmare, so we ate a place close to our Airbnb, watched a couple Making a Murderer and got some solid sleep.
Day three was the longest day yet! We decided to get up really early and head west of Naguabo to Cabo Rojo. Based on pictures and our eagerness to explore, we drove 2.5 hours (with a pit stop at Starbucks) to see the most incredible cliffs and the bluest of blue water. One of my favorite pictures is Zach on this cliff with a rock bridge. There were also tons of lizards to giggle at.
We weren’t there long, although we had hoped to stay for some beach time. It was getting really crowded, so we headed to Rincon about an hour away. This was yet again another great decision and, after everything was said and done, we wished we would have stayed in Rincon the whole time instead of Naguabo. The beach was better and there are tons of things to do on the beach, like SUP, parasail, surf, etc. To us, it just felt like a beach town & there were tons of great hotels!
A couple hours later (and ceviche in our tummies), we headed towards Old San Juan, our final destination about 2.5 hours away. We changed our clothes and went straight to El Morro, an old fort built by the Spanish over 400 years ago! It was incredible (and free on MLK Day…win!) and worth the time to explore the many levels and read the information throughout. It is pretty full of tourists, but since it is so big, you find yourself alone at moments too. The whole Old San Juan is filled with remains of the fort, extending along the coast. The history was just insane. Not to mention the buildings and the infrastructure. I mean, look at the streets and colorful buildings! The public space areas were totally on par and it was super walking friendly, except when the gigantic cruise ship dumped off thousands of people.
We enjoyed eating at a little pizza place with local beer & tapas, changed into something a little warmer, and went out to find our final dinner of, you guessed it, ceviche (addicted). We found our winner (half of a HUGE avocado topped with ceviche) and went for one more back at the pizza place. Again, not everything you see online is open, even though signs are typically still on buildings, so be open to changing plans! Old San Juan is filled with options though, so it’s not hard to find something delicious.
After a little more exploring, we crashed pretty hard. Our final morning, we walked around, grabbed coffee, and went to take a few more pictures. I was looking up cute cafes and Caficultura stuck out the most & I’m so glad it did because their breakfast food was amazing. Definitely get there if you’re visiting.
