Puerto Rico has been on our list of awesome places to visit for several years. After so much time in the spotlight recently, our curiosity was piqued and we committed to exploring this friendly island. So close and yet so far, Puerto Rico is a large part of our history and culture. Yet it’s separate in ways we wanted to understand better. After hearing about great experiences from friends who have enjoyed trips there, we set out to visit San Juan. We wanted to experience its warmth for ourselves.
Old San Juan has so many colorful buildings, you can’t help but smile and be happy.And by warm, I mean more than the climate. Yes, Puerto Rico can tout sunny days and tropical weather, but it’s the people here that provide its true warmth. Throughout our long weekend, our interactions with locals made the trip truly memorable. Restaurants, walking tours, museums and shops all shared one common trait – friendly people who seemed genuinely pleased to welcome us.
The locals have a name for this feeling: Boricua. They describe Boricua as a spirit, flavor, and rhythm that visitors feel in every part of the Island. It’s a state of mind and a way of life, embodied by Puerto Rico’s proud, passionate people.
Visit San Juan for the Center of It All
The island of Puerto Rico is surprisingly diverse, encompassing approximately 3,425 square miles. It takes 6 hours or more to circumnavigate the island by car through jungles, farmlands, coastal cities and more. With just a three-night stay planned, we decided to focus on exploring San Juan specifically.
Puerto Rico is an official Territory of the United States, and San Juan is its capitol. The city is also its most populous, with some 340,000 residents across a broad swath of diverse neighborhoods. The city is located on the northeast side the island, with the Atlantic Ocean to the north and the Caribbean Sea to the south.
We chose to stay in the Condado neighborhood, immediately connected to Old San Juan by a bridge from its sandy shoreline and luxurious hotels. This proved an ideal launching point for visits to several areas of San Juan from our temporary residence at the Condado Vanderbilt Hotel. (More on the Condado Vanderbilt Hotel below, since this luxury resort deserves a more detailed description.)
From here, we were able to reach Old San Juan in less than 10 minutes by cab. The artsy neighborhood of Santurce was just 15 minutes away. We topped off our visit with a fun boat and snorkel adventure at La Cordillera Nature Reserve, which was reachable in approximately one hour by car.
The view from our suite at the Condado Vanderbilt Hotel in San Juan was epic.Full of Charm and Color
Entering the gates of Old San Juan felt like we were in a tropical version of historic Spain. This is not far from the truth we learned, because this part of the island was settled by Spanish explorers in the 17th Century. This explains the colonial building style reminiscent of Old Europe. Cobblestone streets are paved with unique metallic pavers created specifically for this city, and they give off a distinctive blue tint that lends to the neighborhood’s romantic feeling.
The cobblestone streets of Old San Juan are lined with colorful and historic buildings.Ornate and colorfully-painted buildings with detailed balustrades and window cornices line the streets. Many of these sport histories dating back some 500 years or more. City requirements dictate a color palate for all buildings in Old San Juan ranging from pastels to bright hues, and the effect is gorgeous whether the building is charmingly faded or freshly coated. Intricate metalwork gates and fences lead to heavy carved wooden doors, with wooden shuttered-windows to close against the hot midday sun. Through open windows, we could see ceiling fans whipping the air lazily to provide an extra cooling breeze to residents below.
Like any historic city, Old San Juan offers plenty of shade under tree-lined walkways, plazas and parks scattered across its 17 square blocks. We enjoyed sitting for a moment in the Plaza de Armas in the shade of a leafy tree while the Four Seasons Fountain splashed nearby. It is here in this plaza where the San Juan City Hall and government of Puerto Rico still resides. The site has been home to many significant points in the history of its development over four centuries under Spanish rule, before becoming an American Territory in 1898.
Every historic city has its main plaza, and in Old San Juan the Plaza de Armas is especially picturesque.Visit San Juan Through Its Food
Curious about the local food scene, we connected with a local tour experience company called The Spoon which specializes in food tours of San Juan. We were excited to sample the island’s famous national dish Mofongo, and our excellent guide Elliott led us to Juanes Restaurant in Old San Juan for his favorite version of mofongo (other than his own mother’s, he qualified).
Mofongo is a mash of green plantains, cooked to softness with garlic and butter until it is the consistency of dense mashed potatoes. Some cook their mofongo with sweet additions and some tend towards more savory versions. Most dishes are topped with a meaty stew of chicken, pork or other ingredients. The version we sampled was a tantalizingly delicious combination of creamy chicken and tangy flavors that was so good we cleaned our plates. Of course our initiation to mofongo was accompanied by an ice-cold bottle of the local beer, Medalla.
Mofongo is the national dish of Puerto Rico, and it is so delicious at Juanes Restaurant in Old San Juan.Winding our way up the hill and past more stunning buildings, ironwork and parks with gardens, we stopped for a moment at the city’s ancient walls to take in the exceptional views. Built in the 1600s to protect residents and riches, these walls surround the old city in the European manner. Because of its strategic position on a hilltop overlooking the lands below and the bay, Old San Juan’s vistas stretch across the island to volcanic mountain ranges to the south. It’s easy to see why the original people chose this spot to build a heritage.
Another restaurant stop of note was Deaverdura, where we ducked in for a tasting of traditional Puerto Rican dishes. Here the server offered us a range of hot sauces in bottles containing various colors, consistencies and strengths from mild to burn-your-insides-until-steam-pours-out-of-your-ears spicy. It was such fun to sample a choice of several hot sauce options to see what our taste buds liked best with the delicious food. We enjoyed Arroz con Habichuelas (rice and beans), Slow-Cooked Pernil (pork), and Longaniza (chicken sausage) – with hot sauce, of course.
Deaverdura offers guests a very traditional Puerto Rican menu and dining experience in Old San Juan.Lively Nightlife in San Juan
Bellies full, we felt ready to experience some of San Juan’s legendary nightlife up the hill along along Calle San Sebastián. Here the bars serve both food and drink, with an emphasis on the drink part. Several establishments caught our eyes, and we settled into Jibarito Social Club for a minty mojito served in a gigantic glass with plenty of fresh lime. Lively salsa music filled the air as locals and visitors mingled in laughter, some dancing and others watching but all clearly having the time of their lives – including us.
Jibarito Social Club serves up a deliciously minty mojito with plenty of fresh lime.Since Puerto Rico calls itself the Rum Capital of the World, many of the island’s tropical cocktails are rum-based. With Barcardi’s major distillery located here, more than 70% of America’s rum supply comes from Puerto Rico. Here in San Juan, there are at least two establishments that claim they invented the famous Piña Colada cocktail. Just to make sure the lore about this rum drink is accurate, we did our part to sample this cocktail at several different establishments during our visit. After all, it was the least we could do.
Outside the old city walls in the nearby Santurce neighborhood, another lively nightlife greets locals and visitors each evening. Starting at sundown and lasting late into the night, the streets around La Placita produce market become filled with revelers, live music and dancing. During the day La Placita is a working produce marketplace complete with fresh tropical fruits, vegetables and more. At night, restaurants and clubs welcome a fun crowd looking for good food, strong drinks and plenty of salsa music.
Produce market by day, La Placita in the Santurce neighborhood becomes a nightlife hotspot when the sun goes down.The Murals of Colorful Santurce
There are myriad reasons to visit San Juan, and one is the incredible art scene in places like Santurce. Santurce is an interesting and colorful neighborhood during the day, because it is filled with murals and street art. The neighborhood is located south of Old San Juan in what was historically the city’s melting pot of cultures from around the world. People from Africa, China, Spain, the Dominican Republic and many other places lived side by side in this densely populated area. Many still do.
Even the front of buildings can serve as a colorful mural canvas in the Santurce neighborhood of San Juan.A special draw in Santurce is the vast collection of wall murals that splash color across the city blocks throughout this neighborhood. Our tour guide Antonio from Patria Tours provided colorful details about the area while informing us more about the lives of local artists. We were stunned at the quantity, quality and variety of mural styles that artists painstakingly created on almost every spare building side available. Some sport garishly bright colors, some are classical masterpieces, and others are political statements both subtle and profound. Thank goodness for Antonio’s encyclopedic knowledge of the artists and their creations. He shared details about the pieces as we walked the streets like a giant outdoor museum, taking it all in.
Building facades in Santurce serve as giant canvases for amazing street art and murals.Dining in Santurce
After all this walking, we had built up an appetite. Areyto Modern Cuisine seemed like an ideal spot for lunch, and we were not disappointed by the generous servings of local fare. A standout was the enormous avocado the size of my head, stuffed with six giant prawns in a creamy white wine sauce. I was really hungry and still could not finish the entire dish it was so huge. Of course, the delicious cheesy croquetas we sampled as appetizers might have happily taken up a little room.
Later for dinner we dined at one of the most innovative restaurants we have enjoyed in a long time. Sur Barra Nikkei offers a menu of fascinating Japanese-Peruvian fusion that was truly spectacular. Calling these dishes sushi does not seem fitting, but that is the closest we could come to describing how these creations were prepared. Chef Rafa told us he wakes up at night from vivid dreams, jotting down the flavor combinations that come to him in his sleep.
The dishes at Sur Barra Nikkei are a wonderful combination of flavors, colors and textures.Whatever the inspiration, he is most definitely dreaming of beautiful things. Our favorites here included Tiradito Nikkei, a fantastic flavor combination including fresh local catch of the day, oriental leche de tigre, cucumber and scallions. Another dish we loved is called En las “Conchas Negras” with Lomo Saltado (traditional Peruvian stir-fried beef), sesame rice, tomatoes, onions and potato. Honestly, the dishes at Sur Barra Nikkei kept coming and we kept loving them. In the end, we must have sampled 6-7 items on the menu. Each was so different and a truly unique combination of unexpected flavors. Chocolate and crunchy puffed corn in seafood dishes? Who knew we would love it so much.
The dishes at Sur Barra Nikkei are both innovative and delicious. (Photo: Sur Barra Nikkei)In the La Placita area, locals also recommended sampling the menus at Areyta, La Penultima, Jungle Bird and El Coco de Luis for fun and delicious traditional Puerto Rican flavors. Just more reasons to visit San Juan again and again.
The shrimp-stuffed avocado at Areyto was out-of-this-world delicious.Snorkel in Turquoise Water
Since Puerto Rico is a tropical island, you can expect the warm waters to be great for snorkeling and water sports. The northern facing parts of the island serve up higher waves and rougher waves, we are told. We headed for the calm shores off the eastern side of the island, near Fajardo and about an hour drive from San Juan. Here we found crystal clear waters and white sands, the perfect combination that projects that gorgeous turquoise color.
Snorkeling in Puerto Rico is a great experience, including warm ocean waters and colorful sea life.Our fun in the sun began with perfect sunny weather – not too hot and not too humid. We decided on a super fun Mini Boat Tour with Kayaking Puerto Rico, where we piloting our own boat as part of a group tour out to the coral reefs of Icacos Island. It took about 30 minutes to motor over to our snorkel spot, which was teeming with tropical fish and sea life. After exploring the streets of San Juan, it was a welcome opportunity to enjoy the warm sun, fresh breezes and colorful landscape.
The Mini Boats were a great way to reach the coral reefs outside of San Juan to snorkel with schools of tropical fish.Plush Digs at the Condado Vanderbilt Hotel
When we planned to visit San Juan, we chose the Condado Vanderbilt Hotel because of its grand reputation and history. And maybe also because of the famous Vanderbilt name. (Yes, that Vanderbilt.) The hotel anchors the entire Condado neighborhood as its first major hotel, and the area’s nicest throughout its history. Built in 1919 to mimic the style of NYC’s Grand Central Station, Frederick Vanderbilt created one of the most luxurious beachfront hotels in Puerto Rico. Grand, swirling staircases, pink marble hallways and a darkly romantic lobby bar greet guests.
The Condado Vanderbilt is literally positioned beachfront with amazing views.Our suite on the 10th floor was ocean facing and enormous, with views up and down the coastline from expansive balconies. Of the many things we loved about this hotel room, the sheets and towels were extraordinarily plush and comfortable. Maybe it was the surroundings, or perhaps the busy days exploring the city. Whatever the reason, we slept like babies in one of the most comfortable hotel beds ever.
The grand staircase and ballrooms at the Condado Vanderbilt Hotel harken back to its origins.1919 Restaurant at the Condado Vanderbilt
Downstairs for dinner, we sampled the culinary experience at the hotel’s premier restaurant, 1919. Here Michelin Star-rated Executive Chef Juan José Cuevas has created a memorable menu. We started the meal with foie gras, served with tropical fruit marmalade that was out of this world. The pasta course featured gemelli with short rib and carmelized onions, and the gnochetti with fresh shellfish was delicious too. For our mains, we enjoyed the Sea Scallops in a parmesan-whole grain mustard sauce, and the Lamb Chop with polenta and dried fruits and nuts.
If you dine here – and we recommend that you do – leave room for dessert. The Olive Oil-Lemon Cake with hazelnut, chocolatea and gianduja ice cream was next level. If you have a sweet tooth, we also suggest trying the Mango Passionfruit Canele, with coconut mousse, mango passion curd, lemon madeleine and almond ice cream. Ahhhh!
This is truly fine dining, and easily 1919 is one of the best restaurants on the island. If we one day return to the Condado Vanderbilt, one of the reasons for coming back would be this dinner experience. It was that good.
The view from 1919 Restaurant at the Condado Vanderbilt Hotel is almost as good as the cuisine. (photo: Condado Vanderbilt Hotel)Relaxing from our Relaxation
Reeling from this smorgasbord of stimulation, we found quiet relaxation in massage treatments at the newly opened Elemara Spa next door to our hotel inside La Concha Renaissance San Juan Resort. With a large outdoor patio overlooking the sandy Atlantic Beach and the sounds of the waves gently lapping at the shore, we were instantly relaxed before the treatments even started. After a refreshing welcoming drink, we enjoyed fantastic massages with a spiritual element of sound and scents. It was top quality, and that is saying a lot considering the many massages and spa experiences we have had over the years.
The terrace and outdoor meditation area at Elemara Spa in relaxing beyond measure.The Perfect Combination
Overall, San Juan’s mix of excitement and peaceful beachfront energy was the perfect combination for a long weekend in Puerto Rico. We left already planning our next trip back. Next time we visit San Juan, we’ll go deeper south into the island to explore its tropical jungles, volcanic mountains and bioluminescent waters. But this time? We loved staying close to our hotel and the streets of San Juan, where there is so much to see and do.
For more detailed information about how to visit San Juan and Puerto Rico in general, follow this link to the Discover Puerto Rico website.
