Kayla Mahon

Puerto Rico has always had a special place in my heart. My friend and I traveled there about 4 years ago and camped in the El Yunque Rainforest, explored Old San Juan, relaxed on the beautiful beaches and met some amazing people along the way. Unfortunately as of right now the El Yunque Rainforest is closed as it was devastated by the hurricane but there are many other options to explore nature. 

We flew into San Juan airport which is about 20-25 minutes away from Old San Juan. We rented an Airbnb as I wanted a full apartment right downtown and it was perfect. There is so much to do in Old San Juan and it is surrounded by the ocean. 

We tried a number of different bars and restaurants during our time there that were fantastic. My favourite places that I would recommend visiting are: 

#1. Greengos Caribbean Cantina was a beautifully decorated Mexican restaurant that had Burritos with tofu and many other vegetarian options. 

#2. Elebatey bar which was multiple bars in one. The lowest level opens first and had well priced drinks. As the night progresses the other levels through the maze of rooms open up. The bar has a very cool layout and vibe.

#3. Princesa is down near the ocean with a very nice garden feel. There was a very friendly bartender that we spoke with for hours. She told us about the effects of the hurricane on the island and gave us a free shot of Puerto Rican rum that is made up in the mountains which is equivalent to moonshine.

#4. Tijuana’s is a small restaurant that has a patio right in the marina. Everything on the menu had a vegetarian option and the enchiladas were my favourite. 

There was a hotel right downtown that I toured that I would recommend for your trip.  

#1. El Convento is right downtown on Caleta de las Monjas and is in a vibrant yellow, high ceilinged building with massive brown doors. The hotel is very nice and clean and is right by one of the old walls surrounding San Juan on the ocean. The streets near by are filled with trees and colourful homes.  

We rented a car, which I highly recommend doing when visiting Puerto Rico. We rented from Hertz which is located inside the Sheridan Hotel across from the marina. The rental process was incredibly fast and easy and prices were quite reasonable. The deposit was $200USD for the rental car. We drove to the west side of the island and spent the day in Rincon which is a popular surfing town. The beaches were beautiful and there were many shops and restaurants nearby.

I would recommend a couple places: 

#1. De bocas restaurant had very well priced menu items and the fried plantains and beans and rice were delicious. We also had the mozzarella sticks and 1 corona and 2 magna’s. The whole meal came to $23.00!

#2. Be Rincon was a reggae beat bar which was very lively.

You can definitely see the effects of the hurricane on the island and some parts of the island are still without running water or power but Puerto Rico is beautiful and definitely somewhere everyone should visit. Traveling there helps the economy and will help rebuild what was lost.  

Seek adventure and explore - Kayla