A Local's Guide to San Juan, Puerto Rico: Exploring the Island

Welcome to Puerto Rico, known as La Isla del Encanto, an island with the heart and soul of the Caribbean! Puerto Rico, with a population of approximately three million, is a place where the Old World is mashed up with the new on an Island that is small in size but offers an immense bounty of one of a kind experiences. Puerto Rico is one of those places in the world that will make you fall in love with their charms, especially with its surprising nature, its dream beaches, the colonial past of Old San Juan, and of course, their music and gastronomy. The island is divided in six regions: North, South, East, West, Central Mountains, Metro area, and of course, the islands that are in the east - Culebra and Vieques.

Puerto Rico has a Caribbean heart, beautiful beaches, a tropical climate all the year, crystal clear waters, and palm trees to enjoy an exquisite vacation. The island also has a modern infrastructure, mixed with the traditional Latin American culture from the colonial heritage of Spain prior to the year 1952 when Puerto Rico became part of the Commonwealth of the United States.

Old San Juan Historic:

Old San Juan is the oldest city in the United States and its territories. The most significant historical site in San Juan is the Castillo San Felipe del Morro, also known as El Morro, is a Spanish fortress built between the 16th and 18th centuries on the northern edge of San Juan, Puerto Rico and it was built to guard the city from enemies approaching by land, serving as a counterpart to Castillo San Felipe del Morro.

El Morro, San Juan, Puerto Rico

El Morro offers an attractive tour for childrens and adults and it’s open seven days a week. On certain days of the year, the park offers free entry to all visitors, such as days like Veterans Day in November.

During the tour, you will learn about the significance of El Morro and the island's history, why Puerto Rico's strategic location in the Caribbean made it an important port for those trying to expand their reach in the New World, and how the United States used the fort during World Wars I and II.

El Morro, San Juan, Puerto Rico

The green area you will see in El Morro, is the perfect place to fly kites. It is definitely a sight to see and if you want to fly kites you won't have to look far as the small food stalls have a selection of small kites for sale.

Parque las Palomas, San Juan, Puerto Rico

An additional fun to do in Old San Juan is visit the Pigeon Park. This park is loved by children who enjoy feeding the pigeons with the dried corn that is sold by a vendor in the park. Also, the park has fascinating views of the Bay of San Juan, making a great pit stop while exploring San Juan and the next of the park you will find The Chapel of Christ.

In some streets of Old San Juan, you will find a wide variety of unique shipping options. This is the place to go for fine jewelry, crafts made by Puerto Rican hands, imported clothing and furnishings, cigars, folk art, tourist trinkets, and American chain stores, such as Marshalls, and Walgreens.

Puerto Rico also has large shopping malls with recognized brands, discount outlets called Plaza las Américas, Mall of San Juan, Plaza del Caribe (located in the south), and the outlets - The Outlet Mall at Route 66 and Barceloneta Premium Outlets.

If you are hungry, Old San Juan has a diversity of restaurants, such as La Cafetería La Mallorca, located on San Francisco Street. The cuisine you will find there are Latin, Cafe, Caribbean and Puerto Rican. Definitely, you should try for breakfast a Mallorca filled with ham, egg, and cheese, with a coffee with milk. It’s delicious!

Also,  another area  to explore is the neighborhood of Condado. Condado’s oceanfront, you will find elegant hotels, restaurants, boutiques, and more. If you are looking for a sun-kissed experience, head to Condado Beach, one of the most popular beaches in San Juan. Companies like VIP Adventures, and Aqua Adventures offer trips for snorkeling, diving and surfing for individuals and a group. Also, if you like to paddleboard or do kayaking, in the area of Condado you will find some companies who rent the equipment to get the experience in the Laguna de Condado. It is an experience that you cannot miss!

Ventana del Mar, Condado, Puerto Rico

In Condado you will find a park called Ventana del Mar (next to Hotel La Concha), featuring a fun fountain great for kids. There, you will find cafes and ice cream stores.

Beaches:

On the island you can find a lot of beautiful beaches, with different colors of sand. Some of the beaches you find in Puerto Rico are very close to San Juan.

Playa Buyé, Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico

One of the top beaches in the world is Playa Buyé - located in the southwest of the island. This beach is very popular with locals but also for tourism, for its calm waters, its soft, light beige-colored sand, its relaxed and secluded, and most important, their atmosphere is family-friendly. Another famous beach is Playa Escondida (Hidden beach), located to the east of the island. To get to this beach, you'll need to do a 25 minute hike from Seven Seas beach (Fajardo) through a mangrove forest. There are not strong currents, so you can relax during the day, but my suggestion is to verify the weather before you go.

Playa Escondida, Fajardo, Puerto Rico

Here are some beaches in Puerto Rico you can't miss to go: Playa Sucia; Luquillo Beach; Playa de Boquerón; Playa de Jobos; Montones Beach; La Poza de las Mujeres; Crash Boat Beach; Playa Tamarindo; Playa de Isla Verde; Playa Santa; Playa La Guancha; Playas de la Isla de Gilligan; Balneario La Monserrate; Balneario Pico de Piedra; Playa Guajataca; Playa Mar Chiquita; Balneario Cerro Gordo; Playa Ballena; Playa Higüero; Playa de Ponce; Playa Azul, among others.

Puerto Rico Tours

If you like to learn and educate more about the Puerto Rico charms, there are a variety of excursions or tours you can be interested in. One of the tours I love to do is to go on a catamaran to go to the island of Icacos (a small uninhabited island off the coast of Fajardo). There are four companies that give you the ultimate experience abroad, where you can enjoy beautiful Caribbean waters and as part of the experience you will enjoy drinks, lunch, and some of them give you the opportunity to do snorkeling gear.

El Yunque Rainforest, Río Grande, Puerto Rico

Another important and very popular tour that every person who visits Puerto Rico should do is El Yunque Rainforest Tour. It may be just a 45 minutes drive from San Juan. In El Yunque you will find the local wildlife and jump from waterfalls. You will also go through the varied micro-climates, vegetation zones of this natural area, and learn about the plants and animals that inhabit the area passing by cool off waterfalls. I recommend you to go in sneakers because you will hike through the jungle, including lots of mud and stones.

Keep exploring Puerto Rico and its charms!