A tropical Caribbean island surrounded by beautiful beaches and an abundance of history, culture and architecture, enticed us to visit San Juan, Puerto Rico. This was our first visit to PR and not our last! We planned this trip last fall specifically looking for a warm place to be beach bums and a break from the long, cold winter. We immediately decided on PR after researching islands and warm weather destinations. I was excited to learn that besides 80 degree temps in January, PR also continues to celebrate the Christmas season, La Navidad, through January! January 6 is Three Kings Day, Dia de Los Reyes, where children wake up to gifts brought by the Magi, similar to Santa Claus on Christmas morning. We arrived after this, but I’ve included some pictures of La Navidad decor around the city. I read that travel tends to be a little less expensive in January. Our Delta, non-stop flight from Minneapolis was just under $500 per ticket. Puerto Rico has it all! We arrived in sunny San Juan on January 12 with no itinerary. Following is a recap of our exploration and inspiration to return soon!
Ocean Park
We stayed in an Airbnb home off of Calle Loiza in Ocean Park, which is in Sancturce, a barrio (neighborhood) of San Juan. We like Airbnbs for the local feel and opportunity to cook some meals while we’re on vacation. Our house had an amazing outdoor space with tropical foliage, an outdoor shower and the sound of Coqui frogs at night! The nights were amazingly warm despite January being the coolest month of the year in PR. We were in walking distance to Ocean Park Beach, where kites flew in blue skies and a local gentleman crafted tropical island drinks! Our first day we soaked up much needed sun and Pina Coladas! It was Friday and the beach was fairly quiet. The water here was not ideal to swim in due to rough waves, but still picturesque. Across the beach was Parque Barbosa that had restrooms and nice shaded areas.
From our Airbnb, we strolled Calle Loiza and Calle Mcleary to and from the beach. Restaurants, bars and shops lining these streets offer a complete local vibe. We felt like the only tourists at times! Although the area appears a little rough around the edges, the people, murals and businesses here create a vivacious and hip place! Day one we discovered Kasalta Bakery & Restaurant. This was our go to for Americanos, sandwiches, empanadillas and bakery! The staff is friendly and atmosphere vibrant. A dinner favorite on Calle Loiza is La Cueva Del Mar, an upbeat restaurant where we enjoyed fabulous mojitos, fish and shrimp tacos, while surrounded by Navidad decor.
Condado
A short drive from Ocean Park is Condado, which is also in Sancturce. Ashford Avenue in Condado has a cosmopolitan vibe with resorts, casinos, restaurants and shops. We paid $9 for parking in a lot right on the Avenue. Dining options are endless here. I spotted a tranquil, airy restaurant called Ropa Vieja Grill. Our waiter brought us delicious steak monfongo to try! He was enthusiastic responding to our food inquiries. If we had arrived earlier in the evening, we may have ended up with 10 additional plates of the amazing cuisine here! We came here another evening for the quesadillas and Havana cocktails and then strolled up and down the lively, lit up Ashford Avenu, soaking up the tropical air.
We had mentioned in conversation that Ashford didn’t seem to fit in with other San Juan street names. As it turns out, a quaint, pink house with palm trees and Three King decor I was admiring, had been the residence of Dr. Bailey Ashford. Ashford was the pioneer in identifying and finding treatments for anemia and tropical diseases that affected many rural Puerto Ricans. Ashford, along with colleagues, created a school of tropical medicine in the early 1900’s. Our visits to Condado were in the evenings since it had an energy we loved. We never made it to Condado Beach, since we discovered Isla Verde Beach in Carolina.
Isla Verde, Carolina
Right next to San Juan is the city of Carolina, home to Isla Verde Beach. This beach has soft sand, calm waves and turquoise water. Locals and tourists spread out across the vast beach, swimming, playing beach tennis, jet skiing and parasailing in the warm Atlantic water. A couple guys strolled the beach with wagons making tropical drinks. Families, couples, teens, single groups of men and women, young and old, took advantage of the 80 degree days. We love that everyone here is diverse, sharing a love of the sunny warm sand and water. And, the beach style is as diverse as the people. You can truly be confident in any style of swim suits, or beachwear here. You can glam it up or down, or barely there!
If you’re hungry, this is the beach to be. Carts sell empanadas, tacos, hot dogs, sodas and snacks. Across from the public entrance is Alambique Beach Lounge. Although we did not eat there, the Mojitos and Pina Coladas we took back to the beach were fabulous, and the restrooms perfect! The only downside of this beach is the lack of public restrooms. I researched this, and have not found any public restrooms nearby.
Getting to Isla Verde Beach was a short drive from Ocean Park. Right next to the Chili’s restaurant on Isla Verde Avenue is a large parking ramp, and Sobao Bakery across the street. Sobao was wonderful to grab some coffees, yogurt and bake goods for the beach. Parking for the afternoon was around $20. It was about a 8 block walk along Isla Verde Avenue to the beach access, which is on Jose M. Tartak Avenue, next to the CVS. The street is lined with resorts, casinos, condos, and some shops and restaurants.
Old San Juan
We visited Old San Juan and I cannot wait to return here. Just admiring each building, touring the old forts and visiting all the shops, cafes and restaurants could take days. As we were on vacation, we had no interest in rushing around during our week here, but I do wish we spent more time in OSJ. It’s always a balancing act with limited time. As we walked about, it was entertaining spotting the old San Juan cats!
The third Thursday of January kicks off the San Sebastián Street Festival in Old San Juan each year. Of course this was the day we had to return home. We were informed by our Uber driver that people pack into Old San Juan to honor Saint Sebastian with folklore characters, music and performances, while wrapping up the holiday season. Note for next year!
Travel take aways: We did not need to rent a car for the trip since we basically stayed in the San Juan area. Ubers are easy and cheap. We would have saved about $80 in parking fees throughout the week, plus the $400 Enterprise rental fee. Our Uber from Calle Loiza to Old San Juan was about $13. A car is definitely a must if you want to explore other areas of Puerto Rico. We drove out to Dorado on the one cloudy day during our stay. Our next trip we will still rent a car so we can visit the rainforests and other parts of the island. San Juan and the surrounding area has so much to offer. Almost any type of beach, water, and nature activity, cultural, night life entertainment, and amazing restaurants can be found here, along with many varieties of rum drinks! Airbnb has a nice option to find experiences and activities wherever your destination is.
Our next visit we will definitely stay at a beachfront Airbnb! Having to drive to Isla Verde Beach took away some time. Because we were driving to and from the beach each day, we made sure to have nice summer clothes over our swim suits for when we dined and shopped. The temperature was always around 80 degrees, so dressing was simple. I brought a variety of summer dresses and lived in them. I never needed a sweater except evenings on the beach. An open knit cardigan provided enough warmth from the ocean breeze. Most of the places we went, English was spoken. However, a few places we had to wait for an English speaking employee to assist us. Before our next visit, we will learn a little more Spanish!
Le Vrai Nous
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