Pursuit of Happy Travel

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3 Days in San Juan, PR

I recently had the privilege of escaping the bitter winter cold with two of my friends for a few days and enjoyed the beautiful sun rays of Puerto Rico. Let me just start off by saying that 3 days isn’t nearly enough for Puerto Rico. San Juan itself is a relatively small city, but there’s a lot to do and explore close by.

San Juan is quite touristy, as to be expected, but still so fun! This part of the island is so rich in history. The feel of San Juan reminded me somewhat of cities in Europe with its old Spanish style architecture and cobblestone streets. About 20 minutes drive from Old San Juan is Carolina (if you fly into San Juan, the airport is in Carolina), and this is where you’ll find the really nice beaches! The beaches in the main part of San Juan are ok, but they are mostly monopolized by resorts. Some of these beaches also have food and drink stands, so if you fancy drinking a pina colada on the beach, you’re in the right place!

If nightlife is your thing, you’re in luck, San Juan’s nightlife is very lively! There are clubs open every night, but on weekdays the clubs in the heart of San Juan close at 1am, but there are a few bars and things that stay open later in the Isla Verde area. On the weekends the clubs stay open much later.

Getting Around

To get around Puerto Rico, I suggest renting a car because it’s the easiest way, but rent at your own risk, and absolutely get the insurance! Driving in Puerto Rico can be stressful, they drive crazy and take traffic laws as suggestions, but renting is relatively cheap, and if you plan on going outside San Juan (like to the rainforest), it really is the best option.

Outside San Juan

A great day trip or half day trip from San Juan is El Yunque National Forest. This part of the island is breathtaking! Plus, there’s a ton to do. One of my friends and I decided to get our adrenaline fix by going zip lining through the forest at Rainforest Zipline Park, and we had a blast! We got to ride 7 different lines, and one is over a minute ride! The staff here is great and you can tell they really love what they do. If you crave even more of an adrenaline rush, you can add on other activities to your visit like rock climbing or an adventure trail. Unfortunately we were only able to fit in zip lining, so if anyone does the adventure trail, let me know how it is!

So lets get to the itinerary.

Day 1: Your first day on the island is the perfect opportunity for a beach day. Rest and relaxation, beautiful turquoise waters, and pina coladas, what else can I say? Taking your first day to rest and really embrace the island is a great way to rejuvenate after spending hours on a plane. After you’ve soaked in some rays, you can head into the Old Town to explore and find some yummy Puerto Rican cuisine. Not surprisingly, there are a ton of restaurants to choose from, but if you want a more authentic option and don’t mind going off the common path, there is a quiet restaurant nestled right off the coast called La Garita. The food is fantastic and the ocean views are even better! This area does look a bit run down due to recent hurricane damage, but don’t let that deter you, this was some of the best food we had on our trip! This restaurant is also right outside the historical fort walls, and the fort is something you definitely don’t want to miss! We took a stroll around the fort on the coast, and it was beautiful. This is also especially great for animal lovers because this trail is stray cat city! We must have seen 20+ cats, and we also encountered many iguanas, which are interesting creatures. This first night I suggest you go back to your accommodation and settle in early, because day 2 is jam packed with activity!

Day 2: This is the day of adventure! You’re going to want to wake up early because you’ll be heading to the rainforest and it takes about an hour to get there. The first activity is zip lining! Spend a few hours in the morning (the afternoon time slot will definitely be too hot) flying through the treetops and getting a unique view of the island. After getting your fill of zipping, you can either stay at the adventure park if you booked another activity, or you can take a hike through the forest. When you’ve had your fill of adventuring, I’m sure you’ll be tired and hungry, so its time for dinner and rest. But don’t get too comfortable, because the day isn’t over yet! The second night is the perfect night to go out on the town and experience the nightlife. No matter what day it is, the bars and clubs are open. In the Old Town, there are quite literally streets lined with clubs. If you aren’t one for dancing, most of these places have at least a little lounge seating to enjoy your drink and take in the atmosphere. When you’re ready to call it a night, there are Ubers and taxis readily available to take you back to wherever you’re staying.

Day 3: After a late night, a slow morning is warranted, and seeing as its your last day, I recommend really embracing the island life, and how better to embrace that than with a pool and a swim up bar! If you’re staying at a resort, pool access is probably no problem. If you didn’t choose to stay in a resort, you can still enjoy a pool day by getting a resort day pass. We got day passes to the Condado Plaza Hotel off of Resortpass.com, but there are so many resorts to choose from! This is definitely something you will want to book before your trip as these passes can sell out. To get the most for your money, I would suggest spending the majority of the day at the resort, but when you’re ready to get food, its a better plan to leave the resort and find a nearby restaurant. Since it’s your last night, you might as well go out with a bang! Whether that’s going out to the clubs again, exploring more of the downtown area, or enjoying more drinks in the pool, just have a good time!

Leaving your vacation destination is always hard, especially when that destination is 80 degrees and sunny everyday, but the great thing about Puerto Rico is that flights are cheap, so you can always go back! Not everywhere I travel would I want to go back to, but I would absolutely go back to PR, especially to see other parts of the island. If there is anything fun and unique you would add to this itinerary, I would love to hear about it in the comments!

Happy travels!

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Kaitlin Ulrich

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I recently had the privilege of escaping the bitter winter cold with two of my friends for a few days and enjoyed the beautiful sun rays of Puerto Rico. Let me just start off by saying that 3 days isn’t nearly enough for Puerto Rico. San Juan itself is a relatively small city, but there’s a lot to do and explore close by.

San Juan is quite touristy, as to be expected, but still so fun! This part of the island is so rich in history. The feel of San Juan reminded me somewhat of cities in Europe with its old Spanish style architecture and cobblestone streets. About 20 minutes drive from Old San Juan is Carolina (if you fly into San Juan, the airport is in Carolina), and this is where you’ll find the really nice beaches! The beaches in the main part of San Juan are ok, but they are mostly monopolized by resorts. Some of these beaches also have food and drink stands, so if you fancy drinking a pina colada on the beach, you’re in the right place!

If nightlife is your thing, you’re in luck, San Juan’s nightlife is very lively! There are clubs open every night, but on weekdays the clubs in the heart of San Juan close at 1am, but there are a few bars and things that stay open later in the Isla Verde area. On the weekends the clubs stay open much later.

Getting Around

To get around Puerto Rico, I suggest renting a car because it’s the easiest way, but rent at your own risk, and absolutely get the insurance! Driving in Puerto Rico can be stressful, they drive crazy and take traffic laws as suggestions, but renting is relatively cheap, and if you plan on going outside San Juan (like to the rainforest), it really is the best option.

Outside San Juan

A great day trip or half day trip from San Juan is El Yunque National Forest. This part of the island is breathtaking! Plus, there’s a ton to do. One of my friends and I decided to get our adrenaline fix by going zip lining through the forest at Rainforest Zipline Park, and we had a blast! We got to ride 7 different lines, and one is over a minute ride! The staff here is great and you can tell they really love what they do. If you crave even more of an adrenaline rush, you can add on other activities to your visit like rock climbing or an adventure trail. Unfortunately we were only able to fit in zip lining, so if anyone does the adventure trail, let me know how it is!

So lets get to the itinerary.

Day 1: Your first day on the island is the perfect opportunity for a beach day. Rest and relaxation, beautiful turquoise waters, and pina coladas, what else can I say? Taking your first day to rest and really embrace the island is a great way to rejuvenate after spending hours on a plane. After you’ve soaked in some rays, you can head into the Old Town to explore and find some yummy Puerto Rican cuisine. Not surprisingly, there are a ton of restaurants to choose from, but if you want a more authentic option and don’t mind going off the common path, there is a quiet restaurant nestled right off the coast called La Garita. The food is fantastic and the ocean views are even better! This area does look a bit run down due to recent hurricane damage, but don’t let that deter you, this was some of the best food we had on our trip! This restaurant is also right outside the historical fort walls, and the fort is something you definitely don’t want to miss! We took a stroll around the fort on the coast, and it was beautiful. This is also especially great for animal lovers because this trail is stray cat city! We must have seen 20+ cats, and we also encountered many iguanas, which are interesting creatures. This first night I suggest you go back to your accommodation and settle in early, because day 2 is jam packed with activity!

Day 2: This is the day of adventure! You’re going to want to wake up early because you’ll be heading to the rainforest and it takes about an hour to get there. The first activity is zip lining! Spend a few hours in the morning (the afternoon time slot will definitely be too hot) flying through the treetops and getting a unique view of the island. After getting your fill of zipping, you can either stay at the adventure park if you booked another activity, or you can take a hike through the forest. When you’ve had your fill of adventuring, I’m sure you’ll be tired and hungry, so its time for dinner and rest. But don’t get too comfortable, because the day isn’t over yet! The second night is the perfect night to go out on the town and experience the nightlife. No matter what day it is, the bars and clubs are open. In the Old Town, there are quite literally streets lined with clubs. If you aren’t one for dancing, most of these places have at least a little lounge seating to enjoy your drink and take in the atmosphere. When you’re ready to call it a night, there are Ubers and taxis readily available to take you back to wherever you’re staying.

Day 3: After a late night, a slow morning is warranted, and seeing as its your last day, I recommend really embracing the island life, and how better to embrace that than with a pool and a swim up bar! If you’re staying at a resort, pool access is probably no problem. If you didn’t choose to stay in a resort, you can still enjoy a pool day by getting a resort day pass. We got day passes to the Condado Plaza Hotel off of Resortpass.com, but there are so many resorts to choose from! This is definitely something you will want to book before your trip as these passes can sell out. To get the most for your money, I would suggest spending the majority of the day at the resort, but when you’re ready to get food, its a better plan to leave the resort and find a nearby restaurant. Since it’s your last night, you might as well go out with a bang! Whether that’s going out to the clubs again, exploring more of the downtown area, or enjoying more drinks in the pool, just have a good time!

Leaving your vacation destination is always hard, especially when that destination is 80 degrees and sunny everyday, but the great thing about Puerto Rico is that flights are cheap, so you can always go back! Not everywhere I travel would I want to go back to, but I would absolutely go back to PR, especially to see other parts of the island. If there is anything fun and unique you would add to this itinerary, I would love to hear about it in the comments!

Happy travels!

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