We spent a morning flying across the rainforest canopy at JungleQui Zipline Park in El Yunque National Forest. I don’t know which was more spectacular – the adrenaline rush of the ziplines as we flew from tree to tree like Tarzan, the incredible views of the lush flora and the river far below, or the sparkling personalities of our tour guides.
There was a little bit of hiking involved, some on a steep trail, so if you do this, you need to be in reasonable physical condition. Make sure to wear good shoes. We wished we had realized we could carry water bottles, because it took 2 ½ hours long to navigate 11 ziplines and one exhilarating rappel. And it got hot!
We drove to Junglequi, but they also operate a service that will pick you up at your hotel, if you don’t rent a car or prefer not to drive.
Across from the parking lot at the entrance of Junglequi, our local friend Julio, who operates Rosario Tours, took us down a trail to a locals spot by the river, where you can jump off a rock into the water or even swing out on a rope! If you’re ever looking for a personalized tour of any part of Puerto Rico from someone who has a true passion for discovery and a contagious joy, Julio Flores is your man!
No trip to Puerto Rico is complete without going deep underground to explore Camuy Caverns, officially known as Rio Camuy Cave Park. It’s located in the karst mountains of northwestern Puerto Rico, where the towns of Camuy, Hatillo, and Lares come together. It was fascinating to see what nature wrought over millions of years, as well as the huge impact of Hurricane Maria.
Make sure you stay till the end: There is surprise bonus material you won’t want to miss!
It takes a lot of money, care, and attention to successfully incorporate a cat into a traveling lifestyle.
We travel with a very sweet cat, Kaylee. She’s a petite Maine Coon, very affectionate but also very nervous.
She technically belongs to our oldest child, Aryk, but as Aryk is still finishing grad school in England, Kaylee travels with us.
And she doesn’t like it.
It’s not easy for us, either. But we wouldn’t have it any other way.
Cats and Planes
Flying with a cat companion is a logistical challenge. Here are the many steps:
You have to call the airline to reserve the cat’s spot, hoping that she won’t exceed their quota of pets per plane.
You have to pay a fee; in the case of Southwest, it’s $95 each way.
You have to purchase a carrier that fulfills their requirements.
Then you have to tote her all over the airport, make sure the skittish kitty doesn’t have a panic attack, and get her through the security line without her bolting. (Hint: Make sure she’s on a leash so she can’t run, but since she can still shred you in a panic, also ask for a private screening. That’s where they take you and the cat into a small room and then take her carrier away to be x-rayed.)
During the flight, you have to listen to her cry from inside her carrier between your feet (so comfortable). If you’re lucky, the middle seat will be clear and you can put her there instead. We have an expandable carrier, and it greatly reduces her anxiety to be able to spread out.
During transfers between planes, you have to find a place for her to do her business in the portable litter box you packed (with the litter that made security red-flag your backpack as a security risk), and give her some food and water, all of which she will ignore.
In addition, to bring Kaylee to Puerto Rico, we had to get an international health certificate, which entailed finding a specific kind of vet and paying $240 for the paperwork, an extra exam, and extra shots. And then the authorities in PR didn’t even ask to see any of it! We have done this twice. I spoke to a dog owner here who did it for three dogs, at much greater expense because of their large size, and no one asked to see their paperwork, either. I know if we skip this step, though, the authorities will ask for it and send her back to the States.
Hiding Places
Kaylee can always tell when we are about to move. When our suitcases come out, she starts looking for hiding places — and we start looking for ways to keep her out of those hiding places. We once had to practically disassemble a bed in a motel when she climbed up inside the box frame.
This hiding place in the stairway in Isabela didn’t work.
Music and Meds
Alleviating Kaylee’s anxiety about flying is crucial, so we got gabapentin, an anti-anxiety medicine, from the vet, which has helped Kaylee endure the terrifying airport screenings and long periods stuck in the carrier. Usually. It does wear out, though. You can tell because she starts thrashing and meowing. A friend who operates a doggie daycare suggested I play a calming playlist from Amazon music. This works miracles! I just place the phone on her carrier to act as her private concert hall, and she is calmed instantly. Thank you, Cesca Ferrante Segalas!
Managing Feline Anxiety While Living as Nomad
Cats like routine, and life is always changing when you travel. We manage Kaylee’s stress as best we can, but there’s a limit to what we can do. Sometimes local cats meow outside the windows at night, or come up to the door during the day. Humans shove her into carriers with no warning, and sometimes leave her there for hours while we travel in cars or planes. Food on the road is inconsistent, depending on what’s available where we are loving at the time. The environment changes monthly, when we move to a new condo. (This is part of the reason we bought the house in Cabo Rojo.)
Kaylee’s buddy Ellie, our Russian Blue who lives at college with Gavin, may be in the house for months (over summer break), and then, just when they have finally adjusted to each other (again), will abruptly disappear with no explanation.
Visiting Ellie
Once, while living in Mexico City, we put Kaylee in boarding while we took a short jaunt to Acapulco. We had to return early due to COVID, but the vet was calling anyway, saying our kitty was freaked out by another cat who wouldn’t stop yowling. We arrived to find her hiding in the kitty playroom, her body tucked deeply into the bottom tire in a stack.
Kaylee in hotels while traveling
Kaylee was recently diagnosed with alopecia, after she licked all the hair off one of her furry legs. The vet said this could be caused by fleas – and told us all cats in PR should be regularly treated for fleas and heartworm – by food allergies, or by stress. We are treating her for fleas, and we’ll test for food allergies this summer if her symptoms persist. But in all likelihood, it’s anxiety. So, we make her life as easy as possible, give her tons of attention, staying home some days just to provide a lap for her to nap in, and keeping up her routines as much as we can (within limits).
Kaylee being spoiled
Finding Vet Services for Pets
Finding vets to care for cats in a place where you don’t speak the language well is a constant challenge. Their front claws must be trimmed regularly, they must be treated to prevent fleas and heartworm, and sometimes they get sick. The upside is that it’s usually less expensive anywhere else than in the States.
Our cat Equinox took ill a week into our Mexico City stay in early 2020. We found a vet within walking distance whose convenient office we had noted while exploring the city, and rushed him there. Fortunately, one vet spoke English, and he got the city’s best kitty cardiologist involved when it turned out our cat had hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. In humans, this condition is called “the widow maker” because often it’s often undetected until the patient, usually a man, has a sudden fatal heart attack. Alas, the same was true for our dear Noxy. He was hospitalized but only lived through a weekend, and had to be put to sleep in the middle of the night when he became agitated and had trouble breathing.
Kaylee says goodbye to Noxy
But he got excellent care. We were called in, we brought Kaylee to say goodbye to her friend, the children were called, and it was as good a pt death experience as is possible, And the cost for that care and his subsequent cremation was a fraction of the cost for the same in the States.
Stress and Health
However, the stress of traveling and then moving to a mile-high city probably contributed to his demise, and this is why I am vigilant about managing Kaylee’s stress. The vet gave us this resource for helping keep kitty stress down: https://indoorpet.osu.edu/cats/feline-life-stressors
I hope the move to Cabo Rojo in winters will give her a more settled life. Alternating between two households should be much easier than adjusting to a new home every month! And when she finally moves in with her owner, our oldest child Aryk, we will probably stick to healing aid organizations care for all the stray cats in Puerto Rico.
Meanwhile, whenever I sit down to use the computer, read a book, or watch TV, I lay Kaylee’s favorite towel across my lap and call her name. She is here in an instant, ready to cuddle while I work. In fact, she is in my lap right now!
Because despite all the stress, the most important thing I can do for my traveling cat is to give her love.
When we returned to Puerto Rico last fall, it immediately felt like home. We lived here in the 90s for a while when I was a foreign correspondent for The Associated Press, and have been back to visit four times with our kids. The island gave us a warm hug the moment we stepped off the plane. Then we started exploring in ways we were never able to do while living and working here, or with our kids. We discovered why it is called the Isla del Encanto. Such amazing nature and variety! Such inspiring cultural attractions! Such rich history! Such warm people!
A Perfectly Flawed Place
We acknowledge that the island has its drawbacks. It’s not paradise, it is a real place, with much to love but also much to endure. It’s very hot in the summer. The rainstorms can be dramatically violent. There are sometimes hurricanes and earthquakes. It can be loud. The fried food can be downright horrible. The potholes are huge. People drive like maniacs around the capital. Bathrooms are often dirty and lacking paper. People litter. The Puerto Rican accent is difficult to comprehend – very fast, dropping ‘s’es left and right. But we take it in stride, with a sense of humor, and accept Puerto Rico for what it is. We always carry trash bags, toilet paper, and earplugs, to protect our own ears and butts and perhaps leave things a little better than we find them.
Discovering Cabo Rojo
Anyway … we have been exploring the island, a month at a time in various areas, the usual Messy Suitcase traveling scheme. So we spent a month earlier this year in Cabo Rojo, on the southwestern tip of Puerto Rico.
Cabo Rojo is in the blue region on the left. San Juan is at the top.
But this time was different. We fell in love. Why? The hiking was unbelievable, whether near the ocean with cliffs and caves, or in the mountains with 180-degree ocean views, or in a dry forest that felt like Colorado. The beaches on the Caribbean Sea and the Mona Passage were gentle, with clear water perfect for swimming, kayaking, and snorkeling. On the way to the mountains to hike or the beaches to swim, we passed nature reserves with mountain bike trails, and I yearned to climb on a bike and explore. But I couldn’t, as I was living out of a messy suitcase with no room for a bike!
Hiking GuanaquillaJoyuda SunsetHiking near the Cabo Rojo Lighthouse
The beach closest to our place in town was a tiny neighborhood one called Ostiones. We found a favorite spot there where we would set our beach chairs under the mangroves, listen to the gentle surf, and watch nature happen. A school of fish. A sea turtle. The occasional kayaker passing.
Sea turtle peeking outCrab swimming byOstiones BeachImages of Ostiones Beach
We left for our next stop, Isabela. It was lovely, but we kept comparing it to Cabo Rojo. The beaches were rough. The hiking was limited. There was one bike trail. We enjoyed ourselves, but everything was lacking compared to Cabo Rojo.
Then, while casually browsing Zillow on the beach, I saw a real estate listing for a house in a neighborhood up the road from Ostiones. I watched it for a month, as we left Isabela and returned to San Juan. Bob and I finally decided to go see it. While we were there, we scheduled to see a couple of condos up the road.
The House
Our first view of our house
We walked inside and fell in love. The house was handcrafted for us, it seemed, from the beautiful custom woodworking the owner had done on the living room wall and around all the doors and windows, to the large open kitchen, to the balconies off of the bedrooms and office, to the cozy covered patio where I will sit and read, to the roof garden.
Cozy covered patioBalcony
We went to see another condo because it was already scheduled, but it paled in comparison to the Cabo Rojo house and validated our feelings. So we went to lunch in Joyuda, a little fishing village, to discuss it. While we sat with our drinks gazing out at the turquoise sea, we emailed an offer to the realtor.
As we sat on Ostiones an hour later watching a sea turtle swim, our offer was accepted! The owners, who are moving to Florida, also offered us the furniture, much of which we will keep, rugs and huge pieces excepted. And they offered the kayak! We do plan to build a deck off the back for dining, and Bob has always dreamed of having an outdoor kitchen and pizza oven.
At this point, we have a signed contract in hand, an inspection scheduled for later this week, and an April 30 closing. The owners will rent from us for another month before heading to their new home. Then it is ours!
Our Perfect Anchor
The house will be the perfect anchor for our life. Great running, swimming, kayaking, and bike riding right out the door. A tennis club five minutes away. Only ten minutes up the road, there is a grocery store, Walgreens, and the pueblo of Cabo Rojo, with its Plaza that hosts events like the annual Three Kings Parade. A fishing village, Puerto Reale, is a mile around the bend; it holds an annual Boat Parade in December. The city of Mayaguez (Puerto Rico’s third-largest) is just 15 minutes away.
The only downside is that San Juan International Airport is more than two hours away. But it’s an easy drive, almost all highway, and it’s worth it for the destination. We have made friends in San Juan whom we plan to visit regularly, and return the favor by hosting. There are also two closer airports, in Aguadilla and Ponce.
Last week we made an offer on a house in Cabo Rojo. Here’s the story of why, after 3 ½ years of a traveling retirement, we are (sort of) settling down.
I prefer to call it anchoring. The traveling will continue.
When we drove our Tacoma out of Colorado and embarked on our adventure in fall 2018, the world was in a different place. We were all healthy, traveling was safe, and we envisioned at least a decade of footloose exploration of the globe, until we got tired of traveling or couldn’t physically do it anymore. Our son Gavin took a gap year from high school before starting college, and we all took off on the road trip of life!
Leaving Colorado, Sept. 2018
We started in Tlaquepaque, Mexico, where we took an immersive Spanish class.
Then Guanajuato. Mexico City. A visit to Puerto Vallarta. Acapulco.
We experienced butterflies, beaches, tacos, mercados, museums, Mayan ruins, mountains, canyons, cities, villages. It was fascinating! Invigorating!
With Gavin starting at Champlain College in Burlington, VT, in August 2019, we headed to our lake house in Vermont for the summer. We hadn’t been able to enjoy this home while living in Colorado, and had forgotten how lovely it was to float on our lake in a kayak, hike in the Green Mountains, ride 30 miles on challenging country roads. We decided we would travel nine months of the year and return to Vermont every summer.
The plan was set.
Then life intervened. The day we dropped Gavin off at college, Bob’s mom called to say she had been diagnosed with terminal colon cancer. When she went into hospice care, we moved into her condo and cared for her through the end of her life. It was a gift.
After she passed, we flew down to Mexico City to resume our traveling life.
Five weeks into our three-month stay, Covid arrived, and everything changed. When the world locked down in March 2020, the whole family headed to Grandma’s condo. On his way there from college, Gavin caught the coronavirus. He was sick for a month, quarantined in his bedroom, and never really recovered. It turned into long-haul Covid.
Gavin in bed, thermometer in mouth
Two years later, Gavin has been diagnosed with a chronic illness called POTS, similar to chronic fatigue, and forges a daily battle to improve while slowly finishing college. This struggle will last into his adulthood. We no longer want to go off and live in Asia or Africa for months and months at a time. We want to be a much shorter plane ride away, if needed.
The constant evolution of Covid makes travel complicated and not as safe as it was when we started.
And now the war in Europe threatens the stability of the whole planet.
In the midst of all this disruption, I find I crave stability. An anchor.
We have also discovered that a life of just travel and exploration is not a full life. Part of the reason we maintain this blog and YouTube channel is to give us purpose, and a connection with those we love and the world. But we also need in-person connection. Friends. Volunteer work. Community. We have started making these in Vermont, and we cherish our friends there.
We drove west from Isabela to explore the Cara del Indio (Face of the Indian), Cueva del Indio (Cave of the Indian), and anything else we stumbled upon, including Taino and Spanish ruins, ocean arches, and one disgraced explorer.
Cara Del Indio
The Cara del Indo, a giant face carved into a hillside rock at the entrance to the coastal town of Isabela, represents Cacique (chief) Mabodamaca, a Taino leader who tried to protect his people from the Spanish trying to take the land. The chief’s giant visage welcomes visitors to Porta del Sol (Gateway of the Sun), the west coast region of Puerto Rico.
Cueva del Indio
Located farther east in the northcoast town of Arecibo, the Cueva del Indio is an impressive cave surrounded by dramatic cliffs that face the Atlantic Ocean. The cave gets its name from the pre-Columbian indigenous petroglyphs that are found in the walls of the cave.
However, the climb into the cave is a young person’s activity; we peered down into the yawning chasm, and saw a couple of petroglyphs carved outside.
Perhaps we’ll return with better climbing shoes (since we can’t bring younger bodies) and try to get in another time.
There are also seven dramatic arches you can hike to. The hike is short but difficult, on jagged rocks under hot sun with no shade. Wear good shoes and carry water.
We paid $5 each at the entrance, got a short talk with photos from the park staff person, and then we were on our own.
Ermita (Hermitage) San Antonio de Padua de la Tuna
We spotted a road sign and turned out of curiosity toward Ermita San Antonio de Padua de la Tuna, the remains of the first Spanish settlement in the northwest region of Puerto Rico. The Spanish lved here until they decided to move their community to Isabela, on the coast, but the original church remains here. Alas, the visitors center is only open on weekends, and the remains were locked up. (Ermita means Hermitage)
I did learn that the ruins of the original church have been preserved with help from the Mabodamaca Corporation, named was in honor of great Taino chieftain, and it is listed on the US National Register of Historic Places.
Arecibo Lighthouse
The less said about this lighthouse, the better. It’s a lovely building, but we didn’t get close. The cost was $12 apiece to get in, and the area around the lighthouse has been turned into a kids’ amusement park – even the lighthouse sign has a pirate in it.
If I had brought my great-niece Audrey, I would have happily paid for half a day’s family amusement. But for a geezer and her young husband just wanting to see a lighthouse? Not worth $24.
Here’s the view from the back, from the parking lot of the next beach over. Stilll not worth $24.
Christopher Columbus Statue
Why is there a statue of Cristóbal Colón (Christopher Columbus) plunked down on a hill near the ocean in Arecibo? Inquiring minds wanted to know after we saw it looming from the Lighthouse.
It’s a circuitous story involving a Georgian sculptor who created a gigantic statue in 1991 and then spent decades trying to find a community in the Americas to host it. During that time, Columbus’s stock plummeted as the world transitioned from calling him a conquering hero to a genocidal murderer. The artist’s options dwindled, the statue deteriorated, and he finally settled on Arecibo, given that all the other candidates had dropped out of the running. Sort of like Beijing hosting the Winter Olympics.
The name of the statue is Birth of the New World. Here is its history, according to Wikipedia:
Originally designed by Georgian sculptor Zurab Tsereteli as a monument to commemorate the 500th anniversary of Christopher Columbus‘ first voyage Birth of the New World was constructed in 1991. The statue prominently depicts Columbus controlling an anachronistic depiction of a steering wheel, with a backdrop featuring the Niña, Pinta and Santa María traversing the Atlantic Ocean.[2] Made of 2,750 bronze and steel pieces and weighting more than 1,300,000 pounds (590 tons), the monument’s 360 ft (110 m) height made it the tallest in the Western Hemisphere during the last decade of the 20th century, dwarfing the Statue of Liberty[3] and the Monumento a la Virgen de la Paz.
New York, Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Columbus, OH, Baltimore, and other cities rejected Tsereteli’s offer of the statue. In the end, a consulting firm estimated that the statue would attract at least 300,000 tourists per year. Given that we couldn’t even find parking or an entrance, and had to take shots through a fence by a narrow beach road, I would say that estimate might have been on the high side.
Finding good pizza is a top priority no matter where we stay. We lived for almost two decades in and around New York City, and consequently are VERY picky about our pie.
Fortunately, we have found that the New York-Puerto Rican connection means that the island has more than its share of excellent pizza.
You can choose from Brazilian or NY Style pizza. This was our favorite when we lived in Ocean Park in the 1990s, and we were thrilled to discover when we returned in 2021 that is still here and still excellent. Info: No website Map: 3038 Av. Isla Verde, Carolina, 00979
UPDATE: This pizza shop closed on early 2022, sadly.
Isabela: Junior’s Pizza at Jobos Beach
Outdoor dining. Good cocktails. A great variety of ingredients and personal pizzas are available, so you don’t have to agree on toppings or sauces. It’s not on the beach, but a block up, with its own parking lot, which is convenient. they even made us a pizza once when they were officially closed, but the pizza guy was still hanging out after a private event. That is customer service! Info: No website. Map: goo.gl/maps/wSZMjRhDZJYxxPKZ8
Cabo Rojo: Papa’s Pizza
Because of COVID, we only ever had carry-out, but it was only three blocks from our apartment. It was consistently excellent. Info: facebook.com/papaspizzacaborojo Map: #49 Calle Rios Rivera, Cabo Rojo, 00623
Island Pizza Chains
Marco’s Pizza is good. Williams Pizza sucks. You can find the US chains like Papa John’s if that’s your thing.
I hope you enjoyed our guide to Puerto Rican food! Please add your recommendations and thoughts in the comments!
Although we have encouraged a sense of adventure and experimentation with cuisine, we also understand that your time on the island of Puerto Rico is limited, and you might want to be pointed toward some proven winners. So here are Messy Suitcase’s recommendations for the best places we have eaten on the island. But remember, everyone has different taste!
Food trucks set up shop on weekend nights across from the beach at La Pared in Luquillo. There are only two or three, including the taco truck Mi Parcela, but they are excellent. Info: No website Map: Calle Herminio Diaz Navarro, Luquillo, Puerto Rico
La Pared food trucks
Rio Grande: Pa’l Yunque Food Park
We found this on the way home from hiking El Yunque. I enjoyed a falafel while Bob had a burger. The food park was small, accessible, cheap, and delicious. Nice shelter from a rainstorm, too. Perfect end of a hiking day. Info: facebook.com/palyunquefoodpark/ Map: 40 PR-955 00721 Rio Grande, Puerto Rico
Vieques: Rincon del Sabor
We only ate at the coffee place here, which serves up a good breakfast and the best shakes I have ever had. There are other food trucks with traditional Puerto Rican food, but they were closed due to COVID. Info: facebook.com/rincondelsaborvqs Map: Carretera 200 km 0.6, Florida, Vieques, Puerto Rico, 00765
Luquillo: The Kioskos
The Luquillo Kioskos (food kiosks) aren’t a food truck park, but a long row of around 60 family-owned kiosks selling food, drinks, and souvenirs, located on a service road just north of Route 3, near the Luquillo Public Beach. Right behind them is a slightly rundown beach that locals love to hang out in, blasting music and jet skiing. Tourists often get it confused with Balneario (Pubic Beach) Luquillo, which is just east but still walking distance to the kioskos for lunch.
A kiosko
The kioskos themselves are pretty rundown and some are closed, but don’t let their appearance discourage you from having a truly Puerto Rican dining experience. Most have outdoor dining in the rear with views of the Atlantic Ocean. Avoid overrated La Parrilla Restaurant on the west end, which attracts diners with its large parking lot and aggressive advertising, but provides nothing special in service, ambiance, or food quality. Our favorite restaurant here is Revolution Pizza. Info: puertoricodaytrips.com/luquillo-kiosks Map: goo.gl/maps/4rkEoCWX2h22zduJ9
Restaurants
Here are some favorites from around the island.
Aguadilla: Cinco
Creative Caribbean Cuisine, served up in a stylish atmosphere. Pricy and elegant, with excellent cocktails. The menu is unique and the food is delicious. You would find a place like this on New York’s Upper East Side. Info: facebook.com/cincorestaurant/ Map: KM. 9.2 PR-110, Aguadilla Pueblo, Aguadilla 00603
Fajardo: Las VistasCafe at Las Croabas
This restaurant served up the best meal I had in eastern Puerto Rico. Get reservations, as it’s very popular and COVID careful, even though you are dining on a rooftop with 360° views of Las Croabas Bay, Seven Seas Beach, and the islands of Vieques and Culebra. The owner, Gladys, treats every customer like her best friend. The food is exquisite. Breakfast, lunch,nd brunch only. Info: lasvistascafepr.com/ Map: goo.gl/maps/uVZ2jgMv7EFj7a138
Las Vistas Cafe and its Food
Condado: Pinky’s This is a lovely little breakfast discovery but forget about getting in on a weekend day. There’s also one on Calle Loiza. Info: facebook.com/Pinkys-112452892183010 Map: 1351 1351 Ashford Ave., Condado, Puerto Rico
Manatí: Pollo Costero BBQ
Another roadside discovery. The friendly, English-fluent proprietor let us pick a la carte whatever looked interesting in the food case, and charged hardly anything. The rotisserie chicken was mouthwatering; we speculated it could be as fresh as the chicken roadkill we had seen on the way there. (Just kidding.) Info: facebook.com/pollocosterobbq Map: Carretera 685 00674 Manati, Puerto Rico
Cabo Rojo: Annie’s Place
Who cares if the food is any good? Which it is, but that’s not the point. The location right next to glorious Combate Beach is the bomb, and the sunsets are not to be believed. The menu is seafood, seafood, and more seafood, with the choice of the same sauces we saw at every other seafood restaurant. The drinks are great. Did I mention the spectacular sunsets? Info: facebook.com/Annies-Place-Combate-Beach-Cabo-Rojo-1552167661708533/ Map: Playa El Combate Beach, PR-3301, Boquerón, 00622
View of Annie’s fromCombate Beach
Cabo Rojo: Coco Loco BBQ Smokehouse
Great BBQ in an unassuming outdoor setting. One-woman show. Info: No website. Map: Carr 102 km 15.9, Cabo Rojo, 00623
Cabo Rojo: El Bohio, Joyuda
Joyuda is a fisherman’s village with a bunch of excellent seafood restaurants to choose from. We chose El Bohio because of its large back deck. Which faces the ocean and provides the best sunset views. A gang of enormous gray fish hangs out in the shallow water right by the ready to jump on food craps the staff throws, which provides excellent entertainment. Families love this place. Probably any restaurant in this town would be excellent. Info: facebook.com/elbohio.restaurant, puertoricodaytrips.com/joyuda-seafood/ Map: Carretera 102 km.14.1, Cabo Rojo, 00623
Sunset View from El Bohio
Luquillo: Boardriders Surf Bar and Grill
This was our favorite restaurant while living in Luquillo. It provides two levels of outdoor seating, all with views of the crashing surf at La Pared Beach. Expect excellent passion fruit mojitos, healthy vegetarian options, and really friendly staff. Live entertainment on the weekends features sounds of roots, reggae, jazz, rumba, and more. Info: boardriderssurfbar.com/ Map: US, 25 Calle Miguel Veve Calzada, Luquillo, 00773
A lot of people expect Puerto Rican food to be like Mexican, with nachos and guacamole and burritos. But it’s a completely unique cuisine that evolved over centuries from the blending of Spanish, Taino, West Indian, and American influences with the vegetables, fruits, and meats available for consumption on the island.
Traditional Puerto Rican food includes a large selection of fried dishes, called frituras, often sold from roadside kiosks, and stuffed breads. Many are deep-fried. Here are a few stalwarts:
Alcapurrias–Yucca or plantain-based fritters filled with ground beef, lobster, crab, or shrimp.
Bacalaitos–Deep-fried, crunchy codfish fritters.
Piononos–Deep-fried sweet plantain appetizers stuffed with seasoned meat or seafood.
Rellenos de Papa – Potatoes stuffed with ground beef and deep fried to create a crispy outer layer.
Arepas–fried bread stuffed with anything from cheese to chicken or seafood.
Plaintain–a green banana that is used in cooking many, many dishes in Puerto Rico.
Mofongo–fried, then mashed and spiced, plantain, stuffed with meat or seafood and then covered in sauce.
Empanadillas and Pastelillos–pastry pockets filled with seafood, meat or cheese. Empanadillas are bigger.
Fried Cheese–Lightly fried cheese squares served with guava sauce. Lisa’s favorite.
Cheese Balls–Breaded, deep-fried cheese fritters.
Pinchos–outstanding chicken or pork kebabs with BBQ sauce.
Quesito—Breakfast pastry filled with cream cheese and sometimes fruit.
Along the coast, traditional food means freshly caught fish–dorado, red snapper, salmon, cod, or octopus or lobster, served with rice and perhaps beans. Diners have a choice of traditional sauces that seem to be found at all seafood restaurants on PR’s west coast: criollo (tomato, onion and peppers), butter, and creamy garlic. Oysters and mussels are also big, and can be consumed fresh from the sea at roadside stands in beach towns.
City Food
Cities in Puerto Rico are as cosmopolitan as any, so dinner in San Juan or Ponce or Mayagüez could just as easily mean Spanish (remember, Christopher Columbus and the first white settlers came from Spain), Mexican, Argentinean, Brazilian, Japanese, Italian, Thai, or any other cuisine. “Traditional” Puerto Rican food in a more upscale restaurant will be less greasy and add new flavors. Be adventurous!
“Where are the best places to eat in Puerto Rico?”
Many prospective travelers to this wonderful island seek gustatory advice in advance, as part of their trip planning. And this is understandable! So Messy Suitcase is here to help you eat authentically and well, in a new series, The Messy Suitcase Guide to Eating in Puerto Rico.
We are of several minds about PR meal planning. First of all, most Puerto Ricans would probably say the best place to eat is in Abuela’s (Grandma’s) kitchen.
Secondly, while you’re searching for that recommended restaurant, you may be passing ten others that are just as good or better.
Everybody’s taste is different, be it flavor, style, formality, familiarity, level of spice, authenticity, or whatever makes your tongue sing. So one person’s Michelin 5-Star restaurant may be another person’s disappointment.
Be Adventurous!
Half the fun of Puerto Rican food–or really, any country’s food–is making discoveries. You’re sunning on Playa Combate, the day is ending, you see lights of a restaurant twinkling at the north end of the beach. You wander over and stumble upon a restaurant overlooking the ocean at sunset, with excellent cocktails and unparalleled views. No recommendation necessary! Just explore.
Trying something new doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll like it, but it’s still important to be adventurous.
Example #1: Piñones
We have visited the Piñones food stands area just east of San Juan, driving along the ocean and picking out unassuming food stands from which to order traditional Puerto Rican food, prepared the way Abuela makes it.
Source: flickr.com/photos/beruff/2132545678
Visiting Piñones is a local tradition, especially on weekend afternoons. These ramshackle food stands have been operating for years. No matter which you pick, the atmosphere is rustic, to be kind. The service is slow, to be kind. The food is really greasy, to be kind. But the piña coladas are perfection. Carrying your oily lunch to the beach to picnic in the sand while watching the waves crash is an unforgettable experience, not to be missed.
You know what IS forgettable, though? The food. For example, alcapurrias (al-kuh-por-EE-yuhs) are grease-laden lumps of dough with a dash of some sort of meat or seafood. They soak into your tongue before you can swallow, then sit in your stomach and take up residence like guests who refuse to leave.
Am I sorry I had this experience? Absolutely not. It’s true Puerto Rico. (And now I know to avoid alcapurrias.)
Would I recommend it? Absolutely. (But maybe just once.)
Avoid Chinese Food
A word to the wise, though: Don’t eat Chinese food in Puerto Rico. We have had excellent Chinese food in many places, including Guadalajara, Mexico. But on the Island of Enchantment? Not once. Just don’t go there. It is universally terrible. The meat has a weird texture. The sauces are limited, and taste odd. The vegetables are sparse, and none of them are Chinese. Every dish, inexplicably, comes with a side of soggy French fries. (Gotta get that deep-fried in!) Please. Anything but this.
Food Truck Parks
The latest trend in Puerto Rico is our favorite–food truck parks.
These are brilliant for a number of reasons:
They are outdoors–no COVID fears.
They provide a wide variety of options. If you have different tastes or picky eaters in your group, you can split up and find something for everyone, then come back together to eat.
The food is cheap.
The food is freshly made to order.
They always set up pleasant covered areas to sit and enjoy your meal.
