Puerto Rico Must-Do Experiences and Adventures

We’ve lived in Puerto Rico for only two months, and already a number of friends, and friends of friends, have reached out to us looking for recommendations or advice for visiting the island. I realize no one has time to go through our whole travel blog in search of ideas on what to do or see on La Isla del Encanto.

So if you’re coming to Puerto Rico and staying around the capital San Juan, here are a few of our favorite things to do, see and experience!

Urban Beaches

If you’re staying in San Juan, you will enjoy Isla Verde Beach, with its wide swath of sand and crashing waves. Ocean Park Beach is quirky and fun, but difficult to access unless you’re staying close by. We also recommend Balneario Carolina, or Carolina Public Beach, just east of Isla Verde, which features bathrooms, showers, shade trees, and beach bars. Admission is free, and parking is just $4. The sand is soft, the waves are gentle, and you can while away an afternoon in a beach chair with a mojito in hand while watching jets take off from and land at San Juan International Airport, right behind you.

Stroll west down the sand and enjoy lunch or dinner at Ocean Lab Brewing Company, which serves up really good pub food and a variety of craft brews on a large open balcony facing the ocean and the beach club below. (Make sure you enter from the street side; the beachside door is for members only.) Don’t miss the gift shop!

Balneario de Carolina: https://www.discoverpuertorico.com/profile/balneario-de-carolina/7704

Ocean Lab Brewing: https://oceanlabbrewery.com/

Urban Snorkeling

You can snorkel for sea turtles at Escambron Beach on Puerto de Tierra in San Juan. It’s not the best snorkeling on the island by any stretch, but it’s convenient if you’re staying in San Juan. And the chances of seeing a sea turtle are high!

Scuba Dogs Dive Shop (for renting snorkel gear): https://scubadogs.net/

For some truly spectacular snorkeling, go on a snorkeling day trip on a catamaran to Icacos Island, embarking from Fajardo. We did the Catamaran Spread Eagle II, and it was a blast. https://g.co/kgs/ZwRNd2

Viejo (Old) San Juan

Old San Juan is worth a day trip just to experience 500 years of history mingled with today’s rhythm of life. Enjoy strolling around the old city while you soak up the beautifully preserved Spanish Colonial architecture, shop for local crafts, and eat and drink Puerto Rican fare. Take in the historic sights, especially the iconic fort San Felipe El Morro, the governor’s residence La Fortaleza, and the Museum of the Americas. Definitely spend at least a day!

View from El Morro

Here are some links to get you started in OSJ.

Arts and Culture

The Puerto Rico Art Museum in Santurce is excellent, if you want to spend a day away from the beach and out of the sun. https://www.mapr.org/es

Centro de Bellas Artes has world-class cultural offerings. https://www.cba.pr.gov/

If you’re a Lin-Manuel Miranda (Hamilton, In the Heights, Tick Tick Boom) fan, take a trip to his family’s hometown of Vega Alta, less than an hour’s drive from San Juan, and spend a couple of hours in the Galería de Lin-Manuel Miranda. Lin used to fly down from New York to spend summers visiting his abuelos (grandparents) here when he was a kid. In fact, his grandfather was a local celebrity decades before Lin started winning awards! https://artsandculture.google.com/partner/galeria-lin-manuel-miranda?tab=visit

This mural in Vega Alta honors Lin and his grandfather

Rum and Spirits

If you fancy rum or just a good time on vacation, we recommend taking the Mixology Class at the Bacardí Rum Factory.  Take the ferry to Cataño from Old San Juan (Park at Doña Fela) for a spectacular experience. https://www.bacardi.com/casa-bacardi/tickets/

Mixology class

Another rum option is to take the tasting tour at Ron Barrilito, the original Puerto Rican rum. https://rondelbarrilito.com/

These are splurges, about $80 each. Both are worth it!

If you decide not to spend the time or money on a rum tour, we recommend at least having a piña colada at El Caribe Hilton, which claims to be the birthplace of the piña colada, or Barachina in Old San Juan (https://g.co/kgs/nP36j6), which makes the same claim. https://www.forbes.com/sites/chelseadavis/2019/07/10/this-is-where-the-pia-colada-was-born/

Hiking the Rain Forest El Yunque

If you want to hike in El Yunque, the rain forest, you need to buy your tickets in advance on the first day of the month, from the US National Park Service website. They get snapped up fast. However, the site doesn’t work well, so be prepared for Plan B. If you fail, which is likely, you can always book a guided tour. 

National Park Service website: https://www.recreation.gov/ticket/facility/300017

A zipline tour of El Yunque is also awesome. https://www.junglequipr.com

Luquillo and the Kioskos

Afterward, relax at Balneario (Public Beach) Luquillo (closed Monday and Tuesday). Again, free entry, $4 parking, bathrooms, gentle surf, and golden sand. (Note that this is NOT the beach behind the Kioskos. That one is also called Luquillo, NOT Balneario Luquillo, and is interesting, but with a gritty locals vibe. Be prepared to encounter lots of trash) https://www.puertoricodaytrips.com/balneario-monserrate-luquillo/

Then have a meal at the famous Luquillo kioskos. https://www.puertoricodaytrips.com/luquillo-kiosks/

And So Much More…

Drink a passion fruit mojito! Try red snapper (chillo) with criollo sauce!

This is a passion fruit mojito

If you’ll have a car and are willing to explore a little, visit the Pork Highway, a coffee plantation, or Gozalandia Falls. If you have more time, come to our lovely southwest corner of the island, Cabo Rojo, which has clear, calm beaches facing the gentle turquoise waters of the Mona Passage. It’s 2 and 1/2 hours from San Juan.

Our Favorite Tour Guides

If you want someone with energy, knowledge, and enthusiasm to create a tour for you and show you the island, consider Rosario and Chan’s Adventures. Julio and Chan are fantastic! Tell them Bob and Lisa sent you! https://m.facebook.com/100082685624263/

More Great Sources of Info

  • Discoverpuertorico.com
  • Puertoricodaytrips.com
  • Messysuitcase.com
  • Youtube.com/messysuitcase 

This should get you started. Enjoy this wonderful island!

Messy Suitcase Mini Tour: Playa Montones

Playa Montones is a beautiful family-friendly beach in Isabela, Puerto Rico. It has sand dunes as well as rock formations, though not a lot of shade, so bring your umbrella.  

Its shallow water make this natural pool the family-preferred beach in Isabela, a safe environment for kids and toddlers to play around. A natural wall prevents the strong surf from rushing in.

The beach is also right next to the jogging/biking trail in Isabela, so you can add a nice walk to your day out.

Watch where you park, though! We got a ticket for facing the wrong way on the street.

Puerto Rico Travel Guide
Discover Puerto Rico
Map

Messy Suitcase Mini-Tour: Playa Santa in Guanica, Puerto Rico

After indulging ourselves on pinchos (kebabs) at a little food truck park on the way, we spent a peaceful weekday afternoon at Playa Santa, a quiet neighborhood beach in Guanica on the south coast of Puerto Rico.

There were no restrooms, though it looks like on weekends it’s quite lively, and you can take advantage of food kioskos and kayak rentals. The surf is calm and the kids are plentiful.

INFO

Discover Puerto Rico
Map

Puerto Rico’s Pork Highway – “La Ruta del Lechón”

Puerto Rico is more than beaches and rum, coffee and conquistadors. It’s also pork!

For a glimpse into the real Puerto Rico, with a little tourist kitsch thrown in, we suggest you pay a visit to the Pork Highway, or La Ruta del Lechón.

Locals and visitors alike gather together friends and family for a day trip to the lechoneras of the mountain town of Guavate.

They drive along winding Route 184 up a mountain to feast on lechonera after lechonera serving slow-roasted whole pork (also chicken), heaping portions of rice and pigeon peas, yuca al mojo, mofongo, and other traditional Puerto Rican dishes, all in a party atmosphere. Get ready to dance!

Don’t worry, vegetarians – the yuca and rice are also outstanding.

Lechón means roasted whole pork, cooked for hours over hot coals or an open flame, so that the skin gets crispy while the meat remains tender and juicy. This is a dish you can typically only get in the countryside of Puerto Rico

LINKS:

Discover Puerto Rico Guide to the Pork Highway
El Rancho Original
El Nuevo Rancho
Map

Messy Suitcase Mini-Tour: Peña Blanca Beach

https://youtu.be/AF0Kdx2h2xM

One of our favorite beaches on the northeast corner of Puerto Rico is Playa Peña Blanca, a secluded beach in Aguadilla distinguished by white cliffs and interesting snorkeling. It’s tucked away behind a neighborhood, and almost impossible to find, with hole-pocked dirt roads that aren’t found on GPS.

If you require amenities, don’t come here. There are no bathrooms, no official parking lot, no food stands or restaurants. But if you’re willing to pack your own food and drinks, have a sense of adventure and want to experience something different, by all means, come!

We paid a local to park in a yard in the neighborhood, not wanting to receive a parking ticket as we had done at Playa Montones a week earlier. It was $5 well spent. The walk to Playa Peña Blanca from the neighborhood was short, though a little rugged closer to the beach. We came back another day via a back road not found on GPS, which took us to a small parking area right beside the beach. 

Playa Peña Blanca is a clean, intimate, secluded spot with crystal clear waters and interesting snorkeling. The left side is a little wilder, with stone steps down a hillside to where white karst cliff walls and caves abut the golden sand.

It’s hard to describe the appeal. You just have to experience it yourself!

Info
More Info
Map

Messy Suitcase Mini-Tour: Crash Boat Beach

Crash Boat Beach in Aguadilla is one of Puerto Rico’s most popular beaches. It’s a party beach with a festive atmosphere, highlighted by the colorful pier perfect for diving off of or snorkeling beside.

Bring the family and enjoy the gentle surf and the pincho (kebab) and smoothie kiosks.

It’s supposed to have bathrooms but we couldn’t find any.

Feel free to enjoy our video about snorkeling Crash Boat – the undersea world is astonishing. It’s at https://youtu.be/HOsYt4y6pYY

Info: https://www.discoverpuertorico.com/profile/crash-boat-beach/8911

Map: https://goo.gl/maps/FnQBxi1g4pkbujWb6

Messy Suitcase Mini-Tour: Carolina & Terraplen La Posita de Piñones

Balneario Carolina and Terraplen La Posita de Piñones are among the most popular local beaches for people living in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Here’s why.

Balneario Carolina is a lovely public beach and a local favorite just east of Isla Verde in San Juan, Puerto Rico. You pay $5 for parking, and in return have a clean white-sand beach with minimal waves, as well as clean bathrooms, showers and food stands. Is there anything better than enjoying a mojito from your beach chair while you watch the waves? The beach has attractions for every age and stage, with watersports, a Beach Volleyball court, and a small water park for the kids. At the far end, a stage is sometimes set up for major concert events.

For an even calmer and distinctly Puerto Rican experience, head a little farther east to & Terraplen La Posita de Piñones. You’ll park (for free) on the road or in one of several small parking lots, and there are no facilities. However, there is a beach chair vendor and several little eateries to buy your Puerto Rican frituras (various fried foods). This is a great beach for families because a reef protects the shoreline from waves, so small children can play in the shallow water without causing their parents worry.

Info:

Balneario Carolina
Terraplen La Posita de Piñones

Maps:

Balneario Carolina
Terraplen La Posita de Piñones

Messy Suitcase Mini-Tour: Playa Sucia, Puerto Rico

It’s a long haul to get to breathtaking Playa Sucia, one of the most beautiful beaches in Puerto Rico, but worth every mile and bump in the road.

This crescent-shaped stretch of sand is at the end of the road in the extreme southwest corner of the island, Cabo Rojo. It’s framed by Los Morillos Lighthouse on the bluff to the right and rock arches and the beach La Playuela to the left. It offers breathtaking views and plenty of wilderness to explore. The beach is part of the town’s nature reserve, with no services, not even bathrooms, but plenty of shady spots among the mangroves. It requires a little walking from the limited parking; arrive early to get a spot. On the way in you will pass the famous Salt Flats.

Bring lots to drink and eat because you can’t buy anything there. Bring hiking shoes and a camera for the spectacular cliffside trail around the lighthouse.

Info: https://www.discoverpuertorico.com/profile/la-playuela-playa-sucia/8976

Map: https://goo.gl/maps/jUA1Z9pSZQPFAAPr6

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