Puerto Rico Travel Guide

Just getting home from some warmth in Puerto Rico and sharing my favorite parts of the trip below! 

Where I stayed

Dreamcatcher PR – Located in the Ocean Park neighborhood, this is the most charming, whimsical and warming abode there ever was. It’s a vegetarian bed and breakfast with a chic hostel vibe. There’s a fountain, tons of hammocks, yoga offered at 8am and 6pm, massages offered, beach less than a 2 minute walk away, towels and beach chairs provided, private outdoor showers, and vegetarian breakfast served every morning. It was a dream, hence the name. Highly recommend and would definitely go back. I had been eyeing this spot for a while and signed up for their email list. Early November I got an email they were having a 15% off sale, so I booked it! I stayed 4 nights, which ended up being $300 total. Traveling with a friend brought the total to $150 per person. Added expenses: $15 per yoga class, and $11-14 per breakfast. Free things the hotel offers: coffee, tea, spices, cooking space, towels, beach chairs, refrigerator space. If you can, sign up for Noelia’s class for yoga!! It was so wonderful!!

When you walk in: garden escape – tables were moved and twilight yoga was done right here! Mats, blocks, incense provided

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The room: absolute oasis with outdoor shower and hammock where I read for hours.

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The meals: AMAZING toasts with tons of veggies 

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Things to do: 

• rent a car!!! I was debating this and so glad I did. Many of the activities were an hour+ away.
• go to the beach and do absolutely nothing
• go hiking in Yunque rainforest. When we went, unforutantley many of the trails were still closed. We drove all the way up, and got up near the top to do the Mt. Britton trail. So beautiful, and completely in about an hour start to finish! I used this blog post as a reference, and it was so helpful. Thanks, Angie!! After we did our hike, we went to a place called degree 818 juice bar (I got the Coqui Verde and loved it), and then this very quiet and peaceful beach called Playa La Pared (just put that in google maps and it should come up).
• take a kayak through the bioluminescent bay: we did this after our hike because it’s in that area. You essentially kayak for ~30 min into a peaceful bay. When it’s completely dark, you can put your hand in the water and it’ll get sparkly / bedazzled. Decently cool. BEWARE: your butt will get very wet. Dress accordingly. I would also recommend bringing food because there wasn’t much available at all in this area. In hindsight, should’ve purchased dinner at degree 818 and brought it with us.
• go to Culebra island: beaches are beyond stunning. Ferry runs super early but you can go for the day for ~5 round trip. Bring food!
• go to Old San Juan: there’s a farmer’s market on Saturday mornings. Bright, beautiful buildings, ruins to explore, and yummy popsicles. Triple threat.
• sunflower field: didn’t get to go to this, but came recommended from one of you guys! Will definitely make it a priority next time I’m in Puerto Rico.[one_half][/one_half][one_half_last][/one_half_last]

Places to eat: 

Truthfully, we really struggled with this. It was a tad difficulty to parse out healthful places, but we feel like we found a few gems.

close to the hotel / Ocean Park: 

• La B de Burro: lots of great lettuce wrap tacos – very fresh (pictured below)
• Acapulco: great bar and amazing vegetarian taco (pictured below)
• Berlingeri: all vegetarian, very fresh, amazing banana bread and kombucha
• Cocobana
• our hotel itself had awesome breakfast / brunch options
• La Casita Blanca – authentic Caribbean food
• Punto Medio – awesome brunch!
• La Coctelera: had an awesome drink here!! Called The Holy Grail: tequila silver, frsh lemon, simple syrup, aperol, grand mariner, pamplemouse, top de cava (must recreate!)
• Sabrina: came highly recommended a la Yelp. Personally thought it was pretty mediocre. Wouldn’t go back.
• Cafe Tresbe: really cool outdoor seating – great place to grab a drink. They also have Japanese yam sweet potato fries. Drool. [one_half][/one_half][one_half_last][/one_half_last]

Old San Juan:

• La Factoria: famous, famous, famous for drinks and dancing
• Verde Mesa: fresh, local, farm to table food – mix between mediterranean and Caribbean? hard to put a label on it, but good!
• St. Germain Bistro and Cafe – lots of brunch options
• Senor Paleta: all natural popsicles! dairy full and dairy free options available[one_half][/one_half][one_half_last][/one_half_last]

other places:

• Obrigado Organic Cafe and Juice / Acai bar
• Basico Jugueria y Catina Saludable 
• Lote 23 – really cool food truck scene with lots of options
• Casita Miramar: got the seafood mofongo here and it was amazing!! But massive. Get this to split and you should be all set for the night.