San Juan – Puerto Rico’s largest city and capital has one of the most charming old towns I’ve seen: The city luckily got away with a black eye from Hurricane Maria and the well-preserved, colonial architecture looks as clean and colourful as ever!
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1. Old San Juan
Although Old San Juan is small and walkable, it’s easy to get carried away by its cobblestone streets, pastel-painted houses and the majestic forts that the Spanish used to defend the island for centuries.
2. El Morro
Castillo San Felipe del Morro right next to Old San Juan is an impressive fort from the 16th century that used to protect the bay from intruders. Today it’s more like a massive entry gate for various cruise ships and a popular museum/park under the US National Park Service (therefore there is an admission fee). The ocean views are second to none from there!
Btw ocean: If you’re looking for a refreshing swim (or surf), there are a couple of beaches and resort towns East of Old San Juan.
3. Recommended eats and drinks:
Café Cuatro Sombras: They serve high-quality coffee grown in the mountains of Puerto Rico. If you’re there during Christmas season, try the coquito – the local coconut egg nog – yummy!
El Jibarito: Traditional Puerto Rican Cuisine
Barrachina: One of the two places in Puerto Rico that claim to have invented one of the world’s most beloved cocktail – the Piña Colada (the other is the Caribe Hilton). No wonder it’s popular among tourists who enjoy this perfect tropical blend from a slushie machine with or without rum!
4. Recommended stay:
La Terraza de San Juan: Beautiful boutique hotel inside a colonial building with rooftop bar and infinity (plunge) pool. The rooms are spacious and the beds very comfortable! You can book a room here.
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15 Comments
It looks gorgeous! I love all your pictures from Puerto Rico.
Oh thank you!
achja, ich habe es ja ohnehin schon auf der bucketlist vermerkt <3 von der architektur und dem stil erinnert es mich sehr an havanna *.*
Soweit ich das von Fotos von Havanna beurteilen kann, kann ich dir nur Recht geben. Wahrscheinlich ist es nur etwas weniger heruntergekommen 😉
…was ja jetzt nicht unbedingt schlecht ist 😉
Loving this post! I’m dying to visit Puerto Rico too!
You should! I’m sure you’d love it 🙂
Gerade die bunten Häuser und Straßen, die du hier zeigst, finde ich sehr schön!
Vielen Dank! Ich mag sie auch sehr gerne…
How fabulous does this place look Julia. Building colours are similar to those I have seen in photos of Cuba. Had to give myself a history lesson via the web on Puerto Rica.
Thanks Sue, I can imagine it’s similar to Cuba due to the Spanish influence. It’s interesting how differently it developed though being part of the US now!
That big fish and the oina colada, please. Thank you. 🙂 Nice photos Julia. <3
This trip got me hooked on Piña Coladas! I drink it at home almost every day now (mostly the virgin version) since I got a blender 😀
Thanks for the nice walk around San Juan. It’s good to see they’ve preserved the old city.
Thanks, it was my pleasure 🙂