Around the World in Reality: Puerto Rico

For the Priest family, an adventure is always on the horizon. We wanted a quick trip to a warm and sunny location for Valentine’s Day, but we knew it couldn’t be too far away. The Caribbean quickly came to mind, and I began to work my magic.

San Juan, Puerto Rico, had been on my list for quite some time. In 2018, we were scheduled to travel there for our first wedding anniversary. I had a work trip pop up, so we couldn’t go. The weather is perfect this time of year and the location was so, so it was an easy decision. I snagged a good deal on Southwest (Yes, I cheated on Delta.), and we were off.

Day 1 – Sunday, February 12

HIGHLIGHTS: Mercado La Carreta, Scryer Rum & Barrel House and Distrito T-mobile

We left early on Sunday morning and had a short layover in Orlando. The flight was smooth and uneventful. However, my husband has been spoiled by Delta and was caught off guard by the boarding process, open seating and having to watch movies on his phone. Nonetheless, we made it to Puerto Rico shortly after 1 PM.

We caught an Uber to our Airbnb in old San Juan. Though we typically stay in hotels, this Airbnb was a great price and in a great location. We freshened up and headed over to Mercado La Carreta for lunch. It appeared closed when we arrived, but the host kindly allowed us to sit at the bar. Mercado La Carreta is a cute restaurant with a nice vibe. I started lunch with a cava sangria, and it was delicious. I loved how colorful their cocktails were! For lunch, we both had fish tacos. While it did take a bit of time for our food to come out, the tacos were very good. We would rate them an eight out of 10.

After lunch, we headed to our rum tasting. We debated on two other distilleries in San Juan but ultimately decided on this smaller distillery because it was nearby in old San Juan. Originally, we only booked the tour and one tasting. When we arrived, the other group on the tour had included two extra tastings, so we decided to upgrade. I’m glad we did. We tried three different proofs of rum straight out of the barrel. These rums are aged in Port and Sherry barrels, and you can tell. Though they were all strong, the flavors were salient. We thoroughly enjoyed everything about the short tour and tasting. Since we couldn’t bring the rum back (#CarryonLife), we decided to sit at the bar and enjoy a rum cocktail before we left. Donnell had the Dark and Stormy, and I had the Portmanteau. Both were pretty good.

It was Super Bowl Sunday, so we decided to head to Distrito T-Mobile to catch the big game. When we arrived, the festivities had begun, and it was already packed. We enjoyed the live music and the unexpected performance. It was a great pre-game! All the restaurants were filling up, and we decided to grab some pizza from Pudge’s Pizza. I was initially concerned because of the reviews, but the pizza was really good. We had an early excursion the next morning, so we only stayed for the first half of the game. We returned to the Airbnb to see Rihanna at halftime and called it a night.

Day 2 – Monday, February 13

HIGHLIGHTS: El Yunque Rainforest and Salsa Lesson

Monday morning, we woke up bright and early for our El Yunque rainforest tour. We met our tour group and set out on an hour-long ride to the rainforest. We arrived, and I didn’t fully know what to expect on this excursion. In my mind, I thought we would make take a leisurely stroll through the rainforest, but it was a bit more than that. We HIKED, slipped and slid through mud (because we’re in a rainforest, duh!) for about 30 minutes. It was more strenuous than anyone on our tour thought, but it was well worth it. We slide down natural waterslides. We jumped off the “high cliffs.” I even took on the rope swing. The temperature was perfect outside. The water was cold and refreshing. It was such an amazing time. Donnell and I had a blast, and I felt like a little kid again.

The five hours we were there went by incredibly fast. On our way back to San Juan, we stopped at a strip of restaurants near Liquillo Beach. We had shrimp tacos, but these weren’t your traditional tacos. They were fried and absolutely delicious. Another couple on the tour ordered a mojito, and I followed suit. It was literally the biggest Mojito I’ve ever seen, but it was delicious.

We cut it close but arrived right on time for our final adventure of the day, a salsa lesson. Our lesson was with three other couples from all across the United States. Though our bodies were tired, we thoroughly enjoyed the lesson. After it was over, we chatted with the instructor and another participant. It was such a fun way to end the evening!

Day 3 – Tuesday, February 14

HIGHLIGHTS: Cafe Mimosa, Barrachina and Princesa Cocina Cultura

On our last full day in San Juan, we had breakfast at Cafe Mimosa located at the CasaBlanca Hotel. To start, I had a pair of mimosas because how could I go to Cafe Mimosa and not have mimosas? I didn’t want much food, so I ordered smoked salmon, scrambled eggs and tricolor potatoes. Yet and still, it was A LOT of food. Nonetheless, everything was good, and I would rate and eight out of 10. Donnell had the french toast, which he really enjoyed. He also gave his meal an eight out of 10.

Though our bodies were very sore, we didn’t want to waste the day and set out to explore old San Juan. In doing so, we found “I heart PR” sign, spent some time outside of Castillo San Cristobal, stumbled upon the PR flag door and enjoyed the beautiful weather.

After a couple of hours, our exploration finally led us to the house where the pina colada was created. I couldn’t come this far and NOT have one, so we headed to the bar in the lovely courtyard of Barrachina. The bar was packed and everyone had the same thing, a pina colada. So, I placed my order and watched as our bartender poured the drink and floated the rum on top. He slid the pina colada over and emphasized the need to stir. I followed directions and took a sip. Delicious! I would definitely rate it a 9.5. Donnell even took multiple sips, and he’s not big on frozen cocktails.

Since it was Valentine’s Day and we had an early flight the next morning, we made an early dinner reservation at Princesa Cocina. This restaurant caught my attention because it uses authentic Puerto Rican recipes from the 1800s. We began dinner with cocktails. I had one of the specialty cocktails of the day, and Donnell had an old-fashion made with rum. For an appetizer, we had the yautia fritters. They weren’t exactly what I was expecting, so I would rate them a seven. For dinner, I had lobster risotto. It’s only served on Valentine’s Day, so it was a special treat. It also did not disappoint. It was absolutely a 10 out of 10. Everything about it was perfect. With confidence, I would say it’s the best dish I’ve had while traveling. Donnell ordered the fish of the day, mahi-mahi, along with rice and beans. He rated his meal as a nine, but he specifically rated the beans as a 10. He said those beans were the best he’s ever had. Overall, we would both highly recommend Princesa for a night out. It was the perfect choice for Valentine’s Day and way to end our trip.

Final Thoughts

Though this trip was shorter than most, we still fully enjoyed our time in San Juan. We would definitely come back and would look to explore more of the island. Hands down, our favorite restaurant was Princesa, and our favorite activity was the El Yunque tour. It was the perfect short trip and Valentine’s Day getaway.

Stay tuned for the next adventure. Donnell is sitting this one out, but I’m heading somewhere cold with my bestie at the end of March!