I spent a month working remotely from Puerto Rico in April 2021 with my husband. Read on for detailed descriptions of what we did around the island!
Arriving in Puerto Rico
Rohit and I reached Puerto Rico on a Monday morning after a 2 day journey from London where we said goodbye to our family. We stood homesick in the sweltering heat at the car rental shuttle station, both in our 3 pound down jackets, a mask and shield. We looked ready to take on an apocalyptic snowstorm instead of a tropical island. Within a couple of hours, we picked up our car rental and reached the Airbnb that would be our home for the next month.
Our Airbnb was located in a town called Juncos and our host’s great grandfather built it. It was a simple accommodation in the countryside, surrounded by banana, mango, tamarind and palm trees on an acre-wide patch of land with a view of the mountains at the back. The outside felt like a resort to me and the inside made me feel like I was time travelling back to the Spanish twenties. So many sounds filled the air all day, including pigeons cooing, lizards chirping, mockingbirds singing, wind chimes tinkling and often, rain splattering the grass and the roof. At night, it was quieter with a consistent and peaceful song of the coqui frog serenading us to sleep and the occasional hoot of an owl.
Rohit and I fell into a pattern of doing all our office work outside in the patio, at peace with the warm breeze rustling through trees and roosters crowing incessantly. The accommodation was quite central, located within 2 hours of everything we wanted to do and so we got to explore almost all the places we wanted to over the month.
Summarized and ranked list of activities by category:
Here’s a list of everything we did in Puerto Rico categorized by activity type, and then the week by week breakdown of each activity in order of what we did:
Activities Ranked by Category
Beaches/Waterfalls –
- Luquillo Beach – 5/5
- Playa Sucia – 4/5
- El Hippie Waterfall – 4/5
- Playa Tamarindo – 4/5
- Cayo Icacos – 3/5
Hikes –
- Cabo Rojo Lighthouse Trail (5/5) (free, easy)
- El Yunque Trail (5/5) ($2 entrance – reservations required far in advance, moderate)
- Survivor Beach Caves Hike (5/5) (free, easy)
- El Toro Trail (4/5) (free, moderate)
- El Arbol Solitario (4/5) (free, moderate)
- Seven Seas Beach Hike (4/5) (free, easy)
- La Cueva Ventana (3/5) ($20 pp, reservations required, easy)
Food –
- La Pescadaria at Palmas Del Mar, Humacao – 5/5, $$ (seafood, excellent halibut, shrimp and tres leches)
- Anita Mamma La Gelataria, Old San Juan – 5/5, $ (ice cream)
- Lote 23, San Juan (Berger and Budaro) – 5/5, but long wait (vegetarian available) $
- La Parilla, Luquillo – 5/5, $$ (seafood)
- Burrillos, multiple locations – 4.5/5, $ (vegetarian available, loved the MexBurrito with black beans)
- Casaju, Juncos – 4.5/5, $ (Puerto Rican – meat/seafood, mofongo)
- El Grifo, Caguas – 4.5/5, $$ (vegan, pasta oleo and buffalo wings were our favorites)
- El Manjar Criollo, Caguas – 4.5/5, $$ (Puerto Rican but amazing vegetarian risotto)
- Cafe Melao, Ponce – 4.5/5, $ (vegetarian available, loved the tuna poke and veggie panini)
- Arepas to go, Aguadilla – 4/5, $ (vegetarian available)
- TTuan, Old San Juan – 4/5, $ (appetizers)
- El Dorado, Salinas – 3.5/5, $ (seafood, whole snapper was delicious)
- Hacienda Munoz, San Lorenzo – 3.5/5 food, 4.5/5 coffee, $$ (local cuisine and coffee)
- Casita Miramar, San Juan – 3.5/5, $$ (Mostly meat/seafood)
- Annie’s place, Cabo Rojo – 3/5, $$ (Mostly meat, seafood)
- Las Palmas at Copamarina, Guanica – 3/5, $$ (Twist on local cuisine)
Experiences –
- Sunset snorkel and Bio Bay tour, La Parguera – 5/5 ($80 pp but worth it, reservations required far in advance)
- Horse riding at Hacienda Ocho – 4/5 ($40 pp)
- Cabo Rojo Salts – N/A because visitor center was closed
- Bird watching at Cambalache State Forest – 3.5/5 (free)
- Bird watching at Guanica Dry Forest – 3/5 (free)
Tips –
- Waiters are really honest and usually tell you the days the food is freshest and what to eat
- Keep Google Translate handy in some rural parts of Puerto Rico (we stayed in Juncos and a lot of the times people spoke only in Spanish)
- Order tres leches and flan for dessert, those are their specialties
- Invest in a sombrero or at least a big hat because of how intense the sun is
- Buy beach chairs because they were easier to set up in the shaded spots at the beach and could also be taken in the water – only $7 a chair at Walmart
- Download Google maps of Puerto Rico because we lost service in some rural areas, especially in parts of El Yunque
- Pina coladas and five rum punch are SO tasty
- Watch out for the iguanas sleeping on the road
- Carry lots of insect repellent for mosquitos and a mosquito racket is helpful too
Week by Week Breakdown
Week 1
Because we were still on London time, we were able to wake up pretty early the first week, around 5am everyday and did some morning hikes! Here’s a brief account of our first week in Puerto Rico (in order of the events).
Humacao Nature Preserve
Located just 20 minutes from our Airbnb, we went to this preserve around 7am when it was completely empty. The area was had so much greenery and the first climb we did, up to El Morrillo, had beautiful views of Puerto Rico’s East Coast. We spent about 1.5 hours there and there was still so much we did not see. The area really elevated our standards for a morning walk.
Old San Juan
On Friday night we explored Old San Juan. The pastel buildings and narrow streets that climbed up several hills reminded me of Lisbon. We had appetizers and drinks at a bar called TTuan that had outdoor seating overlooking the Atlantic Ocean and live music. After that, we got ice cream at Anita La Mamma Del Gelato where there was a massive line that went by pretty quickly. We got to taste several flavors before deciding on pistachio and Belgian chocolate. We understood the line after tasting the ice cream, definitely the best flavors we’d tasted in a long time.
UPDATE – We came back to Old San Juan in week 4 and got Anita’s ice cream again, this time hazelnut and chocolate. My mouth is watering while writing about it. We finished our ice creams just in time to go down by the water (the area just before the walk to El Morro starts) and watched an incredible sunset. We then walked all the way to El Morro, a giant citadel that was built in the 16th century. There were several interesting facts about the history of Puerto Rico presented on signs along the way to the citadel. I would recommend walking to El Morro earlier as there are trails there along the beach once you get to the citadel that we couldn’t do because it was dark by the time we had to walk back.
El Arbol Solitaro
On Saturday morning we drove to Salinas to hike El Arbol Solitario. There were many spots on this hike that had very little shade, so we regretted going without hats. The hike was a moderate uphill climb that took us around an hour. The 360 degrees views at the top were worth ploughing through wasps and the heat. Yes: there were wasps on this hike, especially towards the end and we stood very still every time one came by. I would recommend carrying some sort of repellent. Final tip: Unfortunately I forgot my camera that morning but for bird watchers, there were many Puerto Rican Todys at the end of the trail!
Ponce
After completing the hike on Saturday morning we drove to Ponce and did a bunch of touristy activities including:
- Walking around the old town square and taking pictures near the fire station
- Taking the elevator up to Cruceta de Vigia (the elevator ride was honestly more fun than the views, the views were pretty similar to what you could see from the garden opposite the cross
- Walking around Japanese garden and the garden behind Museo Castillo Serrallés where we witnessed a live proposal and beautiful aerial views of Ponce
We also had the best tuna poke bowl and vegetarian panini at Cafe Melao where we gambled right after at the casino next door! I think there was a lot more we could’ve done in Ponce but we were tired from the hike earlier that day and kept the activity list short.
El Dorado Restaurant
Our last stop on Saturday was dinner at El Dorado Restaurant on the way back home. The restaurant overlooks the ocean so I wish we made reservations in advance to get that view. The incredibly slow service (we waited for an hour for our food and twenty minutes for water) was partially made up for by the fresh red snapper (Rohit joked that it was caught when we ordered based on how long it took) served with rice and beans. When we saw the bill for our dinner, we were shocked because after eating a whole grilled fish, rice and beans, and a baked potato with drinks, we didn’t expect the bill to foot under $40-$50 but it was just $24
Icacos Island
Note: Bring beach umbrellas, beach chairs, food, lots of sunscreen and book water taxi in advance if possible. On Sunday, we decided to visit the Island of Icacos, a 10 minute boat ride from Fajardo. None of the ferries or water taxis I saw online were available. I read a blog that said if you go to the port in Las Croabas, you’ll likely to find someone who’ll take you. So we got there at 9 am and found Zuly who was providing round trips for $60 per person and also provided some snorkel gear. We happily got on the boat and sailed towards Icacos.
The island is completely remote with no facilities or food so we packed some sandwiches beforehand. We wished we had a beach umbrella because there were only 1-2 tiny spots of shade on the island and they were covered with thorny twigs and ants. We sat there anyway and then spent 20 minutes plucking the stubborn twigs off our towels afterwards. The initial purpose of coming to Icacos was to snorkel but when we went in the water, we saw only 2-3 fish (Rohit said he saw the same fish 3 times). I’m not sure if we didn’t look in the right place but swimming there was fun regardless and so was relaxing on the beach for a while. We took the 2pm ferry back.
Overall, the island is a great place to relax but our goal was to snorkel. Even though we had a great time, we didn’t see any fish so not sure if it was really worth the $120 dollar water taxi.
Seven Seas Beach Hike
Our last activity on Sunday was a 2 mile hike that took us through 3 beaches on the Northeast Coast. After the towel issue in Icacos, we bought beach chairs at Walmart before starting our hike. We started at Seven Seas Beach, walked through Playa Colora and Playa Escondida. Playa Escondida was a great place to watch the sunset and had plenty of endemic birds. The trail had trees slanting all the way to the side to form roofs along the path. This was the perfect end to our day as the hike was flat, relaxing shaded – and we really needed that shade after the intense sunburns we took as souvenirs from Icacos.
Week 2
El Hacienda Munoz
We came here for coffee and stayed for the views! This gorgeous coffee plantation served us dinner on Wednesday night – I had the salmon and Rohit had the pork chop. The salmon was a little over cooked but still delicious and Rohit’s pork chop was heavy but tasty.
The smell of coffee wafting through the air brought us back on Friday morning. The plantation looked even more beautiful during the day and we got ourselves some sandwiches and coffee. Working from there reminded me of the many times I’d worked out of a coffee shop back in New York but this had the added bonus of the tropical views and sunshine! Also, unlike New York, there were a lot of peacocks, hens and cats running around trying to pick up fallen crumbs. The coffee was excellent, but I wasn’t a fan of the sandwiches. They were also offering tours in the morning for $15 a person but we didn’t end up doing those so from my perspective, this was just a great place to work from and get some coffee.
La Pescadaria at Palmas Del Mar
This restaurant was my favorite dining experience in Puerto Rico. We had one of the best garlic butter shrimp I’ve ever had, pasta alfredo (portion was massive) and a five rum punch that was the perfect blend of alcohol and fruitiness. The restaurant is on the beach and we were lucky to get a table by the seashore. We watched pelicans dive in the distance and ships sail over the Atlantic as we happily wiped our meal away in minutes.
For desert, we had the tres leches and apologies to the shrimp that was a close second, but the tres leches was the highlight of not just that meal, but maybe of all the meals I’d had in Puerto Rico. Our server was polite, respectful and told us the days the freshest fish arrives. He recommended the halibut and lobster on Wednesdays. One thing to note was that even though we ate here on Friday evening, because we arrived around 5:30, we didn’t have to wait for a table. When we were leaving at 7, the line of cars outside the entrance was half a mile long so I would recommend coming early.
UPDATE – we went back the following Wednesday and tried the fried snapper and halibut (lobster wasn’t available). The snapper was a 7/10 but the breaded halibut with caper sauce, freshly caught that day and crispy on the sides, was even better than the garlic butter shrimp and my mouth is watering as I write about it. 11/10 for that fish. My final meal pick for this place would be going on Wednesday, getting the breaded halibut, garlic butter shrimp and the Tres Leches (we tried the house-made flan dessert too and that was good but nowhere near the Tres Leches).
Guanica Forest
We went to Guanica on Saturday morning with the intention of capturing pictures of birds but they were so tiny and hidden deep in the trees that I came out with nothing. Also, it was so hot and sunny with minimal shade, that after the first 45 minute hike, we disappointedly decide to leave and have lunch before our snorkelling experience. We had planned to do the Ballena trail after the first 45 minute circular walk but the heat got to us and we just drove there. We spent some time relaxing at Playa Tamarind and realized we should’ve done the La Meseta trail instead (starting at Playa Tamarind), since the beaches and views looked incredible from that hike.
Snorkeling in Parguera
We signed up for the Sunset snorkel and Bio Bay Tour at La Parguera for $80 a person including taxes and fees and it was worth every cent. The tour ran from 4pm – 8:30pm and they provided all the equipment, we just had to show up with a pair of dry clothes, a swimsuit and towels. The first part of the tour was snorkeling in the reef by Cayo Enrique and the second part was snorkelling in the Bioluminescent Bay, one of the three bio bays in Puerto Rico.
Part 1: Snorkeling in the reef
For the first part, we took a 15 minute boat ride to Cayo Enrique and spent a few minutes snorkeling in the shallow end. We then swam towards the middle of the ocean to begin the tour. Our guide showed us some cool diving tricks and picked up creatures like starfish and sea cucumbers for us to hold. As we swam towards the reef, I felt myself falling into a trance watching the algae and coral swaying rhythmically on the ocean floor with schools of fish swimming through them. The colors were mesmerizing, the purple of the algae, oranges and pinks of the coral and the multi-colored fish and rocks.
My favorite moment was when the rest of the group was slightly ahead and we noticed a school of around 50 bright blue tang swimming a few feet away from us with sunlight gleaming on them. The experience lasted about an hour and after having empanadas and beer for dinner (provided by the tour), we set off for the bio bay.
Part 2: Snorkeling in the Bio Bay
The bio bay was magical. I thought the water would be too cold at night to snorkel but it was pleasantly warm. After hearing an explanation about the science behind bioluminescence, we dove in to find that any movement from us caused shimmering everywhere, and for a while we were just magicians waving our arms and legs around to create clusters of sparkles. We couldn’t get any pictures but I left with incredible memories and a new appreciation for the world underwater.
La Cueva Ventana (Window Cave)
After reading rave reviews about this hike and seeing it recommended on numerous blogs, I was excited to get a slot for Sunday morning with a tour guide (the only way you can do the hike is with a tour). Maybe it was the out of the world snorkeling experience the previous night that set my expectations really high but this hike left me a little disappointed. The hike itself could’ve been 10-15 minutes but the tour guide spent a lot of time explaining things about the cave and the area and the wildlife around it which were interesting but we could barely hear him since there were 15 other people doing the tour and we were at the end of the line.
I haven’t hiked with a group in a while and I realized why because we stopped every 5 minutes to accommodate others taking pictures or trying to listen to the guide. We did enjoy walking through two caves to see the stalagmites, bats and swallows whizzing around, and appreciate the Taino history speaking to us through the drawings. The highlight was definitely the stunning view of the valley from the cave at the end but was it worth the 1.5 hour tour? Even though it was just $20 per person, it was not worth the time for me.
Arepas to Go
On our way from Arecibo to Aguadilla, we stopped for a bite at a food truck alongside the road called Arepas to Go. Their arepas really hit the spot and their passionfruit banana juice washed them down perfectly. I ordered the vegetarian Karina Special and the sweet plantains in it really added to all the flavors in it. The passionfruit banana juice was so good that I ordered a second one to take with me to the beach.
Survivor Beach Caves
We drove to Aguadilla to do the Survivor Beach Caves hike. This beach was my favorite beach up to that point with its picturesque rock structures along the sand and the exciting mini rock scramble to get there. The trail led us up a hill shaded by trees alongside the beach that protected us from the unobscured sun and provided aerial views of the rocky beach below. As we neared the second beach (Survivor Beach), we navigated through the rocks and found a shaded spot to put our beach chairs and rested our feet on the rocks warmed by the sun. We spent 4 hours there (including the hike) reading and relaxing and even falling asleep at one point. The remoteness of the beach and the surrounding scenery was the perfect fit for a lazy Sunday.
Week 3 –
Cambalache State Forest
In my effort to try bird watching again, we drove to Cambalache State Forest in Arecibo on Tuesday morning. The forest had abundant shaded trails that I would recommend for a pleasant walk even if you aren’t bird watching. I did manage to get a lizard cuckoo on camera and an OK shot of a bananaquit but the other birds were really high up in the trees or moving too fast for me to get a good picture. Still, we got a nice, peaceful morning walk out of it.
El Hippie Waterfall
On Wednesday morning, we got our first taste of El Yunque at El Hippie Waterfall. We went early, reaching at 6:30 am and we were the only ones there. We scrambled over multiple boulders to admire the view of the waterfall from different angles. The waterfall lead to a large pool, good for a swim on the edges. It also had a swing that could only be accessed by getting into the water. We found a boulder on the pool to relax on and spent some time taking in the gorgeous scenery of the sun shining through the heavy rain clouds that hung over mountains behind the waterfall.
Hacienda Ocho
Rohit planned a surprise horse ride for us on Thursday morning at Hacienda Ocho. Nestled in the mountains of Las Piedras, this hacienda featured several stables on a massive stretch of land. We were the only ones there and the owner of the hacienda sat us on two very obedient horses (made me hope they were trained humanely) and taught us a few basics of how to navigate a horse. We then rode through the hills of the estate, admiring the panoramic views of the mountains and lakes surrounding the hacienda. I only wished we could have run with the horses on the flat portions of the walk but the experience was enjoyable regardless and bought a sense of peace upon us.
Casita Miramar
Located in a quiet neighborhood of San Juan, we went to this restaurant on a Friday evening after calling and snagging a reservation earlier that day. I had high expectations of this upscale eatery and I think we ordered the wrong food because I was a bit disappointed. The meal started off really well when they served us some delicious complimentary fried cod with soup. We also enjoyed the drinks we ordered. For food, we focused on appetizers and had the fried cheese with guava sauce and cod stew. Rohit and our friend Jennifer (visiting for the weekend) ordered the chicken stew for the main course.
The fried cheese was a substandard version of Indian paneer and the guava sauce did little to elevate the flavors. The cod stew was too salty for me. Rohit and Jennifer did enjoy the chicken stew so I think we should’ve stuck to main courses rather than the apps. For dessert we had tres leches and I don’t like cinnamon on my tres leches so I thought it was okay. Our server was really sweet though because we asked him to take the complementary anise rum shots with us and he happily joined us. I think I would recommend this restaurant as a nice place to get a drink and mains, but avoid the appetizers based on our experience.
El Toro Trail
Our first hike in El Yunque was the El Toro Trail, up the rainforest’s highest peak. Parts of this trail were quite muddy when we went so even though there weren’t many rock scrambles or steep ascents/descents, I would still recommend good hiking shoes for grip on the mud. We wore sneakers and because it was unavoidable to step in mud puddles, they were soiled by the end. The forest canopy shaded most of the trail but I would still recommend sun protection. The trail was a gradual uphill climb until we got to the final ascent where we climbed a never ending set of rock formed stairs. The aerial views of the Puerto Rican coastline and the rainforest from the top were worth the climb and the entire trail took us 3.5 hours with a 15-20 minutes stop at the top.
La Parilla
After the El Toro hike, we treated ourselves to some amazing fried seafood at La Parilla, an outdoor but covered restaurant located just in front of Luquillo Beach. Somehow we got there in a small window in the afternoon (2:30) when there was no wait but once we sat to eat, there was a permanently long line at the entrance. We shared a pitcher of sangria (delicious) and ordered fish nuggets, shark nuggets (as recommended by the waiter), lobster croquettes and cod and chicken empanadas. My favorite dish was the lobster croquettes but everything was fried to perfection without being too greasy. We would have come back for another fantastic meal here if we had more time.
Luquillo Beach
Rated one of the best beaches in Puerto Rico, Luquillo Beach lived up to its reputation. There were plenty of shaded spots along the sand and the atmosphere felt so alive with people blasting beachy Puerto Rican music, barbecuing, jetskiing, playing in the water and just relaxing in the sun.
After finding a shaded spot to leave our chairs, we spent an hour swimming and running through the water. Because the water was so shallow and only shoulder deep even we were about a 100 feet in, we were able to play Marco Polo, race each other and sit on the sand even while in the water. We came out with sand in our butts, at least 50 shells we found while floating around, deep tans and the best feeling of being a kid again. After that, we relaxed on the beach chairs in the shade and read for a while before leaving. When we were leaving, we saw a mile of food kiosks behind the beach with a variety of dining options. If you’re hungry, I would recommend stopping by there.
Burrillos
On the way home from Luquillo Beach, we got hungry again and stopped at Burrillos, an unassuming food truck at a gas station near our Airbnb. I got the Mexburrito with black beans and even though there was no cheese or guac in that burrito (my usual preference), the spicy chipotle salsa in it made it one of the best burritos I’ve ever had. I had the burrito for two more meals the following week before we left Puerto Rico. It was the only place aside from Palmas Del Mar we went more than once. Highly recommended for a quick simple bite.
Cabo Rojo Salt Flats
On Sunday morning, we woke up early for a 2.5 hour drive to the Cabo Rojo salt flats. Another enormous disappointment to the bird photographer in me was learning that the national wildlife refuge on the way to the flats was closed on Sundays after driving all the way there. The salt flats visitor center was closed too (even though it stated otherwise on the website). We drove a about a hundred yards up the same road and found an alternative entrance to the flats. It was our first time seeing pink water and the contrast between the cloudy blue skies and the pinkness of the water made some really great photos. We walked along the narrow boardwalk separating the pink lake from the blue (currently dry) and saw the snow-like salt deposits forming along the boardwalk.
Annie’s Place
We came to this restaurant at 11am, exactly when it opened. The entire restaurant was empty and we asked the server to be seated on a table closer to the ocean. They declined our request and seated us by the entrance claiming they’re keeping the section closed because of limited staff. Then, literally 5 minutes later, they sat someone on that exact same table (same party size as well). That bothered me and we wanted to leave but we hadn’t eaten since we woke up and it seemed to be the best rated restaurant in the area so we stayed. The passionfruit sangrias were amazing but the garlic shrimp and snapper fillet were only average. I would recommend coming a little later than opening time, if you decide to come at all.
Playa Sucia
We spent some time relaxing and reading at this beautiful white sand beach after our meal at Annie’s. Unlike other beaches, this one didn’t get too hot or muggy because of a constant breeze cooling us. The beach is completely remote with no facilities. The nearest restaurant is 20 minutes away so we were glad we ate before coming and carried water. There’s also a long dirt road that leads up to the this beach, the lighthouse and Puente De Piedra. (all within a 10-20 minute walk of each other). We planned these activities together so we wouldn’t have to go back and forth through the dirt road.
Cabo Rojo Lighthouse Trail (Los Morrillos)
In the evening, we started the Cabo Rojo lighthouse trail. We wanted to watch the sunset from the trail so we started around an hour before sundown at 5pm. The path was flat but on raised land 50-100 feet high so we got the feeling of literally being on the edge of the world. The trail was gorgeous with jagged rocks jutting out of it, where a small misstep would lead us to a straight free fall into the sea, small holes in the rocks through which we could see waves washing over the sand, and several caves with paths all the way down to the beach.
We walked all the way to the lighthouse to scope the best spot for sunset. We decided to stop at Puente De Piedra to catch the gorgeous view of the sun going down exactly between two rock arches over the water. As soon as it got dark, we decided to leave because swarms of tiny bugs arrived.
Week 4 –
El Manjar Criollo
Located in Caguas, this restaurant offered some great local cuisine. The service was amazing and the food was equally good. I had the shrimp risotto and it was different from any risotto I’d ever had with flavors I’d never tasted. I actually ate the risotto by itself and the shrimp separately because the shrimp was average. The risotto was definitely the highlight. Rohit got the Pollo Rellena de Queso y Guayaba and he loved his meal too.
El Grifo
We ventured back to Caguas again on Wednesday to try this vegan restaurant. Some reviews said is the best vegan restaurant in Puerto Rico and it did not disappoint us. El Grifo was better than a lot of vegan food I had tried in New York. The host told us that everything is made fresh from scratch from local farm ingredients. The health food nuts in us got excited and ordered too much food that lasted the next meal too. We started off with juices – I got the fresh green juice and Rohit got the fresh carrot juice. Both of us preferred the green juice with its cool, refreshing flavors of cucumber, apple and spinach.
Next came the 4 main courses we ordered. The cashew and pesto sauce in the pasta oleo complimented each other while the boneless wings (cauliflower) were incredible too. We also got the bbq burger and though the bread was really tasty, the burger was too dry for me. The Mac and cheese with mushrooms was tasty too but our favorites were definitely the pasta and the wings.
Lote 23
On Friday night, due to the COVID curfew, we learnt that most places closed by 8pm. We drove to Lote 23, an open air gastronomic park in the heart of San Juan, to just make the 8:30 cut off for entry. The atmosphere there was electric – crowds of people were enjoying the 11 food trucks lit up with fairy lights. We got a veggie burger from Berger and a La Vegana arepa with black beans at Budaro. Both were excellent and my only complaint was that we had to wait 30-40 minutes for each dish.
El Yunque Trail
Finally, on Saturday morning, we visited the heart of the El Yunque Forest to do the El Yunque Trail. We had to wait 3 weeks because that’s the earliest date we could get a reservation for. The trail had similar (but better) views compared to the El Toro Trail, with palm trees forming canopies along the trail and sweeping views of El Yunque forest. The trail was less muddier than El Toro trail with rocks forming most portions of the path. We managed to do the hike with our sneakers. I also finally got a picture of a Puerto Rican Tody! We saw several when we were descending and one happily posed for me.
The end of the hike features a small tower that had incredible 360 degree views of Puerto Rico. On the way down, we stopped at the El Yunque rock (a boulder just off the path). The rock had some great views too (similar to what we saw from the tower). The trail had detours which lead to Mount Britton and Los Pichachos but we stuck to the El Yunque Trail.
Pork Highway
After completing the El Yunque trail, Rohit drove us to the Pork Highway. This scenic highway is located in the rural mountains of Cayey. We were excited to experience this local cultural phenomenon after Rohit saw it on Anthony Bourdain’a show. Several restaurants playing live music lined the highway and we saw locals dancing and enjoying their meals.
The highway is renowned for its incredible pork dishes and so we were not surprised by the line that went out the door at Lechonera Los Pinos, our pick to try the local cuisine. There weren’t many options for vegetarians/pescatarians so I ate a macaroni salad. Rohit absolutely loved the pork stew, blood sausage and the main lechonera dish (he ordered a little bit of everything). It wasn’t the best pork he had ever had as he’d expected but it was definitely up there. We washed down our meal with a delicious pina colada (served in the bar in the seating area). Afterwards, we walked around the area and explored the souvenir shops featuring local trinkets.
Casaju Juncos
We bid adieu to Puerto Rico at this restaurant just 5 minutes from where we live. The views were stunning and we came at the perfect time to see the sun setting over the mountains. We tried the shrimp mofongo, our first time eating mofongo this trip. Rohit hadn’t been a fan the previous time he tried and it changed his perception of the dish. The service was great, and our waiter was very candid about what we should order. This was actually a refreshingly common occurrence in Puerto Rico. The restaurant owner also stopped by our table to have a nice chat. The soft pop playing in the background, the delicious mofongo and chocolate lava cake and the incredible sunset made it the perfect last meal in Puerto Rico and our hearts and stomachs were sad to leave.
