I recently travelled to Puerto Rico for Spring Break and needless to say, I fell in love with it! I am already planning my next trip back. I loved this trip because it was relatively inexpensive to travel to Puerto Rico and even while staying there, the food, drinks, and accommodations were affordable. There was so much to see in such a small little island. I could go on and on about this trip for days!
1. Survival Beach – Survival Beach was absolutely breathtaking and quite possibly one the of the prettiest beaches I’ve ever been to (and I live in Florida!) There were sweeping views of the ocean, a jungle-like landscape, and the hills surrounding the beach. We made a split-second decision to stop here and I could not be happier that we did. We got there around sunset and were able to take in the sunset from this picturesque spot!
2. Playa Sucia/ La Playuela – Okay, I know I said the last beach was one of the best I’ve ever been to, but Playuela was something really special. I loved Playuela because it had the cutest little lighthouse you could tour. From the top of the lighthouse, you could see sweeping views of the beach, Aguadilla, and the salt marshes (pink water!). The beach is also known as Playa Sucia, meaning literally “Dirty Beach.” The beach was far from dirty, and we learned that the name “dirty beach” was an accident, the namesake actually should have been given to a nearby beach. The locals still call this beach Playa Sucia anyway. After touring the lighthouse, we hiked through the beach and hilly jungle area to find cliffs and caves. It started to rain and we stopped to take cover under the most beautiful little cave. I really think I could have stayed at Playuela for the rest of my life, tbh.
3. Old San Juan – While I hope to one day spend more time in San Juan, I was so glad we got to explore Old San Juan, even if it was only briefly. Old San Juan is the old city in Puerto Rico and it has these adorable colorful old buildings and cobblestone streets. Weirdly, it kind of reminded me of Charleston or even New Orleans. It definitely also reminded me of Casco Viejo, the old part of Panama City in Panama. The colorful buildings were so happy and definitely a really fun of the city to explore!
4. Playa Crash Boat – Playa Crash Boat was extremely lively, a beach full of locals and tourists alike. It was vibrant, music blasting from every cabana, with street vendors selling all kinds of Puerto Rican goodies like coconut water and tostones (fried plantains). I was particularly obsessed with the tostones and ending up getting THREE orders (lol). This beach had beautiful rocks surrounding it with a really cool painting of the Puerto Rican flag. The water was warm and the sand was soft. One of the coolest parts was this little pier that you could jump off of. Being the scaredy cat I am, I didn’t jump, but my friends did. That was my biggest regret of the trip!
5. Bacardi Factory – The Barcardi Factory was so much fun! I would highly recommend this, especially if you are visiting PR on college spring break 😉 We opted for the $15 historical tour (this included one drink) with a $10 voucher for an extra drink. We were really tempted to do the mixology tour for $45 and I low-key think it might have been worth it to spring the extra money. The historical tour was cool but slightly on the cheesier side. But, the drinks were amazing and the atmosphere here was so fun!
6. Boqueron/Cabo Rojo/Aguadilla – While we were in Puerto Rico, we stupidly were under the impression we were staying in Aguadilla. We later realized that we were actually staying in Cabo Rojo or the Boqueron area. The airport we flew into was in Aguadilla. BTW, we flew Spirit and while I was sufficiently sketched out by Spirit, I have nothing but great things to say about the airline and flying experience! Plus, it was SO cheap! Anyway, wherever we were, it was wonderful! I was slightly skeptical about staying off the beaten path but I highly recommend it. I think we got a much more authentic feel for the island’s culture and it was much cheaper. Our hotel was walking distance to the cutest little area with bars, shops, and restaurants, all located inches from the water. My favorite part about this area was the little bakery we went to every morning on our way out of town. The bakery served coffee for 50 cents! But my favorite part was trying the authentic Puerto Rican pastries and the egg and cheese sandwich made with Cuban bread. Every single day, we would each walk out with a cup of coffee in hand, multiple pastries, and giant egg and cheese sandwiches for all under $5!
I would love to hear about your favorite places in Puerto Rico! I hope to visit the El Yunque rainforest and to spend more time in San Juan next time I visit!
