San Juan, Puerto Rico
San Juan, Puerto Rico
San Juan is a tropical metropolis that’s equal parts city and beach with skyscrapers and homes lining the Atlantic coast. Come here to spend leisurely afternoons on a sandy shore, under an umbrella or at a beach club. Explore the city’s cultural side at art museums, graffitied streets, historic sights and rum distilleries. Celebrate life like a Puerto Rican with Reggaeton music, salsa dancing, traditional dishes, tropical drinks or a local beer.
Neighborhoods & Streets
Condado. A seaside neighborhood with skyscrapers, hotels, restaurants, bars and beaches.
Miramar. A residential neighborhood with historic homes and buildings built in The Spanish Colonial Revival style. It’s central to Old San Juan and Condado.
Santurce. A large area of San Juan home to art museums, food truck parks and the nightlife hubs of Calle Cerra and La Placita.
Ocean Park. A trendy yet local neighborhood popular for its beach and variety of restaurants and nightlife.
Calle Loíza. Ocean Park’s main street for brunch spots, open air restaurants, cocktails bars, surf shops and Loíza Brinca, a famous corner building featuring the Puerto Rican flag.
Cataño. A neighborhood a quick ferry ride across the harbor from Old San Juan with a waterfront boardwalk home to several restaurants and bars. The ferry operates from the cruise docks hourly throughout most of the day for just a couple of dollars. It’s a popular place to visit for the Bacardi Factory from.
Piñones. A food hub known for Puerto Rican and Caribbean cuisine just outside of San Juan. The main street, located along the Atlantic coast, is lined with dozens of restaurant, bars and kiosks. We hopped from place to place and ordered crab empanadillas, cod alcapurrias, coco frio and rum punch.
Vamos a la Playa
Atlantic Beach. A sandy beach great for swimming nearby the hotels in Condado. There are no public amenities (restrooms or showers) though vendors rent umbrellas and chairs for negotiable prices. There is frequently a gay section in front of The Tryst Hotel.
Playita del Condado. A beach located next to the Puente dos Hermanos between the Condado Lagoon and the Atlantic Ocean. The water is calm enough for swimming and snorkeling with chair rentals for lounging on the beach.
Ocean Park Beach. This vast beach is probably the most popular in San Juan. Everyone from locals, tourists, families and couples come here. There are plenty of restaurants, marine sports and activities, chair and umbrella rentals and vendors selling drinks on the beach.
Numero Uno Beach Hotel & Restaurant. A beach club located at Ocean Park Beach. Come here for a relaxing day under the shade of an umbrella or palm tree while watching kite surfers ride the wind and waves. Order the beach vibes package, it includes two chairs, an umbrella, bottle of bubbly and bag of chips and salsa.
Isla Verde Beach. A large crescent shaped white sand beach with calm turquoise water, palm trees, beach rentals and hotels.
Pine Grove Beach. A beach between Island Verde and Ocean Park Beaches. It’s popular for beginner surfing with surf schools and rentals.
Sights & Museums
Fortín San Jerónimo de Boquerón. A small fort at the mouth of the Condado Lagoon. The visiting hours are infrequent due to repairs post Hurricane Maria. It’s worth visiting if open.
Puente Dos Hermanos. The bridge crossing the Condado Lagoon connecting to Old San Juan. It’s beautiful to walk across with great views. There is also a ledge making it easy to jump from into the lagoon. The Condado side has a small sandy beach, Playita del Condado.
Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico. A well curated and diverse collection of Puerto Rican art and history. After touring the galleries, walk through the sculpture garden.
Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Puerto Rico (MAC). A contemporary art museum with rotating galleries specific to social movements, local artists and Puerto Rican heritage.
Things to Do
Visit a Rum Distillery. The two distilleries to visit are the Bacardi Factory or Ron del Barrilito. Both offer similar experiences. Bacardi is large scale production while Ron de Barrilito is small batch and higher end. Arrive to a welcome drink, learn about the history of each distillery, their processes of rum making and afterwards take a mixology class, sample aged vintages or simply order cocktails from the bar. Either way, expect to leave tipsy.
SUP or Kayak in Laguna de Condado. Tour companies based around the lagoon offer SUP and Kayak rentals for $20/hour. The lagoon is a boat free place to spot eagle rays, star fish and sea turtles. We booked though VIP Adventures Puerto Rico.
Dance Salsa. We’ve taken two salsa lessons, learning the history and basics from our instructor, Angelina, while sipping on rum punch. Afterwards, we headed to a salsa bar in La Placita for dancing and drinking. Book Here!
Calle Cerra
Calle Cerra is a gritty street with large murals and graffiti covered walls. The surrounding neighborhood is home to many hostels, restaurants, cafes & bars. The area becomes a center for nightlife on weekends. Hundreds of people gather at in the street and at bars as live music and reggaeton echos throughout the neighborhood. Some of our favorite spots are:
Esquina El Watusi. This bar is the heart of the nightlife scene in Santurce. Come here to join hundreds of people gathered in the street out front and ordering from the bar. Drinks are strong and inexpensive.
Machete. A bustling yet vibey cocktail bar with well priced drinks and a menu of flavorful bites. To drink, try the Vampiro for something smokey or House Daq for something fruity. To eat, order the ceviche and pulpo + fries!
Botánico. A spacious cocktail bar with an interior patio decorated in florals. Come here for an escape from the high energy atmosphere of other bars along Calle Cerra. Try the Flora or Mezcal Botanical.
Pro Tip. Wear pants and shoes to avoid being turned away at bars.
La Placita
La Placita is a cultural hub. It is a place to buy local produce during the morning, where elderly locals gather during the day and an energetic place to meet people, drink late into the evening and dance Salsa. The plaza is surrounded by lively restaurants and bars.
The Produce Market. Located inside the Plaza de Mercado in the center of the plaza. We used a machete to cut plantains from the bunch, picked out limes to make our own cocktails and selected a ripe papaya for lunch.
La Tasca del Pescador. The place to go for seafood. In the heart of La Perla. We ordered the snapper, squid Ink rice & grilled prawns.
Asere Cubano Kitchen and Bar. A fusion of Cuban and Puerto Rican cuisine with a roof top bar overlooking the plaza.
La Alcapurria Quemá. A restaurant and bar specializing in the famed Puerto Rican street food, alcapurria. We ordered a variety including ncluding crab, cod and vegetarian.
Jungle Bird. A cocktail bar serving tiki and tropical island drinks.
Taberna Los Vázquez. An energetic salsa bar with live music and cheap drinks.
Boronía en la Placita. A restaurant serving Creole cuisine like mofongo, gumbo and seafood.
Puerto Rican Cuisine
Chillo Frito Entero. A fried red snapper served whole with crispy skin, tender meat and squeezed with lime. It’s usually accompanied by fried plantains like tostones, mofongo or amarillos.
Mofongo. Fried plantain mashed with garlic and butter. It’s often served plain or stuffed with an option of seafood. If prepared with bread fruit and yucca, it’s known as trifongo.
Empanadillas. Puerto Rican style fried empanadas stuffed with a range of fillings like octopus, conch, cod, shrimp, crap and pizza.
Pinchos. Grilled meats served on a stick often served at beaches or roadside kiosks. Our favorites are shark and shrimp.
Mallorca. A Puerto Rican pasty often shaped like a bun or swirled roll and dusted in powered sugar. Our favorite preparations are pressed with guava with cheese or egg and cheese.
Coco Frio. A cold and freshly opened coconut. Drink the coconut water inside then the sweet meat inside. Alternatively, enjoy it with coconut rum to create a tropical cocktail.
Rum. Puerto Rico is unarguably the rum capital of the Caribbean with several distilleries and local brands served in bars across the island. Order it on the rocks, in a Pina Colada or other tropical cocktail.
Medalla. The island’s most popular local beer, recognizable by it’s small golden can. It has a light slightly nutty flavor and is served everywhere. Buy a 6 pack for the beach!
Places to Eat & Drink
From beachfront restaurants to food truck parks and cocktail bars, there is no shortage of great places to stop for a meal or drink in San Juan. Some of our favorites are:
Cafes & Coffee Shops
Wicked Lily. A beach front bar and restaurant at The Tryst Hotel. Come here for brunch, rent a pink umbrella and join the other gays soaking up the sun.
Café Comunión. A coffee shop and breakfast spot. Come for the coffee, open faced sandwiches and fresh sugar glazed donuts
Tostado. A coffee shop breakfast spot. Come for the coffee, tropical fruit, French toast and egg dishes.
Musa. A funky brunch spot with egg dishes, French toast and mimosas
La Coffeetera. A breakfast spot with dishes like pancakes and egg scrambles. Order the eggs Benedict on a Hawaiian roll or the stuffed avocado.
Restaurants
La Cueva Del Mar. A Puerto Rican seafood restaurant with a range of dishes like whole fried red snapper, ceviche, creole style shrimp, fish filets and fried plantains.
Bottega. We came for the inventive cocktails and music. We had the Safe Flight, Ritmo Tropica, El In-Muerto and shared the octopus salad. Lucha Libre DJ really added to the vibes of the night.
Casita de Miramar. A romantic restaurant serving elevated Puerto Rican cuisine. We dined here one evening on their outdoor porch. For our meal, we enjoyed plantain soup, mini bacalaitos, arroz de montosteo cooked with house made pique, a whole fried red snapper, and for dessert, tres leches made with coquito.
Paulina Escanes Gormandize. We’ve dined here twice, for bunch and dinner, tasting a range of items across the menu including mallorca with egg, cheese and avocado, corn bread soufflé, tacos and Tiradito (Peruvian sashimi) on a tostada.
Container Bar. One of several waterfront restaurants and bars in Cataño nearby the ferry terminal. Try the crab salad arepas and enjoy a medalla.
Food Truck Parks. Quite popular across Puerto Rico, three go-tos in San Juan are Tresbé, Lote 23, and Miramar Food Truck Park.
La Marqueta. An open air food hall with ocean views and palm trees. It’s a great spot to grab a bite or drink after visiting the lagoon or beach.
Cocktail Bars & Nightlife
Pinaloca. A walk-up window in Condado serving Pina coladas in pineapples.
Oasis. A gay bar and tapas restaurant near Condado beach with late night music and dancing
El Bar Bero. A barbershop themed bar with barber chairs, mustache art and smokey cocktails.
Kane Rum Bar. A tiki bar in Condado with lux tropical vibes, cocktails and bites. Order a classic tiki drink like the Zombie, Mai Tai or Painkiller along side light bites like a vegan Hawaiian pizza, tropical ceviche or sesame seared tuna.
Places to Stay
We’ve stayed at a range of places in San Juan including airbnbs like a private room at a hostel and an apartment style inn.
Casa Santurce Hostel. A hostel with dorm and private rooms in San Juan’s arts district. It offers affordable rates and near nightly activities. Book Here!
Casa del Caribe Inn. A small family run hotel in the heart of Condado. It’s large apartment style rooms are perfect for a weekend getaway. Book Here!
Cool Tripper’s Inn. A boutique hotel near Ocean Park Beach with tiny yet well designed apartments. Book Here!
Getting Around
On Foot. Old San Juan is best explored on foot! You can walk straight from end to end in less than 20 minutes. Spend time walking though the streets, admiring the architecture, discovering bars, dancing in the plazas and finding neighborhood gems.
By Shuttle. There is a free shuttle or multi row golf cart that weaves through the streets southern streets of Old San Juan and along the perimeter towards El Morro.
On Scooter. There are rental scooters available around the streets of San Juan. Download the Bird app and scan the scooter’s QR code to ride.
By Uber. Ubers are the best way to get to and from the airport and throughout San Juan.
By Car / Parking. Rent a car if you plan on exploring outside of San Juan. Though expensive, it’s still the most affordable way to get around.
Elsewhere in Puerto Rico
Having visited Puerto Rico nearly 20 times, we’ve experienced many places across the island. Though we don’t live here, we consider ourselves non-local experts and one day hope to call this beautiful island our home. Explore the colorful and colonial streets of Old San Juan. Head to the southern coast of Caribbean Puerto Rico. Hike the El Yunque Rainforest in Eastern Puerto Rico. Visit the surf towns along Western Puerto Rico. See the indigenous Taino sights of Central Puerto Rico. Get off the mainland to visit the islands of Culebra and Vieques.
