If you know me, you know I love to travel especially when it is a sweet deal. One evening back in February I was casually looking at flights to Puerto Rico when I noticed that RT flights were ONLY $127. So, of course, me being the impulsive traveler that I am, booked it! Just like that, just like how I book half of my trips, honestly. Now here I am going to tell you a few things you can do on a weekend trip to Puerto Rico if you decide to visit, which you totally should!

EL VIEJO SAN JUAN

You can freely and safely roam the streets of this beautiful National Historic Landmark District. There is so much to see and do, plenty of restaurants and local vendors. I got the cutest earrings from a local for $7 ! (Not pictured) The place is full of great photoshoots opportunities for those looking for the perfect Instagram picture. Aren’t we all?

 

WHERE TO EAT

If you want some of the freshest seafood I have had in a while, this is a great area for it.

 

This was taken at Bari Old San Juan, a hole in the wall restaurant.

Their happy hour features 2 x 1 drinks for $8, including margaritas, mojitos, sangrias and rum & coke. 10 out of 10 recommend, plus the place is so cute and cozy. The calamari was made just how I like it, crispy yet not oily or overdone and for the price of $8.95 you cannot beat it.

But you cannot go to Puerto Rico and not visit the beaches, am I right?!

ISLA VERDE BEACH

I found it so interesting that on half of the beach it was pouring rain and the other was sunny. So naturally, I sat on the sunny side, duh . I can’t even begin to describe how pretty and calm this beach was, granted it was a Friday so most people are at work or  school. But beaches like this you can only find in the Caribbean, that’s for sure.

As much as I loved this beach *drum rolls* there is BETTER. How?!

VIEQUES

As some of you may or may not know, I was born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico up until I was 12 years old. Then my mom decided it would be a great idea to move an island girl to the complete opposite lifestyle. *sighs* Anyways, despite having lived in the island for 12 years, I had never visited Vieques or Culebra which are two island towns  part of the main island. There are two ways to get there, by air or by sea.

I had wanted to visit Culebra having seen my brother’s amazing pictures from a couple of weeks before. But being Mother’s Day weekend, a lot of Puerto Ricans had taken the ferries Thursday, Friday and Saturday with plans to return to the main island on Sunday. This limited the spaces available for us to return the same day as priority was given to those who had already pre-purchased their tickets. But I had not driven all the way from San Juan to Fajardo, which is about one hour away for nothing. So my dad and I hoped on the ferry to Vieques, which for a round trip from Fajardo to Vieques costs only $4.

If you easily get sea sick, I definitely recommend taking motion sickness pills before boarding that ferry. I personally had to make myself go to sleep to forget I was on the ferry for a little. I should have thought about that time I became dizzy from the motion sickness on a ferry from Puerto Rico to Dominican Republic when I was 12, which caused me to fall off the top bunk bed and break my nose. That is a story for another day though haha.

Anyways, Vieques despite getting hit pretty hard by the last two hurricanes in September 2017, has made some recovery. The white sand and crystal clear water definitely made it worth visiting. The fact that it was not crowded was a plus for me as well, as it made for perfect bonding time with my dad.

 

 

But wait, okay you visited El Viejo San Juan, visited a few beaches, had homemade Puerto Rican food and other nice restaurants BUT  your trip is not complete without ……

Pinchos at the beach! I haven’t had pinchos in a while so I thought that the $3 price was a little outrageous. But then again it was so good and conveniently made in front of me AT THE BEACH so I am not complaining.

If by now you have made it this far, please let me know what you think and what would you like me to write posts about, my trips? How do I book flights? Where do I stay? How do I afford to travel? Give me ideas for content! Thank you!