San Juan, Puerto Rico, Journey Information

With lovely seashores and luxe oceanfront resorts, San Juan, Puerto Rico, is the Caribbean vacation spot goals are made from — no passport required for U.S. residents. However in the event you come to San Juan for nothing greater than stretching out on the sand, you are lacking out.

“San Juan is the right vacation spot. We’ve got the benefit of metropolis, seaside, and mountain life multi function place,” says Miguel Reyes, lifelong native and mixologist on the storied Caribe Hilton. Certainly, to seek out such a wealthy bloom of cosmopolitan vibrancy nestled so harmoniously between lush tropical jungles and azure seas seems like a feat that may encourage even probably the most well-traveled. With an more and more various culinary scene and cultural and creative expression blossoming, San Juan’s lovely seashores are merely the cherry on high of a keep relatively than the primary course.

Even after tons of of years of historical past, it seems like now could be the time to go to San Juan. Hotly anticipated resort openings like The Ritz-Carlton, San Juan (set to reopen this 12 months), and a blockbuster lineup of upcoming arts and cultural occasions — together with a Dangerous Bunny residency and the long-awaited inaugural Puerto Rico Wine & Meals Pageant — are just some of the signposts of San Juan’s ever-expanding attract.

Greatest Motels & Resorts

Condado Vanderbilt Resort

The grand dame of San Juan, Condado Vanderbilt Resort occupies an enviable oceanfront location. A century of storied glamour would not cease it from being recent, from its unique pool deck with waterfront eating to its intimate spa, residence to the one hammam on the island. The resort’s 1919 Restaurant, named after the 12 months of its founding, units the bar excessive for superb eating on the island.

Caribe Hilton

Set throughout 17 acres that kiss among the finest seashores within the metropolis, Caribe Hilton has been the glamorous San Juan residence away from residence for the celebs since 1949. Lately renovated rooms are glossy, reflecting calm Caribbean tones, whereas the sprawling grounds reveal 9 totally different eating ideas, a number of swimming swimming pools (plus a swim-up bar), and ocean views from virtually each angle.

La Concha Renaissance Resort

La Concha Renaissance Resort continues to be one in all the locations to be in San Juan, even 65 years after its debut. Renovations have revived rooms and suites and added cutting-edge, oceanfront Elemara Spa and new eating choices like Tekka Bar by Takashi Segawa and upcoming Levant by acclaimed chef Michael White.

Condado Ocean Membership

A glossy waterfront resort within the metropolis’s coolest neighborhood, Condado Ocean Membership is the epitome of cosmopolitan-meets-Caribbean. A spacious sundeck spills into oceanfront eatery Social, the place island-inspired delicacies and scrumptious craft cocktails are match for spectacular sunsets amid the sound of crashing waves. Oceanview rooms with a terrace are well worth the improve, with the floor-to-ceiling home windows drawing in each shade of Caribbean blue.

Fairmont El San Juan Resort

Nestled between a few of San Juan’s most luxurious seashores, Fairmont El San Juan Resort seems like the last word selection for guests content material with spending most of their keep poolside. With dwell leisure, a on line casino, spectacular eating choices, and luxe lodging just like the newer Banyan Bungalows, it is a favourite with T+L readers, the highest decide among the many finest resorts in Puerto Rico.

Greatest Issues to Do

Admire age-old structure.

San Juan simply celebrated its five hundredth anniversary, however this breathtaking magnificence appears to be like higher than ever. Begin exploring from the dungeons — full with sweeping ocean views — at Castillo San Felipe del Morro, the town’s huge colonial fortress. Comply with cobblestone streets to the ornate cathedral and colourful mansions; “it is a must-visit for its historic landmarks, energetic plazas, charming retailers, and a picturesque promenade good for night strolls, with native distributors and music,” says Militza Orama, vice chairman of gross sales and advertising at The Condado Assortment.

Search out native artwork.

“The artwork that comes out of this island is extraordinarily influential worldwide,” says Reyes, and there isn’t any higher place to expertise it than the neighborhood of Santurce. The esteemed Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico and Museo de Arte Contemporáneo are simply the beginning, with Calle Cera and Calle Loíza revealing road artwork, from massive, daring murals just like the well-known “Loíza Brinca” to graffiti and mosaics. Galleries like The Artwork Home PR and Walter Otero Modern Artwork Gallery spotlight much more of San Juan’s most interesting native skills.

Sip native rum.

Do not accept a easy rum tasting when you may have among the most showstopping spirits experiences at your fingertips in San Juan. Casa Bacardí provides distillery excursions and a premium collection of its most interesting creations from its trendy customer heart, positioned simply throughout the bay from Outdated San Juan. Stomach as much as Caribar at Caribe Hilton – the birthplace of the piña colada – to strive the unique recipe of one of many world’s most well-known drinks, accompanied by a brand new tapas menu and panoramic ocean views.

Hit the seaside.

Stretches of sand unfurl throughout the town, from the palm-fringed Playa El Escambrón close to the Caribe Hilton to La Playita del Condado. Town’s finest seashores are alongside the extra residential space of Ocean Park and east, in Isla Verde, with large, sandy shores stretching out lusciously on either side of the Fairmont El San Juan. In the meantime, a day journey to the white sands of uninhabited Cayo Icacos or a weekend getaway to Culebra and Vieques will introduce you to among the finest seashores in Puerto Rico.

Get open air.

The seaside is not the one cause to get open air in San Juan. Reyes recommends paddleboarding in Laguna del Condado, and even “extra adventurous actions like night time kayaking.” Lower than an hour from the town is Puerto Rico’s lush tropical coronary heart, El Yunque Nationwide Forest. The one tropical rainforest within the U.S. Nationwide Forest System is a sprawling 29,000 untouched acres hiding waterfalls spilling into pure swimming pools, numerous mountain climbing trails, and plentiful biodiversity.

Greatest Eating places

Cocina al Fondo

The menu at Cocina al Fondo reads like a love letter to Puerto Rico, written by James Beard Award-winning chef Natalia Vallejo. Each dish is a dance of domestically sourced, island-native elements and recent produce harvested from the property’s personal backyard. Whereas revolutionary, it is imbued with a deep respect for conventional flavors and culinary heritage in each chunk.

1919 Restaurant

A moody, trendy eating room within the elegant Condado Vanderbilt units the stage for 1919, a jewel of Puerto Rico’s superb eating scene. On the helm is government chef Juan José Cuevas (whose previous expertise consists of a number of Michelin-starred eating places), who has crafted a farm-to-table superb eating expertise that includes native elements. The tasting menu, full with wine pairing, will wow you; even months after my very own go to, I nonetheless dream of the risotto in crimson wine discount.

Princesa – Cocina Cultura

Jorge Montalvo, founder and CEO of Patria Excursions, all the time recommends Princesa – Cocina Cultura to guests on the lookout for an genuine island eating expertise. The menu is impressed by six historic cookbooks of Puerto Rico courting way back to 1859, providing an ode to the island’s culinary heritage that also feels trendy and provoking. The plush backyard patio eating room is especially romantic at night time with dwell music.

Marmalade

A glossy, trendy eating room feels recent and sudden coming off the historic Outdated San Juan streets, although it’s the right setting for Marmalade‘s creative, sustainable Caribbean fusion menu. There is not any á la carte menu right here, simply totally different tasting menu choices.

Lote 23

Positioned within the coronary heart of Santurce, Lote 23 is a collective of stalls, kiosks, and distributors that’s each a eating vacation spot and a culinary incubator for budding native cooks. Discover all the things from island-made craft beer and smashburgers to ramen and conventional Puerto Rican dishes, lovingly ready by among the metropolis’s up-and-coming culinary creatives.

Greatest Nightlife

La Placita de Santurce

“Our nightlife, like at La Placita de Santurce, emphasizes our tradition and captures a lot vitality on this lovely metropolis,” says Reyes. A market by day, La Placita transforms right into a nightlife vacation spot on the weekends with dwell music starting from salsa and jazz to DJ units at Aguardiente. Gasoline the social gathering with fried alcapurrias and pastelillos from La Alcapurria Quemá or any of the quite a few eateries within the space.

Fifty Eight

It ought to come as no shock that that is the place the most important names in Latin music hang around after they’re off the clock. Everybody from Dangerous Bunny and Ozuna to Feid name-drops Fifty Eight within the lyrics of their greatest hits. Tucked away on the decrease stage of La Concha Renaissance Resort, this ultra-exclusive membership is known for its dwell performances by famend DJs and drop-ins from visiting reggaeton artists, that means you by no means know who you will spot from throughout the VIP part.

La Factoría

Topped the perfect bar within the Caribbean a number of years operating by The World’s 50 Greatest, Outdated San Juan’s La Factoría is a uncommon spot the place the vibes are simply pretty much as good because the drinks. Dimly lit and salsa-filled, it manages to really feel like an area hang-out regardless of its fame. The lavender mule is universally fashionable, and the Hijos de Boriquén, constituted of Don Q añejo rum, apricot liqueur, and loads of cinnamon, seems like a romp across the Caribbean.

Areas to Go to

Outdated San Juan

Centuries of historical past and layers of tradition make Outdated San Juan the unmissable spotlight of a go to to the island’s capital. This compact neighborhood is very walkable and simple to discover — sturdy sneakers really useful for navigating cobblestones — in anyplace from just a few hours to a full day. Leap on a local-led tour with Patria Excursions for an enlightening historic and cultural background.

Condado

A thin oceanfront strip dotted with highrises and residential to the town’s finest eating and nightlife, Condado additionally has walkable areas and waterfront parks that make it accessible to everybody. Motels vary from the unique properties of The Condado Assortment to boutique accommodations just like the lagoon-facing, personality-packed O:dwell Boutique Resort.

Santurce

The sprawling neighborhood of Santurce is “a hub of creativity with vibrant road artwork, galleries, and stylish eating places,” says Orama. It is simple to spend a whole day admiring all the things from graffiti murals to museum-quality artwork, sampling conventional Puerto Rican fare from La Casita Blanca or a burger and beer from colourful spots like Cafe Tresbé, earlier than ending the night time with a cocktail at La Penúltima.

Isla Verde

Tucked between airport and ocean, Isla Verde boasts large expanses of the town’s lovely seashores. Watched by lifeguards and dotted with eating places and retailers, Balneario de Carolina is the preferred seaside within the space, whereas Pine Grove is nice for browsing. Motels on the seaside make Isla Verde excellent for a fly-and-flop, resort-style keep in San Juan.

Distrito T-Cellular

It is all about leisure at Distrito T-Cellular, a hub for eateries, concert events, and occasions adjoining to the San Juan Conference Heart. At its coronary heart is Common Plaza, illuminated by outsized LED screens and stuffed with a large outside stage. Keep on the newly renovated Sheraton Puerto Rico Resort & On line casino for straightforward entry to the realm and beautiful metropolis views from the rooftop infinity pool.

Greatest Time to Go to

One of the best time to go to San Juan is between December and April, when heat, dry climate and sunny skies are perfect for all the things from exploring Outdated San Juan to paddleboarding or mountain climbing in El Yunque. This journey excessive season can be marked by larger costs and seashores busier with vacationers escaping colder climates.

“One of the best time of the 12 months to return to Puerto Rico and expertise music, meals, and celebrations can be in the course of the months of mid-November to mid-January,” recommends Reyes. Nochebuena (Christmas Eve) and New Yr’s festivities are marked with music-fueled events referred to as parrandas, lasting late into the night time. The festive season concludes within the third week of January with the Fiestas de la Calle San Sebastián, additionally referred to as SanSe, a celebration and cultural celebration so vibrant that Dangerous Bunny opens his chart-topping hit DtMF by reminiscing about it.

For good climate and decrease costs, go to San Juan within the shoulder season in Might or June, when the climate stays principally dry however with fewer guests. June by way of November is hurricane season, marked by hotter, wetter climate, even when the island avoids tropical storms.

How one can Get There

San Juan’s Luis Muñoz Marín Worldwide Airport (SJU) is without doubt one of the best-served airports within the Caribbean, making Puerto Rico an accessible — and reasonably priced — vacation spot from virtually anyplace within the Americas. United alone provides round 70 weekly flights to SJU, with different airways like Jetblue and even funds carriers like Frontier lately increasing service to the island.

The smaller Fernando Luis Ribas Dominicci Airport (SIG), positioned within the Isla Grande space, provides regional flights to locations across the island and to close by Culebra and Vieques.

How one can Get Round

Many of the metropolis’s hottest neighborhoods are extremely walkable, however taxis and rideshare platforms like Uber make navigating throughout San Juan a breeze. Skip a rental automotive in the event you’re sticking to San Juan, however in the event you’re headed to different locations just like the surf-ready seashores in Aguadilla on the west coast or the strips of white sand surrounding Fajardo, it is the easiest way to discover independently.