Visit Puerto Rico & Go Snorkeling

10/20/2015

so many hidden beaches in puerto rico

I went to Puerto Rico last October to celebrate my 29th birthday. It was my first trip out of the country - but it was awesome because you're kind of still in the country! Cellphone service, no need for passports and pretty much everything you need in America is right there next to gorgeous sandy beaches, rows of taco stands, palm trees and tropical fish.

I went with my ex - and it was kind of a shit show (we broke up shortly after the trip) but I still had an awesome time exploring and having fun in the sun. We rented a car so we could split our stay in half and drive from one side of the island to the other.

Highlights of Old San Juan/East Coast PR:

Wandering around Old San Juan
Drinking mojitos
Shopping
Seeing the forts like Castillo San Cristobal and Castillo San Felipe del Morro (our cute AirBnB stay had a little balcony overlooking San Cristobal).
Finding hidden beached (we found ones that are completely empty!) and snorkeling for the first time.
Day tripping to Pinones Beach and Boardwalk - very popular beaches with tons of food carts and even water aerobics in the shallow pools!
Eating pinchos, tostones, empanadillos and mofongo (i even had nachos made out of plantains instead of chips!) Here's a cool link on how to eat like a local in PR!
I didn't get to try puerto rican coffee (allergic) but the teas were great!

Old San Juan

Pinones Beaches & Boardwalk

After a couple days around town, we went on a hiking trip to El Yunque National Forest. The tower pictured below is Yokahu Observation tower. The jungle was beautiful, muggy, tropical and there were no creepy bugs! A few waterfalls, lots of stairs.

El Yunque National Forest

After about 5 days on the East Coast of Puerto Rico - we traveled a couple of hours to try out the West Coast. We stayed in a shanti in Anasco also found on AirBnB. It had amazing views but was a rough stay (sleeping under a bugnet, with no real showers and limited power, using a ice chest for a fridge). But the West Coast was beautiful and the beaches here were my favorite. Quiet, beachy and cool. Kinda hipster.

Highlights of Rincon/West Coast PR:

Incredible views from the shanti in Anasco.
Visiting the Playa Tres Palmas (aka Steps Beach... pictured below). This beach is great for snorkeling!
Visiting Crashboat Beach, drinking pina coladas and eating pinchos and grapefruit bread.
Taking a nighttime boat ride out to the Bioluminescence Bay. It included dinner (empanadas!) and beverages (Medalla... the Puerto Rico cheap beer of choice), an excellent tour guide to tell us the background story, and then an hour snorkeling dip in the bay to check out the plankton which glitter in the water everywhere.
A hiking day trip to San Sebastian. There's a waterfall there called Gozalandia waterfall (aka the secret waterfall) where there is cliff jumping and a rope swing.
Eating Moco Loco and wings at Lucky 13 BBQ in Rincon.