FOOD TOURS: San Juan has become a destination for foodies. One
of the best ways to savor the city is on a walking or driving tour that
encompasses the island’s history, culture, and epicurean delights.
Spoon offers food tours of Old San Juan with tastes, for example, of
mofongo, a Puerto Rican fried plantain dish.
SALSA CLASSES: Puerto Ricans know how to dance — and they
want you to dance with them. Latin Roots offers salsa dance classes
and live music.
PUERTO RICO’S SECOND CITY: Ponce, on Puerto Rico’s south coast, is
known as the Pearl of the South and is about a 90-minute drive from San
Juan. A highlight is the Museo de Arte de Ponce, which has extraordinary
exhibitions of Latin American and European art. Walk through Ponce’s
colonial center and enjoy a sunset drink at a coastside bar.
DINING
1919: Housed in the elegant Condado Vanderbilt Hotel, 1919 is helmed
by Chef Juan Jose Cuevas, a Michelin-star chef and native Puerto Rican,
who supports the island’s small farmers by buying their exquisite
produce. Cuevas’ contemporary menu leans toward fresh local fish
and island specialties. Chef Cuevas helped feed thousands of hurricane
survivors in the weeks after Hurricane Maria.
MARMALADE: Chef Peter Schintler’s inventive cuisine in a sleek and
stylish room is a destination restaurant for foodies. Schintler supports
sustainable farmers in Puerto Rico with a menu that will appeal to
everyone from vegetarians and raw foodies to carnivores. This Michelin
Star-rated hot spot is an trendy place to celebrate a special occasion.
JOSE ENRIQUE: This casual bar and eatery features a chalkboard
menu listing some of the best food on the island , like the skirt steak
with fried plantains at reasonable prices. Jose Enrique doesn’t take
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reservations so for less of a wait, go before 6 pm or after 9 pm. Or belly
up to the bar, where the full menu is offered.
SANTAELLA: Beautiful people gather in this charmingly verdant
room to have handmade cocktails (rum sours are popular) and small
plates of local delicacies such as malanga fritters, created by famed
chef, Jose Santaella.
EXPLORE
BEACHES: Puerto Rico’s palm-shaded beaches encircle the island. They
range from the easily accessible, such as Condado Beach in San Juan, to
the somewhat remote, like Mar Chiquita north of Manatí. You’ll need
a car to reach Mar Chiquita, about an hour from San Juan, but that can
lead to discoveries such as Las Tacas taco stand, at the intersection of
roads 685 and 648, about half a mile inland from the beach.
LAS CABEZAS DE SAN JUAN: This nature reserve on the northeastern
tip of Puerto Rico encompasses forests, mangroves, and coral
reefs, making the bioluminescent bay an ideal place to kayak. When
conditions are right, the bay glows with every paddle stroke during
nighttime boating excursions.
VIEQUES: This island east of Puerto Rico’s main island was devastated
by Hurricane Maria but is gradually recovering and has beguiling
beaches and bioluminescent bays. The part of Vieques formerly used as
a U.S. Naval base is now a national wildlife refuge.
GETTING THERE
Jetblue offers nonstop service from Reagan National Airport (DCA)
to San Juan Luis Munoz Marin International Airport (SJU) while
United Airlines offers nonstop service from Dulles International
Airport (IAD) to SJU.