AN AFFORDABLE TRAVEL GUIDE TO PUERTO RICO

Hi there. Yup Puerto Rico again, but all for a good cause.

I've had a lot of people ask me questions about traveling to Puerto Rico, and what there is to do there! I feel like Puerto Rico is this little hidden gem, whats NOT to do there. But we all know how I feel about that place. :) So I've put together a little guide on how WE did it. I'm no expert. If anyone else has any alternatives or more options I would love to hear about them!! Comment or message me and we can plan our next trip together. :) 

WHERE TO STAY

There are a lot of friendly cute towns right outside of Old San Juan and in my opinion that is the PLACE to be!! I believe we stayed in Condado both times we have been there and found AMAZING deals on AirBNB both times. I would recommend saving your money on where you are staying and splurge on an awesome excursion!! You don't wanna hang around in your room anyway when there is so much to do! It feels totally safe there and we never had any sketchy moments, it's fun to get out at night and walk around the town there is always so much going on and allllways yummy little dessert places.

HOW TO GET AROUND

Now I don't know if this is necessarily the BEST way to do it but I would recommend renting a car. You are going to want to be able to GET OUT AND AROUND AND SEE THE PLACE. You don't want to be restricted to Uber or taxis just because a lot of the attractions are a good amount of driving away. You won't want to be limited trust me. Especially when you can split the cost with a friend. Thats my next bit of advice, go with friends! 

LOL GO WITH FRIENDS

Traveling in groups saves money just in the fact that you get to split room and the car rental fee. :) Plus now you have someone to trade off taking pictures of each other. ;)

GO ON AN EXCURSION

HOLY MOLY. I have been on the most amazing excursions in Puerto Rico. We found a company called Rocaliza on trip advisor and have now been on two different excursions with them and I recommend them 100%. The guides are super friendly and knowledgeable! You have the option of choosing between different adventures with them and we have loved both that we've been on!

The first one we did back in October was the more moderate option they take you up in the rainforest which is emaculate (i'm a nerd for all the greenery it totally gets to me) you are hiking up through the river, rock climbing and trekking in the beauty then you get to repel down an 80+ ft waterfall, and then zipline the rest of the way down the mountain.

The higher adventure option took us again trekking up through a river and then repelling down multiple waterfalls that were 80+ ft, cliff jumping, going down natural rock slides, swimming and hiking!!

The guides feed you lunch afterwards and you get a taste of some authentic Puerto Rican grub which you've obviously got to try at least once while you are there! SO FUN. I have the most amazing memories from these excursions. Do it. Also if these don't fit your desires, there are SO many options on trip advisor. If you like getting out in nature I'm sure there is SOMETHING that will make you happy! 

SEE THE CAVERNS

Puerto Rico is known for having some incredible ancient caves. You get to learn the history as you walk through them and GOSH so pretty. 

HANG OUT IN OLD SAN JUAN

AHHH CUTEST EVERRRRR. Old San Juan has me ALL heart-eyed! The streets are lined with colorful buildings and cobblestone and it took me right back to when I was in Rome, Italy! Walk up and down all the streets, stop in the shops, get some ice-cream! And TAKE A MILLION PICTURES! haha It's a photographers dream! 

EAT WHATEVER YOU WANT

There are SO many yummy authentic restaurants to choose from right in Old San Juan. Either more casual OR on the fancy end so your options are not limited at all! Plus if you are feelin super casual FOOD TRUCKS FOR THE WIN. There are grocery stores super accessible so what we like to do is go load up on some fruit, granola bars, water bottles, cereal, milk and other breakfast and snack options. That way we are saving on breakfast or lunch and then just go out for dinner or sometimes lunch and dinner! Your options are definitely not limited when it comes to the eats. Are you feeling an American experience? They have pretty much every popular chain (including our fav Cheesecake Factory yum) just a quick drive away in surrounding towns. OR obviously lots of yummy authentic options as well. All I know is you won't starve.  

VISIT THE FORTS

The old Forts that are in Old San Juan are only $10 a person to get in BOTH forts and your ticket will last you a couple days so you aren't rushed and can take it all in!! I found it so fascinating to walk through them and read up on some of the history. They are the original forts where Spain first fortified Puerto Rico before the U.S. took over. Plus so many more opportunities for great pictures. 

Can we please all take a moment to appreciate the Instagram husband featured in the above picture ;)

EL YUNQUE RAIN FOREST

Are you kidding me?? The only rainforest in the "U.S." No brainer!!! Again... greenery guys!! SO BEAUTIFUL. So many different hiking options. You could easily spend your entire day going on multiple hikes to waterfalls and outlook points.

BIOLUMINESCENT BAY

"Biobays are rare ecosystems that occur when microscopic organisms called dinoflagellates thrive in numbers large enough (and under the right conditions) to produce a glow-in-the-dark effect when they are stirred to action -- say, by a fish, paddle, or human arm. And when they glow, so does anything that comes in contact with them."

Glowing algae... yes please. But CHECK YOUR MOON PHASE CALENDAR. Because you can only see the light during certain phases of the moon.

LIGHTHOUSES

If you are up for a bit of a road trip there are light houses lining the coast of Puerto Rico. It's quite a bit of a drive from Old San Juan and we didn't get around to it but it sure sounded dreamy.. sigh.

Also booked our flights for our next trip and we are currently making our itinerary!!

Going somewhere I've wanted to go for a while now and headed back to stop by another one of my favorite places evvvvvvvvver :)