San Juan, Puerto Rico

USA

Dec 28

Written By Sadie Cornelius

Guide to Eating + Drinking in Old San Juan

Puerto Rico Strong!

How To Get There: Almost every airline has daily direct flights there including discount carriers like Southwest and Spirit.
Soundtrack: Despacito, Ricky Martin, Tito Puente, J-Lo
Best For: Easy, warm getaway from the mainland, food arts and culture infused with Latin. Supporting local tourism.
For those looking to make a difference in PR, we encourage you to support our neighbors by visiting as tourism is one of the major contributors to their economic success and long-term recovery. San Juan is back up and running and ready for visitors!
Tips: Since it's the US, no need to exchange dollars, no visa or customs required and no roaming charges for cell phone use (although coverage is spotty).

Where To Eat + Drink:

Old San Juan

Cuatro Sombras - local drip and Karibe Kombuca
Barrachina - home of the Pina Colada
Marmalade - must get the White Bean Truffle soup
La Factoría - One of the world’s best cocktail bars

Santurce (East San Juan)

Lote 23 - Craft food and beverage food park with live music and entertainment
Esquina El Watusi - Best dive bar ever, full of locals, featured on Anthony Bordain’s parts unknown in the
Miramar Food Truck Park & Meatball Company
Gusto’s Coffee - in airport and in Santurce area
Kasalta - classic breakfast, Obama visited here
El Axolote - local Tex-Mex in Santurce (near Watusi)

Elsewhere:

Luquillo Kiosks - 50+ roadside food stalls

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Where to Stay

There are a handful of hotels near the beach/water just on the other site of a bridge from Old San Juan (Condado Vanderbilt is my favorite) but there’s no better way to experience San Juan than as a local in an Airbnb. Both times I went to PR this year I stayed in Airbnbs. They not only give you a taste of the oldest city under the U.S. flag, it supports locals and helps fund the restoration of the city post-hurricane Maria.

West Indies has around 100 listings and all are super clean and beautifully decorated. We stayed in this property which was walking distance to everything in Old San Juan and was a great value.

What To Do

Airbnb Experiences - this walking tour 100% supports the historical society and I can’t recommend it enough!

Sadie Cornelius

Sadie K Cornelius is a proud Longhorn and graduate of the University of Texas at Austin’s Moody School of Communications with a Bachelor's in Advertising and a minor in Business.

She has more than 15 years of experience in Squarespace website and graphic design for 200+ clients all over the world.

A fourth generation business owner Sadie is passionate about helping others through creating compelling visuals and cohesive brand identities. She’s been featured in Forbes as a female-owned company, has taught several digital marketing classes at General Assembly, is a volunteer for non-profit organizations.

Sadie enjoys traveling the world, spending time with her husband, King Charles Cavalier, and families in the Carolinas. Originally from Kansas City, Sadie resides in Washington DC (but is forever an Austin girl at heart).

https://www.skc-marketing.com