PUERTO RICO: RESOURCES GUIDE
About Puerto Rico:
Puerto Rico, a tropical paradise in the Caribbean, offers visitors a captivating blend of vibrant culture, stunning natural beauty, and a rich history that spans centuries. Known as the "Island of Enchantment," Puerto Rico is a destination that ignites the senses and leaves travelers in awe.
The capital city of San Juan is a bustling metropolis that effortlessly merges old-world charm with modern sophistication. The historic district of Old San Juan is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, featuring colorful colonial architecture, cobblestone streets, and impressive fortifications like El Morro and Castillo San Cristóbal. Visitors can explore the vibrant plazas, sample traditional Puerto Rican cuisine, and soak up the lively atmosphere of this captivating city.
Nature lovers will find themselves in paradise as they venture beyond the city limits. El Yunque National Forest, a tropical rainforest filled with cascading waterfalls and lush vegetation, beckons adventurers to explore its enchanting trails. The bioluminescent bays, such as Mosquito Bay in Vieques and Laguna Grande in Fajardo, offer a mesmerizing experience as the water glows with otherworldly brilliance.
Puerto Rico's coastline is a haven for beach lovers, with pristine shores that cater to all preferences. From the golden sands of Flamenco Beach in Culebra to the secluded coves of Playa Sucia in Cabo Rojo, visitors can bask in the sun, swim in crystal-clear waters, and indulge in water sports like snorkeling and surfing.
The island's rich cultural heritage is evident in its music, dance, and cuisine. Puerto Rico is the birthplace of salsa music, and the lively rhythms can be heard and felt throughout the island. Visitors can immerse themselves in the vibrant nightlife of San Juan, where salsa clubs come alive with infectious beats and passionate dancers.
No visit to Puerto Rico is complete without savoring its delectable culinary delights. From the mouthwatering flavors of mofongo, a traditional dish made of mashed plantains, to the succulent lechón (roast pig) served at roadside stands, the local cuisine tantalizes the taste buds and showcases the island's diverse influences.
Puerto Rico's warm and welcoming people, known as "boricuas," add to the island's allure. Their hospitality and zest for life create an inviting atmosphere that makes visitors feel like part of the family.
Puerto Rico is a captivating destination that offers a perfect blend of history, culture, natural beauty, and warm hospitality. Whether you're exploring the cobblestone streets of Old San Juan, hiking through the lush rainforests, or relaxing on pristine beaches, Puerto Rico promises an unforgettable experience that will leave you enchanted and yearning to return.
Welcome to Adventure Fares' Resources and Information Guide. These guides are compiled to provide a great "starting place" for planning. Here, we try to help you with the 4 big planning goals for any destination: Where to Stay / Where to Eat / What to See and Do / How to Budget. We even try to include some great itinerary links. Have fun planning your travel adventure! These resource pages are always being updated. If you would like to see a country / city / place not already in our resource guides, please email your requests or suggestions to: [email protected]
BUDGET RESOURCES:
We typically go to Budget Your Trip to research budgeting! We highly recommend their website. They do a fantastic job of compiling data from thousands of travelers around the world! This data is so useful for anyone who’s wanting to make the most of their travel budget. If you sign up and enter your own expenses - you contribute to the data and also get to access their fantastic planning tools - with charts, maps, graphs, and tables of your trip finances. Bookmark their site, and go there for a lot more in-depth budgeting research: BudgetYourTrip.com
With this chart, we just wanted to give you an idea of how your budget might look compared to a few familiar places here in the U.S
Rentals / Hotels / B&B Lists
Finding the perfect accommodation can make or break a trip. That's why we compile so many lodging lists - to help you find reliable and affordable recommendations for AirBNBs, VRBOs, boutique hotels, and B&Bs. These lists should give you a great starting place, and hopefully make that trip even better!
AIRBNB Resources:
airbnb.com - It has become a very popular resource for travelers. We try to limit our lists to rentals in great locations, with good pricing, and great views when we find them. We use AirBNB a lot. ALWAYS double-check reviews and avoid "new" listings most of the time. Be sure to double check for air conditioning in the summer, and feel free to reach out to the owner for tips / questions!
VRBO Resources:
vrbo.com - VRBO is another great one to use. Sometimes you find rentals here you won't see on AirBNB - its always great to have more options, especially during peak seasons when rentals book up fast. Always double-check reviews and avoid "new" listings when possible. The VRBO system won't let us filter neighborhoods as well as some others, so always double check location after finding a good property.
Bed and Breakfast Resources:
Booking.com - this is often our “go-to” for this category. We find their customer reviews to be very reliable!
bedandbreakfast.guide (B&B Guide) - this one screens out the worst-reviewed places, so their lists are pretty reliable.
bnbfinder.com - this one is promising, but they don’t have near as many listings as the others here. We hope they grow!
Boutique Hotels Resources:
BoutiqueHotel.me - this one is usually our favorite. However, their list will only provide you with hotels who allow booking through booking.com - so some great hotels won’t be on their lists.
MrandMrsSmith.com - This is fantastic and inspirational resource for finding places to stay around the world. Much of their focus is on premiere hotels (and not what we would call “budget” finds), but it can be a fantastic place to search. It’s fun to just click on their “Inspiration” tab and find some new places around the world.
TheHotelGuru.com - This site also links to booking.com, and can be a complimentary resource.
GreatSmallHotels.com - Another resource the books through booking.com, this one tends to go a little more upscale, especially in large European cities.
Some More Interesting Lodging Guides:
gounusual.com - Great Resource for those trying to find unique places to stay: Castles, igloos, boats, more!
eruoglamping.com - Just what it sounds like - a resource of upscale camping places in Europe:
goglamping.net - GoGlamping / More upscale camping experiences - UK and Europe
NOTE: No matter what form of lodging you book, we recommend you always confirm your booking one last time a week to 10 days ahead of your travel.
Restaurants / Dining Lists
Choosing dining options can be confusing and intimidating. We've compiled these lists to help you start planning some memorable meals. Lists are organized by city and include some of the best and most affordable dining destinations in each city/area. Every adventure deserves some great meals!
TripAdvisor Dining Lists:
TripAdvisor.com - We recommend using TripAdvisor’s dining directories whenever you find yourself needing good food in a place with which you’re unfamiliar. They have a huge volume of reviews, great genre help, and mapping.
Michelin Guide - Dining Lists:
Michelin Guide - For respected and relevant reviews of restaurants around the world, Michelin has been the Iconic dining guide since the 1800s. If you find a 1 star near you, book it. If you find a 2 star, you’re in for a treat. If you find a 3 star - make a travel detour if you need to and get there!
Wanderlog Dining Lists:
Wanderlog.com - Wanderlog is an interesting site - compiling lots of travel planning possibilities. Their trip-planning features are worth checking out, but we’ve come to really like their restaurant lists. They’re just a little pickier than TripAdvisor, but not as exclusive as Michelin. They’re worth checking out in most towns.
When trying to get a nicer restaurant into your travel plans, we recommend making reservations at least a couple of weeks ahead of time. Some of the Michelin star restaurants might even require more advance (varies).
Things to See and Do Lists
Finding what to see and do is always a travel priority. We've compiled lists/links from the world's most credible sources to help you find the best adventures for your destination. These lists will help you find the most popular attractions (and some hidden gems) for your travel adventures.
ATLAS OBSCURA
Things to See and Do Resources:
These are a few resources we trust. They will give you some great places to start. Rank your priorities (and your travel friends' priorities), see what works for your schedule, and plan an amazing travel adventure. *Don't try to cram too much in - it's those "unplanned" moments that often product the best adventures.
FodorsTravel.com - In our experience, Fodor’s is the best overall place to start when planning a trip. Once you search and find their guide to a city - they break the guide down into Sights, Nightlife, Shopping, Performing Arts, and Sports and Acitivities. There’s not tons of inspiration here, but good, reliable information. There are ads, but they do a good job of keeping the content credible. They also have a great “Map View” feature for the different sections so you can always check to see what’s close. Their Hotels and Restaurants guides are also pretty good.
RickSteves.com - Rick Steves has been an awesome resource for budget travelers for decades, and his content just keeps getting better. His reviews are reliable, his itineraries are fantastic, and his reputation for credibility is great. We check out his information on any destination we're thinking about visiting.
AtlasObscura.com - This is our favorite guide source! We don’t know how the team at Atlas Obscura finds so many cool, interesting, and odd things to see around the world - but they do it. It’s easy to find those top few things to do in any location, but these guys go beyond - and get you some off-the-beaten path adventures.
TripAdvisor - Trip Advisor is pretty commercial in nature, but they have really high traffic - so it's easy to see what's popular pretty much anywhere in the world. That can be helpful for planning what to see, and sometimes what to avoid. It's one of our go-to resources for seeing what might be in the town ahead on a road trip.
Wanderlog.com - Wanderlog is an interesting site - compiling lots of travel planning possibilities. Their trip-planning features are worth checking out, and we really like their “THINGS TO DO” lists. They’re pretty much ranked from most popular to least - so its a great place to figure out a priority list of things to see.
GetYourGuide.com - We really like this one! Get your guide is becoming a great source for planning as well as inspiration for travel adventures. Even if you aren’t looking for things to do on your trip, it’s a good place to get new trip ideas and browse exciting things to do. They have some "decent" pricing on local activities - worth considering for booking.
Nomadicmatt.com - Matt travels as much as any blogger / content creator we follow. He's a good writer, a good planner, and delivers entertaining content. We certainly recommend you check out his travel guides. If he's been somewhere, he shares great stuff!
OTHERS WORTH CHECKING OUT:
The Crazy Tourist - This is a travel resource that covers destinations all over the world. Just type the name of a country or city in their search section, and they have good
CultureTrip.com - This one is pretty commercial (lots of ads), but its also pretty reliable. They’ve been a travel industry leader for a long time, so there are enough reviews on things to know if you’re making good decisions. We always check out the Culture Trip guide for any location we’re planning on visiting.
Itineraries to Get You Started
Building an itinerary for your travel adventure can be a daunting task. Here are a few resources to help you get started without all the "noise" associated with online research. These are sample itineraries from travel pros who are credible, reliable, and know the places they're writing about. Itineraries are made to be broken, but hopefully these will start you out on the right path.
If you're planning a trip to Puerto Rico, there's so much to see and do that it can be overwhelming to know where to start. To help you plan your itinerary, here's a comprehensive checklist of must-see destinations and off-the-beaten-path gems to explore. Below our checklist, you'll find several sample itineraries we recommend.
DON’T MISS:
- Old San Juan: Explore the historic heart of the island with its colorful colonial buildings, cobblestone streets, and iconic landmarks like El Morro and Castillo San Cristobal.
- El Yunque National Forest: Discover the lush tropical rainforest with its cascading waterfalls, hiking trails, and the opportunity to spot unique flora and fauna.
- Bioluminescent Bay: Experience the magical Mosquito Bay or Laguna Grande, where the waters light up at night with bioluminescent organisms, creating a mesmerizing spectacle.
- Culebra and Vieques Islands: Visit these pristine islands known for their stunning beaches, crystal-clear waters, and vibrant marine life, perfect for snorkeling and diving.
- Camuy River Cave Park: Venture underground to explore the impressive cave system, featuring underground rivers, massive stalactites, and dramatic rock formations.
IF YOU HAVE MORE TIME:
- Ponce: Immerse yourself in Puerto Rico's cultural capital, known for its vibrant architecture, historic museums, and lively Plaza Las Delicias.
- Luquillo Beach: Relax on the palm-fringed shores of this popular beach, known for its calm waters and family-friendly atmosphere.
- Arecibo Observatory: Visit the world's largest single-dish radio telescope, known for its contributions to astronomy and pop culture, featured in movies like "Contact."
- La Ruta del Lechón: Embark on a culinary adventure along this famous pork highway, where you can indulge in mouthwatering roasted pig dishes.
- El Morro Lighthouse, Vieques: Take a scenic hike to the historic lighthouse, located on the highest point of the island, offering panoramic views of the coast.
OFF THE BEATEN PATH
- Cueva Ventana: Explore this hidden gem, a natural cave window with stunning views of the surrounding valley and the Río Grande de Arecibo.
- Flamenco Beach, Culebra: Relax on the pristine shores of this picturesque beach, often ranked among the world's best beaches for its turquoise waters and white sand.
- Guavate: Dive into Puerto Rico's gastronomy by visiting this mountain town, famous for its "lechoneras" and savoring traditional roasted pork.
- Gilligan's Island: Take a boat trip to this small island off the coast of Guánica, where you can swim in crystal-clear waters, snorkel, and enjoy picnicking on the beach.
- Toro Verde Nature Adventure Park: Get your adrenaline pumping with ziplining adventures through lush forests, including the world's second-longest zipline, "The Beast."
ITINERARIES FOR PUERTO RICO:
Itineraries can be tough to build, but the process can also be really fun to research. We read hundreds of these a month - and are always looking for better ones for our resource guides. Here are a few we found that might be helpful to get you started. Some of these are from favorite sources, and few we just found for this country. Start planning that adventure!
The Perfect Puerto Rico Itinerary / Wanderlust Chloe
The Perfect Puerto Rico Itinerary for First Timers / notaboutthemiles
The Ultimate 7 Day Puerto Rico Itinerary / ViaHero
What to See, Do, and Eat in Puerto Rico / 5 Days / GoingAwesomePlaces
7 Days Puerto Rico for a Magical Trip / EternalArrival
5 Days for the Whole Family / DiscoverPuertoRico
One Week - 2 Weeks - Family Itineraries for Puerto Rico / Frommers
The Perfect 4 Days in Puerto Rico / Practical Wanderlust
MORE RESOURCES:
Discover Puerto Rico: Travel Guide
America's Coolest Tropical Island - Vieques!
Puerto Rico Travel Guide & Tips / Conde Nast Traveler
Your Trip to Puerto Rico: The Complete Guide / TripSavvy
Puerto Rico Complete Guide / Fodor'sThe Blonde Abroad Puerto Rico Travel Guide
Things to do in Puerto Rico / Frommer's
Best Road Cycling Routes in Puerto Rico / komoot
Best Hiking Trails in Puerto Rico / AllTrails
*photos from pixabay.com, pexels.com, unsplash.com and Darrell Potts
EMAIL Us - We Want to Hear From You!
We believe that the best travel advice comes from those who have experienced it firsthand. That's why we're inviting our members to share their travel tips, and recommendations with us. Whether it's a hidden gem of a restaurant, a must-see attraction, or an off-the-beaten-path adventure, we want to hear about it. Your contributions are helping us build a new database of "Member Suggestions." Email us when you get a chance - links, maps, and reviews all help! Email us at [email protected]
These resource pages are fun to work on! We'll keep working to make them better and better. Are we missing something? Are we missing one of your favorite travel resources? Please email me - I'd love to learn anything that can help make travel adventures even better! Darrell Potts.
