Puerto Rico Travel Guide
Where I stayed in Puerto Rico
I stayed at The Royal Sonesta San Juan in Isla Verde. Approximately a five-minute drive from the airport.
Resort: The Royal Sonesta
Rooms- The rooms were nice and spacious, newly updated, and equipped with a full mirror and a stocked mini-bar. The room of choice was the oceanfront view on the 15th floor, while there is a balcony it’s small and is standing room only, but the views are immaculate.
Service- Everyone I encountered was extremely friendly and nice. Anything we had a question or concern about we were assisted quickly.
Restaurants on-site- There are a few restaurants onsite details below.
Akua Bar - Swim-up pool bar open during the weekend Friday-Sunday.
La Bodeguita – Lobby coffee shop, serving light breakfast, lunch, and snacks, open daily from 6:00 AM – 12:00 AM.
Ruth’s Chris Steak House Puerto Rico - Steakhouse opened daily from 5:00 PM – 9:00 PM.
Aleli Restaurant – Breakfast with views overlooking the pool on the outdoor terrace open daily from 7:00 Am -11:00 AM.
Karaya- Lobby Bar/Restaurant on the terrace with pool views, lounge chairs, couches, and a beautiful fire pit. Signature cocktails, small bites, and full dinner entrees. Open daily from 5:00 PM – 1:00 am
Ocean Breeze – Beachfront outdoor restaurant/bar open daily from 11:00 AM – 8:00 PM.
Cost-Depending on the day of the week determines the spike in the daily rate. We got in on a Sunday night and that rate was higher than the rest of the week.
Accessibility- Walking distance to shops, bars, and eateries.
Things to do
El Yunque Natural Waterslide & Rainforest Hiking with Transportation
All excursions can be booked via linked above for tour suggestions. The Viator website, allows you to see a list of even more exciting excursions that are happening during your time of travel.
Where to Eat
Pizza City - 24-hour bar restaurant that serves great fresh pizza.
El Hamburger - Popular lunch/dinner place this sells homemade hamburgers.
Lupi’s - Traditional Puerto Rican cuisine
Metropol - Cuban and Puerto Rican cuisine
Plato’s - Puerto Rican cuisine
Alambique - Beach bar deck right off the beach
Sweet Temptation by Dayra -The best cheesecake
Water Ice- Local vendors pushing carts up and down the beach
Puerto Rico Nightlife
La Placinta - a traditional farmers market by day that becomes San Juan's hottest street party by night, complete with booming live music, great restaurants, and late-night bars.
Distrito T-Mobile – concert and entertainment venue with lots of eating and drinks options. Daily events range from shows to different DJ sets.
Dance Clubs – Plenty depending on the area you stay. Follow the music!
Bars & Lounges - Check out this directory of over 50 bars and lounges in Puerto Rico.
Casinos- El San Juan hotel, Courtyard by the Marriot, and the Embassy Suites, are hotels with casinos along the strip.
Must-Have Items for Puerto Rico
Sunglasses
Mosquito Repellent
Lip Balm
Sneakers/Walking Shoes
Water Shoes
How to get around
Our beachfront resort was right on the strip walking distance to a number of bars, restaurants, casinos, other hotels, small clubs, CVS, cold stone, and other things that you may need.
We mostly traveled by Uber and the maximum cost per ride was around $20.00, with the majority of our trips ranging between $5.00 and $12.00. Depending on where you choose to go ziplining the uber will likely be a little more, due to the distance of the excursion being 35- 40 minutes away. Please note they don’t have LYFT here.
Unless you plan on going out far and visiting other cities in Puerto Rico a rental car is not necessary, but if you prefer to be at your own leisure then I'd suggest renting one but be mindful of the parking fees at the hotels they have both valet and self-parking at most hotels in this area starting around $25 per night.
NOTE: They have bird scooters all around so if you are up for an adventure it’s definitely a fun, low-cost way to get around.
Puerto Rico Airport Notes:
If you don’t have TSA precheck or CLEAR arrive early anywhere from 1.5-2 hours early to get through security.
