Puerto Rico Stomp

Saturday night dancing at the bandstand in Old San Juan: Because all our time was in the old town, it quickly started to feel like our neighborhood, and the music was all over the place. Every Saturday night, there was a different, fabulous band playing at the bandstand down by the harbor.

Hiking in the Rainforest - El Yunque: A four-hour hike up to the top and back for bird-watching, snail-tracking, and amazing nature sounds.

Walking on the NE Bay beach at sunset: The Bay of the Seven Seas was lovely.

Kayaking in the mangrove islands in the south

The odd vegatable market in Ponce: I ate three kinds of fruit I've never seen before.

Ice cream on the square in Ponce after dark, when the fountains are on

Roast suckling pig in the hills south of San Juan was the best.

Quick Tips:

- Rent a car, of course. We had a lovely experience via 'Charlie Car Rental', which was cheaper, yet just as professional as the big boys.

- Wear sunscreen.

- Rent a kayak from the Marina del Salinas, near the Bahia de Jobos.

- Hike in the rainforest. Do the El Yunque trail to the top and back--it's three hours up and down.

- Don't fully trust the guidebooks; things change more in PR than in Europe, and they get updated less.

- Be ready to eat deep-fried stuff and lots of seafood.

- Turns out rum drinks are often cheaper than beer.

Best Way To Get Around:

Rent a car. Everyone warns about break-ins, so just don't leave anything in the car.

Since I'd read everything about this place here before I left, I was prepared: it is an old, cheap place. But even that had a bit of charm to it. Getting the balcony rooms definitely gets you the best-looking ones, but it also leaves you open to the street noise, which isn't too bad unless it's Saturday night. I kept imagining that if they got a better cleaning crew and put tons of plants in the light wells and in every room, it'd be quite charming. Still, remember: it's cheap, cheap, cheap. If you've done youth hostel surfing, this is a low end of one of those.

This place is well written up in the guidebooks. This was a classier place, while still staying in the budget range. We asked for a balcony room (since I like them so much) and got one with a bit of a view over to the main square. One of the best things about this place is how it's right in the middle of the oldest part of town.

They have nice remodeled bathrooms, A/C, a welcoming staff, beautiful tiles in the floor, and nice complicated hallways where they've added rooms and salons. This is not an American-style hotel, which is why I liked it.

This is a great place that serves small plates of widely differing food, all of which tastes great; I loved the ambience of being in the back garden while couples lazily talk about the food. The owner usually sits down and talks at every table, flirting with the women and connecting with the men in an absolutely welcoming way. Don't skip this one.

This is the *other* tapas place in Old San Juan, and for me, the much better choice. The food was great, slightly experimental with roots in PR and Spain, but the place itself was what I liked. The cooks were interacting with the tables, the place had style while being homey, and it definitely was not the big tourist hotel/restaurant. Make sure you sit out in the back garden.

We left our hotel in Ponce and started driving north back to San Juan. On the way, we stopped off in the mountains for some food and a walk. This area is known for offering the holiday specialty foods all year long. The cooler mountain weather also makes the area a regular getaway spot for sanjuaneros. We ate some juicy lechon asado (spit-roasted pig), which we watched get hacked off with a machete. It looked like we were the first customers of the day! For sides, we had arroz rojo con peas y meat and a cold salad dish made with the small bananas, marinated onions, and savory spices (including bay leaves). The banana dish had a subtly tasty flavor, and everything together was perfectly delicious! This was one of the best meals we had on the trip! We enjoyed two large jugos de parcha and then took a short walk into the tall shady forest to look for a few more birds and enjoy the forest before heading back into the city.>