Puerto Rico - San Juan & Aguadilla

Puerto Rico

IAH - BQN Winter 2019; 

2019 Birthday Trip

(Arrived on Saturday Morning 4am or so and flew back on Tuesday Morning)

How did we get there?
I booked 2 separate reservations on Spirit out of IAH. The idea was I knew I wanted to go for my birthday but I was going to surprise Mr.C with his ticket as a Christmas gift. I told him I was going with friends. But he acted such a fool that I had to tell him he was going a little earlier than anticipated. And of course until this day he maintains that he didn't get anything for Christmas. I digress. I literally never win with that guy.

We flew out out of IAH at 5pm. Changed planes in both New Orleans & Fort Lauderdale. But who's complaining for $160 RT before seat upgrades. We never check luggage for trips 3 days & under. 

Shuttle?
We didn't use a shuttle this time and booked a rental car through AVIS. It was $98.29 in a white Chrysler 300 for 1/19 - 1/21. The Aguadilla airport is really small. They actually give you the keys at the counter and you drive out of the paid parking area. So, this ask you to sign off on the condition of the vehicle sight unseen. If you notice any scratches, or dents you must go back inside the airport to inform them. And the same goes for check in. You park inside the paid parking lot and turn the keys in inside. There is no one to verify the condition of the vehicle.

The drive to San Juan is right around 2 hours. FYI red lights don't mean stop. I caught on to this pretty quickly. We left Aguadilla while it was still very dark, so not much to see. There are several tolls you can take to quicken the trip. I skipped the tolls the 1st half and said to hell with it for the 2nd half and paid the tolls.

Once into Aguadilla we parked and napped near Old San Juan because it was too early to check into our Air BNB and I refused to pay for an extra day for literally a couple of hours. 

Where did we sleep?

Loiza XII Trendy 1BR in the heart of San Juan A super cute 1 bedroom a couple of blocks from Condado beach. When searching for a place to stay in San Juan the pickings were slim. Really slim. Hotels were booked and most of the air bnbs were too. And prices were SUPER INFLATED. I chucked it up to people taking advantage of the 3 day MLK weekend. Lets just say I was wrong and San Juan being overbooked led us to having the most AMAZING weekend!

The place is very clean and stylish. It is within walking distance to the beach. There is a Starbucks, and a 24 hour market right across the street. Super convenient location. I would definitely stay here again if I come without a rental car. Quick Notes: -Be sure to bring your own washcloths or shower pouf. There are none provided -There isn’t any parking. Parking at the hotel across the street will cost you $3.35 an hour. It adds up pretty quickly overnight. -On weekend nights the club downstairs is pretty loud until 500 am. It was not a problem for me but my husband had a hard time sleeping.

And if you haven't booked via airbnb yet, use my link and lets both get some coins. Click Here

We landed right in the middle of:

San Sebastián Street Festival, also known as “San Se”, is a very popular Puerto Rican festivity that takes place in Old San Juan. It is a four-day event that starts the third Thursday of January through Sunday. This festive is in honor of Saint Sebastian; January 20th is the day that the Catholic Church celebrates the life of this Saint. 

Father Juan Manuel Madrazo, the priest of the San José Church in the 1950’s, was the first to organize the festival.The purpose of the festival was to commemorate the life of Saint Sebastian and raise money to repair the church.  Once the Father was removed from the church; It was not until 1970 when a historian and anthropologist named Ricardo Alegría proposed to Rafaela Balladares de Brito, a resident of San Sebastian street, to revive this tradition. Balladares de Brito with the help of her neighbors began to reorganize the festival and recollect money for an elementary school.                                                         During  past celebrations, a group of musicians in the early morning of the first days walked and announced the festivity though the street. People in costumes of Spanish Kings, Queen Isabel and King Fernando, wear huge mask over their heads and were called “Cabezudos”. Currently, Artists perform at different stages localized around Old San Juan. “Cabezudos” now include characters representing the Puerto Rican folklore that pass through the streets dancing and singing followed by the public. Now, the parade is longer than the past ones and the municipality of San Juan is responsible in organizing the entire festival. 

What did we do?

Once we got out of the car we were amazed because there were so many people everywhere. Keep in mind at this time we have no clue that we are in the middle of a festival. So it was great that we just parked in Old San Juan instead of checking into a room because we would never have been able to find parking. People were literally trying to pay us for our parking space. And others were giving us looks of hate. If i knew then what I know now, I would have sold the spot for $100 minimum and ubered back.

There were literally at least 100 buses in and out of the area, and swarms of people walking into Old San Juan. We just followed the crowd and ended near the forts. By now the smell of ocean was wafting through the air, the wind blowing through my hair.  We decided not to visit the forts and stopped to enjoy the view.

 After, a brief stop we headed into the festivities. There were people everywhere, lots of stages with bands,  vendors. It was amazing. We stopped into one of the shops for nachos and mojitos. We took a brief lunch back and then walked over to Marshalls to buy sneakers. We knew our feet wouldn't make it the remainder of the day in sandals.

Many mojitos, and a couple of Cocquito ice cream bars  later and I found myself dancing in the middle of the square. We stumbled upon the dancehall stage. Mr.C was very shocked to say the least. I danced for about 45 minutes or so. And as per usual I made a couple of new friends. Once my buddy left we wondered off to find more excitement. And as luck would have it, We ran right into a man selling fresh cigars. By the time we lit our new cigars the parade found us.

I don't have anything from the parade because let's be honest I was lit and I went live instead.

But I do have these of the Cabezudos

More drinking and then night fell and we were on the hunt for more food and to settle our stomaches a bit. We opted for pizza on our way out of the square and wandered right into Pirilo Pizza Rustica.I chose the 7 Quesos Pizza (Mozzarella, Provolone, Cheddar, Muenstar, Manchego, Swiss & Ricotta).  and added Pepperonis. And it was amazing literally the best pizza I've ever had in my life. When in San Juan RUN!!! Don't pass go, Don't collect $200. Go get the Pizza!!

That concluded day 1 of Puerto Rico.
Day 2

The day started with Brunch at La Boulangerier.
The cappuccinos were perfect, service was great and the food was delicious. I will definitely return.



Our next stop was a tour at the Bacardi Factory. Upon check in you are given a token for your drink of choice at the bar. We both opted for Mojitos and I have never had one prepared quite the way this one was made. The mixologist put a lot of love into their drinks. This includes slapping the mint in order to activate it.

Shortly after we began our tour and given the overall history of Bacardi. How the different versions are made. And the differences between them. After the tour is completed we were escorted into the classroom where we are given a tall glass of water and 6 different variations of Bacardi. From very mild to very strong bodied. Once the tasting is complete you receive a certified mixologist certificate. Afterwards you are led into the gift shop where you can purchase your own engraved bottle of Bacardi, along with  a host of other memorabilia. We didn't check any bags and therefore opted out of making a purchase. This is definitely something you should do at least once if you're into that kind of thing.

Day 3

I was dying for some beach and our flight was leaving at 4pm from Aguadilla. We woke up, found a Starbucks and hit the road back to Aguadilla to ensure that we wouldn't run into any issues on the back end. Some how, some way I ended up driving back to Aguadilla as well. It's funny how that works out.

We ended up near Jobos Beach and it was DEFINITELY worth the wait. It wasn't crowded, and it seemed like the place where the locos ventured. We picked a spot and I surveyed the area just taking it all in. The water was crystal clear and the rock formations were absolutely beautiful. I even made a new buddy via a sand crab. All while the Mr napped on the beach. Once he woke up, we entered the water and it was super refreshing. There was this giant school of fish super close to the shore that stayed around, along with other colorful tropical fish. But of course as luck would have it, we didn't bring the Go pro nor any of the other waterproof cameras. But it was beautiful. You typically have to be much farther out to get such interactions. And I kind of found it on accident. Yay me!

We finished our time at the beach, stopped for souvenirs at the local Walmart, filled up the tank and headed to the airport.

It took us a while to get through customs, but once we made it through we were bumped from our seats. But were dually compensated with a hotel room for the night, food vouchers, Transport back to San Juan and a flight via Delta back to IAH.