Rum, Rainforests, and Street Food

If you’re looking for an inexpensive way to learn about the history of Puerto Rico, make sure you check out this location. For just $10 a person, access is granted to explore the grounds of this castle and during the time I went, your ticket was good for two days. When visiting, I would highly suggest wearing sneakers, and bringing water when touring. They do have a small gift shop on location that you can also purchase small items. Due to the beauty of this castle, it is also a great opportunity to grab some photos. The views are breathtaking and worth the visit. I would highly recommend.

Such an amazing experience visiting this place. All the history behind it was phenomenal to learn. It makes you think about all the injustices the puerto rican people have been going through with such resilience. I do recommend going as they open or later in the afternoon before they close because walking there with no shade is no joke. Lol. Make sure to wear a hat and shades. The entrance fee was resonable for all the things you get to see. It should be around 2-3 hours depending on if you read all the signs with the history or just walk through. 100% would recommend! I love it! Great spot for pics too. @unamelviajera my instagram if you wanna see my travel pictures.

Visited here while vacationing in Puerto Rico. We had to park in old San Juan and it was a long walk in the heat so make sure you wear your walking shoes and breathable clothes otherwise you'll just spend your time trying to stop the sweat. Plenty of cool places to stop while making your way up to the castle. Hope yall enjoy the history!

beautiful lawn and also iguanas! Very aesthetic architecture and the views do not disappoint. The walk towards the castle is amazing. The smooth green grass, kites flying, ocean in the back it’s all so beautiful. Too bad there seems to be some construction going off on part of the lawn but meh wasn’t that big of a deal

This 16th century, Spanish Fort is amazing. It has breathtaking views everywhere you turn, many ramparts, tunnels, and many levels. It’s very well maintained and clean. Give yourself at least two, maybe three hours to explore this beautiful Fort, the surrounding lawns and walkways and pathways. There’s lots to see in the fort and outside the fort. If you walk and approach across the huge front lawn to the main gate, you can go back to town along the sea walk where you will spot large iguanas and semi wild cats. This is a must see if you’re in old San Juan, you can’t miss it.

This place was recommended to me by a local. After waiting in line for 45 minutes, finally got a table. To my surprise, even though we're in United States, evening was in Spanish. Keep in mind this is a tourist spot. No menu, just a chalkboard. Waiter spends 10 minutes explaining what we can get and we order. We waited for our food 20+ minutes. Everyone that was seated after us got their food and left. Food comes, I had the skirt steak with veggies. These turn out to be boiled veggies. That's fine, but they were over boiled by a lot, looking like moosh. And I think they boiled them in the same water they boiled chicken in as they tasted like boiled chicken. See photos. I wasn't asked how to cook the steak, it came well done and barely seasoned. The cut was on (hence I gave 1 star and not 0) but no flavor at all. They have this chimichurri sauce that somewhat saved it and made it edible, but barely. The green "hot" salsa was like water, they probably ran out and put water in the bottle. Oh, and absolutely 0 attention to customers. Not a single time did anyone come by to ask us if we want anything else, of the food is ok. Nothing!!! We had to hunt down a waiter to just get the check. Oh, and the bathrooms are beyond nasty. Save yourself the time in line and find another place. Worst food and service I've seen in the last 5 years. I almost forgot, we got this deep fried thing that looks like an enchilada. It was literally almost black, completely burned. I regret not taking a picture of it...

It opened about 15 minutes after 11am scheduled time. The Pernil was excellent. Order in small portions to taste first. Some items are better and some. The Arroz con gandules and Pernil was great. The sampler was nice too. Enjoy.

If you want authentic Puerto Rican food this is your place. We had the mixed platter as we didn't want to miss out on anything. This was a great choice and it gave us a variety of selections / flavours .. would highly recommend the platter if you're indecisive. Highlight was the rice, pulled pork, plantains .. there was other small fried nibbles that I don't know the names of but they were all nice / tasty. Please be mindful that the restaurant is relatively small therefore on busy days, expect to wait before being seated.

I had a day in Puerto Rico before a cruise and wanted some authentic Puerto Rican food. I definitely went to the right place. I wasn’t too hungry, so I kept it simple with chicken pasteles. Chefs kiss!!! I also had tostones on the side - delicious!

Reviews for this place are polarized. After eating here, I understand why. I can tell from the food that a good chef built the menu at one point. Currently the place is an operational disaster. Customers and staff all look miserable. Food arrived cold, although the flavors were still quite good. There’s a sauce that tastes like pineapple, avocado, and chili, and pairs really well with the pernil. The skirt steak was delicious and very flavorful. Everything takes forever. The line is long because emptied tables go 20 minutes before getting cleared and patrons wait 10 minutes for their check, etc. I would avoid this place until there’s some indication it’s functional again, and I bet when that happens you can have a really good experience here.

Such a beautiful spot. I spent a few hours hiking and honestly could've stayed even longer. Wear good shoes because some of the trails can get pretty slippery, and try to get there early before it gets too crowded.

So many things to do! So beautiful. Highly recommend. Multiple waterfalls that are must see. No entry fee. Parking can be a little tricky so recommend to get there early. Britton hike was a little steep going up but worth it.

Absolutely beautiful!! The waterfalls, rainbows, animals and nature. Such a beautiful place to visit. If you decide to go, wear comfortable clothes and shoes for walking. They also have tours available if you chose not to walk. Either way it is a gorgeous experience!

Amazing! Beautiful rainforest. We'll maintained and accessible. Staff at the visitor center were friendly and the facility was clean, informative, and offered great information. Highly recommend visiting. There are frequent locations to pull off and see various sites. Was easy to navigate for first time visitors but roads are narrow, so use caution when driving.

What an absolutely beautiful place! We really enjoyed the visitors center and then the drive up through the rainforest! This is a must do, especially if you love nature, hiking, waterfalls,and seeing breathtaking views!

El Yunque is a must see. But you better get there early. We did get there early and went directly to el portal to get a lay of the land. We did Juan Diego falls (go all the way!). You will get muddy but that’s half the fun. Took a look at Coco Falls. Pretty and no energy expended. E climbed the Hokalu Tower. Fine views! E would have hiked up to Mount Britton tower but impossible to park. 😠 then finished with a hike/swim to Angelito Falls. Very nice and popular swimming holes. All in all - well worth the visit.

I give them more like a 4 1/2 star rating. We only ordered a few fried fritters to go. What I did like about this location was some of the fritters are cooked at that moment. That does mean waiting for some time to pass. What I didn't l enjoy about this kiosko was, the wait time can feel longer then what it really is.

If you wants some delicious alcapurias, bacalaitos and ice cold beers...and let's not forget the amazing piña colada!! Plus outback you have the beach and a guy with a horse that you give a tip to and you can ride the horse.

This was my first time to PR and first exposure to the food of the island. This kiosk/restaurant was excellent! I had chicken, rice, and fried plantain. It was amazing! I wanted to go back, but our travel plans didn't allow. I highly recommend!

We ordered combo pincho/ kabobs -chicken, pork and shrimp to share. Order took forever to arrive and pricey. All the food was dry, like it had sat out overnight , no flavor to arroz con gandules, tostones were dry , shrimp were not cleaned properly, no one came to table to offer any assistance or service. No ventilation at all- very unpleasant in heat. Don’t waste your time or money here. Go to La Parrilla - kiosks #2, fabulous food and service!!!!

We came across this place while strolling through the long strip of kiosks and I’m glad we stopped here. I ordered some buffalo wings along with a pina colada. Both things were good and the prices were decent too. I will definitely have to try this spot out again while in town visiting.

I didn't know what to expect, but this ended up being one of the coolest things I did in Puerto Rico. Watching the water glow every time my paddle touched it was pretty amazing.

Bioluminescent effect: 2.5 stars New moon night first time ever kayaking experience: 2.5-stars Whoever gave anything above 2.5 stars for the bioluminescent effect at Fajardo is on another planet. Whoever is doing the Laguna Grande more than once for the bioluminescent effect must be smoking or drinking something heavily. If you're looking for mainly for the bioluminescent effect, DON'T waste your money in Fajardo: head to Vieques on a new moon night and take the electric boat (only). You'll see the bioluminescent effect ALL THE WAY, WITHOUT need for tarpaulins over your head. It's a unique experience that cannot be captured in a photo. But, even there, keep your expectations in check; don't look for James Cameron movie type special effects. Don't waste your money on 'glass bottom' boats/kayaks in either place. The bioluminescent effect is visible only when the water is disturbed. In Fajardo, you can't see that even during the strokes of the kayaking oar. There is nothing to see in the water in the night. If you're interested mainly in night time kayaking, then it may be interesting to run into the mangroves in Fajardo and figure out how to get out of it yourself as a stark beginner. If you're doing kayaking without a guide from the tour company handling the kayak, you DO need to be (1) physically fit, (2) be able to quickly reason about the physics of oar movement and learn kayaking on the fly. The kayak companies do give instructions, but that's not sufficient for stark beginners in the night, differentiating your group from the others using colour and shape of small LED lights that are attached to the boats/vest.

Bioluminescent phytoplankton here are amazing, only a handful of places like this in the world. Go when there’s a new moon (no moon) and also low tide is a little better than high tide. Takes some effort to kayak in up the canal but definitely worth it. Many tour services at the Kayak Village, they will guide you up the canal through the mangrove trees, but not too tricky.

READ THIS OR BE DISAPPOINTED - I'd love to give these Bioluminescent Bay tours 5 stars, but this was the second time I've done a tour of a Bio Bay in the hopes of really getting a good look at the Bioluminescence, but no luck. The tour company, Tortuga's Tours, was great - well organized, excellent instructions, great guides. The problem, folks, is that the conditions need to be perfect to really see the bioluminence. It needs to be a new moon & completely dark. If the moon is out, you really won't get to see much. Luckily our tour guides knew this & brought tarps to put over us so we could kind of see the Bioluminescence when we splashed the water. Also, know that if you take the later of the tours offered you will be paddling a kayak in complete darkness through a narrow banyon grove canal with only a small light on the life vest of the person in front of you for light. The guides look after you, but it can be a bit unnerving. I thought it was cool, but a bit scary. Additionally, load up on bug spray! If you don't you'll regret it. All in all, unless conditions are perfect, skip these tours & go snorkeling instead.

Stunning beaches. They have multiple bathrooms and lifeguards on duty There are some small food vendors. But no major restaurants. Parking is under $7 for 24 hours. There are restaurants within walking distance Beautiful, calm beach. With a reef barrier to protect all from rip Current. Definitely safe for small children still, it’s water. Parents need to be alert.

Balneario El Escambrón was perfect. You have the option to go snorkeling, either through a tour company or on your own if you have your own equipment. The water is incredibly calm, since it’s a protected area, which makes it a very safe and family-friendly spot especially for kids. They have bathrooms on-site and plenty of trees that provide great shade, making it comfortable to spend a few hours there. The water is super clear and beautiful. The only downside is that there aren’t many food options available right at the beach. However, you can easily order Uber Eats or take a short 10-minute walk to nearby coffee shops or food trucks. Other than that, it’s an amazing place. I absolutely loved it, highly recommend it, and will definitely be back!

Love the flag planted on the little island across the beach. Beautiful views of the el capitolio de puerto rico building, del morro, castillo san cristobal. All very nice =]

Visited during my stay at the Sheraton (free regular shuttle) and it was so chill! You can rent umbrellas and chairs, a good move if planning to be there all day or for a good amount of time $30. The waves were hittin strong, so be careful and know your swim level, but there is a lifeguard. I didn’t see any food nearby which was a bummer, cause we hadn’t planned right to stay longer. Would definitely go back with snacks and plans to stay longer.