36 hours in San Juan, Puerto Rico, offers sumptuous food, intriguing history and warm ocean breezes.
by Cathy Martin
While many think of Puerto Rico as a tropical beach getaway, the capital of San Juan makes the case for a culture-filled urban escape.
With multiple daily nonstop flights from Charlotte — without the dreaded hassle of customs — traveling from the Queen City to Puerto Rico really is a breeze. There’s essentially no language barrier, no currency exchange, and cell service is reliable and considered domestic by most carriers.
A recent jaunt to historic San Juan was filled with mouth-watering food, a fascinating past and a little beach time.
Historical highlights
Settled by Spain in 1521, Puerto Rico became a U.S. territory in 1898 under the Treaty of Paris that ended the Spanish-American War. Explorer Ponce de León was appointed the first governor of Puerto Rico — his grave lies in the heart of Old San Juan, at the Cathedral de San Juan Bautista, the oldest church on U.S. soil.
Outside Castillo San Felipe El Morro, a 16th-century fort built by Spanish colonists, kids and families fly kites and picnic on the grassy lawn overlooking the sea. Better known simply as El Morro, the fortress was built to protect early colonists from attacks by sea. It’s one of two historic forts in Old San Juan (Castillo San Cristóbal is the other) where visitors can learn about the island’s colonial past.
More recently, artists and others have begun highlighting the island’s Taino culture. The indigenous people were Puerto Rico’s first inhabitants. At Quincentennial Plaza in Old San Juan, Totem Telurico, a 40-foot granite-and-clay sculpture by Puerto Rican artist Jaime Suarez, was created in 1992 as a tribute to the island’s Taino heritage.
San Juan Marriott Resort and Stellaris Casino; photographs by Jeff Heron courtesy San Juan Marriott
Simple, traditional fare
Beyond the history, I’m also here for the food — and a half-day walking tour of Old San Juan with Spoon, a local guide service, blends a little bit of both.
Our first stop is Don Ruiz café, a fourth-generation family coffee roaster, for cappuccinos and ham-and-cheese sandwiches on sweet Mallorca bread. Here, I learn that the island once produced one-sixth of the world’s coffee supply, before Brazil’s coffee boom in the mid-1800s. Don Ruiz has three locations in San Juan — this one is tucked inside a former barracks near El Morro that also houses Museo de las Americas, a museum showcasing art, architecture and folklore across the Americas.
We pass La Factoria, lauded as one of North America’s top cocktail bars by The World’s 50 Best, on our way to lunch at Deaverdura, a no-frills corner café where the menu is based on old family recipes. Lunch at this simple eatery — tender roasted pork shoulder with rice, beans and plantains paired with a soursop rum cocktail — makes you feel like a guest in someone’s home kitchen.
You can guess what’s on the menu at Birra & Empanadas, a diminutive restaurant with a dive-bar feel: plates of savory pastries filled with beef and spices, plus beer and handcrafted rum cocktails.
Our tour concludes at Chocobar Cortes, a cafe serving an all-day brunch and chocolate-themed cocktails like the Don Ignacio — rum, cognac, spiced syrup and bitters with a dark chocolate rim. The Cortes family has been making bean-to-bar chocolate since 1929.
Exploring Condado
A short drive from Old San Juan (or bike ride via a dedicated bike lane and footpath) is Condado, a modern residential area with high-rise hotels and apartments, shops and restaurants, and sandy beaches. Smoothie and souvenir shops line Ashford Avenue, Condado’s main thoroughfare, along with green plazas and public art, from statues to vibrant murals.
In the heart of Condado is the San Juan Marriott Resort and Stellaris Casino, my base for the weekend. The resort celebrated its 30th anniversary this year by unveiling a four-year, $80 million renovation. All 527 guest rooms and suites were updated, and dark mahogany interiors were replaced with lighter wood tones and pops of taupe and turquoise blue. An expanded lobby houses a cocktail bar, sushi counter, and market for coffee, breakfast pastries and other grab-and-go snacks. There are new tennis and pickleball courts, and the oceanfront saltwater pool was enhanced with sleek cabanas, a double-helix slide (popular with both kids and adults), and a swim-up bar.
There’s an expansive beachfront, spacious fitness center, small but efficient spa, and an indoor-outdoor restaurant, Cosecha, that’s open from morning till night with a waterfront bar and terrace. But the best amenity is one that requires no renovation — waking up with a soothing view of the turquoise Atlantic from your oceanfront terrace.
Old San Juan; Getty Images
Winding down
I capped my full day in San Juan with dinner at Cocina Abierta, a warm and intimate restaurant just steps from the hotel. The modern-but-cozy restaurant serves regional cuisine with a gourmet twist. Delicately prepared dishes are served a la carte or as a five-course tasting menu ($85) that’s worth every penny. The menu changes seasonally, but expect dishes like a tropical Rainbow Runner crudo with mango and watermelon radish or plantain “carpaccio” with yellowfin tuna, shiitake marmalade and avocado. Meals are divided into five acts — choose one dish from each section for a customized experience that’s tailored to your palate.
GETTING THERE: San Juan is a four-hour nonstop flight from Charlotte. SP
Featured image: Old San Juan by Getty Images
