My agency shuts down for the week between Christmas and New Years, so we thought “why not get away?” Matthew did a bunch of research and made a bunch of decisions, because he is wonderful like that, and bada-bing bada-boom, we were in San Juan for six days!
We stayed in Ocean Park, which is a pretty hip neighborhood – still a little gritty, but clearly money is coming in. We stayed in a cute little AirBNB, which was actually a renovated garage, but had everything we needed: A place to rest our heads, keep our stuff, and get clean. A little kitchen for making breakfast and a little patio on which to eat it. An easy walk to the beach. The proprietor is Sylvia, a photographer and interior designer who owns the Dreamcatcher Guest House nearby. It’s a very cool place. I think our little space is her latest project, and during our time there she made almost daily improvements (e.g.: an outdoor shower, an easier lock on the door). Here are some pictures:
We spent a few days on the beach: reading, watching dogs play (and missing Tony), drinking fruit juices, watching kite surfers. It was beautiful!
We also did a fair amount of exploring. We checked out our neighborhood, went down to the resorts, and up to Candado. We also took two big day trips. First, we walked all the way from our house to Punta Del Morro – a five mile walk if you don’t take detours (which we did). On the way, we explored the forts the line the north coast of Old San Juan, Castillo de San Cristobal and Castillo de San Filippe del Morro. Here are pictures from our walk:
Our last day, we took advantage of some of the offerings at Dreamcatcher: a three course vegetarian breakfast (who knew you could but chia seeds in lemonade?), then a tour of three caves with Victor – it was definitely my favorite part of the trip! Just us, Victor, and one other guest. We visited Cueva del Indio, nestled into cliffs overlooking the ocean. There are Tanio carvings inside, and breathtaking views. Then we drove inland to Cueva Ventana, which is more touristy, with guides in costume and probably-unnecesary hard-hats. Still, it was impressive: you climb down into the cave, walk through the dark, then suddenly find yourself on a ledge, high above the valley. Finally, Victor took us to Cueva Arco. We drove well off the beaten path, hiked down through the jungle, ditched our shoes to climb down a little waterfall, and found ourselves at a magical, secluded, absolutely gorgeous spot. It was spectacular.
We wish we had more time. We didn’t get to see the rainforest or the Bio Bay. We would have loved to go out to Vieques. But it’s okay – we’ll just have to go back!
Graffiti in our neighborhood.
(For all of the pictures, visit my Flickr page.)
Molly & Matthew 