Puerto Rico Archives | Page 2 of 2

January 10, 2015June 6, 2019

El Morro, Old San Juan, Puerto Rico

Is it worth tearing yourself away from the beautiful beaches and rum drinks in Puerto Rico to explore an old fort built in 1539 to protect San Juan from invading armies and pirates? We say – heck yes, but check out these pictures and decide for yourself.

copyright Rum therapy — Entrance to El Morro

The entrance to El Morro is majestic with its surrounding grounds of manicured green and a backdrop of blue ocean. The entrance fee is $5.00 and also includes access to the nearby Castillo San Cristobal. The fee includes a map so you can do a self guided tour, and there are plenty of knowledgeable rangers walking around that can answer any questions you might have.

We visited on a holiday, Veteran’s Day, and the grounds were dotted with families picnicking and flying colorful kites – or chiringas, which you can buy at a nearby stand.

Walking through this majestic fort is like taking a walk back through time. The fort itself is comprised of six levels and each with it’s own features and purpose. Be sure to walk into some of the gun turrets, or garitas, and imagine being a sentry hundreds of years ago!

The area around the working lighthouse on the top level offers some of the best views of the ocean and surrounding areas.

Many of the rooms are marked with plaques or signs explaining their purpose, such as this cannonball storage room.

The enormity of the structure, the thickness of the walls and the engineering of it all makes it quite evident why El Morro, and the soldiers that manned it, were able to stave off many attacks against San Juan, including one led by Sir Francis Drake in 1595.

Leaving El Morro, be sure to walk by the San Juan Cemetery to gaze at the elaborate tombstones overlooking the beautiful ocean. This graveyard is the resting place for several famous Puerto Ricans.

After walking up and down stairs and exploring in the warm sun, you might end the day doing what we did – we walked to Barrachina in Old San Juan, purported to be the birthplace of the Piña Colada, and enjoyed one (ok two) of the very refreshing libations.

Check out National Park Website for more information on El Morro and Castillo San Cristobal.

To see more posts on Puerto Rico and other islands, check out our Island Blog Directory

Copyright©Rum Therapy
Pictures and other content may not be re-used without written consent from Rum Therapy, LLC. All information is correct to our knowledge at the time of writing, but be sure to verify current information before your visit.

December 20, 2014June 6, 2019

Al’s Mar Azul, Vieques

Sometimes the best thing about a beach bar is not the beach, or the food, or even the drinks, and even though the beach is beautiful and the drinks are good, there is something even better about Als’ Mar Azul in Vieques. (Update – now called Saint Voodoo’s Mar Azul)

After spending a day exploring the beaches and sights on Vieques, we stopped at Al’s Mar Azul to enjoy a little grub and few drinks before catching the ferry back to Puerto Rico.

We were waterlogged, hungry and thirsty as we walked in to Mar Azul and were cheerfully greeted by the staff.

We made our way to the back of the bar and requested a table on the open aired deck that overlooks the ocean and the ferry dock – and wow, were we glad we did.

We ordered some sliders, a chicken wrap, a rum punch and a Mar Azul Special (a tasty green drink with rum in it) and settled in to watch the sun set from our choice seats on the deck.

We sat there until we saw the ferry arriving from Puerto Rico (white light in the middle of the picture), reluctantly said goodbye and walked back to the ferry dock for our ride back to PR.

Whether vacationing on Vieques or just spending the day there, we’d say it’s definitely worth enjoying a beverage and taking in a sunset at Al’s Mar Azul, Vieques.

Check them out on Facebook: Al’s Mar Azul, Vieques

To see more posts on Vieques and other islands, check out our Island Blog Directory

All information is correct to our knowledge at the time of writing, but be sure to verify current information before your visit.
Pictures and other content may not be re-used without written consent from Rum Therapy, LLC

November 26, 2014June 5, 2019

Flamenco Beach, Culebra

Flamenco Beach, in a protected cove on Culebra’s north shore, is consistently ranked in top beach lists. During a recent stay in Puerto Rico, we decided to take a day trip to Culebra to spend some time on Flamenco and check another top 10 beach off of our list.

We were a little worried that because of all the hype, Flamenco would be packed, but the moment we spotted the path to the beach and the ultra blue water of Flamenco – we didn’t care!

As we got to the end of the path, the sheer beauty of Flamenco took our breath away. To the right was a very long, very wide arc of creamy, white sand. To the left the beach was not as wide, but it was fringed with lovely palm trees.

Walking one end of the beach to the other may take a while, but is well worth it. On the right side – the beach is very wide with very little shade.

There were a few umbrellas and beach chairs to rent. Continuing to the right, at the very end of the beach you’ll find some very good snorkeling.

On the left side, the beach narrows and is fringed by some beautiful palm trees. There are some great sandy areas with shade on this side.

Walk all the way to the end of the beach on the left and you’ll come across an old rusted tank – a reminder of a time when Culebra was used for military exercises by the US Navy.

After all that walking, you can quench your thirst with the local Puerto Rican beer, Medalla, and a yummy Pincho at one of the kiosks behind the beach.

With its calm, blue water, long expanse of soft sand and plenty of room to relax – it’s easy to see why Flamenco Beach is one of the top rated beaches in the world. It’s one of the top on my list now too!

Find Flamenco Beach on our Puerto Rico Map

To see more posts on Culebra and other islands, check out our Island Blog Directory

Copyright©Rum Therapy
Pictures and other content may not be re-used without written consent from Rum Therapy, LLC

November 20, 2014June 6, 2019

Culinary Walking Tour of Old San Juan

San Juan, Puerto Rico is known not only for its rich history and historical buildings and forts, but also for a delectable array of food offerings and restaurants.

During our recent visit to Puerto Rico, we jumped at the chance to take a culinary walking tour of Old San Juan with Flavors of San Juan Food & Culture Tours. This tour was to be a 3 hour walking tour through Old San Juan which included tastings at different interesting restaurants as well as the chance to learn more about the architecture and history of Puerto Rico’s oldest city.

We were asked to meet our guide at the corner of San Justo and Rcinto Sur Streets and were told that we would know the right location when we spotted the sculpture of a cat/giraffe in front of Banco Popular.

It was there we met our tour guide Luli and where our group of ten embarked on a journey full of sensuous treats for our pallets and eyes.

Luli explained that “Barriguita llena, corazón contento” or “Full belly, happy heart” was a popular Puerto Rican saying and that she hoped we would experience this on our journey today. We began walking towards the first stop of the tour – Aromas Coffeehouse.

At Aromas we were treated to a warm and creamy cup of Puerto Rican coffee and Mallorca with guava jelly – a delicious local sweet bread.

Onward we slowly wound our way through the magnificent buildings and blue cobblestone of Old San Juan with our knowledgeable guide highlighting many points of interest.

Next stop – Café El Punto, featuring fresh, authentic Puerto Rican cuisine with bright and lively, locally made masks and atrwork adorning the walls.

Here we savored the tastiest ceviche, and an alcapurria – a light and flaky pastry filled with ground beef but can also be filled with vegetables, shrimp or jueyes (a local crab). We washed it down with a frosty piña colada.

Next stop – a beautiful little restaurant close to Cathedral of San Juan Bautista called Rosa de Triana.

Here we got to mash our own plantains and experience Puerto Rico’s signature dish – Mofongo.

We then filled our “plantain bowl” with a delicious mixture of chicken and spices and devoured our scrumptious Mofongo with a glass of sangria.

Full, but totally ready to sample the fare at our last stop, we leisurely made our way through Plaza de Armas,

and into Casa Cortés for….chocolate….

The Casa Cortés slogan is “Where two great passions meet: Art and Chocolate”. The ChocoBar is downstairs, and upstairs in the recently refurbished building, there are two floors of beautiful paintings and artwork from Caribbean and Latin American artists.

Several chocolate squares with cheese to dip in a warm cup of creamy hot chocolate and a churro later, we definitely had a full belly and a happy heart.

We said goodbye to some new friends we made on the tour and our lovely tour guide, Luli, and headed back out on the streets of Old San Juan – full of excellent food and history of this vibrant city.

The Old San Juan Food Tour is offered several times a day (except on Monday) and at the time of this writing, the cost for the tour is $69.99 per adult. There is some moderate walking involved. Included in the price: All food/drink tastings plus historical, cultural & architectural information and a savings guide for discounts at local businesses.