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| El Morro, Old San Juan |
We went to Puerto Rico for an early honeymoon and to be at the wedding of a good friend of mine. The sunny excursion was to last 7 days and six nights. Due to the “polar vortex”, our flight back to DC was cancelled and with no travel insurance we needed to get creative pretty fast. Initially, our flight was booked for the next day. I rushed to Booking.com and found a good rate for Hotel Casablanca and we jumped at it. I barely read the reviews due to the sense of urgency and hoped for the best. I love Viejo San Juan (Old San Juan) and wanted to share it with the Dutchman.
When we arrived at Hotel Casablanca, we were pleasantly surprised. This boutique hotel is literally a little oasis in the middle of Old San Juan. The lobby was inspired by the movie Casablanca also had hints of Puerto Rico within its walls. We discovered the perfect boutique hotel. Our room was small with a very small window but it was tastefully decorated and we had all the amenities we needed. We did not care because there are so many amazing things to see in Old San Juan that it makes no sense to stay in the room. When I needed a little space to negotiate flights when United claimed there was no way out of San Juan for six more days (after multiple calls and meltdowns, we got it down to three), I had plenty of space in the lovely lobby. The receptionist at the hotel went out of her way to see if she could get us an extra night, which she did and honored the same rate of the previous night. During our stay in Old San Juan, we had amazing breakfasts at La Mallorca bakery, took pictures of the amazing architecture, and had $4 rum cocktails at Ostra Cosa.
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| For your Food Coma at Casa de los Pastelillos |
Our last night we were saddened to leave Casablanca but we found another budget gem in Puerto Rico: Andalucía Guest House. This little guest house in the middle of Ocean Park is one of my favorite lodging discoveries in Puerto Rico. At $99, we had a ample, clean room, friendly service, quick access to the beach, and we were allowed to borrow beach chairs, towels, and even a boogie board for free. Most importantly, Andalucía is about 100 meters away from one of my favorite places, Kasalta, a bakery/restaurant so yummy even President Obama ate there during his 5 hour trip to Puerto Rico several years ago. For less than $10 you can have a Media Noche sandwich (roasted pork, ham, Swiss cheese on a soft roll) and a drink.
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| Happy Hour at Old San Juan |
Given Andalucía has free parking, we rented a car. I decided to take my Dutchman on a drive to the south of Puerto Rico, to my hometown of Guayama. We drove through the majestic mountains of the center of the island to the more arid south. I took him to Pozuelo, a fishermen’s village my father used to take me when I was a child. We drove by the mangroves, braked for a huge iguana, and finally made it to Casa de los Pastelillos, a beach restaurant well known by the locals. (Tip: go there on weekdays, weekends are too hectic). We had an amazing meal of rice and crab meat, a pastry filled with lobster, and my childhood favorite, ensalada de pulpo (octopus salad). Afterwards, we walked on the beach where my father and I had some many walks, it was truly special.
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| Los Gatos of Old San Juan |
As we headed back to DC after three unplanned trips to San Juan, we realized our unexpected tragedy turned into three amazing days showing my love all my favorite places in Puerto Rico. We were able to get some compensation from United but now I know always to book my trip with insurance!
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