San Juan is probably one of my favorite travel destinations. Me and husband go almost every year and every time we go, I fall more in love with it.

This year was a little different with COVID-19 restrictions. Despite the health screenings at the airport and early curfew, we still had a blast and would love to go back later this year. As promised, here’s my guide on how to navigate San Juan before, during, and after your stay in paradise.

BEFORE YOU GO

Puerto Rico has strict procedures on arriving on their island and unlike the contingent United States, they actually enforce it.

COVID TESTING:

Before you arrive in Puerto Rico, you have to fill out a health screening via this website. That allows you to answer questions and upload your testing results. You have to present a negative COVID test before arriving. If you choose to wait until you arrive, you have to quarantine in your hotel/Airbnb until the results are available. We’ve been told that could take up to 5 days so we opted to go to Walgreens. Had the results back in 24 hours.

MONEY/CURRENCY

PR is part of the United States. No currency other than USD is needed. For virus concerns/reasons, most places are only taking credit cards. I carried less than $100 in small currency for random food trucks and small vendors.

TAXIS/RIDESHARE:

Uber is the only available ride share in San Juan and even then, the number of cars on the road are slim. Opt to stay at a hotel were you don’t mind walking or carry cash for taxis (some taxis will accept cards but it’s very slim). The also have motorized scooters around the Condado area that is available for rent via Bird.

CURFEW

This may have changed recently so check the current guidelines. San Juan had a 10pm - 5am curfew. STRICTLY ENFORCED. We didn’t think it was until we noticed swarms of police cars headed to Old San Juan around 9ish and realized when they say 10pm, they mean 10pm. Most restaurants will close by 8pm, bars have to quit serving at 9pm, and you need to be wherever your bags reside by 10pm.

We made the mistake of waiting until 9:30ish to hail a taxi/Uber back to our hotel from Old San Juan and the line …. was … ridiculous. Needless to say, I got in my 10k steps on the 2 mile trek back to the hotel.

Okay now for the good parts

WHERE TO STAY

I don’t think anywhere in San Juan is a bad place to stay. I have stayed in the Condado, Old San Juan, Carolina, and Isla Verde neighborhoods and would recommend anyone of them. We stayed at Caribe Hilton this time around and loved the location. It was a short (like literally a bridge) away from Condado neighborhood and as you read earlier, a 2 mile walk to Old San Juan (their version of downtown). The Pina Coladas were amazing, food even better, and I loved the multiple lounging areas this resort provided. A few other places I’ve stayed that you can check out are:

The Vanderbilt

San Juan Marriott Hotel & Resort

If you choose to stay downtown, opt for an Airbnb or boutique hotel as the Sheraton is outdated and overpriced (in my opinion)

WHERE TO EAT

San Juan isn’t slacking AT ALL on the quality of great food/resturants. A list of a few worth mentioning

NOTE: Due to Covid, most of these places require a reservation

La Barrachina - get the fried fish & Pina Colada

Jose Enrique - GET ANYTHING! Just make sure you go

Vin’US - great date night spot in the Mall of San Juan (perfect for a glass of vino after a day of shopping)

Puerto Rico Bagel Company - when they say the best bagels in San Juan, THEY MEAN IT!

Waffle-Era - I visited this place in 2019 and it’s officially a tradition every single time I come to San Juan. Where else can you get half waffles?

Aroma Wine & Coffee Bar: Sheraton Old San Juan may not be the best place to stay but their wine/coffee spot is the perfect place to chill and get an after dinner drink before calling it a night. The vibes were EVERYTHING!

Caribe Hilton has Morton’s and Mojito’s that are also great dining restaurants.

WHAT TO DO

I have to admit, this trip wasn’t an excursions trip. We made plans to do a boat or island hoping tour but had absolutely no energy to do anything but sit on the beach for most of the day. On those occasions we chose to explore the city, here’s a few things we did.

Cigar Lounges

I just want to put this on record that I am not a fan of cigars. I, however, married a man that’s obsessed with them and collecting them so any vacation has to encompass cigar spots:

Cigar House: Great selection of cigars and lounging. The bar was average with the ventilation below average

Casa de MonteCristo: I actually loved this spot. The different pockets of lounging made it easy to social distance. The Pina Coladas were too good to come from a cigar spot, and the ventilation … I left without smelling like a cigarette so I consider that a win for me.

Visit Old Forts: I’m not a big history buff. To be honest, I can’t recall the years of WWI and WWII - even if I could phone a friend. What makes me so intrigued with these forts is the sheer ability to construct them without modern machinery. It’s truly breathtaking. Old San Juan has several available for daily tours.

Shopping: yeah yeah yeah, I know what you’re thinking. You went all the way to San Juan to shop at the same stores here? Yes, yes I did! I prefer the Mall of San Juan over Plaza Las Americas.

Hookah & Chill

Pani Agua: We found a cigar spot for hubby, you know I had to find a hookah spot for me. Great drinks, Awesome food, and the hookah … the best I’ve EVER had in a hookah spot.

Stroll Old San Juan: Sometimes it’s best not to have an agenda, We just spent hours strolling the streets. Shopping boutiques, grabbing drinks and tapas from street vendors - sometimes mindless wandering is the best