San Juan in 36 hours Itinerary

Last summer, we went on a Royal Caribbean cruise out of San Juan, Puerto Rico, so we decided to make a day out of it before getting on the big boat! Here's the details of our itinerary!

Airport: We flew into SJU (Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport)

- A note about this airport: This is not the most glamorous airport I have been to. If you have a long layover or wait here before you fly back, consider joining Priority Pass so you can have access to their lounge (it's AHHHMAZING with dark nap room)

Hotel: We stayed at the Intercontinental Hotel in Isla Verde because it was close to the airport and had restaurants/shops near by and was about 15-ish minutes from Old San Juan . This hotel has a great pool, a gym, direct access to the beach, and a fantastic outdoor bar area. We spent hours on this porch out back listening to live music and enjoying cocktails. The rooms were clean, the concierge service was very helpful, and the staff was super friendly. On site, the hotel has 2 restaurants and a deli (a bit pricey, but most hotels are) so we had a few meals at the hotel.

Cruise Port:

If you are cruising out of the San Juan Port, it's worth it to get there a little earlier than you would at other cruise ports. The outside can be a little bit chaotic because their check in process is a little different than at US cruise ports. The workers take your luggage on the outside and not all of them speak English, so it's a good idea to get there a little early.

Itinerary:

Friday night - We arrived at the hotel checked out everything around the hotel and hit the town for dinner! We ate at Platos, an authentic Puerto Rican restaurant and we were not disappointed! We tried mufongo for the first time and other Puerto Rican dishes.

Afterwards, we went back to the hotel to enjoy the beach and outdoor bar with live music. Underneath the upstairs deck is an open-air area with ping pong tables and other games. This is a great option for families who don't want to just sit in the room. The pool is also open at night if you want to sit in the hot tub or enjoy a night swim!

Saturday

- We woke up early and went downstairs for breakfast. Old San Juan is about 15 minutes away via taxi, so the concierge service helped us call a cab. It's worth mentioning that most of the taxi/Uber drivers that we met do not speak English, so make sure you have Google Translate handy. In Old San Juan, there is a free trolley system that you can take around the town, but we chose to walk around. I am from Florida and used to the heat, but even I was really hot walking around, so be sure to bring a water bottle with you.

- First up was the Castillo San Felipe del Morro Fort. This fort is HUGE! We walked around it for a solid half hour. There were additional paid tours that you could do as well.

- Next, we walked through the streets of Old San Juan. These streets are full of culture. There are many old government buildings, churches, schools and stores through out the streets. We wondered around and took in all of the beauty of the city.

- For lunch, we ate at the Barrachina Restaurant. This restaurant boasts itself to be the birthplace of the original Pina Colada, and it is all that it's cracked up to be. Their Pina Coladas are strong & delicious and the perfect treat after walking around the town. It has both indoor and outdoor seating and live music. The food was fantastic and well-priced.

- Last stop was my favorite part of the trip, the Cortes Chocolate Bar. This place was AMAZING. It smelled like a chocolate factory, had wonderful service, and terrific food. We ordered the chocolate ice cream and chocolate martini and were in hog heaven.

Saturday Night -

Because we loved the hotel so much, we went back and had dinner at their restaurant and sat on the patio and had drinks. There was live music and it was the perfect night.

San Juan treated us well and I'd highly recommend for a honeymoon, babymoon, romantic getaway or couples' trip!

Links:

Intercontinental Hotel - https://www.intercontinental.com/hotels/us/en/san-juan

Platos - https://www.facebook.com/platosrestaurantandbar/

Barrachina Restaurant - http://www.barrachina.com/

Cortes Chocolate Bar - https://www.chocobarcortes.com/