Puerto Rico: To Party like the Locals
When it comes to partying, the same rules apply to Puerto Rico as any country that you’re visiting: There are ‘tourist’ spots, and then there are the local spot. And, of course, you want to get the real flavor of Puerto Rico, not the sugar coated version that the Tourism Company tries to portray.
I feel it is my duty, as a true Puerto Rican to let all of you hip and adventuresome travelers in on the secrets to party hard in Puerto Rico and, even better, not necessarily spend a fortune.
First and most importantly is where you’ll stay. In Puerto Rico there are two main tourist hotel spots: Isla Verde and Condado.
Isla Verde is nearest to the airport (like a three minute cab ride) and has a number of fancy hotels with beach access and an avenue that offers almost everything you may need within walking distances. Sounds good, right? Well not if you want to party with the locals. While you might like the idea that you will have PiÃ?±a Colada service while you listen to the waves, let’s just say that the beach isn’t the best and there’s not much of a scene. Another thing is that Puerto Ricans don’t really hang out in Isla Verde; you would have to take an expensive cab ride to party. The only place where there you can really party in Isla Verde is Brava, a disco in the Wyndham San Juan Hotel. And worst, the hotels are very EXPENSIVE.
Condado also has a number of Fancy hotels with beach access (although not all have direct beach access), but as Isla Verde, if you’re looking to check out some hot Puerto Ricans tanning, this is not where they’re at. Condado does have its advantages, though, here you will find places to party within walking distance and there are a number of good restaurants. If you absolutely MUST stay in a big fancy hotel, I recommend the Marriot, which is right across the street form Moorings, a bar where the locals hang out.
If you really want to blend in and party while you vacation in Puerto Rico, you have two choices: Ocean Park and Old San Juan.
Ocean Park is an area of Condado that has THE beach where the hip locals go to religiously. This long strip of beach transforms every Sunday to the place to see and be seen in San Juan. And while you’re there, you will get the inside scoop on all the hot spots to hang out at night. There are constant beer and water sellers just walking around and you can get a beach chair for $5. And some weekends there’s even a DJ right on the beach, if not, your beach neighbor will probably have a radio and you can listen in to his tunes. Right across from the beach, there’s a great sandwich and natural fruit shakes place called Pinky’s, and if you don’t want to interrupt your tanning, they even deliver right on the beach. After the beach, you can go to Dunbar’s, which is also walking distance for an afternoon beer, a game of pool or to watch a sport’s game.
There are a number of small guesthouses in the Ocean Park area, but there are no fancy hotels. Again, you would have to take a cab to party at night.
Old San Juan, on the other hand, has a very different advantage. It’s the only place in Puerto Rico where you a number of great party spots and restaurants within walking distance. There’s no beach, but there are a number of must-see spots. Old San Juan is the spot where the cruise ships dock and it has a lot of shops, El Morro (Puerto Rico’s fortress), and beautiful cobble stone streets lined with amazing Spanish style buildings from the colonial era (we’re talking 1600’s). During the day, it’s filled with tourists from cruises shopping (mostly jewelry and art) or just wandering around, but at night it lights up with numerous restaurants and bars. The area to be at is SOFO (South Fortaleza Street) and if you’re looking for a great meal, go to Parrot Club. If you want to experience the hippest dinning in Puerto Rico, go to Dragonfly. The food is addictive, the drinks are amazing and it’s the hippest place around. But be ready to wait for a while, I recommend you call ahead for the waiting list, no reservations, just waiting list. Or if you want authentic Puerto Rican food, I recommend CafÃ?© Puerto Rico.
And after the belly’s full, you can walk around Fortaleza Street where you’ll find the hippest lounges like Kudeta and Blend, or go to Nuyorican CafÃ?© and dance some salsa, or go up to San Sebastian Street where you’ll find a number of bars.
If you’re looking to stay at Old San Juan, there are some small guesthouses, and El Covento Hotel which is a colonial style beautiful hotel, but it is on the expensive side.
To finish off, I’ll give you a few important tips to keep in mind while vacationing in Puerto Rico. One, never, ever let a taxi driver charge you more than $20 between any of the places I’ve mentioned. Second, there’s no bargain shopping in Puerto Rico, if you’re looking for cheap deals you have to go to one of the outlet malls out of the metropolitan area (either in Canovanas or Barceloneta), and there you’ll find the same stores as in the mainland, so I recommend that you spend your money on other things. And thirdly and most importantly, please don’t stay sequestered in the metropolitan area, Puerto Rico is very rich in natural resources and the most beautiful beaches and landscapes are not in San Juan, so take a few days and explore the island. I’ll let you in on a few hot spots soonâÂ?¦
