7 Hours in San Juan
A friend of mine was going to visit me during summer break all the way from New York. We only had a day to spend together and I thought what better place to go then Old San Juan. This town in our capitol was built by the Spaniard Colonists when some came to settle in the island after Christopher Columbus discovered it in November 19, 1492. With its rich history, monuments, restaurants and shops; this little town has thrived as a tourist stop. Anyone who visits Puerto Rico should definitely check it out!
Since we had such little time to explore Old San Juan I decided to condense our Hit list. Our Itinerary consisted of:
Saint Cristobal’s Castle
Caficultura
Poets Passage
Bay Cruise
Bacardi Rum Factory
We arrived at the Saint Cristobal’s Castle at eleven o’clock and it was pouring rain. The rain did not help much with our time window but fortunately we managed to stick to our seven our window while enjoying every place we intended to experience. This Castle and the Saint Felipe Castle were built for military purposes so that the Spaniards could have a full view of the oceanfront in case enemy countries would try to invade, which happened a few times until the last battle was lost to the United States in December 10, 1898. After that Puerto Ricans became American citizens (March 2, 1917) and part of the US as a colony, and we still are. Now, I know some of you might be thinking, why are they not visiting the other castle she just mentioned? Well, my friend and I are both from the island and we have both been to the Castles before. Saint Felipe’s Castle is a must see for everyone and I mean it! This Castle is the biggest one out of the two and has much more areas than the one we visited and that is why we chose Saint Cristobal’s Castle, because it is smaller and much faster to explore. The areas include a plaza, dormitories, rooms, lookout points, underground tunnels, underground dungeons and cells, original weapon displays and a chart that explains historical facts. Since it was raining we couldn’t spend much time on the roof but I can say that even with the rain the view was still stunning. From the roof you can see miles of ocean, the entire Old San Juan town, Saint Felipe’s Castle and the harbor. Admission is $5 and this includes entry access to both of the castles and a complimentary map of OSJ (Old San Juan) which comes in handy when going through the maze like streets. If you prefer a tour instead of exploring on your own booking in advanced is required, the price remains the same though.
Hunger struck just as we finished with the castle and so we headed to a wonderful restaurant called Caficultura. It is known for serving a heartwarming cup of Puerto Rican coffee and all day breakfast but it also has lunch options. Our meal was made by order and did not take much time. I had a typical Spaniard breakfast with a cup of “Café Cortado”. If you finished your coffee too soon, no worries, there is complimentary water! I give Caficultura 5 stars.
We walked through the streets on our way to Poets Passage and stopped now and then to look in the many shops. These shops have everything from souvenirs, to artisan crafts like dresses, paints, jewelry, hats, bags, beer and much more. Poets Passage is a place where poets find their voice every Thursday at 7 p.m. and act their poetry accompanied by a pianists to a word hungry crowd. What can I do if it’s not Thursday night? Easy, there is a book shop filled with Spanish and English classics and many poem books of the owner of the Passage and of other authors. There is also a Café with a dinner feel and a corner filled with paintings, poem prints and artisan crafts made by the owner and other collaborators.
It was already time to enjoy a Bay Cruise so we followed our map and walked to the Harbor. I had never been on a Bay Cruise so I was very excited. The tickets are highly affordable at the price of 50 cents (one way) and $1.00 (with return ticket). The boat leaves every fifteen minutes and the ride to Cataño was only 8 minutes long. You could hardly feel the boat was in motion during the ride. When we got to the other side our goal was to find a taxi that could take us to the Bacardi Rum Factory. A man approached us asking if we needed a taxi and then escorted us to a parking lot where many taxis were waiting for customers. The taxi costs $3.00 per person which is super cheap and the ride took about six minutes so walking really isn’t an option, take a taxi if you go. Another option is the public bus which only charges 50 cents but we didn’t try it that day.
The Bacardi Rum Factory was originally known for its white rum. The founder of the factory Don Facundo Bacardi Masso discovered it while experimenting with new ingredients after he immigrated to Cuba from Spain. After the factory became a hotspot for many tourists the family decided to expand first to México and then to Puerto Rico! At the ticket booth my friend and I decided to take the Mixology tour. We were given bright blue bracelets for ID and treated with a ticket for a free drink at the Bacardi Bar. They offer 3 tours: Historical (15$), Rum Tasting (45$) and Mixology (45$). We chose the Mixology tour because it includes: Commemorative Bacardi Cup, Certificate of completion, Distillery tour, access to the Cathedral of Rum and a Cocktail Class! It can’t get any better. The tour was guided by an expert who explained every historical fact and answered all of the group’s questions. The whole tour lasted about two hours. We were treated to a short movie featuring the history of the factory. Then we went into the factory and saw how the distillation and aging process occurs. Finally we learned how to make 3 Bacardi famous cocktails and at the end we were given a Completion Certificate of the class. The Mixology class was my absolute favorite. It was a very fun experience and a tasty one too. Definitely recommend it! Our 7 hours were up after the tour had finished and fortunately we hit every place on our list. I hope our adventure helps as a guide for when you visit the nostalgically energetic Old San Juan, Happy Travels!
Remember! See more photographs from this trip on my Instagram.