For the third year running I made the decision that New Years celebrations would be much more enjoyable abroad. I never had much luck with New Years in the UK, sometimes the house parties were fun, the clubbing was always overpriced and it was rarely a memorable evening. On the other hand my previous two celebrations were in Tel Aviv, Israel and Tulum, Mexico and were both superb. When something works, don’t try and fix it. I already knew by this point that I wanted to explore the Caribbean in January and February so decided on San Juan, Puerto Rico for the final celebrations of 2019.
Basic Travel Information
- Location: Greater Antilles
- Country: Unincorporated U.S. territory
- Languages: Spanish, English
- Currency: US Dollar
- Route there: Cheap flight from mainland US, ferry from Dominican Republic
- Recommended: Absolutely, its a fantastic and stunning island with wonderful fiestas, beaches and nightlife
My Story
I landed in San Juan on the 30th December and loved the place immediately. The hostel I was staying in was fantastic and really sociable and the city itself had tons to see, do and plenty of beaches to relax on in between. I spent New Years Eve exploring the main part of the city before returning to the hostel to start the evening’s drinking. It was a fantastic night, tons of amazing people, drinking and dancing in La Placita (the main party area) and getting way too drunk in La Factoria (the best-known club). Another successful New Years even if the resulting hangover was spectacular!
I then had about a week to explore the city and island properly before I got onboard my cruise ship for the next part of the trip. I did my own waling tour around all of Old San Juan, lots of the rest of the city then made excellent progress on this website from the wonderful cafes. I enjoyed the superb food and did a fantastic day trip to El Yunque rainforest and Balneario La Monseratte Beach, both of which I highly recommend.
Sadly, I didn’t make it out to the West coast or to the islands, Culebra & Vieques. I’m sure this wasn’t my last visit to the amazing territory though so I’m certain I will visit these places in the future.
I also spent a few days in San Juan following my cruise but didn’t do a huge amount. 11 days of heavy drinking immediately following Christmas and New Years meant that I was completely drained and in desperate need of a quiet, non-alcoholic period. Unfortunately, this meant that I couldn’t fully enjoy the San Sebastian Street Festival that was taking place at the time. I went around it with some friends and had a great time with the live music and fantastic atmosphere but trust me, alcohol is required to keep up with the vibe after about 10pm!
Puerto Rico is an amazing place that I’m certain that I will return to in the future. If you are planning to visit my main advice is to hire a car as the public transport is not great and you will otherwise be very reliant on Uber in San Juan and will struggle to get to other areas around the island. Other than that, just make sure to eat in any restaurant or diner crowded with locals and definitely try the Mofongo, it’s incredible!
Brief History
I was completely unaware of any of the history of the Caribbean Islands when I visited. While travelling around and writing these articles I became curious and decided to include a brief history of each. I hope you find it interesting.
Puerto Rico is an unincorporated territory of the United States in the Caribbean. San Juan is the capital and biggest city on the north coast of the island. The population are predominately Spanish speakers although English is widely spoken in San Juan. The territory also consists of the small islands of Mona, Culebra and Vieques.
Puerto Rico was originally inhabited by the Taíno people but was colonised by the Spanish in 1493. Unlike many of the islands in the Caribbean it didn’t change hands in the fighting between the European powers and remained a Spanish territory until the Spanish-American war in 1898 where it was ceded to the US. This means that Puerto Rico remains the oldest colony in the world. Puerto Ricans were granted US citizenship but the island has not been granted statehood despite significant debate in favour of this.
The islands have been badly affected by natural disasters in recent years. Both hurricanes Irma and Maria hit the island in just a two-week period in 2017 causing immense damage which the region is still recovering from. In January 2020 the territory was also struck by multiple large earthquakes, further damaging the fragile infrastructure, particularly on the south coast.
Places Nearby & Trip Planning
Puerto Rico is a large island that would take many weeks to explore properly. If you are looking to explore other parts of the Caribbean from here San Juan has many flights to nearby islands, a ferry to the Dominican Republic and is a major cruise ship hub. There are also cheap flights available to nearby islands:
- British Virgin Islands
- Sint Maarten / St Martin
- Dominican Republic
Also see my main article: Travelling in the Caribbean
When to Visit
Sadly Puerto Rico is often hit hard by the hurricanes that roar through the Caribbean between July and November
High season is December – March and Puerto Rico is much busier in this period and generally more expensive. If you are visiting in high season, try to be in San Juan for the Festival of San Sebastian in January.
The island is extremely hot all year, bring sunscreen but also make sure you have your raincoat on you at all times as you can never predict when a heavy rain shower will sweep over you.
Further Information
These websites were my favourite sources of general information for this location:
Last Updated: May 2020
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