Eating Every Arepa in Puerto Rico

The land of the Arepas, piña coladas, and kite surfing. Puerto Rico was the best place to celebrate my college graduation and two missed birthdays due to COVID-19. We spent a week on the beach, scuba diving, and exploring the historical town of San Juan.

We kicked off the trip with some beers from El Tap on the beach followed by dinner at La Preña (translates to ‘the pregnant’). The arepas restaurant had good prices, delicious food, and an exciting atmosphere. The following day, we visited the historical town of San

Juan for some exploring and a walking tour. The tour covered historic sights and was booked through Airbnb. The guide explained in detail how the buildings were strictly regulated and paid a visit to Catedral de San Juan Bautista which holds the remains of Juan Ponce de León. After the tour, we visited the restaurant which claims to be the birth place of the piña colada.

We continued the adventure with a scuba dive at Escambron Marine Park. Scuba Dogs guided us through the man made marine park. The park is home to many colorful fish including blue tang and damselfish along with several sea turtles. The visibility was less than great and the average depth of the dive was 19 ft (5.8 m). We were told the current was too strong to visit the nearby caves so if you are in the area for a dive be sure to check the current conditions.

For those who were not diving, there was a beach just a short walk away for snorkeling and getting drinks to pass time. Post dive, our divemaster explained the history surrounding the area including the Caribe Hilton (first Hilton Hotel to open outside of the continental U.S.) which sits next to the Fortín San Gerónimo.

After leaving the park we hopped on some scooters and rode back to our Airbnb. We had brunch and packed a cooler to head to the beach. If you are not interested in swimming, there are plenty of kite surfers to keep you entertained while sunbathing.

At this point in the trip, some of the group returned home while my boyfriend and I continued to explore. We moved to an Airbnb closer to the beach and explored more of San Juan. We toured both forts Castillo San Felipe del Morro and Castillo de San Cristóbal. We purchased a ticket to enter both forts for $10 a person (valid for 24 hours).

We followed the tours with riding scooters, eating arepas, and sending somes post cards to relatives. Before leaving Puerto Rico we visited the highly recommended Los Piñones. It was difficult to find a transportation there and even more difficult to find an Uber back. One of our Uber drivers said there is always traffic and not worth the hassle. We took advantage of being temporarily stranded by ordering drinks and eating like locals while enjoying the beach.

Puerto Rico is a beautiful place to be admired for the views and history which took place there. If we were to go back I would rent a car to explore the rainforest and the Camuy Cave Park.

With COVID-19 constantly changes conditions for travelers be sure to check for up-to-date guidelines in your destination of choice. Be aware of required tests or curfews when planning. In this case, we were required to obtain a negative test regardless of vaccination status within 48 hours of arrival. Most establishments required masks and temperature checks.