Post Rona retreat to Puerto Rico
As my reward to myself for finishing my PhD — and finally feeling safe to travel after becoming vaccinated — I spent a glorious week on the Island of Enchantment soaking up the sun, salty sea air, and vibrant Puerto Rican culture.
quiet mornings on Maria’s beach, the surfing capital of Puerto Rico
This was my second time visiting the island, but this time I ventured there as part of an all women’s wellness retreat, something I’d never done before. Typically I prefer the freedom that accompanies solo traveling, but after a year of Covid lockdown, being with a group of adventurous female travelers along with a knowledgeable guide who could show us some off-the-beaten-path locales sounded pretty great (not to mention the life-orienting life coaching sessions to set me in the right direction after literally completing my PhD the week before.) To my delight, the trip turned out to be everything I was hoping for — and more.
If you are an American citizen, you don’t need a passport to travel to Puerto Rico as it is a US territory, and getting there via any major east coast city could not be easier - even with covid restrictions. I took my PCR test 48 hours before traveling and printed a copy of my vaccination card, packed a small carryon bag with the essentials and was ready to roll. Being from Ithaca, I flew from Syracuse to Washington Dulles without any hitches, even during Covid.
Rincón: where the Caribbean Sea meets the Atlantic Ocean
Our home base was a beach house in Rincón, a cool and very low key surfing village located 2.5 hours drive from the San Juan airport on the west side of the island. The house was located on a stretch of beach adjacent to Maria’s beach, known as the surfing capital of Puerto Rico, and the historic The Punta Higüera Lighthouse was about a mile down the road.
Maria’s beach in the surfer’s paradise of Rincón
Very nearby, up the street on the edge of a cliff is the Beach House bar and restaurant, where we went for the obligatory sunset-view and cocktails before Covid-curfew closed everything down for the night. We didn’t mind though, coming home to the sound of the surf, the moonlight illuminating the sea and the warm salty air was enough entertainment — plus one member of the group brought her tarot cards which was an extra bonus!
Colorful cocktails with a view of the sea at the Beach House Bar
We were pleased to discover the Rincón Art Walk taking place downtown even though we were there during some pretty strict Covid-era curfew regulations. While bars and restaurants were required to close early, we still managed to find a few places with outdoor tables where we could enjoy a mojito and watch the tourist and locals passing by the outdoor market stalls set up as part of the art walk. Since the curfew inhibited our ability for further revelry, we stocked up on libations at the Tinto Wine Shop and headed back to the house.
Getting the lay of the land at Tinto’s Wine Shop
As luck would have it, the trip coincided with my birthday! I could not have imagined a better way to spend it than a visit to Gozalandia Waterfall, a magical forest preserve with a hike up to a waterfall and many places to get in and swim. Admittedly, it was more crowded than we expected for a Tuesday, but chalk it up to Covid, and more time spent outside languishing in mother nature’s splendors.
Gozalandia Waterfall
Our fearless guide Heather Beebe testing the waters.
The following day, we ventured to La Parguera, home to the famous bioluminescent bay, as well as many key spots for snorkeling. We rented a pontoon boat for the day and headed out toward some little island with white sand and turquoise water to splash around and explore, but once the site started to fill up with tour boats and other day trippers and became a bit crowded, we motored over to the edge of a reef where we spend some idyllic hours snorkeling and lounging around on the boat, chatting with the crew and trying to get them to tell us where their favorite secret local spots might be found.
A perfect day at La Parguera.
The following day, we took a drive down the coast to south eastern corner of Puerto Rico, to the shimmering pink salt flats at Cabo Rojo followed by a hike to the Los Morrillos Lighthouse where we splashed and frolicked at a little pocket beach along the rocky shoreline before walking down to La Playuela Beach (Playa Sucia) where we spent a lazy afternoon swimming and picnicking and sunbathing. During weekdays, this beach sees very little traffic, but can become rather crowded on the weekend with locals and tourists in seek of coveted R&R. Get there early to score a little spot back in the trees to set up camp and for shade from the searing Caribbean sun.
Cooling down in a cove at Cabo Rojo
As part of the retreat, our final excursion was to Survival Beach — a remote beach located along the coastline in Maleza Baja, Aguadilla — only accessible via a rigorous hiking trail which climbs along a rocky coastline with some incredibly dramatic rock formation. On the way there, we stopped for gas and the unusual roadside attraction of a crashed airplane — for a few bucks paid to attendants in the building out front you can go inside and have a very eery experience looking around the hollowed out interior.
Moi inside the airplane.
Replenished with fuel (and gruesome thoughts about what it must have been like to be part of a horrible plane crash), we continued on and arrived at the parking lot of the Maleza Baja coastline, setting out on the pretty hike along the edge of the coast, through a lush forest, spotting the occasional iguana who had climbed out onto a branch to sunbathe. At the end of the trail, we discovered a picture perfect pristine beach with some seriously strong currents - but delighted to find little pools of water along the shoreline to splash around safely in and find relief from the midday heat. It was the perfect spot to lie around and sweat out our hangovers from the pool party we had the night before.
The hiking trail to Survival Beach
The stunning rock formations you’ll encounter on the trail to Survival Beach
Ahh! there it is: a glimpse of the beach at the end of a sweaty hike
It is also worth mentioning — being that we were in one of of the surfing capitals of the world, I decided to try surfing for the first time. One of the retreat-goers was an avid surfer based in Los Angeles and offered to give me a lesson. We rented long boards from a surf shop down the street and carried them down the beach to a less rocky spot where we could enter the water without damaging the boards (admittedly, for my out of shape pandemic muscles, carrying the board on top of my head down to the next beach was the most challenging part of the whole experience.)
If you can’t surf, you can always strike a pose in front of some surfboards. Kathleen looking fab outside the surf shop at the Beach House Bar.
After huffing and puffing my way down the beach, we found a nice sandy spot to enter the water. We paddled out to where the waves were breaking — no easy feat itself as the surf was especially rough that day — and Michelle demonstrated how to lie down in a sort of plank pose on the board, and to hop up using your core balance and leg strength when the time was right. I tried once and fell into the water. The second time I stayed on the board but did not get up into a position. After paddling for over an hour that was about all I could handle, and felt pleased with myself to have made that little bit of progress. I sat on my board watching the seasoned surfers from my little catbird seat view, feeling accomplished for having tried despite not having actually surfed.
Our last night in Rincón. A view I could never grow tired of.
Before heading back to the mainland, I wanted to spend a few days in the gorgeous old town of San Juan, stopping along the way at Ponce for some mofongo for lunch - a dish made from mashed fried plantains usually served with meat or chicken — and to stroll around the sleepy town admiring the stunning Creole architecture and stately old Spanish Colonial-era mansions, while occasionally spotting evidence — bits of rubble, or more severe damage in some cases where entire buildings were destroyed — left behind from Hurricane Maria.
street art seen along our stroll through Ponce
We arrived in San Juan, and for the first time since my early ‘20s I was persuaded to stay at a hostel. I generally prefer my own space and opt for either a hotel room, AirBnB or HomeExhange - whatever I can find that looks the best within my budget. My two traveling companions and I checked into the Fortel Hostel, and I was instantly a believer! It was sparkling clean, and for $40 a night per person we had our own room with four bunk beds, all we needed as a base of operations from which to go out and explore the town. We showered, dressed in whatever clean clothing we had left, and headed out for the evening.
view from the lobby of the Fortel Hostel in old town San Juan
Old San Juan
Given that we had been to San Juan before — we collectively decided to put any touristic agenda aside and just wander aimlessly through the playfully pastel streets of the old city, taking in the architecture, the unfamiliar smells, and popping into little watering holes along the way for a refreshing mojito, before sitting down at a cute little side street spot called The Red Monkey for some delicious homemade empanadas and fried plantains offering much-needed sustenance as we took it all in.
However if it’s your first time visiting the island, you’ll want to make a point of visiting the Spanish fortresses of Castillo San Felipe del Morro and Castillo de San Cristóbal, and Playa Luquillo is a short drive from the city and offers a long, palm-tree lined picturesque beach, albeit one that can get quite crowded. For the more adventurous types looking to experience authentic Puerto Rican culture, head over to the San Juan neighborhood of Santurce for authentic cuisine and for streets that transform into a lively street party at night with music and revelry.
day tripping from San Juan
On my last visit I spent one memorable night on the island of Vieques and have yearned ever since to return to the idyllic, sleepy Caribbean island. The neighboring island of Culebra is another destination to visit whose white sand beaches with clear turquoise colored water is supposed to be incredibly stunning, though I have not yet been. Two women in our group were continuing on from San Juan to sleep in tents at the El Yunque rainforest, another excellent place to experience in P.R. If you want to visit, you need to reserve in advance as limited cars are allowed in at a time, but once in, you’ll chose from a selection of possible walks or hikes for any ability level to experience the magic of the Puerto Rico’s only tropical rainforest.
strolling through old san Juan’s dreamy pastel streets
it’s hard to take a bad picture here!
a most memorable last day in old San Juan
The following day, feeling a bit burnt out from all the adventuring and the sweltering heat — or maybe it was the mojitos — and after a leisurely breakfast of cafe con leche, toast and eggs at Kaffe Haus around the corner from the hostel, we decided to venture into the lively seaside neighborhood of La Perla in search of authentic culture, where we found more than one banging sound system along the way, and enjoyed delicious Pina Coladas served in a pineapple.
As close to the hood as you’ll get in Old San Juan.
La Perla’s insanely beautiful basketball court where a local challenges Michelle to some 1v1 bball.
That night, exhausted from our day of roaming around in the heat, we sat down for a traditional seafood stir fry at Barrachina — an Old San Juan institution — sipping their ridiculously delicious Pina coladas (a cocktail they are credited as having invented so you know it’s going to be good) and reminiscing upon the trip, the value of community, basking in the comradery of the new friendships forged, and feeling extremely grateful for the insights gained from both the retreat itself, as well as from the experience of traveling after one year of quarantine lockdown.
But especially, recognizing how lucky we are to get to travel at all — and to be on what appears to be the tail end of the pandemic — while acknowledging that many places in the world — the majority of them in fact — are still in the thick of it. As global citizens, we must never stop asking ourselves how we might — even unwittingly — be contributing to global inequality, and what more we can be doing to create a more equitable world.
back at home: inspecting the bounty of treasure collected on my morning beach walks.