A quick trip from the mainland, Puerto Rico is an underrated destination - in my humble opinion, at least. Endless Pína Coladas, deliciously garlickly Mofungo, and the most stunning beaches, combined with Old San Juan’s traditional, colorful architecture, make for an unforgettable experience. Keep reading for the perfect 5 day itinerary.

DAY 1: TRAVEL TO VIEQUES

If you can, take an early flight - we left at 5am from JFK, arriving at 8:15am in San Juan. From there, we took an 50 minute Uber (only $60, but many taxis at the airport will try to convince you that $90 is normal, but friends of ours have said we did get lucky, though) to Ceiba ferry terminal in the South, where you’ll take the ferry (another 30-45 minutes) to Vieques, one of the smaller islands off the mainland of Puerto Rico. A former US military base, the locals fought for years to expel the military, with this finally happening in 2003. Since then, Vieques has grown in exposure, and is known for it’s large population of wild horses, but remains relatively unknown, due in large part to the prohibition of luxury hotels and resorts.

You can book ferry tickets ahead of time here. While only $2, it’s well noted that the ferry can be unreliable, with priority boarding given to locals, but we had a pretty seamless experience, and only arrived 10 minutes before ours departed.

Despite a full day of traveling, we arrived at our Airbnb at 3pm (another early flight perk). It’s highly recommended to rent a car while in Vieques (sidenote: we did and it broke down, which is also very common) but there are also plenty of taxi companies.

We stayed at this John Hix designed home that I highly recommend! As an interior designer and architect duo, we enjoy finding accomdations that align with our values and what we appreciate. Our stay here was tranquil, simple, elegant, and incredibly breathtaking - nothing beats waking up to the sounds of nature and the sunrise. Truly unmatched. John Hix designed several homes on the island, including Hix Island House.

After a full day, we went to Coqui Fire Cafe for an early dinner, and called it a night.

Day 2: BEACH DAY

On our second day, we woke up early and drove to La Playa Negra, or Black Sand Beach. Secluded and hard to access by car, we were surrounded by wild horses. The early morning sunrise was all the more spectacular, offset by the black sand.

Our next beach was Sun Bay Beach. Arguably one of the most popular, there were still only 6 or 7 other people we saw. Pristine blue waters and plenty of wild horses milling about, the beach was relaxing and the perfect way to unwind.

Other beaches to visit are Playa La Plata and Playa La Chiva - similiar to Sun Bay, you’ll find clear blue waters and not many people. Cell service can be tricky, and our car did break down, cutting our beach day short. We luckily had friends who lived on the island who helped out, but important to note that this happens often, so booking a car with a reliable rental spot and insurance is recommended.

For a beach day, Duffy’s in the main part of town (Esperanza) is great for Pina Coladas and Canoa, a sweet plaintain dish topped with cheese and pico de gallo.

While there aren’t many restaurants on the island, and most close at 8pm, a few other spots to visit are Bilí, for traditional Puerto Rican fare, and El Blok Hotel. Make sure to call ahead for all restaurants, as their hours aren’t always correct, and many times restaurants will close once they run out of fresh items, or just don’t feel like opening that day.

DAY 3: TRAVEL TO SAN JUAN

We spent a majority of our third day traveling to San Juan from Vieques, taking a shorter ferry ride (there are apparently two options, the fast and the slow, although no one is very clear about this). It also so happened that after months of drought, a huge tropical storm arrived, making for an entire day drenched in sheets of pouring rain. It didn’t make for a very fun ferry ride, but we made it in one piece.

Arriving in San Juan, we stayed at this airbnb in Ocean Park, right next to the beach and Condado, which is the main beach area. I’ve never been this close to a beach before, and we definitely enjoyed being able to wake up and head there at any time.

After a long day of travel, we went to a local Puerto Rican restaurant, Cafeteria Quisqueya, which was a true gem if you find yourself in Loiza. Extremely authentic, we were the only tourists, and enjoyed a relatively inexpensive but filling meal of mofungo, fried pork and sweet plaintains, plus coconut mojitos.

DAY 4: EXPLORE SAN JUAN

We woke up early to explore, heading to the beach for a quick swim before breakfast at Sabrina, another popular spot in Loiza. While their passion fruit mimosas were spectacular, the food was just alright.

Afterwards, we strolled through a few neighborhoods, stopping for a Pina Colada along the way, before ending up in Old San Juan, also known as Viejo San Juan. The colorful architecture, tiny streets and blue cobblestone roads transport you to the past - although there were many tourists, the history and culture ran deep. We stopped by the San Jose Church, as well as La Puerta de San Juan, the only remaining gate to the city that once served to keep intruders out.

After a long day of walking, we headed back to our airbnb to rest before heading to La Placita de Santurce for the night. We dined at Sea Senor, a Mexican restaurant, enjoying fresh ceviche and crispy birrira quesedillas, followed by dancing and drinking at local bars, which were packed with residents spilling out onto the streets. Sunday night is a popular among locals, and we definitely felt a special connection to the neighborhood and people.

DAY 5: RAINFOREST :)

Our last day in Puerto Rico was spent hiking and swimming through Charco Azul, a local river and rainforest near San Juan. The day started at the beach, followed by breakfast at Lelas in Loiza, where we had our fill of Sweet Mallorca bread, a delicacy in Puerto Rico that is sprinkled with powedered sugar.

We booked our tour the day before on Trip Advisor, and had such an amazing experience! Our tour guide picked us and another couple up at a designated spot near our airbnb, and we drove 40 minutes to Charco Azul, a wonderous rainforest filled with caves, waterfalls and hiking trails. Our guide was informative of the local landscape, comfortably leading us through precarious trails, dark caves, cliff jumping and hiking through waterfalls. Sturdy walking shoes that can get wet are absolutely necessary, as well as a waterproof phone case.

Due to Hurricane Maria, there are a few areas that are now too dangerous to explore, and we also witnessed a fair share of oddities that have washed up (we literally climbed over cars). Nevertheless, the entire experience was serene: completely surrounded by nature, we felt calm and rested, despite the physical activity.

Wrapping up our last day was dinner at Raíces in Viejo San Juan, known for their mofungo. It was the perfect way to end what turned out to be an amazing trip :)

Note: The island is pretty expensive, so be prepared to pay the same, if not more, for things like accomodations and eating out. If you can, cooking might save you some, but we also found groceries to be pricey.