To prepare for our awesome cruise, we had planned to stay a few days in Puerto Rico before and after, but this obviously changed a lot with the hurricanes that passed through in late 2017. San Juan was still quite good, with some obvious signs of damage, but we were told that the rest of the island was in bad shape. We adjusted the plans but still had a great time in PR before and after the cruise. However, you could clearly tell what areas were struggling when the sun went down: one side of the road might have power, while the other didn’t.
From the hotel window, you could also see signs of damage.
We caught a taxi into Old Town to the Cafe Berlin we’d heard great things about. It was a bit expensive, but it was amazing. We tried the Puerto Rican dish ‘mofongo’, which is plaintains and potatoes, mashed then fried, mixed with meat (or soy for this one). It was crazy, weird, and super delicious at the same time.
They also had some great brownies. Cafe Berlin is awesome.
The next morning, we were back at Cafe Berlin for the ‘vegan breakfast’ we’d seen on the menu. Super delicious!
After breakfast, we walked around Old Town some more, then out to the old fort at the edge of the city.
After cutting back down through the city, we arrived at the cruise port.
After our 1-week cruise, we were back in San Juan for a few more days and stayed in a different part of the city this time. We were close to the Ben & Jerry’s shop that advertises vegan ice cream options, which was super awesome.
From here, we walked around less touristy parts of the city that aren’t part of Old Town, and it had a really cool feel. We also liked the beaches.
The best restaurant in the 2nd part of the trip was El Punto Vegano. Walk down the line, choose the things you want, and they’ll put them on your plate. There’s also a menu, but we did the buffet. It didn’t disappoint.
San Juan, and definitely the areas outside of it, have a long road to recovery, but they were glad to see some tourists putting money into the economy, helping people have work and feed their families. It was a mixed experience, given that some of the things we had wanted to do most (national parks, for example) were closed or inaccessible.
You should go to PR and try the vegan mofongo, if nothing else.
This entry was posted in Puerto Rico, San Juan, USA
