Every year, my friends and I plan trips that have blossomed into our version of family reunions. In 2022, we visited San Juan, Puerto Rico. We went towards the end of July for 5 days and 4 nights. We had a timeeee (a great one)! Our trip was filled with walks down cobblestone streets, good food, learning about Old San Juan’s history, Caribbean Sea views, piña coladas (and other amazing alcoholic beverages), and lots of laughs. Being there during the middle of the summer, when lots of events were happening, caused the area to be pretty crowded and busy. This made the experience even better, especially when we went out at night. Here are a few highlights from our trip to San Juan, Puerto Rico:

Walking Tour
Our walking tour took us around the Old San Juan town area. Our guide shared the rich history of San Juan while we snapped pictures of the beautiful scenery. It was scorching outside that day, but that did not stop us from enjoying everything we learned and saw. Photos from the tour are below:

Casa BACARDÍ Factory Tour
I LOVE Bacardi and was excited to visit the company’s largest factory in Puerto Rico. The drive to the factory took approximately 20 minutes from our hotel. Casa BACARDÍ has a few tours, and we were a part of the Legacy Tour. This tour included a welcome cocktail, a trolley ride, a taste of the Casa BACARDÍ Special Reserve, and access to the Bacardi store. It was an immersive experience that was enlightening and engaging. Here is the link to the official website: https://www.bacardi.com/us/en/casa-bacardi/. If you like to drink rum, I recommend visiting this factory. Photos from inside the factory are below:

La Plactia
After our first visit to La Placita, we decided that we had to go back a second time. La Placita is an area full of a variety of clubs and bars. It was super busy, but seeing people out having a great time was fun. I don’t have any appropriate pictures to share here (sorry!). Just know that we had a GREAT time, and I loved every cocktail that I had! To give some perspective, here are photos I found on Google of how the area looked.

Caribbean Sea and Lake Views
These photos speak for themselves. We stayed in the Condado Beach area. Being able to relax by the beach was another highlight of the trip. Our hotel was near a large lake and we were able to go kayaking. I unfortunately don’t have great pictures from kayaking, and I’ll have to do better about this when

We stayed at the O:LV HOTEL, a super cute boutique hotel in the Condado Beach area. We had a few mishaps with them (i.e., my Bacardi glass got thrown away), but they made up for it by giving us complimentary bottles of champagne. Our experience in San Juan was one for the books, and I would highly recommend visiting this beautiful city!

Here are additional photos that I’d like to share from the trip:

I have a quick story to share that includes a traveling nightmare. I’m thankful that it happened after the trip! When I booked my flight months prior, I thought having a layover in Miami would be adventurous. In my head, I thought it would be a great idea to go out when I arrived late in the evening and then catch my return flight home. I didn’t factor in that I’d be exhausted from the trip and that I may fall ill. Both of those things happened, and I remember not feeling great when I made it to my hotel in Miami. The following day, I felt worse, but I made it to the airport on time. I was supposed to have an early flight (7:20 AM departure) and I looked forward to making it to my bed to recover from my illness. I made it to my terminal, and typically, the plane arrives approximately 30 minutes or more before departure time. A plane did not show up when boarding was supposed to begin, and we were notified that our terminal had changed. Everyone from my flight made the very long trek to the other terminal, and we all realized that a plane hadn’t arrived there either. We were told that there were delays due to the weather. After waiting another hour, we were informed that we had yet another terminal change. Everyone made the hike back to the area of the original terminal, and a plane was there. Once I reached my seat, I realized that 5 hours had passed since our actual departure time. I was anticipating getting into the air because I needed medicine and wasn’t feeling any better. We had yet another delay because it began to rain…really bad. It was also lightning, so all planes were grounded until the storm passed. 3 hours later, we could finally take off to my final destination. It was a horrible experience of waiting! I would’ve been highly irritated even if I felt well. I’ll share pictures below from the airport. I safely made it home and still felt unwell (I felt extremely cold and tired). I took an at-home COVID-19 test to be on the safe side, which was negative. I felt that maybe it was more than just a cold that was beginning. I went to Walgreens to have a follow-up test. Lo and behold, my results said that I was positive for COVID-19. It was my first time with the virus, and I’d been to A LOT of places since the beginning of the pandemic. Although I was in shock that I caught the virus, I was able to reflect on how grateful I was to have been able to be with my friends in a new city once again. The group chat messages when I shared my results were hilarious. My theory is that I caught it while we were out and about in La Parilla!

Cheers to more adventures!!!