Because life is short & the world is big
El Capitolio, the capitol building of Puerto Rico, greets you as you drive into Old San Juan. It’s a century-old neoclassical structure with a commanding dome situated on a hilltop overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. Bob decided it was time to take a tour inside!
For Puerto Ricans, El Capitolio de Puerto Rico stands as a powerful symbol of self-government. This video is packed with history, info, and photos, as well as a tour of the many fascinating monuments near the capitol building.
Once you’ve shipped your car to Puerto Rico – or bought it on the island – it’s time to register it!
The process is a lot more complicated than in the States, particularly if you don’t speak the language. But Bob will walk you through the multi-step process you need to go through – within 30 days – to make sure your car is legal. Good luck!
Info: Cesco Cesco has multiple locations across the island.
Bob recently scored a private tour inside La Fortaleza, the Puerto Rico Governor’s Mansion, which is located in a prominent spot at the edge of Old San Juan, with dazzling views of the Bay of San Juan. The oldest Executive Mansion in continuous use in the Western Hemisphere, La Fortaleza is the main residence and the office of the Governor of Puerto Rico.
The name means “The Fortress,” an apt title because La Fortaleza, along with the later fortifications of Castillo San Felipe del Morro, Castillo San Cristóbal, and San Juan de la Cruz (El Cañuelo), along with a large portion of the original San Juan City Wall, was built to protect the city and the bay. La Fortaleza was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1960. It’s also a UNESCO World Heritage site. Read all about its history and importance here.
Enjoy the tour!
If you are thinking of shipping your car to Puerto Rico, watch this video. Bob takes you step-by-step through the whole process, including cost, insurance, taxes, timeline, logistics, choosing a shipping company, and picking up your car at the Port of San Juan.
You might decide not to ship your car!
Info
Map to Penn Terminal, Eddystone (Philadelphia)
Map to Crowley Maritime Puerto Rico
We took a ferry from Old San Juan to Cataño, across the bay, to see what’s there besides the Bacardi Rum Factory. Turns out, lots! Including shout-outs to autism, love, and love is love.
We strolled along the Boardwalk to Puente Rosado or the Pink Bridge, a pier recently created to give visitors a place to lock their padlocks and leave a piece of their love in Puerto Rico, and pledged our troth amid crashing waves. (Please don’t throw the key in the sea.) On the way, we discovered the Muelle del Orgullo (Pride Pier), vibrantly designed with the colors of the rainbow to honor the LGBTQ+ community, and the Muelle Autismo (Autism Pier), painted in bright colors and puzzle shapes to celebrate neurodiversity and the autism community. As the parents of two queer, neurodiverse adults, we were happy to find this level of love and respect on our adopted island!
Across the street from the ferry, we found several bars and restaurants with water views that specialized in cocktails from the legendary rum maker. Of course, we had to try one!
But the best part was really the short ferry ride, offering expansive views of Old San Juan, El Morro, the container port, the cruise port and the mountains beyond. Lisa considers it the Staten Island Ferry of San Juan. Find out why in this fun video!
Puerto Rico Ferry
Cataño Destinations
Themed Piers
Cataño Waterfront Promenade
MAP to Puerto Rico Ferry Terminal
We continue wandering around Old San Juan on Part 2 of our walking tour of this beautifully preserved 500-year-old settlement.
Watch Part 1
Old San Juan
Map to Old San Juan
Map to Dona Fela Parking Garage
Map to Barrachina
Visit the Old San Juan Playlist on YouTube to see our other videos.
No trip to Puerto Rico is complete without at least a day in Old San Juan, a mélange of Old World elegance and vibrant 21st-century Caribbean culture. It’s so interesting, we had to create two videos!
San Juan was built for walking, so we’ll start out by heading to our favorite parking garage, Dona Fela, so you don’t waste an hour looking for a place to put your car. Then we’ll visit the cruise ship port and explore the narrow streets, nooks and crannies of beautifully preserved Viejo San Juan, which just celebrated 500 years.
There is so much to see and do, for every age and stage: explore history, culture, shopping, eating, drinking, praying, gallery hopping, even flying kites!
Check back in a couple of days for the second half of our video.
Old San Juan
Maritime Museum (Museo del Mar)
Book Museum (La Casa del Libro)
Map to Old San Juan
Map to Dona Fela Parking Garage
Visit Messy Suitcase’s Old San Juan Playlist to see our other videos.
Even ordering a drink was an adventure at the Barrilito Rum Factory in San Juan, Puerto Rico. In this video, we will watch how it’s done as the bartender creates three drinks for us … with panache! He was a true artiste and the drinks were amazing. We actually went to Hacienda Santa Ana for a tasting tour of Ron de Barrilito, but found the bartender’s artistry equally fascinating, and wanted to share it.
The name Bacardi is synonymous with Puerto Rican rum – even if is originally from Cuba. We decided to take a tour of its factory! We combined it with a $75 mixology class, which you can watch in a separate video.
The tour itself was very crowded and not as comprehensive as we expected for such a sprawling factory, but the drinks were great! Interestingly, Bob did this tour in 1994 and it was dirt cheap, maybe $5. How times have changed! Rum tours are now big business, and an obvious revenue stream from tourism. But if you’re on a Puerto Rican vacation, why not? Experiencing rum is an important part of experiencing the local culture. Bacardi offers a number of different tours, ranging in price from $40 to $200.
Normally, to get there, you take a ferry across the water from the ferry terminal in Old San Juan – an awesome experience in its own right! – then grab a quick Uber to the factory in Catano. We went on a Puerto Rican holiday when no ferries were running, and had to drive.
Learn more and buy tour tickets at the Casa Bacardi website.
Ron del Barrilito) is the original Puerto Rican rum, and many would say the finest. Bacardi, rum purists claim, is originally from Cuba and therefore not Puerto Rican at all – despite its huge factory in San Juan and its reputation worldwide as THE Puerto Rican rum of note.
We decided to tour both, starting with Barrilito. The name means Rum from the Little Barrel, a reference to the little barrels that the original moonshiner hawked his potion from in 1880. The factory is in Bayamon in greater San Juan, and easy to get to by Uber if you’re a tourist without a car. (Also a short drive, if you have rented a car and have the heart to navigate traffic in San Juan.) The tour isn’t cheap ($80), but it’s fun! You’ll learn a lot about the different types of rum and have a great time learning about island history and rum culture.
Learn more and buy tickets at the Ron del Barrilito website.
