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Puerto Rico Ultimate – The Quad Squad
Puerto Rico Prelude
The Quad Squad returns with another weekend warrior trip to Puerto Rico. Despite the island still recovering from hurricane damage, we took our chances. The repairs were noticeably on-going, but we were still able to do mostly everything on the itinerary and then some.
The weekend was filled with good times and the occasional act of treason – very reminiscent of the PCH Road Trip. Smirnoff Ice was running rampant and wreaking havoc.
Operation Logistics
Naturally, the trip started out with one of the members depleting funds before we even boarded the plane. The backpack memo was apparently lost in translation, so the good ‘ol carry on fee was applied. We went with Spirit, which was our first monumental mistake. We were fully prepared to deal with the inevitable inconveniences, but it was seriously next level.
After landing in San Juan, I picked up the AVIS rental (free upgrade again!), and we trekked out to our Airbnb outside of Luquillo on the east side of the island. The location close to El Yunque and was specifically picked since most of our activities were in the surrounding area. However, things just never pan out as expected for the Quad Squad.
Being a planner at heart, I laid out an itinerary of places the Quad Squad would hit on the trip. The initial draft included some beach, rainforest and nightlife. The first morning after arriving we were going to take a ferry from the mainland to Culebra – a smaller island and home of Flamenco Beach. This was simply not meant to be.
Fajardo Ferry
The ferry operation is complete madness, so be warned. Tickets need to be purchased a good week in advance. Otherwise, do not even bother. We tried our luck from 7AM to 11AM in the line. I believe we moved a few feet forward. Flying is an alternative option, too.
Cueva del Indio and Bacardi Tours
With the defeat of Flamenco Beach, the Quad Squad was forced to make some clutch decisions for the day. Fortunately for us, fate guided us to some awesome places in Puerto Rico that definitely made up for our failed beach day. So without hesitation, we packed into the car and started our westward coastal cruise.
During the drive, we could tell several places were in rough shape or closed as a result of hurricane Maria. All we could do at this point was hope that the remainder of the plans would hold and support still active local businesses where possible.
The first stop was the picturesque rocky coastline of Cueva del Indio. We pulled up to the private property lot and paid some guy a small entrance fee. Once out of the beach, we roamed around on top of the cliffs and found some nooks and crannies. This place reminded us of Sunset Cliffs in San Diego to the core. Cliff jumping would have been epic, but the waters were way too rough to attempt.
After a few pictures and hiking around, we brainstormed on where to head next. The vote was unanimous. It was a great day to begin activacíon at none other than the house of Bacardi. We hadn’t planned on going here, but the $15 price tag was worth it. The tour showcased the history of the Bacardi brand and the how the facility in Puerto Rico was founded. As a bonus, we could get free drinks with a Bacardi coin given at the beginning of the tour. A Smirnoff Ice was also distributed.
Fun Fact
Because of the Jones Act, Barcadi must export their rum to the US and import it back to sell.
El Yunque Rainforest – Yocahu Tower
With day one in the books, it was time for the Quad Squad to experience nature full on. Personally, this was my favorite day being able to spend time in El Yunque. El Yunque is a massive rainforest, so we only covered a small portion of it. However, I believe the spots we made it to were two of the best: Yocahu Tower and Las Tinajas.
Driving to the tower is an experience in itself. Once leaving any main road in Puerto Rico, be prepared for a wild ride. The roads twist and turn and are fun to drive, but they are also filled with pot holes and hazards.
Miraculously, we made it to the tower and climbed the stairs to the top. From here, we had a 360 degrees view of the rainforest and could see the coastline. Furthermore, patches of rain swiftly moved through the area blanketing portions of rainforest. It was tranquil and quiet enough that we could hear the raindrops hit the leaves.
There was also a waterfall (La Coca Waterfall) on the way up that we stopped to check out. This location was perfect for a scenic Ice!
El Yunque Rainforest – Las Tinajas
Following the tower and the falls came the adrenaline junkie portion of the trip. I’m not sure exactly what Las Tinajas is, but it’s on some private property that we paid to park at and proceeded to hike up a river.
The journey took about 45 minutes to the falls. Nothing beats a solid upstream hike in the middle of a rainforest to huck some cliffs. This place was epic! I’ll let the pictures do the talking.
To celebrate the gainers sent at Las Tinajas, the Quad Squad took route to Los Kioskos in Luquillo. It was basically a long line of beachside bars and restaurants. Our favorites were Tattoo Tavern and Crio Mar. The Tavern had an insanely good live rock band. Being sidetracked on what time it was, we barely made it back to the AirBnb.
Uber in Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico has Ubers, no doubt. But when you are outside of San Juan in less populated areas at 2AM, you’ll be lucky to see even one Uber on the map!
Arecibo Observatory and Airport Madness
With the morning upon the Quad Squad, we set out for our last day trip to Arecibo. Here, there was one thing in particular that brought back some serious memories. It was none other than the radio telescope from 007 Goldeneye! In all seriousness, this telescope is freaking massive. We decided to do the tour and learn a little bit about its history.
Apparently the Karst region in Puerto Rico was a perfect spot to build the telescope since the sinkholes in the area made natural craters. No digging required! Research teams from all over the world come to the facility to run tests on a variety of things ranging from atmospheric conditions to deep space.
Fun Fact
The University of Central Florida (where I got my undergrad degree) manages the facility. Go Knights!
Attempting to keep an eye on the time, we drove back into San Juan to catch our flight later in the day which we were cutting dangerously close. There was a quick grub session before basically Tokyo drifting into the airport to drop off the rental. No time to refuel the whip – major fees accrued. As expected, Spirit was delayed, and then delayed again. But it was welcomed, since it gave me time to write most of this post.
Closing Out
Exhausted from the disturbing amount of Icings and the weekend toll, the Quad Squad could only be thankful for surviving yet another trip together. We made the best of Puerto Rico in 3 days and covered a ton of ground.
Even though we didn’t spend much time in San Juan or the smaller coastal towns, the places we did visit were absolutely worth it. Lessons were learned, good times were had, and the next trip is already in the making.
Thank you Puerto Rico!
Recap of Places
- Luquillo (AirBnb)
- San Juan (Old and New)
- Fajardo Ferry – spare yourself and book in advance!
- Cuevas del Indio – Awesome ocean side views with rugged cliffs. There was a $5 entrance fee.
- House of Bacardi – see rum, smell rum, drink rum, be rum.
- Los Kioskos – a long line of beach front bars in Luquillo
- El Yunque Rainforest – so much to do here!
- Yocahu Tower – lookout point in El Yunque. You can see the coast from the top.
- Las Tinajas – the area in El Yunque where you can hike up a river and cliff jump.
- Arecibo Observatory – world’s largest radio telescope.
Michael Lakus
IT professional, athlete, musician, ponderer of many things... Born and raised in Florida, I began traveling internationally after college. I created this site primarily to remind myself of where I've been and to share my experiences on traveling with a quirky, stress-free, travel attitude.
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