When we think of Puerto Rico a few things come to mind: Bad Bunny, Bacardi rum and, of course, piña colada, which is believed to have originated from the Caribe Hilton in 1954. The islanders are to this day arguing about which particular bartender had that stroke of genius but you can leave that to them and simply embrace boricua, the islanders’ name for themselves that encapsulates their pride in their way of life.
We stayed at Aire de O:live, a beachfront hotel in the Isla Verde district of San Juan, a perfect location for exploring this small island. It has a popular rooftop Asian fusion restaurant and bar overlooking the beach serving breakfast, lunch and dinner. However, the best way to experience boricua is to dive into the local food and drink culture.
A whistle-stop tour of San Juan
The charming old town in San Juan
(Image credit: Rob Crandall / Alamy)
First up was a food tour through the ancient capital with Flavors of Old San Juan. We met our guide in a square where the roads were paved with blue bricks that arrived as ballast in Spanish galleons in the 15th century. Pablo, a local university history student, was overflowing with stories of the island – from the original Taínos, Christopher Columbus’ arrival in 1493, to the African slaves and the takeover by the Americans in 1899 after the end of the Spanish-American War.
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To get us going we started with coffee at Café Cuatro Sombras, a farm-to-table coffee shop. Puerto Rico became one of the world’s largest coffee producers in the 18th century, exporting vast quantities to Europe. The coffee is excellent and might in part account for the lively nature of the locals.
Buoyed by the coffee and a delicious passionfruit lolly made by A Paleta, a native producer using only local fruits, we walked past Parque de las Palomas, eating alcapurrias – traditional fritters made with mashed plantains – along the way. We ended at Chocobar Cortés for quesito cortés, delicious cheese and chocolate pastries. The fourth generation family-owned bean-to-bar chocolate company is famed for its hot chocolate and is a favourite across the island.
Eat like a local
El Burén de Lula: a family-run food stand that is open every Sunday
(Image credit: Natasha Langan)
Our second tour was with Laura Ortiz Villamil – a local historian who founded Sofrito Tours, to showcase the island’s vibrant culture, food and history. After visiting a mangrove restoration project in Loiza and taking a traditional bomba dance class, we visited El Burén de Lula, a family-run food stand that is open every Sunday. Started by 90-year-old matriarch Vilma, six generations of women have helped preserve the recipes. We had crab empanadas, corn arepas and sweet tortillas made from cornmeal with coconut, sugar and cinnamon and wrapped up in banana leaf, all cooked on traditional hot plates. You need to get there early as by the time we left the queues were snaking into the street.
Next up was El Sazón de Sylvia for alcapurrias fritters made with a dough of green bananas and cassava and stuffed with either crab or beef with some tasty crab rice on the side. The indulgent food was washed down with Kola Champagne, an iconic Puerto Rican fizzy drink that was like a cross between cola and cream soda with hints of fruit. It was very sweet but speak ill of it at your peril as it’s beloved by the locals. We ended the day at Luquillo Beach, a popular area with lots of vibrant bars and food stands.
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Make perfect cocktails at Casa Bacardí
We also learnt how to make the ubiquitous piña coladas during a tour of Casa Bacardí, home to the company since 1930, blending rum, pineapple and coconut cream to create the perfect cocktail. The cocktail class was full of spring breakers and hen parties from the US so the cheer was particularly loud but the cocktail helped take the edge off. There are daily tours of the distillery where you can learn about the process of making the famous rum. You’ll also learn fascinating snippets about its history, including how the founder’s wife noticed the fruit bats hanging in the rafters and suggested the bat as the company logo, as the winged mammal is a symbol of good health and fortune among the Cuban Taíno people. More importantly we learnt the golden ratio for all perfect cocktails: one part sweet, one part sour and two parts rum.
Drink excellent coffee
Hacienda Tres Ángeles: a coffee plantation set up by a couple and their three daughters
(Image credit: Sandra Foyt / Alamy)
In the cool mountains in the centre of the island are the coffee plantations, sitting in dreamlike landscapes with waterfalls and mist-filled valleys. Hacienda Tres Ángeles is a coffee plantation set up 12 years ago by a husband-and-wife team and their three daughters (the three angels in the name), following the Puerto Rican dream of their grandparents to own a farm. The coffee plantation has gone from strength to strength, becoming the islands’ first certified agrotourism coffee farm recognised by the UN World Tourism Organization. It produces high-grade medium-roasted coffee with complex chocolatey flavours, all processed and roasted on the farm with no waste – even the husks feed the biomass generators, along with solar panels and back-up generators.
Get back to nature with a farm visit
Frutos del Guacabo is a family-owned farm around an hour’s drive from San Juan. It was set up in 2010 by Efrén Robles and Angelie Martínez, with a focus on hydroponically grown plants for local restaurants and bars. When they had to rebuild after Hurricane Maria, with the help of World Central Kitchen, they increasingly focused on the sustainability of products and processes. They also began offering educational tours, while continuing to supply more than 200 hotels and restaurants with speciality produce. Happily grazing beneath the mango and custard apple trees were some very happy goats, including Ursula, who graciously allowed us to milk her while she feigned extreme indifference to our cack-handed attempts. The farm uses the milk to make delicious fresh cheeses, along with soaps and other products.
The verdict
Beautiful landscapes and colourful houses in San Juan
(Image credit: Martin Wheeler / Alamy)
Arriving back in damp and grey England with my duty-free rum, I set to making my own piña colada in the hope of recreating the feeling of that lush Caribbean island. But sipping it on my sofa rather than in a rooftop pool with the sun setting over the beach just wasn’t the same. They may have American passports but Puerto Ricans have a culture all their own. Passionately independent, they are rightly proud of their food, music, beautiful landscapes and, of course, the rum. Raise a glass and cheer Boricua.
After reading politics at Sussex University, Natasha Langan spent a decade in social care before completing a University of Brighton postgraduate course in health promotion, which led to freelance work as a health researcher and sexual health trainer for both the local council and Terrence Higgins Trust. In 2000, she began working as a freelance journalist for the Daily Express, Daily Mail and MoneyWeek, where she then became picture editor. She continues to write the property pages and travel pages for MoneyWeek and for The Week online. She has a particular interest in nature and food, with a love of seasonal and regional produce around the world, especially the cuisine of Vietnam and Thailand.
