Cruising around the Caribbean is the easiest vacation you will ever have. Great weather, great drinks and even better music. As an island boy, I may seem biased, but I am. The best vibes are Caribbean vibes. I firmly believe that there is no better place in the world than Barbados however, San Juan, Puerto Rico is really trying to give us a run for our money.

Stepping off the ship, the first thing my family wanted to do was to go shopping. I had other plans. It isn’t that I have anything against shopping. It’s just that I don’t need any more stuff, however I do need three square meals a day. As much as I’ve been very well fed on board, I got on board with the intention of checking out the food scene from the port. 

San Juan was an unexpected wonder. They claim to be the rum capital of the world. It goes without saying, rum drinkers are my people, some may say the best people. Barbados is the originator of rum, however they are one of the largest producers. Walking off of the ship and heading left, after about twenty minutes you will find a few lovely gems. This area looks like a lux tourist area. Since you are on vacation, lap it up.

My first order of the day was finding a snack. Theres a small sweet stall filled to the brim with candy but not generic mall, penny candy, but what looks like local artisanal candy. Everything was mixed with coconut or tropical fruit. Delicious.

Walking around I realized that I was on Puerto Rico’s Rum Route. It felt like if there is one place in Puerto Rico to be, this was it. I found a few choice places to check out and then planned a cocktail stop. ‘La Casita de Rones’ was my first stop. A picturesque pink building on the bay. Absolutely impossible to miss. The minute you walk in, you want to order a cocktail. The bar just looks like the type of place you want to hangout, get drunk and feel cool. Perfectly styled, impeccably curated and straight-up beautiful, there goes the rest of your afternoon. Order some drinks, I highly recommend the Rustic Rum, not too sweet and just the right amount of balance, leaning towards a sour taste that will make your tastebuds sing. Then order the empanadas. I guarantee by the time you leave you will be in such a good mood, you will be dancing out of the door. 

Just make sure to pick up something to drink on the way back to the ship. I got a virgin piña colada from one of the street venders. Cheap, tasty and tropical. There is nothing like a piña colada to make you feel like you are on vacation.