Best time to go: either spring or autumn. Puerto Rico in the summer is basically an oven in which you are going to melt. And at the same time, during the summer NY is kind of empty so it is not as lively as the rest of the year.
Where to stay in New York? I would not recommend to stay in Midtown, as it is extremely noisy and not particularly clean. My suggested areas are Greenwich Village, East Village, Tribeca or Soho. Hotels:
· East Village Apartments
· Walker Hotel Greenwich Village
Day 1: Midtown
First day start with going to Times Square, the sooner the better as it gets full with tourists. Afterwards, go to Bryant Park and the New York Public Library. From there you can walk around Midtown and you can see the Chrysler building and Grand Central Station. Continue walking towards the 5th avenue and visit the Saint Patrick's Cathedral.
Lunch at "Burger Join" (119w 56th st). It is actually inside the Parker New York hotel. This is paradise for burger lovers.
After lunch go up the top of the rock at the Rockefeller centre, I would recommend this much more than the Empire State. Book the tickets online and in advance!
Suggested dinner at "Sant Ambroeus West Village" a very nice Italian restaurant (259 West 4th St).
Day 2: Financial District
Start the morning going for a nice brunch at "Locanda Verde" (377 Greenwich St).
After brunch, walk towards Columbus Park which is actually very nice and just 4 minutes from there you can find Chinatown.
Then go walking to the Pier 17, where you will find amazing views of the Brooklyn bridge as well as many shops that are much quieter than the ones in the 5thAvenue. From there you can either try to cross Brooklyn bridge (that is going to be extremely crowded) or keep walking to the Financial District and visit the 9/11 memorial.
Before dinner you can go to the Washington Square Park and from there for dinner to "BONDST" which is a very chic and trendy sushi restaurant (6 Bond St).
Day 3: Central Park
Start at Columbus Circus and get into Central Park through the nearest entrance. In Central Park you can visit the Belvedere Castle, Alice in Wonderland and the Bow Bridge. After Central Park you can visit the MET.
Lunch at "Boqueria" (1460 2nd Ave) a super good Spanish tapas in the Upper East side. After lunch you can have a walk around the Upper East Side and have a Gossip Girl moment
Before dinner go to Soho for a nice walk, the shops are super nice there and this is my favourite area of Manhattan, without a doubt. Go for dinner to "La esquina", a delicious Mexican restaurant but remember to book in advance (114 Kenmare St).
Day 4: High Line and the Statue of Liberty
We walked the High Line from the south to the north. This means starting at Gansevoort Street and Washington Street and finishing at 30th Street. The High Line is an elevated linear park, greenway and rail trail created on a former rail track.
Then we went to Chelsea Pier 66 and took the NY Water Taxi. Instead of taking the typical cruise crowded with tourists to go to Ellis Island, we took a NY Water Taxi that offers a daily all-day pass so you can take it as many times as you want. On this route you can see the Statue of Liberty and the Brooklyn and Queens bridges. We got off at Pier 11 - Wall St.
We went for lunch at "Adrienne's Pizzabar" (54 Stone St) a casual pizzeria with outside seating at Wall Street.
After lunch we took another Water Taxi back from Pier 11 - Wall St. to Chelsea Pier 66. From there we walked for 30 minutes to "230 Fifth Rooftop Bar" to have a drink at this fantastic rooftop garden.
In your last night in New York you need to have a proper steak "4 Charles Prime Rib" is your place (4 Charles St).
Day 5: Travel day
Flight from New York to Puerto Rico takes 4 hours. Spend the rest of the day relaxing.
At arrival it is very important that you rent a car, it is super easy to drive in Puerto Rico and super convenient to have a car.
Where to stay in Puerto Rico? In Puerto Rico you have 2 options:
· San Juan, if you want to stay in a central area with easy access to restaurants and shops outside of the hotel - "Condado Vanderbilt Hotel"
· Rio Grande, if you want to relax in a more quiet area staying at an amazing hotel with beautiful outside space – "St. Regis Bahia Beach Resort"
Day 6: Old San Juan
After a morning relaxing on the beach, in the afternoon visit the Castillo San Cristóbal, a fort completed in 1783 by the Spanish to protect the city. Once the visit is finished, you can walk around the stunning colourful houses of the Old San Juan. The streets that you shouldn’t miss are: Paseo La Princesa, Calle de la Fortaleza, Calle San Sebastián, Calle San Justo and Calle del Cristo.
If you are there on a Thursday night, you should definitely go to the "placita" a square where everyone is dancing and enjoying a great atmosphere.
Dinner at " Santaella" a very nice restaurants close by the placita.
Day 7: Isla Culebra
Isla Culebra is a small, sparsely populated island and surrounded by a group of cays. The beaches are famous for their white sand and turquoise waters.
There are two ways to get to Culebra from mainland Puerto Rico. One is flying out from San Juan or from Fajardo, and the other is by taking a ferry from Fajardo. Fajardo is 50 min driving from San Juan.
There are many tours that offer day trips to Culebra including lunch and snorkelling equipment. I would absolutely recommend the experience, Isla Culebra is just paradise and you have to see it!
We went for dinner at "Al Fresco Rooftop Wine Bar" a very nice rooftop to have cocktails and few tapas or small platters to share.
Day 8: El Yunke
After a morning relaxing on the beach, in the afternoon, we went to El Yunque a tropical rainforest that is just 40 minutes away from San Juan. There are a few waterfalls (La Mina and La Coca are the most famous ones) in the forest where you can swim or just walk around them but it is completely worth seeing them. The paths to get to the waterfalls are very easy and well signposted. Tip: the higher the waterfall in the forest, the fewer people you will find there.
Recommended dinner at "Barrachina" absolutely amazing piñas coladas. You have to try them alongside the Puerto Rican dishes.
Day 9: Bioluminescent Bay
There are a few spots in Puerto Rico from where you can enjoy this rare phenomenon that happens when microscopic organisms light up in a neon green colour, giving a star-like reflection to the water when you paddle or splash it. This happens in certain Puerto Rican bays that you have to access by kayak across the mangroves .
There are usually two trips per day in the evening, as the less light there is the better you can enjoy the luminescence (you should avoid full moon nights). The first trip is around sunset and gives you the chance to see the mangroves and enjoy the nightfall. The later one is after 19:30 and guarantees you the darkness needed to see the glow.
We decided to do this at Laguna Grande in Fajardo on the latest visit. Even though the lagoon experience was incredible and I loved it, I didn’t enjoy the narrow and long canal that leads to the lagoon in complete and absolute darkness. I was quite disorientated so the earlier trip could be better.
Day 10: Shopping Day
Surprisingly, if you would like to go shopping you are at the perfect place! There are so many outlets and shopping malls with prices and sales much better than NY ones! We went to the "Puerto Rico Premium Outlets" and it was great!
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