Puerto Rico April 2013

View over looking downtown Aguadilla at sunset 

Asunsets is easy to come by but its difficult to match the beauty found when your on a Caribbean island. Puerto Rico is Americas tropical paradise, it has amazing weather, people, and scenery.  Puerto Rico has a culture unto is own, the people are warm and the beers are cold but most importantly this island is all about the good time, it will make you relax, it will make you forget.

Old Town San Juan Buildings and cobble stone roads

This was a business trip and I was going to be working in Aguadilla which is on the west coast of Puerto Rico. I flew in and out of San Juan which gave me an opportunity to see the capital city. Generally speaking flying out of Phoenix to the east coast is a super early flight. I left at 5 am for a connection in Charlotte, North Carolina then on to San Juan.  I decided to stay Sunday night in San Juan then get up early and drive into Aguadilla first thing Monday morning for work. My hotel was located near Old Town San Juan a block away from the beach. After checking in I headed up to the bar on the roof and got my first view of the beautiful water surrounding the island. I tend to mix the cliche activities into my trips because they are popular for a reason. What this meant was a night full of Mojitos which I'm sure every bartender think are a pain in the ass to make. After sipping a few of these tasty rum cocktails I hopped into a cab and headed to the Old Town area. Old Town San Juan is a neighborhood full of historic buildings, restaurants, bars, and historical sites. There was a buzz in Old Town but unfortunately this trip was not my opportunity to explore its adventures, only spending Sunday night in San Juan put a damper on night life exploration.

Monday morning came early but it was necessary to get on the road to drive to Aguadilla for work. 

The drive is roughly 2 hours but the island is a beautiful site. Tropical and green the road winds through cities, jungle, and coast line on its way to the west coast. Aguadilla is a sleepy surfer town with a few facilities from large fortune 500 companies.  

In Aguadilla I stayed at Villa Tropical Condos. These condos were right on the beach and had beautiful views. This was my home for 2 weeks, but the condo’s came with both positives and negatives. These condos were in a neighborhood right on the beach, positive was the beach footsteps away, negative was the trash man at 5 am. The condos were clean, beautiful, and very private. The only issue I ever had was when the power goes out, so does the Wi-Fi.

I wasn't sure what to expect of the town at first. I quickly explored most of the town and surrounding areas and was intrigued to find a rather large airport. The airport was a former air force base and is currently used for a few commercial flights, cargo, and a Coast Guard Installation. Many people choose to fly directly into Aguadilla on one of the 3 daily flights rather than drive to and from San Juan. Within driving distance were a few other towns all containing different stores and restaurants. With Aguadilla being a smaller area the restaurants are limited. It also seemed many of the business were not open or closed early in the evening. The only places that stayed open late were the bars on the beach and the airport. Since this was a work trip and I was in the office until late I generally ended up eating at a local bar in the evenings.

Since I was working long hours my first week in Aguadilla was spent mostly in the office. I was looking forward to some free time on the weekend. On Friday night I went with some colleagues to a restaurant named One Ten Thai. I fell in love with this amazing little place. There is always a wait which tells me it has quality food and drinks. This restaurant is a must stop if you are in the area. They are only open a few nights a week so plan accordingly there will be a wait. 

Crash Boat Beach

Jobos Beach

Saturday and Sunday were spend beach hopping. Saturday afternoon was spent at Crash Boat Beach. In my opinion this is the best beach in the area for playing in the water. The beach was named because a boat crashed on its shores and part of the wreckage is still there today. The beach is busy and has some shops around but is a great place for a BBQ and some sun. On Sunday morning I walked down the beach from my condo to Jobos Beach. Jobos is another popular beach in the area and is known in the surf community for its waves. I didn't mean to walk all the way to Jobos but the weather was beautiful so I decided to have lunch and a beer at one of the beach bars. After my long walk back to the condo I met up with some colleagues and we took a road trip to nearby Rincon. Rincon is another area known for surfing and has a number of sights to see and restaurants to stop at.

Most of my first two weeks in Puerto Rico were spent working so I did not get to hit all the attractions I was hoping to see.  All in all Aguadilla is a great place to kick back and enjoy the island life. I met so many people who take pride in showing me their town and culture. Many of those people I still talk to today! I laughed and really enjoyed my time in Aguadilla. There are some great people, beaches, restaurants, and beach side bars in this sleepy town. Kick back enjoy some local beers with friends and listen to the sound of the waves and local wild life! 

View of Jobos Beach Area from one of the local bars.