This blog post about my girls’ weekend trip to San Juan, Puerto Rico is long overdue!

I am literally the worst when it comes to editing + blogging my personal life photos. My clients always come first. And then procrastination sets in and I wonder if it’s still worth posting about as my memories fade from the trip. But honestly, that’s the exact reason I am finally getting the blog post together! This is kind of like my little journal to reflect on the trips I have taken over time. And it also makes it easy for me when someone asks for recommendations…I can just send them a link to my blog post where I have everything all in one spot!

So this blog post is 3 years overdue (oops!). I took a 5 day – extended trip to Puerto Rico with one of my besties – Stephanie. This was late Spring of 2021 when we were still in the times of COVID where you really couldn’t get abroad yet. But since Puerto Rico was a US territory, my friend had some Delta Miles, and it was a direct flight from Tampa (TPA Airport), this spot won the location jackpot! We caught a Thursday morning direct 3-hour flight to San Juan and the girls’ weekend of fun began!

Old San Juan, Puerto Rico

Hotel Accommodations – Hotel Palacio Provincial

We chose to stay in this location because it was very centrally located in Old San Juan. We wanted something that made it easy for us to explore around the city and that was a short drive from the airport. Some of the perks of this spot – the location, the rooftop pool + jacuzzi tub, beautiful communal spaces, and a great restaurant that served a wonderful breakfast and fabulous cocktails. The rooms were well-appointed with modern decor + amenities, but that’s where the love ended. We ended up on the first floor and we technically were a bit BELOW street level. He had gigantic windows but they didn’t really open fully and thus the room was VERY dark – which is not something I prefer. Also, we were directly across the street from a bar called Marilyn’s Place, so we had loud music and drunk people outside until relatively late so it didn’t make for the most peaceful of sleep. Also, the WIFI connection was horrible in our room and the staff were not the most helpful. I had a Zoom call I still needed to take while on this trip, so I was grateful that I could at least get some kind of reception out in the communal space (but it was also distracting with people coming and going). Would I recommend it? Maybe if we were in an upper-level room and it offered a better WIFI connection. The grounds were immaculate and I do appreciate a tidy space, but after this particular trip, I’d probably stay somewhere different the next time. And I honestly only took one cell phone photo of the outside of the place and one of my delicious breakfast because it just didn’t WOW me enough! (And it was too dark in our room to get any great photos)

Overall review of my stay at the Hotel Palacio Provincial – 3.0/5.0

What should you do in Old San Juan?

Since this trip was with a fellow photographer friend, we were all about finding some of the most Instagrammable spots in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico. So we did a lot of exploring around town to capture images. We also love some good cocktails and food. So that’s a lot of what we did. It was a short trip so we could only pack in so much into the few days that we had and one day we explored outside of the city…I’ll tell you more later. 😉

Grab a Piña Colada at Barrachina

This is where the traditional Spanish bartender Don Ramon Portas Mingot in 1963 created what became the world’s famous drink: the Piña Colada. And let me tell you, it did not disappoint! (We ended up going there twice!) It’s a fun indoor/outdoor dining and there was usually a line to get in. So if you planned on dining there, definitely plan ahead!

Wander the colorful streets of Old San Juan

We spent a lot of time exploring all around the streets of Old San Juan! So many colorful buildings, really cool doorways, and some fun murals. So many picture perfect opportunities!

Grab a photo in front of the infamous Puerto Rican Flag Door

I’m pretty sure that everyone who comes to Old San Juan grabs a photo in front of these doors! It makes for some fun + iconic shots!

Another popular photo spot is at Los Paraguas de la Fortaleza

This is another great spot for some Instagrammable photos. This street is usually lined with umbrellas or flags. It was unfortunately blocked off when we were there so there were no fun shots without barriers, but I did manage to grab this shot! Also nearby this spot is Parque de las Palomas where you’ll find a cobblestone road filled with a bunch of pigeons. Usually, there are vendors selling seeds so you can get a really cool shot with birds flying all around!

A photo spot with a view is at La Garita del Bastión de San Agustín

This area also has some great views of Castillo San Felipe del Morro. It was also nearby to a Cat Sanctuary which my cat-loving friend Steph adored!

You can grab some great photos + learn some history at Castillo San Felipe del Morro

It was a bit of a hot one for us in late-May wandering around this historical spot – and back in 2021 – they still required us to wear masks outdoors here. So we didn’t stay too long because of the heat, but it truly was a beautiful spot to grab some photos of both the water and of the city center.

Another cool castle to visit in Old San Juan is Castillo San Cristóbal

I loved the old fort here at this historical landmark. I had a lot of fun grabbing some artsy type photos.

We also booked a photoshoot with  Jafet Roman Photography

One thing that can always be a struggle on vacation is making sure that you get everyone in the photos – and one person isn’t always the one taking the images. So we made sure to hire a photographer while we were in town so we could get some professional photos of the two of us – instead of just selfies. (And if you happen to come to St. Pete Florida and want professional photos of your whole family…let’s CONNECT!) I loved that they took some individual shots, but also made sure to get some of the two of us together as well! Plus they knew some of the best spots for photos that even we hadn’t researched out! 😉

El Yunque + Laguna Grande Region

One of our days on the island, we decided to explore outside of the city and booked a El Yunque Rainforest walk + Bioluminescent Kayaking trip via the company Island Journeys. This was an all-day excursion and they picked us up in Old San Juan town and shuttled over to the other side of the island. I think this was one of my favorite parts of the trip! Getting to explore nature and meet some new friends. Below are some photos they took of us along this journey. We didn’t get any from the They aren’t the best photos, but hopefully they will give you a better idea of what a cool experience this was!

Got questions?

Thinking of traveling to Puerto Rico and want some tips and advice? Shoot me an email and let me know what you want to know, and I’d be happy to help answer any questions you have! hello@tamikeehn.com