1 Dress in 100 Cities No. 1 of 100 - Luquillo, Puerto Rico

Luquillo is #1 on my love list for so many reasons.


Its where I: 

-       was married 22 years ago 🥰

-       first lived when I moved to PR back in our Navy days,

-       fell in love with the Caribbean 🏝

-       first dreamed of being a mom, 

-       experienced 9/11,

-       found several lifelong friendships,

-       first experienced living where I couldn’t drive “home” in a few hours,

-       first experienced living where I didn’t speak the predominate language,

-       first discovered how little I knew about everything. 

I owe so much of who I am to my time in Luquillo. When I say travel is my love language - I trace it back to my time in Luquillo. 💖

Here are 5 things about one of my favorite places in the world-

  1. Luquillo is a located one hour east of San Juan. Known as la Capital del Sol (The Sun’s Capital) for good reason. Look southwest and you see El Yunque Rainforest with its lush tropical greens then look northeast to see Sahara-tone sand disappearing into the cerulean blue of the Caribbean Sea. Sounds pretty great, right?

  2. Nothing beats the sea breeze flowing through each room all day and night at the Love Soul Beautiful Guest House. No A/C needed. The owner extended invitations to all the special perks available from fresh juices every morning, spa treatments, yoga on the beach and private chef. 

  3.  For entertainment - there is always something happening literally steps from the beach – From Boardriders Surf Bar and Grill at La Pared, the best drinking spot at La Pared to Famous Machos located one block up, where everyone knows your name and there is always something fun happening. Located behind La Pared is C-Note Jazz Club, owned by Grammy award winning trumpeter Charlie Sepulveda and offers world class music. The entertainment there is making Luquillo, the Jazz Capital of the Caribbean. 

  4. There is no shortage of amazing food in Luquillo. Locally owned restaurants like La Fonda Gourmet offer delicious favorites. From panaderias to food trucks such as Simple Food. The food is much more than simple. Fresh ingredients are treated like royalty here. Especially by private chef @Rootz00773, who served us a Michelin quality meal. Truly one of the Top 10 meals of my life. All made with locally sourced ingredients. 

    “Here for the food” is a whole other level in Puerto Rico. I haven’t even talked about food in the neighboring towns. Gotta send love to award winning pitmaster Kevin Roth and co-owner Idalia Garcia at @LaEstacionPR BBQ in Fajardo.  

  5. The East Side of Puerto Rico is an adventure travelers paradise. Hike El Yunque, scuba, catamarans, bioluminescent bay tours, surfing, visiting cocoa farms, Carabali Park, and so on. Getting outside and being active is easy. You definitely will earn a Medello or pina colada by the end of the day. Drink some water too. Getting dehydrated happens fast in the Caribbean.

There is SO much I didn’t discuss here. I need several posts just for the East Side of Puerto Rico. Fajardo, Rio Grande, Loiza, @koqubeachhouse, music, weather, cuisine, cocoa farms, Los Kioskos, Carabali park, and Caya Icacos, Viegues, and Culebra - the list goes on and on.

 

Leave a comment below of what else you want to hear next about Luquillo/ Fajardo/Rio Grande

 

Destinations, Ethical Tourism, Experiences, Here For The Food, One Dress in 100 Cities, Responsible Travel, Reviews, Solo Travel, Travel Stories, Travel Tips & ResourcesChristianna Yarbrough#1dress100cities, #therespectfultraveler, #sustainabletravelplanning, #normalizeethicaltourism, #supportlocaleconomies, #sustainabletravel, #mindfultravel, #responsibletourism, #dfwtravelplanning, #dfwtraveladvisor, #dallastravelplanning, #womanownedbusiness, #travelresearch, #wanderlustwednesday, #discoverpuertorico, #luquillo, #luquillobeachComment