Hey all! It feels like a long time since my last post. But work’s been crazy lately with my role kind of shifting, and of course some last minute stuff that usually happens before going on vacation… Plus lots of packing and uh… a certain Taiwanese drama. And then I went on vacation, and now I have even less of an urge to write too much about this one. This was a good “excursion” too, and a lovely end to our cruise last spring. So I’m going to try my best and see if I can put in some, if not all details here.
Andalucia Guest House
Our day in San Juan started by heading over to an Airbnb room in a small guest house . The room was simple and cozy, but they do have a hot tub out in the main area, and lots of helpful info such as cab numbers, nearby restaurants and cafes, and some San Juan maps and books you can borrow. They also have some boogie boards, umbrellas, and beach towels they lend to guests for free.
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| Getting ready to go around Old San Juan |
The best thing about staying there was its closeness to the beach, which was about 2-3 blocks away. Ocean Park is a residential area, so their local beach is not crazy crowded. But it is nice enough to take a lovely walk in, all the way to the place we had lunch at.
Pamela’s Caribbean Cuisine
Pamela’s had a seating area that opened out to the beach, so we just strolled in after a short walk. This was also the start of a very foodie day for us, which was really a great way to end the vacation.
We started with a really, really good sangria. It was so good that Michael debated ordering himself one, even though he’s not usually a fan of sangria.
The rest of our food was really good, but I especially remember the pernil spring rolls, which were absolutely fantastic and worth trying if you’re in the area.
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| Pernil Spring Rolls with Pineapple Hoisin |
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| Pernil Spring Rolls with Pineapple Hoisin |
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| Plantain Crusted Chicken Breast with Manchego |
Our next stop was a coffee place near the port we docked at, which I don’t remember the name of. But if you see it, they have a really good mocha :).
Old San Juan
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| There is a cat on the bar. In case you didn’t notice. |
Marmalade
317 Fortaleza Street
Marmalade was easily a highlight, if not THE highlight of our visit to San Juan. It’s voted #1 of all restaurants in San Juan on TripAdvisor, which doesn’t usually mean much (reviews are mostly by tourists after all). But in this case I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s accurate. The decor was lovely and unique, and food was comforting and delicious.
I wasn’t really in the mood to make notes at the time, but I do remember the food being rich and (like I already said) comforting. In any case, here are the photos, and thanks to their online menu, some decent descriptions of what we had.
Hand Rolled Black Truffle Pappardelle Pasta – wilted spinach, summer truffle & marsala butter
Paella – “sushi esque” bite size pieces of crispy andulusian style paella filled with smoked chicken, peas and peppers flavored with a saffron-garlic espuma & a chorizo-tomato sauce
Mushroom soup
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Niman Ranch Natural Hormone-Free Lamb Tagine – Moroccan-French style braised lamb with ras el hanout organic chick peas with marcona almond pomegranates & harissa spiced green olives (Unbelievably good! Not to mention pretty.)
Warm Banana & Butterscotch Bread Pudding – brazilian nut & aged rum ice cream
Salted Caramel Corn Crème Brûlée – peanut brittle ice cream
And… that’s it. A little light on the writing I know.. but that’s to be expected from the end of a long vacation series. My next series is about Cape Cod (again) and Martha’s Vineyard, so hopefully I can be a bit more entertaining. ‘Til then, ciao!
P.S. In case you’re curious about the rest of the trip, here are the previous posts:
Carnival Splendor Cruise Ship Review
St. Thomas Shore Excursion – Charlotte Amalie, View of Magens Bay, and Coki Beach
St. Kitts Shore Excursion – Stand Up Paddleboarding and Ottley’s Plantation
Antigua Shore Excursion – Stingray Sensation and Sheer Rocks Restaurant
St. Maarten/St. Martin Shore Excursion – Mullet Bay, La Sucriere, and La Croissanterie