Six trips to Puerto Rico in four years. We said it, and yes, it sounds a little unhinged when you say it out loud — but this island keeps pulling us back, and this time it pulled us back for a new reason: our second cruise sailing out of the Port of San Juan, and our first time visiting in the heat of summer.
Before we ever set foot on the ship (more on that Rhapsody of the Seas cruise in a future post), we spent almost a week living like locals in Fajardo, on the northeast corner of the island. If you’ve been following along, you know we’re suckers for this part of Puerto Rico, and this trip only cemented why.
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Why Fajardo?
Fajardo sits on that stretch of coast where the island rounds the corner near Luquillo and keeps heading east before it curves south. It’s home to a popular beach, a real fishing industry, and a big fancy resort or two (El Conquistador being the most famous — not our favorite name, but hey, it’s not our resort to name). But what we love about Fajardo is the split personality of the place. Stay near the marina, like we did, and it feels genuinely low-key — locals on vacation, fishing boats coming and going, none of the mainland-tourist energy you get in Isla Verde, Carolina, or Condado.
This wasn’t a trip built around sightseeing. Chris actually worked the week we were there, so this was less “vacation itinerary” and more “let’s live somewhere beautiful for a while.” We had an 18th-floor condo with a balcony overlooking the water, and that view became home base for basically everything. We cooked some of our own meals, worked from the balcony, and only ventured out when we wanted to.
It was the total opposite of a previous Puerto Rico trip we’ve written about in the past, when we were stuck in what we lovingly refer to as “the jail cell in Santurce” — no ocean view, and constant motivation to leave the hotel just to see something nice. This time, the apartment was the nice thing.
Where We Ate
We didn’t eat out a ton this trip, but the couple of places we hit were worth writing home about.
On our first night in Fajardo, we headed to Kalizo for traditional Puerto Rican cuisine, and it was the ideal way to kick off the trip. The food leaned into classic island flavors, and the mojitos were exactly what we wanted after a day of travel — refreshing, well-balanced, and dangerously easy to order a second round of. The Quesito Frito, Chuleta Can Can, and Mampasto de Churasco were the perfect welcome back to our favorite island.
Monte Brisas Bakery is a local institution in Fajardo, and it shows — no air conditioning, just fans working overtime against the heat, and a crowd that’s almost entirely local. Don’t let the online reviews scare you off. We came for the tripleta, a Puerto Rican sandwich stacked with three different meats (beef, pork, and chicken), served on a long roll cut down to sandwich size. It’s excellent. It is also extremely greasy — greasy enough that it soaked through a paper wrapper, a paper bag, and left stains on both legs of a pair of shorts during what was maybe a five-minute drive home. Wear something you don’t mind sacrificing or set the bag by your feet.
La Estación(above), a barbecue spot in Fajardo, had been on our list for years — we first scoped it out for a Christmas trip back in 2022 but never made it work. This time we finally got there, and it did not disappoint. It’s run by a Puerto Rican couple who moved back from New York and built a menu around Nuyorican-style barbecue. We got the barbecue sampler, and the Guavate-Style ribs were the standout, with the pulled pork right behind. The real surprise, though, was the potato salad — genuinely one of the better sides we’ve had, well-salted in a way that most potato salad just isn’t. High praise from someone who typically avoids potato salad entirely.
Brunchy’s was the perfect send-off from that low-key week before boarding the ship— a relaxed, casual spot with solid breakfast plates and good coffee, exactly what we wanted before a day of travel logistics and boarding lines. If you’re staying in the Fajardo area it’s a great place to get a bite early in the day. I highly recommend the waffles with guava and cheese (left)!
A Grocery Store Opinion (Yes, Really)
We could do a whole episode just on Puerto Rico grocery store rankings, and honestly, we might. But here’s the short version: Ralphs (no relation to the West Coast Kroger-owned Ralphs — different chain entirely) is genuinely excellent. Wide aisles, clear labeling, plenty of room around the checkout lanes, and a smart setup for buying liquor — instead of having to describe what you want to a cashier working from a locked cabinet (common in a lot of Puerto Rico grocery stores), Ralphs has a dedicated section where you can browse and grab it yourself.
We also stopped at Amigo later in the trip, which doesn’t hold a candle to Ralphs, but it did have one redeeming feature: Sabor Latina yogurt, in tropical flavors like papaya and guava. It’s becoming harder to find — Amigo only had three single-serve papaya containers left when we were there — but if you spot it, grab it.
The Takeaway
Not every trip needs to be packed with excursions. This one was about slowing down, working from a balcony over the water, cooking simple meals, and only leaving the condo for a truly great sandwich or a great local meal. If you’re looking for a home base that isn’t Old San Juan or Condado, and you don’t mind a slower pace, Fajardo delivers — especially if you can snag a place with a view of the water.
Next up: what happened when we boarded the Rhapsody of the Seas and headed back out to sea from San Juan.
Thanks for stopping by! Check out our Go See Do Explore Podcast, available wherever you listen to podcasts. To read more about this trip, check out the Island Hopping from San Juan Trip Report. To read about some of our previous trips, visit my Trips Page. If you like my photos be sure to “like” my Facebook Page and follow me on Instagram! For my list of gadgets to make your travels easier, click here.
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