Santa María Magdalena de Pazzis Cemetery

On our recent Celebrity Cruises Eastern Caribbean Getaway, the first destination we visited was San Juan in Puerto Rico.

After two glorious days at sea relaxing and finding our way around the Celebrity Reflection, we were excited to start exploring the Caribbean. The ship docked at 4pm and we headed off on our first excursion – a tour of Old & New San Juan.

Our tour bus driver took us on a spin around new San Juan and neighbouring Carolina, pointing out authentic local restaurants, residential areas, golden sand beaches and the glittering new Condado strip.

It was an insight into San Juan life, but historic Old San Juan is the area with the most monuments, colourful architecture and charm. On the way to the Castillo San Cristobal, we drove along the rugged coastline and admired the grand and imposing El Capitolio de Puerto Rico (home of the Puerto Rican legislative assembly built in the 1920), the Colegio San Agustín and the Museo de la Guardia Nacional.

Castillo San Cristobal

Castillo San Cristobal is a historic fort built by the Spanish in 1783 to protect San Juan from land attacks. It’s perched along the coast and offers breathtaking views of the rough, tempestuous sea. If you stand by the main view point, the salty aromas and fresh sea breeze are intoxicating.

The fort has quite a history of endurance, surviving a major earthquake, multiple attacks by the Dutch and the British, the Spanish-American War and World War II. It’s now part of the San Juan National Historic Site – a World Heritage Site awarded by the United Nations.

Colourful Houses

Exploring Old San Juan on foot was my favourite part of the visit, as we raced up the steep hills to see as much as possible before sundown. The elegant Spanish colonial buildings were everything I’d hoped they would be, painted in bold and pastel shades with attractive white framing.

The winding, cobbled streets are a delight to explore with side streets hiding dusty old bars and local restaurants. I can just imagine them hosting some fabulous salsa parties come nightfall.

La Perla

We then walked along the Calle Norzagaray coastline road overlooking the barrio of La Perla towards the striking Santa María Magdalena de Pazzis Cemetery. Further on is the Castillo San Felipe del Moro, a 16th century citadel built on the north-western point of the island.

Plaza Colón

After that, it was an easy stroll downhill towards the port, where we visited the jewellery and local crafts shops around the Plaza Colón. A statue of Christopher Columbus stands majestically over the square, commemorating his discovery of Puerto Rico on his second voyage to the new world. It’s a pleasant spot to rest your feet and take in the buzz of the Old Town at one of the open-air cafes.

The Port

We’d planned to have dinner on the ship that evening, but Old San Juan is the place to sample authentic Puerto Rican specialities such as roast pork with plantains, whole barbecued fish, traditional tres leche cake and potent, island-grown coffee.

The port area is lively at night with plenty of bars, cafes and shops open late, so you can have a quick nightcap before heading back to the nearby ship. The Celebrity Reflection looked particularly pretty at night, lit up in multi-coloured lights.

If you have just a short time in San Juan, I recommend simply exploring the Old Town and leisurely absorbing the atmosphere of this characterful area before sundown.

Join Celebrity Reflection on a nine-night Eastern Caribbean Getaway fly/cruise from £1,650 per person (based on two people sharing an ocean view stateroom).

For more information or to book, call 0845 456 0523 or visit www.celebritycruises.co.uk

Chérie City was a guest of Celebrity Cruises and all views are my own.

All photos by Chérie City

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