Welcome to Mancation 2024
This site is dedicated to all the details around our upcoming vacation getaway in San Juan, Puerto Rico, January 10 though January 15, 2024. All the important details come first followed by some things we can do when we are there. If there is something you want added, for everyone to see, please send me the content, and I'll get it published here
-Damian
Basic Beach
Check in is available at 4pm on January 10th, 2024
Check out by 11am on January 15th, 2024
We have rented 2 entire apartments, right off the beach. They are located in the Ocean Park community within the barrio of Santurce, in the municipality of San Juan, in the commonwealth of Puerto Rico. The address is: 6 Atlantic Place, apart. 7 San Juan, PR 00911
Each apartment has...
- 1 Single Occupancy Bedroom with attached bath
- 1 Double Occupancy Bedroom with attached bath
- 2 Public area sleeping surfaces (couch or futon)
- Kitchen, Living Room, Dining Room, Patio
- Shared access to the rooftop pool and lounge
- Shared access to the rooftop bathroom
The apartments are listed on VRBO (links below), though we have signed a contract directly with the owner, Isabel Anton. The apartments occupy 2 thirds of the building and they are nicknamed Mar (2nd floor) and Sol (3rd floor). The building is just steps from the beach, and a short walk from local restaurants and bars.
Room to relax
Nicely appointed apartments with plenty of room to spread out and chill out
Stumble to the beach
You'll have your toes in the sand within a minute of walking out the door.
Great local food and drink
Plenty of nearby options for food and drink that are more local, and less touristy.
How much does this beach cost?
TOTALS HAVE
CHANGED
LODGING COSTs by
Bed type
$760
(up from $720)
$570
(up from$540)
2 Single Occupancy Rooms
[Aras | Mark K]
2 Double Occupancy Rooms
[Damian | Paul | Dan | Mark D]
$0
$0
Sleeping with the Fishes
$200*
* Adam deposited $200 but had to bow out, causing all costs to change slightly.
Sleeping on the Beaches
Important Dates and Payment Links
Rental Deposit - Paid
A $500 deposit to reserve the property has already been paid.
First Rental Payment Due - Oct 1st
Please send payment for at least half of your lodging cost to Damian by this date. Full payment is accepted.
Second Rental Payment Due - Jan 1st
Please send the remainder of your lodging costs to Damian by this date. Will be reaching out to square up unpaid accounts.
Treasury Services
We are working directly with the owner and paying cash for the rental. This is saving us a few hundred dollars in fees, but means credit cards are not an option.
If you need any help working out what is owed, reach out to Damian. Otherwise, please use any of the following payment options to send him your payments by the dates listed to the left.
ApplePay: damian@raszewski.com
Zelle: damian@raszewski.com
PayPal: @DamianRaszewski
Cash App: $DamianRaszewski
Venmo: @DamianRaszewski
How fast does this beach go?
Transit info and costs
$60
per person
Vehicle rental
arranged by Dan
(pay him back directly)
15 minute drive from rental to SJU
(Luis Muñoz Marin Int. Airport)
45 minute drive from rental to
El Yunque National Forest
20 minute drive from rental to
Old San Juan Historic District
60 minute drive from rental to Cayey
(Pork Highway)
These beaches be tripping
If you are staying in the area, a trip into Old San Juan is a good bet for any itinerary.
Here are three things that you might want to do when visiting.
- Visit El Morro: This six-level fortress has protected San Juan Bay for over 400 years. Take a tour around the fortress and learn about its history, or simply enjoy the gorgeous views of the bay and ocean from the top.
- Stroll Down Calle del Cristo: This street is lined with colorful colonial buildings and plenty of shops, restaurants, and cafes. Take your time to explore the street and discover the hidden gems it has to offer.
- Try the Local Cuisine: Old San Juan has plenty of amazing restaurants serving up traditional and modern Puerto Rican dishes. Be sure to try local favorites like mofongo, arroz con gandules, and lechón asado to get a true taste of the island. Some ideas for a culinary tour of the area can be found here.
I’ve found the best general tourism reference site to be discoverpuertorico.com
All recommendations found here will link to this site, but there is much more to explore. Check out the site. $10 says after you do you’ll be sorry we aren’t staying longer!
(The Pork Highway)
The Lechoneras of the mountainous Guavate region are famous for serving slow-roasted whole pork in an outdoor party atmosphere. You’ll find locals and tourists all enjoying food, music, and dancing, typically with a cold beer or tropical drink in hand.
Although the town of Cayey is probably the most famous (and busiest) location, you can find lechoneras in other mountain towns as well, albeit with fewer restaurants to choose from.
If the slower pace of a small town sounds nice, consider the town of Trujillo Alto (only 30 minutes to the SE) or Naranjito (45 minutes to the SW). You can find traditional lechon in both, and unique events and sights in either.
For the real deal, I recommendgoing to Cayey, and spending an afternoon carousing around a few bars and restaurants in the area. It’ll be a festival atmosphere no matter where you stop
Below is a graph showing the average temperatures in PR over the course of the year. If all goes well, we should see temperatures around 70°. More info here.
If you're a nature enthusiast, a visit to El Yunque National Forest is a must. This expansive and lush forest is home to a wide variety of flora and fauna, including many species found nowhere else on earth. Hike through its many trails, take a dip in its refreshing waterfalls, and bask in the beauty of this natural wonder.
Beach take a hike
One of the easiest hikes in El Yunque is just 100 feet south of the Sierra Palm Visitor Center on Road 191 km 12.1. This short 0.4 to 0.6-mile walk is ideal for those who want to enjoy what the rainforest has to offer but are not ready to take on a more challenging trail. It is excellent if you're going to exercise with young ones or pets. Along the trail, you'll find many picnic spots with tables and barbecue pits, giant fern trees, beautiful wildflowers, and streams. This trail is the best opportunity for a "quick" nature trip and birdwatching.
Once you reach the top, you'll be surrounded by clouds! This 0.8-mile, out-and-back trail starts just off of Road 191 heading toward the Mount Britton lookout tower. The hike is around 45 minutes long, climbing up on paved pathways through the sierra palm and into the cloud forest. The narrow trail is labeled "challenging" by the U.S. Forest System. While it’s not as difficult as the label might suggest, keep in mind that it is steep in some places, and the humidity and rain can make the trail slippery at times
Puerto Rican Cuisine
a quick reference
Palo Viejo (also Ron Palo Viejo)
iA Puerto Rican rum brand.
Lechón Asado
Spit-roasted suckling pig—is one of the many traditional delicacies worth traveling to Puerto Rico for. This dish is prepared by slow roasting the whole swine—swaddled in salt, pepper, oregano, garlic, and ajíes dulces (small sweet cooking peppers)—over a wood charcoal fire.
Bistek Encebollado
Bistec encebollado is a traditional Puerto Rican recipe featuring cube steak marinated in a flavor-packed combo of onions, sofrito and vinegar, before being stewed in a savory tomato based sauce. It’s pure Puerto Rican comfort food.
Arroz Amarillo
Puerto Rican yellow rice is created by cooking the rice in a sauce mixture called sofrito . It takes on a yellow coloring through the spices in either Sazon seasoning, turmeric, or through using annato oil.
Cooking rice with sofrito allows the rice to absorb the flavors of the onions, garlic, peppers, and seasonings to create a flavorful yellow rice. Puerto Rican rice is a pilaf. A pilaf just means that the rice is cooked in a base of oil, spices, and seasonings before adding in water.
Piragua
A piragua is a Puerto Rican shaved ice dessert, shaped like a cone, consisting of shaved ice and covered with fruit-flavored syrup. Piraguas are sold by vendors, known as piragüeros, from small, traditionally brightly-colored pushcarts offering a variety of flavors.
Mofongo
Mofongo is the unofficial king of Puerto Rican cuisine. This tasty concoction of mashed plantains, seasonings, and an unlimited choice of fillings—including vegetables, shrimp, steak, pork, and seafood— graces the menu of nearly every Puerto Rican restaurant.
Lechón Asado
Spit-roasted suckling pig—is one of the many traditional delicacies worth traveling to Puerto Rico for. This dish is prepared by slow roasting the whole swine—swaddled in salt, pepper, oregano, garlic, and ajíes dulces (small sweet cooking peppers)—over a wood charcoal fire.
Arroz con Gandules
While mofongo may be the unofficial cuisine staple in Puerto Rico, arroz con gandules (rice with pigeon peas) is the island's national dish. And while this ensemble has distinctively Caribbean roots, the Puerto Rican twist is in the secret sauce known as sofrito. This sauce, made with aromatic ingredients, is sautéed or braised beforehand and gives the dish it's zesty flavor. Arroz con gandules is typically made with pork, chorizo, red peppers, and olives, indicative of its Spanish influence (the Spaniards first introduced olives and other spices to the island).
Asopao de Pollo
Asopao de Pollo is Puerto Rico's answer to chicken noodle soup. This homemade savory soup—made with chicken and rice—usually graces the holiday or Sunday tables of many Puerto Rican families. Most restaurants have it on their menu, too, as it is a perennial favorite with the Islanders. Asopao de pollo is actually more like a gumbo than a soup and it can come in several variations (depending on familial recipes) that include chicken, shellfish, or pork alongside peppers, pigeon peas, olives, and tomatoes.
Alcapurrias
Alcapurrias (or Puerto Rican stuffed fritters) can be found as street food all over the island. A beach food staple, these delights are usually made with a batter of green (underripe) bananas and stuffed with crab, shrimp, or lobster. Other variations include cuchifritos (stuffed with pork), almojábanas (cheese-filled rice fritters), bacalaítos (codfish fritters), and buñuelos (yam fritters).
What’s a beach to eat?
You can find great food just about everywhere
Here are a few well reviewed ideas
Breakfast
Regina evolved from a spot at an outdoor food hall to a tiny outpost on Calle Taft and finally to a full-scale cafe and restaurant. Among the city’s traditional panaderias serving Cubanos and media noches, Café Regina fills a void for light, creative takes on breakfast and lunch dishes, signaling this approach with an airy, bright space. On the rotating menu, check out the avocado toast, which may come adorned with black garlic and pickled radishes, or sandwiches on quality breads stuffed with fun ingredients like artichoke mayo and onion jam. Pair your meal with a cold brew or frothy cappuccino.
Lunch
Minutes from the San Juan airport, Piñones is a rustic neighborhood deeply rooted in African tradition. It’s famous for its beachside shacks hawking endless frituras, or fried foods, including the favorite, Kiosko el Boricua. Locals line up for the handmade alcapurrias, a green banana and yautia fritter filled with meat or crab, pastelillos filled with the same, and fried rice with jueyes, or crab. Wash them down with a cold Medalla, the local light pale lager that cuts the fat of the frituras and cools you down in the sun.
Dinner
As its name suggests, La Casita Blanca is, in fact, a "little white house." The walls are lined with potted plants and island kitsch, the tables are topped with patterned plastic tablecloths and old rum bottles filled with flowers, and the (strictly Spanish) menu is scribbled on a worn old chalkboard that looks as though it's been here since the restaurant opened 30 years ago. As soon as you sit down, you’re welcomed with a basket of bacalaitos (codfish fritters) and little bowls of plantain soup, on the house. Some days, you're in the mood for some sexy modernist cuisine. Other days, all you want is grandma's cooking. On those days, come here.
This beach has a plan...
A possible 4 day itinerary
Arrival day: Stop for provisions, drop off stuff, go to the beach. Beachfront dinner and drinks.
Departure day: Clean up the rental and head out as needed.
Thursday - Jan 11th
Have cake, eat it too
- Beach time
- Go out for breakfast/lunch
- Local exploring
- Pick up Paul at 3
- Head into Old San Juan for dinner, drinks, and maybe even a late night tour with Debbie!
- Or stay local-ish and head into barrio Condado or to the new Distrito T-Mobile to explore, eat, and drink
Friday - Jan 12th
Eat and drink like a pro
- Head out around 10am for an afternoon on The Pork Highway!
- Stop by Boxlab Brewery on the way back
- Stop by the apt. and hit the beach again for sunset
- Hit up the local area on foot for dinner and drinks
- Chill out on our rooftop or go for a late night swim in the pool
Saturday - Jan 13th
Old things / New things
- Head into Old San Juan
- Hit up El Morro, San Cristóbal, and La Fortalezza
- Take in the shops, cafes, and bars at a leisurely pace.
- Get lost
- Stop by an interesting art gallery or cathedral
- Take in the sunset on a walk along the Paseo de la Princesa
- Enjoy dinner and drinks in Old San Juan
Sunday - Jan 14th
Sun worship
- Drive over to El Yunque National Forest for some beautiful scenery
- Take the La Mina Trail to the La Mina Falls and wade into the waterfall pool
- Leave by mid-afternoon and stop by Luquillo Beach
- Stop at the Kioskos de Luquillo for lunch
- Hit the Water Beach Hotel rooftop for some upscale drinks and million dollar views of San Juan
Itineraries
Inbound
Get me to the beach on time!
Beach | Flight | Time |
Aras | UAL1339 | 6:25pm |
Damian | AA388 | 2:57pm |
Dan | AA388 | 2:57pm |
Mark D | AA388 | 2:57pm |
Mark K | AA388 | 2:57pm |
Paul | AA388 | 2:55pm Jan 11th |
Just a quick reference of when everyone is arriving/leaving.
Plug the flight number into the linked page to track any flight.
Outbound
The beach gets back!
Beach | Flight | Time |
Aras | UAL1368 | 2:30pm |
Damian | AA694 | 12:35pm |
Dan | AA2831 | 9:00am |
Mark D | AA2831 | 9:00am |
Mark K | AA2831 | 9:00am |
Paul | AA1184 | 4:20pm |
This beach isn’t leaving the house
When we are not out and about, we will be spending time at the apartments, and we may want to pick up a few things to eat and drink.
There are some small convenience story markets in walking distance, but I would recommend just going to a grocery store to stock up.
As a rule of thumb, I don’t expect vacation rentals to stock edible items apart from some spices in the kitchen. So if you’re gonna want coffee in the morning, it’s best to buy some for yourself.
I recommend we stop by a grocery store on our first day to stock up on some snacks and drinks. Here are the closest two stores.
