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An increasingly popular vacation spot, Puerto Rico has it all – long sandy beaches, cute little restaurant shacks, architecturally interesting towns and the rainforest. Best of all, it’s small enough that you can fit most of this into a weekend.

Once you’ve arrived into Fajardo’s Diego Jimenez Torres Airport, rent a car for the weekend and head to your hotel at the beach resort of Luquillo. Hotel Yunque Mar is a gem of a hotel, right on one of the most perfect Caribbean beaches you could possibly imagine, and a short distance from the El Yunque rainforest. Clean white walls with great artwork, brightly colored comforters and airy balconies make the little rooms attractive and inviting. After freshening up with a walk along the beach and a dip in the sea, head a few meters along the shore for dinner at the kioskos.

These Puerto Rican street food institutions offer a huge range of food, but our pick would be #21, Ay Bonito! Husband and wife team Yoli and Paul (she out front, he in the kitchen) bend over backwards to make sure that their guests have the best time possible, so service is quick and friendly, while the food is sublime. Super-fresh seafood (including their classic mahi mahi) goes beautifully with the mojitos they have perfected into an art form. After dinner, move on to the Boardriders Rum Shack to sample the best of Puerto Rican rums while watching the waves crash onto the beach and listening to live music.

In the morning, get a quick breakfast in the hotel and set out for San Juan. The morning is the best time to explore Old San Juan’s colonial buildings and narrow blue adoquine streets, filled with small shops, museums and art galleries, and to make your way out to El Morro. This Spanish fort comprises six levels of dungeons, barracks and turrets, and its romantic ruins are right on the edge of the island, making for phenomenal views. After you’ve explored, make your way to the Plaza del Mercado for lunch at Jose Enrique. Tucked away on a quiet residential street, this place does sensational Puerto Rican food and is a firm favorite with the locals.

When you’re finished eating, hop back into the car and make for El Yunque rainforest. This place has some of the most spectacular trees, vegetation and waterfalls you’re ever likely to see, and is well worth the trip. A short drive up to the top of the reserve (with frequent breaks for the stupendous views) leads you to the La Mina trail, which follows the La Mina River to the falls. After a half hour hike, you’ll be at Cascada La Mina, ready to relax in the pool and swim under the falls – an incredible experience. Grab a snack to keep you going on the way out from one of the street stands, and then make for Fajardo.

You’ll need to be at Las Croabas by 5:30pm to meet with the Bio Bay kayak guides from Kayaking Puerto Rico, who will take you to the Laguna Grande. The early start time means you can explore the beautiful mangrove channels in the daylight, before moving on to the center of the Laguna. This incredible natural phenomenon means that the water glows with the light of billions of microscopic plankton, so the kayaks travel on a slipstream of blue light. The experienced tour guides know everything about the ecology, and point out everything to make sure the tour sees it all. This absolutely magical experience perfectly rounds off a day of sightseeing as you marvel at the glowing water slipping through your fingers.

Once you’re back on dry land, head to La Estacion at the mouth of Las Croabas, and finish off the day with a delicious meal of fresh fish and mofongo grilled over charcoal for succulent flavors. Once you wake up in the morning, there’s time for a stroll along the beach and a last swim in the warm sea before you make your way back home, refreshed and inspired.

(Images: El Morro, Jaro Nemčok; La Mina, Stan Shebs)

About the author

Pleasance CoddingtonPleasance is a British travel writer and online content specialist in travel. She has written for numerous publications and sites including Wired, Lucky, Rough Guides and Yahoo! Travel. After working for six years on content and social media at VisitBritain, she is now the Global Content and Social Media Manager for Cheapflights.

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