This post brought to you by Puerto Rico, The All-Star Island. All opinions are 100% mine.
I haven’t always wanted to travel. In my younger years, traveling to new places – especially beyond the continental United States – was well beyond my comfort zone. But as I’ve gotten older, I’ve started dreaming and planning of places to visit. Some are still within the continental United States, but many are outside of it. One place that’s been on my radar has been Puerto Rico.
I see Puerto Rico as a great “beginning” traveler location. First, because it’s a U.S. commonwealth, no passport would be necessary. Plus, the U.S. dollar is the official currency, so I don’t have to convert money. I’m sure both of these things is quite doable, but to me it’s one less thing to worry about. The language spoken is both English and Spanish, with most speaking English.
There are many reasons I want to visit Puerto Rico, but it should come as no surprise that the main reasons are food related. Here’s my list of the 5 foodie reasons to visit Puerto Rico:
1. Restaurants & Chefs: It seems silly to mention, because eating at restaurants you can’t get at home is always the best part of traveling. Puerto Rico offers amazing, authentic cuisine and one of the biggest foodie reasons to visit Puerto Rico.
2. Rum: Did you know that over 70% of the rum sold in the United States comes from Puerto Rico? Rum is David’s top favorite liquor, so sampling local brands and taking tours of the rum distilleries is top on our list.
3. Coffee: There is a rich history of coffee in Puerto Rico. As major coffee drinkers, we would love the opportunity to visit one of their plantations, plus participate in a coffee tasting.
4. Plantains: I know I can get plantains here, but I want to enjoy them in Puerto Rico…in the dishes that they do well. Whether it’s mofongo (fried green plantains mashed with olive oil, garlic, broth, and bacon), tostones (fried green plantains), pasteles (mashed plantains stuffed with meat, wrapped in a banana leaf and steamed), or even more, plantains are a staple in Puerto Rican cooking. When I visit, you can bet I’ll be enjoying a bit of all of these.
5. Saborea: Puerto Rico’s largest annual food festival is a great way to enjoy 30 restaurants, plus rums, wine, beer, distilled spirits all in one spot. While planning a visit during the time of Saborea isn’t always practical, I think it’s a great way to enjoy the culinary wonders of Puerto Rico all in one spot.
Of course, while, there are plenty of foodie reasons to visit Puerto Rico, there are a few other reasons too. For David, he wants to go golfing there. I’m not as excited about that as he is, buthere ares some non-foodie things I would like to see:
- Visit Flamenco Beach in Culebra, which has a reputation as being one of the best beaches in the world.
- Visit El Yunque, the only rainforest in the US national park service.
- Visit San Juan, the capital of Puerto Rico, plus the 2nd oldest European-established capital city in the Americas
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