A Guide to Puerto Rico: Bachelorette Perspective
Welcome to On Cloud Mel! Due to unpopular opinion, my 4-day trip was Friday to Monday.
I had been preparing for Puerto Rico for about two weeks by the time I actually had to pack. Essentially, I pack on my phone before grabbing the items to place in my luggage the night before. I make sure my laundry is completed, so I’m only working with clean clothes. I know, I’m weird. But it’s worked perfectly for me for the past few years.
FRIDAY
The workaholic in me clocked in the morning before my flight, even though I was on PTO. I know I need to learn boundaries, but I was trying to get some emails done before I came back to 200+ after my vacay. It’s probably just a me thing… but I know someone will relate!! Our flight was at 12:20PM. The bulk of us were flying from Miami International to Luis Munoz Marin International, nonstop, while one of my other friends was coming in from O’Hare in Chicago.. More times than not, while flying with my sister, we’ll grab food from the lounge before take off since access to the lounge is included with our credit cards. The money spending would start on the trip!
Pre-flight, we made some TikTok videos… here’s the result of the one I’m talking about. You know we started off the trip right, when we made some content.
Arriving to the Airbnb
PREFACE
I had been in contact with the host at the Airbnb, prior to the trip. Shoutout to Carol for being simply amazing. She went above and beyond for us. Carol knew I was traveling before my bachelorette with my bridal party. She made some brand new materials with the theme: On Cloud Mel. Between personalized cups, self-care items, snacks, and MY FAVORITE guava sticks (that can only be bought in Puerto Rico); Carol did all the things! We were very grateful for her and her hospitality.
I will say, she also had two rental car options for the group. This is separate from the normal companies at the airport. If you were interested in booking that with her, make sure to reach out. She makes sure that the vehicle is dropped off at the airport or may offer to pick you up, just to make it more convenient for you. The vehicle was a lifesaver for us, and so much more affordable than the options we looked at!
BACK ON TRACK
We brought our items in, and I was sent to my room so they could decorate for the weekend. By the time I had gotten ready and the decor was completed, it started pouring. So, we switched up the itinerary and stayed in… it’s GAME NIGHT, BABY! But first, everyone dressed like different phases of Mel!!! Aka me. There’s 5 am gym, Roarthon, Panther Camp, sleepy Mel, Alpha Xi, and in my dog Mom era.
SATURDAY
We took a stroll through San Juan, Puerto Rico’s capital but made a pit stop to Barrachina. Did you know, in 1963, a man named Don Ramon Portas Mingot created the piña colada?
As we walked around, and took advantage of the time, before taking the ferry to Casa Bacardi, we took photos nearby and saw the “I love Puerto Rico” tourist sign. You know what every tourist would’ve done…
Unfortunately, due to being inherently late (thanks Miami) we missed the ferry. The ferry was leaving at 1:15 pm and we arrived at 1:15 pm, aka be earlier than departure. We later found out that when we arrived on site, there was FREE parking and we got a refund for the ferry we didn’t take. You know what that means, GIRL MATH! We sat in the common area for a bit until our group was called and took a mini golf cart ride to the venue. Regretfully, because we wanted cute photos by the sugarcane, we ended up being one of the last groups in the tasting room. So our group was separated (and not accommodated for). We still had fun though! We shopped, ate some much needed snacks, took photos by the barrels, and headed back for a night out! Some of us even took some much needed siestas!
“Learning how to make our own Bacardi drinks was such a highlight of the trip! We were bartenders for the afternoon; and while some made strong drinks, others made them even stronger!”
We danced the night away where Despacito was filmed in ‘Factoría’ bar. Funnily enough, it was a strip mall in which about seven bars were connected through adjacent doors. We didn’t have to worry about the rain, walking outside, or anything. We even met another bachelor group with a scavenger hunt. I helped complete some items but you’ll never know those details.
We ended the night eating at a restaurant called Raíces and stopped for Drunken Cookies on the way home. Of course came back to the Airbnb for some tiktok fun.
SUNDAY
You know the Mean Girls scene where the girl could tell if it will rain that day? WELL IT RAINED! Let’s start at the beginning of the day though. We had a breakfast stop at a local coffee shop called La Coffeetera. You know me and coffee; we’re like white on rice.
We drove to El Yunque National Rainforest, specifically Juan Diego Creek. We made it a point to walk and hike when we found an easy trail. Because of mother nature bringing rain, we were a bit limited in our outdoor activity.
We got soaked, took lots of photos, drank wine, and most importantly, enjoyed each other’s company. The memories were magical!
My thoughts
The plan was to go to the beach if we were dry after El Yunque, but that didn’t happen. So we ended up at the plaza area for some snacks and drinks. When I spotted the churros, it felt like I was in Australia again. The sugary taste with the caramel dip was to die for! We may have also gotten the huge pitcher drinks from Gringo Bar & Grill and enjoyed ourselves more. In hindsight, the mix of churros and pitcher drinks weren’t a good combination… but in the moment, it didn’t matter.
The theme of the night was ‘Margs & Matrimony’ and my wedding party did amazing with their outfit choices! The plan was to eat dinner at Puerto Criollo. I ordered based off the images on their menu, but sadly, the food looked nothing like what I chose. The taste could have been better too. I was pretty disappointed. Despite the food not being the best, we danced the night away at The Mezzanine, El Cafetín, & El Batey Tavern. Tyler also chaperoned the outing. Ha!
MONDAY
Wakey wakey, eggs and bakey! Hear me out… we went to Pannes for breakfast but I was truly craving rice and churrasco. I’m that weird person that prefers to eat lunch or dinner meals for breakfast. Most people would say that it’s the ‘unpopular opinion.’ Yes, it doesn’t sound like breakfast, but it was everything I needed and more in that moment.
We ended our morning creating our ‘end of trip’ video and had tons of mosquito bites. If you didn’t know, I’m actually very allergic to mosquitos. From what I noticed, the bites get worse when I’m outside the US borders. At this rate, it might as well be my souvenir during my travels…
MY BACHELORETTE TRIP WAS A DREAM IN PUERTO RICO! Thank you to my maid of honor, bridesmaids, bridesman, and all the wonderful people who sent funds to see me have an amazing weekend.
See ya next time,
Mel
PS If you’re looking to travel to Puerto Rico and need ideas about the trip, this is the canva itinerary of pretty much everything we did. Thank Giselle, my maid of honor, when you see her!
