Episode 45: Finding Paradise in Puerto Rico with Jessica van Dop DeJesús

Angie Orth:

Just a few hours south of Miami, there's a Caribbean island that's calling your name. It's covered in lush rainforest, surrounded by stunning turquoise waters, and has just about every brand of beach vibe you could wish for. The scent of sea air competes only with the mouthwatering smell of roasted pork being served up by street food vendors. It's the proud birthplace of hip-hop artist Bad Bunny, and home to one of the most festive, fun-loving cultures you'll find anywhere today.

Jessica van Dop DeJesús aka “The Dining Traveler” is here to take us on a tour through her magical island homeland of Puerto Rico. Jessica, welcome to the show. I'm excited to introduce you to our Traveling With AAA family. Welcome!

Jessica van Dop DeJesús:

Thank you for having me on, Angie. I really appreciate it.

Angie:

You have a really interesting background. Travel has been a part of your personal life and your professional life. You've been able to see the world through the Marine Corps. Was there one experience where you realized that you wanted travel to be a part of your life forever?

Jessica:

I grew up in Puerto Rico—this tiny island—yes, it's fun to go there on vacation, but when you live there, you're on an island. So as a kid, I remember watching those Nat Geo nature shows and fantasizing about traveling. After my freshman year of college, I joined the Marines with the hope of getting to see the world. After I graduated from college, I became an officer and my first duty station I went to Okinawa, Japan. That opened up a whole different dimension of travel for me.

Angie:

What was it like growing up in Puerto Rico? What's a day in the life like there?

Jessica:

I grew up in a small town called Guamá on the southern coast. We spent a lot of time on the beach, we spent a lot of time road tripping on the weekends. My dad had this huge 1978 Ford LTD, and we would just cruise around the island on the weekends. As a kid you're like, “Ah, that's so boring. I want to play with my friends, but now I have to visit some relative an hour away.” Now, I look back and I'm like, “Yeah, that was a pretty cool childhood.”

Angie:

Now you're like, “Yeah, people pay big money to go ride around in vintage cars on tropical islands.” Right?

Jessica:

Exactly!

Angie:

That’s very expensive to do now. Where did you guys go?

Jessica:

My dad left Puerto Rico in the ‘50s and he was one of the first Latino families to end up in Rochester, New York, so he built this network of family and friends. Being Puerto Rican, we’re U.S. citizens, so a lot of folks moved back and forth.

He had friends everywhere, so it was like, “Oh, I have a friend that opened a restaurant here, let's go and visit him; or by the beach; or we're going to go to my aunt's house that's right outside San Juan; or we're going to go to the other side of the island.” A lot of restaurants focus on roasted pork—la Ruta del Lechón—for those who are probably familiar with that. So, we used to do that once a month. That was one of my dad's things, going to eat roasted pork on the weekends. So yeah, it was pretty cool.

Angie:

I want to talk about Hurricane Maria. It was 2017, September, the worst time of the year for the Caribbean. You just never know what's going to come storming off the coast of Africa.

Jessica:

Yes, absolutely. I was not personally there in Puerto Rico. I was living in Washington D.C. at the time, but what was very intense was the level of destruction and being uncommunicated. You're trying to reach your family, you're trying to reach your friends, you can't hear from anybody. In 1988, we survived Hurricane Hugo and I was 10 years old then, but I remember being trapped in our house and seeing stuff flying. Then the day after the hurricane, we go to our backyard and there's an actual shed house. It just blew away and it ended up in our yard and we were never able to find the owner, so it stood there for years. It was a surreal experience and there was no water, no electricity. This was the ‘80s, so it must have been for months.

Angie:

They really can change the landscape of the island, change the businesses, change the people, change the population.

What can you tell us about how the island is recovering? Because I think if you haven't been there or if you haven't lived through a hurricane, especially a really bad one, you might not realize how difficult it is to recover, especially as an island, right?

The economic impact was significant, estimated to be around $100 billion. And thousands of lives were lost, but there's been a pretty impressive recovery effort, too. I actually read that the economic impact of tourism hit 129.5 million in the spring of 2023, which is 16% higher than the year prior and 57% higher than 2021. I think it says a lot about the spirit of Puerto Ricans and their commitment to help the tourism industry not only recover, but truly thrive.

Jessica:

There was this collective PTSD from a lot of the folks that survived the hurricanes. The one thing that I believe—even in the worst situations like natural disasters and wars—is that positive things can occur. For me, what I've noticed is that a lot of people who are from the Puerto Rican Diaspora, those who have lived there and moved to the U.S. or overseas, have come back and have brought some of the things that they've learned from living abroad to Puerto Rico, and changed the hospitality landscape. When it comes to restaurants and hotels, I feel that there's more creativity at the moment. So, that's one interesting perspective.

Angie:

It's awful what happened, but I'm glad to see people are coming back and doing new things with it, finding a fresh start. Puerto Rico is a tropical island and that means you can travel in many seasons. Is there a high and low season? What should people think about when booking a trip?

Jessica:

There used to be a high and low season. The high season was December-May, and then you had the summer months. But I went with my family last summer, and I was like, “Oh wow, these are high-season prices!”

I think this has to do with the pandemic and people returning to travel or people who were hesitant to travel. There was a boom in 2021, and again in 2022, we've seen record numbers for tourism. I'm hoping for my own personal good that it go down come next year! I hope I can take my family there for the summer, but I would say November is a great time to go because it's the end of the hurricane season. It's always going to be hot, but it's great because you can go swimming anytime you want. It's the cusp of the Christmas season, and Puerto Ricans take Christmas very seriously and we have the longest Christmas season in the world. We start around the week of Thanksgiving because obviously being a U.S. territory, a lot of people observe Thanksgiving, and it goes on to mid-January. So, if you ever have the opportunity to go, it's super lively, they're playing music, they're having a good time.

Angie:

It's so true. Puerto Ricans will party.

Jessica:

Yes!

Angie:

Especially if you get them together, you can find a group of them because they are having the best time. Out of anybody, they're having the best time!

Puerto Ricans usually clap when they land in Puerto Rico.

Jessica:

They do!

Angie:

That's not just, “Oh, the plane landed, we're happy.” That's, “We're home. We're back!” They're so happy to be back on the island.

Jessica:

I think that's one of the things that makes me the most proud of being Puerto Rican. Regardless of what life throws at us, we find a way to be happy, have fun, and have a party. My husband, being from the Netherlands, is always making fun of me because he's like, “Oh, you're always trying to make a party of something.” I'm like, “Yes, it's my cat's birthday, I'm going to have a party!”

Angie:

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Do you think Puerto Rico is getting so much more tourism because people finally figured out it's right there, so close, but it's like a world away? It's totally different.

Jessica:

After the hurricane, there was obviously a lot of media focused on Puerto Rico. I have my platform, The Dining Traveler, but I'm also a freelance travel writer and I would pitch stories about Puerto Rico and people were just not interested or they would just write about El Yunque or San Juan, and the local voices weren't really taken into account.

I think that people just genuinely wanting to help and to see Puerto Rico. I think the music also—you know, Bad Bunny is now one of the most famed artists in the world—it's super interesting to see how music makes people curious about a place.

Obviously, the evenings and nightlife, there's La Placita de Santurce, which is very popular farmer’s market with locals and tourists. Of course, Puerto Ricans are like, “Yes, let’s all party outside the farmer's market!” And there's a lot of great live music, there are lively restaurants, and that also is lively from Thursday night to Sunday night.

I love La Factoría for drinks in Old San Juan. And that’s one where you see a little bit of everything—you see tourists; you see locals; and it has different bars within the bars, so if you go all the way to the back, that's where they play live salsa music if you're a salsa dancer.

On the weekends, a lot of the hotels, especially the big hotels like the Marriott and the Intercontinental, will also have salsa bands if you're a salsa dancer. Especially El Hotel San Juan in Isla Verde has that old-school feel and they'll have a live band, and people get dressed up, a lot of locals go there as well. There's a little bit of everything for every taste, whether you're more chill or you like to dress up, there's definitely a lot to do.

Angie:

So, whether you're a Bad Bunny fan or a Lin-Manuel Miranda fan, there’s something for you everywhere.

Jessica:

Yes, there is something!

Angie:

I think I'm more of a Lin-Manuel Miranda kind of person myself. Do you feel like those 2 have shown Puerto Rico in a whole new way to a new generation?

Jessica:

Absolutely, and I think that it also shows the contrast, right? Bad Bunny, born and raised in Puerto Rico. He has that very island vibe, he's young, and he's doing stuff that the young people do: go to La Placita, go outside, go to the beach.

Then Lin-Manuel represents that Diaspora culture. People who have grown up in New York or in the continental United States, but have this affinity to Puerto Rico even if they haven't grown up there. They still feel very much Puerto Rican. I always say Puerto Rican culture is not a monolith. Everybody thinks, “Oh, you're going to get there and it’s going to be like West Side Story where everybody is going to be dancing salsa.” Yes, people like to dance, but there's also a big alternative music scene and a rock scene. So, there's a little bit for everybody.

Angie:

You've written about being a weekend warrior, encouraging people to think of Puerto Rico as a great destination for a long weekend because it's so easy to get to from Florida, Dallas, Atlanta—all the hubs, right?

Jessica:

Anywhere on the East Coast. When I lived in D.C., it was like 3 and a half hours to get there. So, it's a perfect getaway.

Angie:

What would you suggest people do? Say they've got Thursday, Friday, and Saturday night, what do they do in Puerto Rico with that amount of time?

Jessica:

For me, Old San Juan is a place that never gets old—going to El Morro, which is UNESCO World Heritage Site—and it’s actually one of the oldest cities in the New World. There's so much history there. The houses are very Instagrammable, they're beautiful, colorful, and I think that shows a little bit of that Caribbean spirit as well. So, that's something I definitely recommend.

If you're going on a Saturday or Friday afternoon, I definitely recommend going to the mountains of Puerto Rico and experiencing the food culture there. Whether it's going to Guavate, which is a region where they have the street that just sells roasted pork. There are some other regions in the center of the island, especially since that area of Guavate can get quite crowded. There's another road in Ciales, Morovis, Orocovis, so that whole center of Puerto Rico is just filled with restaurants and different places, and those are usually very popular Fridays to Sundays.

Angie:

Is there a place to go to avoid crowds and get that relaxed tropical holiday? Maybe like you used to have with your family in the big car?

Jessica:

I love going to the Southwest Coast of Puerto Rico. There's a town called Cabo Rojo. It’s such a chill vibe. It almost feels like nature is a swimming pool and the restaurants are chill. It's just completely different from the hustle and bustle of San Juan.

There are 2 habited islands called Vieques and Culebra off the East Coast, and they're a bit challenging to get there. You either get there by ferry, and the ferry … I always tell people, “Yes, it is cheap, but you get what you pay for in terms of operations.” But there are also flights that will take you there. Once you're there—especially if you're traveling on a weekday—there are beaches that you can almost have to yourself. A few summers ago, I went with my family to Vieques, we rented a little golf cart and we were the only people there at several beaches, which is pretty awesome.

Angie:

There's nothing like having a beach to yourself, especially a gorgeous Caribbean one with clear water and white sand. Is it white sand there?

Jessica:

Yeah, the East Coast has those white sandy beaches. There's a black sand beach, Playa Negra, and it's a bit challenging getting there because you have to really hike these little paths, so it's super special when you get there.

Angie:

Do people usually rent cars? Is that the easiest way to get around?

Jessica:

I feel that a lot of people are hesitant to rent cars, but I always advise folks to rent cars so you can have that true Puerto Rican experience. If you drive in Florida, you're going to be fine in Puerto Rico. Don't worry about it.

Angie:

Is there something that's under the radar that people don't necessarily know about, but you think everyone should?

Jessica:

Puerto Rico has the third-largest underground cave system in the world. There are different tours that actually take you out. It was amazing because I went rappelling, and we rappelled down to the cave and then we had to swim from one side of the cave to the other. For folks who are active, that is something that I really enjoyed. You get to see nature in a completely different perspective. We all wore our little hats with the light and got to teach the kids about the rock formations. So, you can do it in a chill way with little kids, or you can do it full-on like, “I'm going rappel and jump off cliffs inside of a cave and swim.”

Angie:

And afterward, you feel like you are Indiana Jones, like you have conquered the world. Right?

Jessica:

The coolest thing is that there's a town like 30 minutes away from the main entrance of las Cavernas del Río Camuy called Lares, and they have one of the most unique ice cream shops in Puerto Rico. They probably have 40-50 different types of ice creams. We Puerto Ricans love our tropical fruit, so you'll get this mango sorbet or passionfruit, but you can even get these very niche flavors, like garlic ice cream, rice and beans ice cream, which I think is more for the notoriety, but it is fun. I love corn ice cream, that's really popular in Puerto Rico with a little dash of cinnamon. You can reward yourself for your hard work with an ice cream in Lares.

Angie:

I don't know about you, but I am all in with subbing lunch for a scoop of corn ice cream and a scoop of rice and beans ice cream. It sounds strangely delicious.

Since ice cream is the perfect way to end a meal, I think it's a sweet way to wrap up today's episode. Be sure to join us for next week's mini episode because Jessica will be telling you everything you need to know about Puerto Rican food and sharing her favorite local spots to eat.

Jessica van Dop DeJesús, thank you for joining us and thank you to our listeners for being with us. If you're planning a trip, be sure to connect with a AAA Travel Advisor, check out AAA.com/travel, or visit your local branch. If you enjoyed this podcast, please subscribe and leave us a review. I'm Angie Orth, thank you for traveling with AAA.