I went to San Juan for the first time and was blown away by how much fun I had on a budget
My sister and I stayed within walking distance of Condado Beach, so visiting was a daily activity on our itinerary. We enjoyed watching everyone swim, tan, and hang out in the sun.
The beach is close to lots of shops and restaurants, which I liked stopping at during the day.
I also highly recommend trying a treat from The Crazy Pineapple, a vendor on the beach. I paid $20 for an amazing mix of sorbet and rum inside a pineapple.
We enjoyed walking the streets of Old San Juan.
Old San Juan is a charming section of the city that dates back to the 16th century and is complete with cobblestone streets and plenty of colorful buildings.
We loved looking at the architecture and stopping into different clothing, jewelry, and souvenir shops. During our visit, art vendors even lined Paseo de La Princesa, a picturesque promenade through the area.
One of our favorite restaurants in Old San Juan was Barrachina, which claims to be the birthplace of the piña colada. We each paid about $12 for our drinks, which were delicious and creamy. I thought it tasted better than any other piña colada I've had.
My sister and I had so much fun in Old San Juan that we came back multiple times throughout our trip.
I recommend visiting the historic forts and the San Juan Gate.
Old San Juan is also home to historic forts like Castillo San Felipe del Morro and Castillo de San Cristóbal.
For just $10, I got access to both sites, but due to time constraints, I only visited San Cristóbal. As someone who appreciates learning about history, I loved exploring the tunnels and looking at the weaponry, wall drawings, and barracks.
I also recommend stopping by La Puerta de San Juan (the San Juan Gate), a bright red gate that used to be the entrance to Old San Juan. There's no entrance fee and it's located right by the water. It provided a glimpse into history — and was a good spot to take photos.
Old San Juan is a great place for nightlife, too.
Not only is Old San Juan an incredible place to sightsee during the day, but it's an amazing place for nightlife, too.
My sister and I splurged and spent $60 each to participate in the Old San Juan Bar Crawl.
Our group had about 30 people, and we were taken to a few different bars, each of which provided a welcome drink. We also got access to an open bar for around 45 minutes at one of the locations.
Don't miss out on the fun in La Placita de Santurce either.
La Placita de Santurce is a market square that transforms into a party when night falls. When we visited, music was blaring, the streets were full of people dancing, and there was a line to get in most of the bars, restaurants, and clubs.
We enjoyed the music and the people at Aguardiente Bar and Tulum La Placita. When we visited, neither spot charged a cover fee, and each of our drinks cost about $15.
We also had a great time at Jungle Bird, a cocktail bar that, in my opinion, had a quieter vibe than some of the other places we'd been to.
Taking a day trip to Luquillo Beach was the perfect way to end our vacation.
On our last full day of the trip, my sister and I decided to take an Uber to Luquillo Beach, which is about an hour away from San Juan. It cost about $71 to get there and back.
At the beach, we enjoyed cooler water with fewer waves and the nearby Luquillo Kiosks, a street filled with food, drink, and souvenir stands. My sister and I tried tacos from one of the vendors and were impressed by the flavors.
We noticed that beachgoers also had the option to sign up for activities like jet skiing or kayaking, but we opted to just set up a picnic on the beach. It was great soaking up the sunshine before heading home.
Overall, my first trip to San Juan was a success.
In my experience, San Juan provided the perfect mix of beaches, history, food, and nightlife without a giant price tag.
I'm still dreaming about the waves at Condado Beach and sipping on piña coladas, and my sister and I are already talking about going back next year.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
18 minutes ago
- Yahoo
South Padre Island Board of REALTORS® Partners with iHomefinder to Equip Agents for the Future of Real Estate
New Member Benefit Brings Industry-Leading Tools for Visibility, Lead Generation, and Long-Term Growth EUGENE, Ore., July 25, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The South Padre Island Board of REALTORS® (SPIBOR) today announced a new partnership with iHomefinder, the leading provider of real estate growth technology designed to help agents thrive in an increasingly competitive and fast-evolving market. This partnership gives SPIBOR members exclusive access and preferred pricing on iHomefinder's complete platform providing smart lead generation, marketing automation, and a proven system for building long-term pipeline in a market where visibility is no longer optional. "We've seen the real estate landscape change dramatically in recent years," said Lindsey Martinez, Association Executive at SPIBOR "Buyers and sellers aren't waiting to raise their hand—they're starting their journey earlier and online. This partnership ensures our members have the modern tools they need to stay visible and grow in this new environment." A New Way to Stay Visible—and Win in a Changing Market This partnership comes as iHomefinder sharpens its positioning around solving what it calls the "lead deficit"—a widespread issue where agents rely on moment-of-intent lead capture and miss out on the 95% of buyers and sellers who begin their decision-making process long before reaching out. iHomefinder's platform is designed to help agents become what it calls Visible Agents—professionals who show up early, earn trust, and build long-term client pipelines by leveraging the right mix of content, automation, and tech. "Today's most successful agents don't wait for leads—they build pipelines. And visibility is the key," said Bryson Womack, Vice President of Sales at iHomefinder. "We're thrilled to partner with SPIBOR to help their members stay competitive, even as the market continues to shift." SPIBOR Members Now Have Access To: AI-Powered Marketing Automation – Personalized email and SMS nurture flows based on lead behavior High-Intent Seller Leads – Including equity estimates, ownership history, and likely-to-sell scoring IDX Website + CRM Integration – Tools that track, score, and convert buyer and seller activity Mobile Lead Management – Stay responsive with full-featured mobile access to your database A Proven System to Generate 50+ Nurture Leads/Month – Built on daily visibility, content, and CRM signals Members also gain access to iHomefinder's exclusive Visible Agent Playbook—a modern blueprint for turning online presence into real-world closings. Why This Matters Now With fewer listings, rising competition, and buyer attention spread across dozens of channels, today's agents need more than just a website or an IDX feed—they need a growth engine that helps them stay visible, build trust early, and move buyers and sellers toward action with less manual effort. This partnership reflects a shared vision from both SPIBOR and iHomefinder: to equip agents for the next era of real estate success. SPIBOR members can get started today by visiting: 👉 About iHomefinderiHomefinder is a leading provider of real estate growth solutions that help agents, teams, and brokerages grow through visibility, automation, and client engagement. With more than 20 years of experience, iHomefinder supports thousands of agents across North America with powerful IDX tools, high-intent lead generation, and a modern Growth Operating System. Learn more at View original content: SOURCE iHomefinder Inc. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
18 minutes ago
- Yahoo
S&P 500, Nasdaq close at records; Deckers soars on UGG demand
STORY: U.S. stocks gained on Friday, as the Dow added almost half a percent, and the S&P 500 and Nasdaq reached more record high closes, climbing four-tenths and about a quarter of a percent, respectively. The indexes were lifted on hopes the U.S. could reach a trade agreement with the European Union as soon as this weekend, when President Trump meets in Scotland with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. That's a sharp contrast to the market turmoil triggered by Trump's so-called "Liberation Day" tariffs, notes Brad Bernstein, managing director at UBS Private Wealth Management. "When we initially saw the 2-day, 10% sell-off, the markets really priced in worst-case scenarios and a lot of what Trump had said on Liberation Day being real. Since then, we've had this incredible recovery, now at all-time highs, close to 6400 today on the S&P, because the markets see that he's really negotiating with foreign countries. The markets are seeing that we've had an incredibly resilient economy. The markets are seeing we've had really no material impact on inflation, so far, into the data. And we've had a lot of positive events, such as the extension of the Trump tax cuts." Related Videos How meme stock mania is a 'sign of the times' 'We ask for more data' than FICO: VantageScore CEO Exciting Time, Data Center Construction Booming: Aon CFO Liquid Death CEO on energy drink push, consumers, & growth Stocks on the move Friday included Deckers Outdoor, which soared 11% after the maker of UGG boots and Hoka sneakers beat quarterly estimates. Shares of Intel tumbled 8.5% after the chipmaker forecast steeper quarterly losses than expected and announced plans to slash jobs. :: Charter Communications Shares of Charter Communications slumped more than 18% after the cable giant reported a deeper-than-expected broadband subscriber loss. And Paramount Global's stock dipped more than one and a half percent after U.S. regulators approved its $8.4-billion merger with Skydance Media. Investors next week will focus on the U.S. Federal Reserve, with policymakers on Thursday expected to hold interest rates steady as the central bank weighs the impact of tariffs on inflation. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
18 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Ben Stiller to Explore His Parents' Legacy in New Documentary, Set for October Release
Stiller called it a "great honor to celebrate" his parents, adding that he has "come to know them in new ways through the making of this film" Ben Stiller is bringing his parents' story to life in a personal new project. The 59-year-old actor and director is joining forces with Apple Original Films to direct and produce a documentary titled Stiller & Meara: Nothing Is Lost, which will chart the lives of his famous parents Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara. 'I feel very fortunate to be partnering once again with the incredible team at Apple TV+, this time on a project that is very personal to me and my family," Ben said in a statement. "It's exciting to finally get to share it with audiences; and a great honor to celebrate my parents, both as I knew them growing up, and as I've come to know them in new ways through the making of this film.' Stiller & Meara: Nothing Is Lost will premiere in select theaters on Oct. 17, before coming to Apple TV+ on Oct. 24. Ben's film explores his parents' "impact on both popular culture and at home, where the lines between creativity, family, life and art often blurred," per Apple's logline. Jerry and Meara worked as a comedy act before pursuing solo careers in the 1970s. Jerry went on to star in hit projects such as The King of Queens and Seinfeld. As for Meara, she appeared in Awakenings in 1990, and several TV shows, including Archie Bunker's Place, Oz and Sex and the City. Both stars shared the screen with Ben over the years, with all three appearing in 1995's hit Heavyweights. Meara joined forces with her son on 2006's Night at the Museum, and Jerry's final acting projects involved collaborations with his son in 2016 on Zoolander 2 and the animated TV movie Zoolander: Super Model. After meeting a year prior, Jerry and Meara tied the knot in 1954. They welcomed their daughter Amy Stiller in 1961. Four years later, they gave birth to Ben. Anne died at 85 in May 2015. Jerry followed almost exactly five years later in May 2020 at 92. Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Appearing on the Today show after his father's death, Ben expressed joy that his parents were able to reunite in the afterlife, saying, "They found each other and they were there for each other." He continued, "Not to get too sappy, but I feel like they're connected again." During a June 2024 appearance on the Hey Dude…The 90s Called! podcast, Ben said that he had "amazing memories" with his parents, recalling time spent no sets and "going with my parents whenever they would go out and do, you know, do nightclubs or go to see them in the theater." He added that he "loved" being on set with his parents, explaining how much he enjoyed "just to see the behind-the-scenes of what they were doing. I realized pretty young that I loved directing and movie making and was fascinated by that and wanted to learn about that." Ben previously worked with Apple TV+ on Severance. He is an executive producer on the show and has directed several episodes. Read the original article on People
