Puerto rico winter vacation

Puerto Rico is a beautiful, tropical island that’s perfect for your next vacation.

Whether you’re looking for a quiet getaway or a lively night out on the town, Puerto Rico has it all. The beaches are gorgeous, the food is delicious and diverse, and there are so many things to do that it’s impossible to run out of ways to enjoy your time there!

You can enjoy a relaxing day at the beach or go snorkeling in clear blue waters. You can visit historical sites like El Morro or Old San Juan or just enjoy a good meal at one of the many restaurants in Old San Juan. There are also great museums like Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico and Museo de Historia Natural y Artes Populares that will teach you about Puerto Rican history and culture.

And if you want to spend more time exploring outside of San Juan? There are plenty of places throughout the island with beautiful natural scenery: beaches where you can lounge on white sands under coconut trees; waterfalls where you can swim in pools carved into rocks by rushing waterfalls; caves that have been carved into stone by wind and rain over millions of years; forests filled with exotic plants and animals native only to this region!

Puerto rico winter vacation
Winter weather 

While Puerto Rico’s weather is warm year-round, you’ll skip a lot of the rain and humidity during the winter months from November through April. Temperatures aren’t as high, but the sun is still out so a tan is guaranteed. Caribbean nights also get a bit cooler, dropping into the 70s on the coast and 50s in the mountains, making al fresco dining much more appealing.

Perch up poolside at the InterContinental San Juan on Isla Verde Beach — Photo courtesy of InterContinental San Juan

Caribbean resort getaway

Don’t expect to find all-inclusive hotels on this island like you would throughout other parts of the Caribbean. Instead, Puerto Rico is home to a number of options from luxury to budget-friendly getaways, local inns and campsites. Isla Verde is the resort-heavy part of Puerto Rico, just 10 minutes from the airport and 20 from Old San Juan. Wrapping up a $22 million renovation, the 397-room InterContinental San Juan is sitting on one of the area’s best white-sand stretches. This is the spot where lounging all day–whether in a beachfront chair or from an oceanview room–is encouraged, where island time sets in as soon as you sip a piña colada by the pool, and continues long after with evening drinks around the firepit. Don’t miss Akua bar’s award-winning Coqui nightcap, named after the island’s tiny indigenous tree frog, that blends the best elements of an old fashioned and piña colada.

Longest Christmas celebrations in the world

Brace yourself for a holiday seasons that starts after Thanksgiving and continues through January, three weeks past New Year’s Day. Puerto Rican holiday festivities blend traditions from Spain and Africa, with customs like parrandas, a Puerto Rican version of Christmas caroling and the eight-day octavitas celebration, which follows the Epiphany on January 6.

Puerto Rican Mardi Gras

Christmas officially ends with the San Sebastián Street Festival on the third weekend of January. Essentially Puerto Rico’s version of Mardi Gras, San Sebastián Street in Old San Juan shuts down for four days of music, parades and religious processions for the ultimate street party that originally began over 40 years ago to honor Saint Sebastian. 

You can always find specialties like the fried plantain-filled mofongo (pictured here), but Puerto Rico also has holiday favorites around Christmas — Photo courtesy of Puerto Rico Tourism Company

Holiday Feasts

If you happen to be in Puerto Rico around Christmas, you’ll have the chance to sample local specialties like lechón asado (roasted pork), pollo guisado (chicken stew with potatoes and green olives) and pasteles (mashed green bananas stuffed with meat and wrapped in banana leaves). You can also try the coconut-based coquito, the Puerto Rican version of eggnog, at almost any bar you visit.

Kayak in one of Puerto Rico’s three bio bays — Photo courtesy of Puerto Rico Tourism Company

Best time for bio bays

There are only five bioluminescent bays on the globe and Puerto Rico is home to three of them. One of the easiest to reach from San Juan is Laguna Grande in Las Croabas, Fajardo, about an hour away by car. Lit up by large amounts of dinoflagellates each time you paddle or touch the water, the bay glows brighter on moonless nights, especially if it hasn’t rained in a while.  

Hike the Rain Forest

Since the sun isn’t blaring quite as strong as in summer, it’s the perfect time to take nature hikes through El Yunque. The only tropical rainforest in the U.S. National Forest System, El Yunque is home to 26 animal species you won’t find anywhere else in the world, as well as the picture-perfect La Mina waterfalls, easily accessible by a light 30-minute hike on paved paths.

Kayak in Dewey on Culebra, just 17 miles off mainland Puerto Rico — Photo courtesy of Puerto Rico Tourism Company

Easy island hopping 

While winter may be high season, you can escape the crowds island hopping off the east coast of Puerto Rico to the Spanish Virgin Islands of Culebra and Vieques. Catch a ferry and visit Flamenco Beach on Culebra or head to Mosquito Bay on Vieques where you can kayak through the brightest bio bay on the globe.

More direct flights

Since snowbirds are fleeing the cold, direct flights to San Juan’s Luis Muñoz Marin International Airport more than double in winter. You can find affordable last-minute daily flights on over 12 airlines from destinations like Chicago, New York and Washington, D.C., with flight times under four hours.

Start your Caribbean cruise from the Old San Juan port — Photo courtesy of Puerto Rico Tourism Company

Easy Caribbean cruise access

With the second-largest cruise port in the Western Hemisphere, Puerto Rico is known as the cruise capital of the Caribbean. Instead of spending two days at sea when coming from Florida, fly to San Juan and start the trip there so you can pack more destinations and sightseeing into your Caribbean getaway (plus tack on some time before or after to explore San Juan).