El Yunque Rainforest, Puerto Rico

Sweet

Luquillo beach was fantastic. Out of the two I visited in Puerto Rico, Luquillo, in my opinion beats Condado. There are no large hotels, and there is a local feel - lots of shacks offering $5 sunbeds and plenty of jet-ski rental options. The water was calm, there were colourful beach huts, lots of families and loud music everywhere. Although there were plenty of tourists there, it didn’t feel as though it was catering entirely to tourists, which made the vibe all the more comfortable.

Just at the start of the beach, there is a strip of kiosks, offering different food options, from sit down places to street-food stalls and sports bars. It would be very easy and hugely enjoyable to spend many days (and evenings, judging by some of the happy hour deals) in Luquillo.

Spicy

The El Yunque Forest is probably one of the most stunning places I’ve been to. It had an abundance of greenery, with a huge variety of plants and flowers. Staying in treehouses, out of the way of the main towns was very out of my comfort zone, I am used to hotels, not ‘glamping’... But, as well as being able to see all of the stars, at night, you could also hear all of the sounds of the rainforest, mainly the tree-frogs!

The balcony at breakfast time.

I feel as though I don’t have the writing skills to describe how green and gorgeous it was, and it could not have been any more different to the London I left behind the week before. I could have sat and just stared at the view from the balcony for hours, it was almost unbelievable how somewhere, in real life, could be this pretty. I understand that this all sounds entirely hyperbolic, so if you don’t believe me, you will have to visit and find out for yourself.

The view from the treehouse shower.

You have a strange feeling of safety in certain situations. I have very rarely been in places this secluded and simultaneously felt so safe. El Yunque and the surrounding areas have been named for various Native American deities - and to me, this makes perfect sense. The rainforest had a peaceful, almost spiritual feel about it, and I left feeling an immense sense of gratitude that I was able to spend a few days there.

The river at the bottom of the treehouses. The water was clean, and if you weren’t scared of water creatures, very safe for swimming!

Sour

Although not everyone will view this as a ‘sour’, and probably directly contradicts everything I have written above, I was absolutely terrified of all of the lizards, beetles and general fauna of the rainforest. I appreciate it is their house, and I am merely a (very privileged) guest, but my goodness, I was jumping up and down at anything remotely creepy-crawly. I was secretly quite pleased to get back to being able to sleep without cocooning myself in a sheet, and without worry of a rogue snake or critter in the night…!