As a college student, I find the topic of spring break to be a little overrated. I always have an endless amount of assignments due the week before that the stress doesn’t seem worth it for one measly week. The week of break seems so short and if you aren’t rich or good at saving up money, you’ll probably just spend the vacation at your parent’s house.
That’s what I’ve done the last couple of years of school. Freshman year was online for me so “spring break” was an exciting week of New England weather and no Zoom classes. During sophomore year, I had so much nursing school homework assigned over that week that leaving the state wasn’t even a thought in my mind. This year, though, I had the opportunity of following my boyfriend and his family to Puerto Rico. I finished all of my assignments and got myself a suitcase, and I was ready to travel.
I had never been to Puerto Rico before, in fact, I’d never even left the continent. I’d only flown once before for an hour, so this whole experience was a learning curve for me. Airplanes and airports are so foreign and the flight brought up so much anxiety for me, but after four hours of flying, we finally landed in San Juan.
We spent the first day exploring Old San Juan. I was the only one who hadn’t been to Puerto Rico before, so everything was new to me. We walked to the Castillo San Felipe del Morro, a historic site in PR that’s been preserved, and we followed the paths around the outside of the town. We saw the amazingly colorful and unique buildings that are characteristic of San Juan and got to be enveloped in beautiful architecture. After trying some local cuisine and walking miles through gridlike streets, we departed to our rental in Humacao.
Humacao is not the most popular location for tourists. It’s about an hour South of San Juan and is home to the largest community development on the island, Palmas del Mar. That’s where we spent the majority of our time. Within its gated-in walls is access to picturesque private beaches, restaurants, and pools for renters to enjoy. Everyone travels by golf carts and the streets are littered with iguanas sunning themselves and climbing trees. Though I wouldn’t say it was the best place to stay to learn about the culture of Puerto Rico, it was definitely an easy vacation spot that made us feel like we were in paradise.
The beaches in PR are like nothing I’ve ever seen before. They looked like a postcard or a JetBlue ad. The water was so clear and the sand was lined with palm trees that would make the perfect space for getting some shade from the harsh Equator sun. The sun felt amazing after a long Amherst winter. The water was warm and comforting and you could sit in it for hours.
The beaches were amazing, but the best part of the trip was the food. I had no idea what mofongo was until I got down there. A Puerto Rican dish that consists of plantains, mashed potatoes, some sort of protein, and cream sauce, it was the highlight of my trip. No matter where you went, the mofongo was always cooked to perfection, and trying local cuisine is always better than just ordering traditional American food. If you ever find yourself in PR, you have to get yourself some octopus mofongo.
All of the locals were so kind and generous and seemed incredibly hard-working. We didn’t have one bad experience with anyone. So, should you go to Puerto Rico for spring break?
Honestly, if it’s just a bunch of college students, I’d say no. The flight, the food, the drinks, the Airbnb, it all adds up and it’s probably more than most college students can afford. We didn’t see many people vacationing without their families and it seemed to be the destination for a lot of foreign couples and older people. If you get the chance to go, definitely take it as it’s a beautiful place with rich culture and you don’t need your passport to travel if you’re a US citizen. After my experience, I would totally recommend Puerto Rico as your next tropical getaway!
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