By Starre Vartan / Source: EcoChick

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Puerto Rico has to be flat-out one of the warmest, friendliest, most interesting destinations I’ve had the pleasure of visiting. I spent two weeks there recently (most of that on Vieques, to be the subject of an upcoming post); but had 3 wonderful days in Old San Juan on the main island of Puerto Rico.

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Old San Juan is an incredibly beautiful colonial, blue-cobble-streeted city that’s part of the larger San Juan metro area; it is located on an island, with one side facing the Atlantic Ocean, and the other by San Juan Bay. Because of it’s location, both in relation to the rest of the island, and where its located in the Caribbean, it has a long history and has been much-coveted by colonial military forces.

Because it’s such an old city (with the oldest buildings constructed in the 1500s), it’s very walkable. In fact, I’d say that having a car here would be way more trouble than it’s worth; you definitely want to walk around, not drive, otherwise you’ll miss all the little nooks and views that make this place special. There’s really SO much to see on every block. Plus parking does not look to be much fun in the narrow streets.

WHERE TO STAY: CASA SOL

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The uber-green bed-and-breakfast, Casa Sol, was the perfect place to stay in Old San Juan. Located inside a Spanish Colonial home that’s been fully-restored by renowned Architect Billy Ramirez Castellano (and the lovely family who owns the B&B), it’s highly rated on TripAdvisor and Yelp for good reason.

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Casa Sol’s green bona fides include solar panels for both hot water and electricity; local breakfast foods; energy-efficient lights and water-saving faucets; antique or refurbished furniture; and rainwater collection to an on-site cistern (which was the way the house was originally built; the cistern was rehabbed by the new owners and is fully functional again). Casa Sol is Green Key certified, a certified Sustainable Tourism Facility and is a TripAdvisor Platinum Green Leader.

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Each of the tall-ceilinged rooms face onto a corridor which connects to the beautiful garden/hangout/breakfast area. It is a lovely oasis that is open to the sky! I enjoyed relaxing here and looking over the map to the city before I headed out for the day.

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My breakfasts at Casa Sol were all hearty and delicious—as well as healthy! And they were adjusted to my needs; before I arrived, I let Eddie and Margarita know that I was vegetarian, and they made me perfectly delicious breakfasts to suit. They can accommodate full-vegans, gluten-free, and of course, those who eat meat too.

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There’s also an incredibly sweet family dog (look at those eyes!!) who makes the place feel like a real home, as well as a cozy library room and kitchen with filtered water, which I took plenty of advantage of. I was able to avoid buying any bottled water at all due to this trip, saving plastic bottles from the landfill and keeping cash in my wallet!

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The original wood in Casa Sol was restored or replaced with wood from a tear-down, so the house maintains quite a lot of original character; the image above is from the two-floor family suite, one of just five rooms in Casa Sol, and the largest.

My room, La Garita, was comfortable and remarkably quiet for a city accommodation, due to the thick walls and high ceilings (you can’t see it in this image below, but the ceiling goes up another 15 feet from what is shown here!).

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There is air conditioning in the rooms, but I found I didn’t need it—I turned it off when I arrived and never turned it on again; the house was designed (pre-A/C) with all kinds of smart airflow and those thick walls/high ceilings keep it cool during the daytime, naturally. It’s amazing how smart, location-conscious design can solve so many problems that modern architects just throw wasteful fossil fuels (electricity) at. One of the many advantages of staying in historic homes is that they are usually much more in tune with their environment.

WHERE TO CAFFEINATE: CAFILCULTURA and ST. GERMAIN

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There’s quite a bit of good coffee in Old San Juan, but one of my favorite places was Caficultura, which is located on a town square. If you sit outside on the street, you have a lovely view of some of the old fortifcations from the 1500s just up the street. I recommend the cortadito, which is like a mini cortado (pictured above).

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I also loved the cappuccino I drank at St. Germain Cafe too; more of a French style coffee, with lots of foam, and I the waitstaff there was so kind and accommodating!

WHAT TO SEE: CASTILLOS DEL MORRO AND CRISTOBAL

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The San Juan National Historic Site includes two incredible places to visit: The Castillo San Felipe del Morro and the Castillo San Cristobal. Both castle-forts are connected by a fortification, and walking from one to the other along the wall, which faces the sea, is a maybe-20-minute ramble and is 100% worth doing (even in the rain, as I did!).

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I began at Castillo San Cristobal, which is a fascinating journey into history; there was plenty of info to read, so you could situated yourself in these amazing environs, which were built in the 1500s!

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There is so much to see, from views from the topmost lookouts, to secret staircases, to hideouts of various sorts and my favorite—a tunnel to the deepest, darkest dungeon that I’ve ever been in.

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