Cleanse your mind, body and soul in one of the many waterfalls in Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico has so many breathtaking views from the beautiful beaches, majestic mountains, grand caverns, and the breathtaking waterfalls. We decided on enjoying some nature today and we drove to San Sebastian to see the Gozalandia Falls.

While walking from the parking lot to the larger fall it seemed as though all of my senses were intensely heightened there were so many lush trees, flora, and the sounds of the many varieties of birds. Whilst walking closer to the waterfall you feel the many rocks and old tree trunks along the path. 

When you finally make it there it's just awe-inspiring to watch, listen and feel the water crash down on the rocks. While sitting at the base of the waterfall the cool clean water up to my chest I closed my eyes and listened to all of that nature had for me today it was like my mind, body and soul were cleansed. 

We then walked to the smaller waterfall down what seemed like 50 steep steps and when we got to the waterfall there were several families just relaxing in some beach chairs another family was grilling and several young men were swinging from a rope into the cool refreshing water.  If you're ever in San Sebastian we wholeheartedly recommend you take some time to visit these waterfalls.

Gustazo's (Caribbean Groupon) Discount Resource

Puerto Rico is truly the Island of Enchantment. With so many activities and things to do its hard to make a decision when time is so limited. If you are visiting Puerto Rico on a budget or not we all like to get good deals on activities, food, etc. 

When we first moved to Puerto Rico we were scouring Groupon to see if they had any deals here since we are Groupon junkies but couldn't find anything in Puerto Rico. So we google searched and found a site for Puerto Rico and the Caribbean called Gustazos. https://www.gustazos.com/

Gustazos is a great place to find exceptional deals on restaurants, activities like Snorkeling, kayaking, parasailing, touring the Bacardi factory, massages and much much more. 

One of my favorite excursions was to the Barcardi Factory with my children. They gave us some history about the factory walked us through the fermentation process and took us to the tasting room where we got to taste six different rums that they carry. The smoothest was a Special Reserve that they only sell at the factory you can't find it anywhere else. Hope you enjoy our blog and continue reading.

Gustazos (Caribbean Groupon) discount resource

Puerto Rico is truly the Island of Enchantment. With so many activities and things to do its hard to make a decision when time is so limited.

One of Puerto Rico's and the Caribbean's resources for great activities at a discounted rate is https://www.gustazos.com/ . Here you can find anything from adventure to pampering. As locals, we have enjoyed many of the discounts offered and would like to extend this knowledge to our visitors.  

Enjoy! 

Paseo de Piñones

We recently moved to Puerto Rico to retire early and try our luck in the vacation rental industry. Behind our home is a scenic path known as the Paseo de Piñones.

Paseo de piñones is an 11-kilometer trail mostly on boardwalk and beach that is mostly level. Although it seems deceptively easy, sand pits and obstacles make for an exciting adventure. We like to think of it as a beach bike adventure. For us, some of the best times to go are during sunrise or sunset. The view and atmosphere are spectacular.

The Paseo begins at the beginning of PR-187. As soon as you go over the Boca de Congrejos bridge off to the left there is a sign that says welcome to Loiza. Turn left in here and you will find a bunch of Kiosk and restaurants.

Here you can enjoy local food such as pinchos of pork and chicken, empanadillas of lobster, crab, chicken, and beef, bacalaitos, alcapurria's and all kinds of seafood.

The trail will take you through a variety of scenic overlooks and exotic beaches and more kiosks. Around kilometer 11 the trail ends and you can continue on the off-road trail. If you're in a car this is for another adventure that we will soon blog about.

If you're in Puerto Rico we encourage you to walk or bike this short trail and partake in this cultural experience!

Smoking pork shoulder in Puerto Rico

Lechon Asado is some of the best pork we have ever had. It's slow-roasted pork that has been marinated overnight in creole spices and mojo! It's such a tradition and staple of the Puerto Rican culture, they even have a pilgrimage to some of the best lechoneras on the island. This pilgrimage is known as the Ruta de Lechon.  We encourage visitors to the island to take the Sunday afternoon drive to Guavate. It's a scenic drive with winding roads through the mountainous region of the island. 

We have had our fair share of Lechon since we have been here and were craving some old fashioned southern smoked BBQ pork. We have lived in Nashville, TN for the last 20 years and it was in Nashville at the age of 24 I was first introduced to Pulled pork. I was instantly hooked. There are several differences in the preparation and cooking of the pork shoulder. Most pulled pork recipes call for an overnight marinade of apple cider vinegar and apple juice. I'm, sure there are variations of this marinade, but these are the main ingredients. Next is the dry rub which is a mix of spices that is directly applied and worked into the pork shoulder. Lastly, the pork shoulder is placed in a smoker which smokes and cooks the meat over a period of time. Different types of woods can influence the smoky flavor of the meat.

Another aspect of southern BBQ is the BBQ sauce. Being the base marinade and preparation of the meat is the same, sometimes I have found the only difference to be in the Sauce. Every BBQ joint has there own unique blend of sauces with various levels of heat and spiciness infusion. In our version, we substituted some of the tomato bases with Guava Paste. This added a bit of Caribbean flair to our traditional southern smoked pork shoulder. 

Hope you enjoyed our brief video and blog! Here is a link to the recipe we used with our own variation on the BBQ sauce.  If you're ever down in San Juan, Puerto Rico come and give us a visit!

Buen Provecho!  

Day trip to Gilligan Island

We are always looking for new adventures and places to see and go! This last trip took us clear across to the other side of the island to Guanica. The rolling mountains and scenic vistas always make for an enjoyable trip. We are always looking for places to stop and check out.

Gilligan Island ferry is a quaint little Marina with a private ferry to the island. Its a picture perfect location meeting all the elements of an Island paradise. The marina is uniquely and interestingly decorated. They serve all kind of traditional Puerto Rican fares. The ferry departs every 30 minutes and is very easy and accessible to get to the island of Gilligan.

Once we arrived on the island we made our way to find a place to relax. The island is very small and there is no cars or stores. It's basically another exotic beach location. We went on a Saturday and it was very busy and difficult to find a spot. Nonetheless, we found a nice shady spot to set up camp.

The Island waters were warm, inviting and crystal clear. It was a great place to snorkel and was teaming with marine life. I would say this is a great place to fish too! After a picknick lunch and a few hours of lounging and snorkeling, we made our way back to the ferry launch.

Overall this was a great day trip! Be prepared to bring your own cooler and food and to stay all day! Bring a mask and snorkel too! If you stay with us here at Isla oasis we provide those free of charge! Just ask us and we hope to see you here in Puerto Rico soon!