Vayama Travel Blog

By Max Milano

Nightlife in San Juan (Puerto Rico) is legendary, and we are happy to report that it is currently going through an upswing. Both colonial Old San Juan and the Miamiesque Condado district are currently full of great new bars and lounges where you can sip Mojitos and Daiquiris until the sun comes out. In fact this is one of the few seasons when both Old San Juan and Condado are happening at the same time. Check out El  Barril, Condado’s trendy new lounge and the recently remodeled lobby lounge at La Concha hotel.  Condado is Puerto Rico’s answer to Miami Beach, complete with Art Deco beach front condos, casinos and a strip of bars and restaurants offering everything from Nuevo Latino cuisine to Asian finger food.

Condado District San Juan Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico’s Wild Coasts

My favorite Puerto Rico strategy is to spend Friday through Sunday in San Juan, soaking up the nightlife and getting kicked out of bars at closing time (around 7am), but come Monday, I like to leave San Juan’s skyscrapers behind and head either east or west to Puerto Rico’s wild coasts.  A short 45 minute drive from San Juan is the town of Fajardo; this is where the ferry for Vieques departs. Vieques is Puerto Rico’s island paradise (a small island off the coast of the main island). A quirk of history kept Vieques off the tourist map for decades, so as San Juan developed beach front condos and hotels, Vieques stayed as pristine as when Columbus first sailed these Caribbean waters. Vieque’s present state of semi preservation comes courtesy of the US Navy, who used the island for target practice for over 60 years. The navy left in 2003, opening the formerly closed eastern and western sides of the island for tourism. Fortunately the island remains largely undeveloped, with miles of empty beaches. A typical day in Vieques starts with a ride down a dirt road to your favorite hidden cove. The waters are electric blue and you will be forgiven if you feel you’ve just landed in the south Pacific. At dusk, ask a local fisherman for a ride into Vieque’s world famous Mosquito Bay, where tiny microorganisms light the dark waters with bright bioluminescence. You can stay at the brand new W Vieques resort or try one of the cozy posadas that dot the island.

Vieques Beach

Go West

The beach town of Rincon on Puerto Rico’s west coast is the hottest surfing spot on the island. Miles of beaches and bars face world class waves and glorious sunsets. Hollywood celebrities frequently drop in (local boys Benicio del Toro and Ricky Martin are said to be regulars). Hardcore hipsters avoid San Juan altogether and head straight for Rincon from the airport. Have a drink or two at Tamboo Tavern, voted one the best beach bar in the world by Esquire magazine.

Camuy Caves

On the way back to San Juan from Rincon make a pit stop at the Camuy Caves, these amazing cathedral like caves were carved by underground rivers over millennia and now offer spectacular rock formations dripping with exotic vegetation. The sheer size of the caves makes you wonder about the amazing power of nature to carve rock into artistic shapes.

Camuy Caves

Book your San Juan, Puerto Rico flights for less on Vayama

* Max Milano is the Author of “The Mechanicals of Recoleta”Available at Amazon.

Forget Cuba, the best place to capture the Hemingway spirit of Old Havana is in today’s Old San Juan.

By Max Milano (Hemingway searcher)*

If you want to catch a glimpse of what pre-Castro Havana must have been like; full of casinos, American tourists and iconic cocktail bars, or want to live the Havana of Hemingway and Graham Greene’s “Our Man in Havana”, look no further than the cobblestones streets of today’s Old Jan Juan.

It has to be one of the most ironic twists of history, but Havana today has more in common with Bratislava circa 1984 than with its heyday as the party capital of the Caribbean. Yes, one can visit Havana today (on a cultural tour) and try to imagine how great it was back in the day, but in spite of what Ray Cooder might say, Cuba’s 50 plus years under dictatorship have all but erased all traces of the Havana that Hemingway wrote about; its casinos are long gone and the paint is literally peeling off the walls of its formerly grand buildings.

If you want to stop imagining how cool Old Havana was and actually live it, head over to Old San Juan, Puerto Rico, today.

Puerto Ricans love rum and it shows. The bar at the Ritz Carlton features a “Rummelier” instead of a sommelier, and in Old San Juan you don’t have to walk more than half a block in any direction to find a great watering hole. Where else in the world would you find a plaque honoring Pina Colada? Old San Juan today has all the charm of Old Havana, and then some.

My first Old San Juan pit stop is The Parrot Club, is my personal equivalent of Hemingway’s second favorite bar in Havana; La Floridita (his favorite being La Bodeguita del Medio, where a now famous autograph hangs above the bar proclaiming: “My Daiquiri at La Floridita and my Mojito at La Bodequita”). Following Papa Hemingway’s advice I order a Daiquiri. I love The Parrot Club and all the trendy Nuevo Latino restaurants and traditional Spanish Style Tapas bars around it, just perfect for that all night rum crawl that Puerto Ricans are so fond off on Friday and Saturday nights.

My Daiquiri at the Parrot Club

After my Daiquiri at the Parrot Club,  I head to the Newyorican Café around the corner. This bar could be the answer to Havana’s La Bodeguita, with the added bonus of it being the temple of live salsa in Old San Juan. After admiring the locals’s fancy dance steps, I begin to suspect that they practice in front of a mirror every afternoon, because everyone seems to be an expert in hip shaking and fancy footwork. Perhaps they don’t need to practice, I saw children as young as 8 dancing with their parents (kids don’t get served drinks, of course, but they do boogie, it’s in their blood).

Old San Juan is the new Old Havana

I finish my Old San Juan rum crawl at a hole in the wall by the Plaza Colon. The décor is basic, just a few local beer posters and the punters are a bunch of local crusty bon vivants. A hand written cardboard sign above the bar promotes “Chichaíto” shots for one buck. The chichaíto is Puerto Rico’s national cocktail, it even has it’s own Facebook page. Known stateside as a “Silver Bullet”; Puerto Rico’s chichaíto is made with equal parts anisette and white rum, making it absolutely lethal in the heat (I guess that’s the whole point). As I swig my chichaíto with the crusty locals, I can’t help but think of Hunter S. Thompson and the other greats who drank and wrote in Old San Juan; it’s a perfect place for both activities. And just as Hemingway found inspiration in his favorite Old Havana bars, I had just found inspiration in my new favorite Old San Juan joint (but it could be just the chichaíto talking, salud!).

Plaque to Pina Colada

Book your San Juan, Puerto Rico flights for less on Vayama

Next Week: The Rum Daily part 2: Condado and PR’s wild east and west coasts.

* Max Milano is the Author of “The Mechanicals of Recoleta”. Available at Amazon.

Fly South to South America and the Latin side of the Caribbean before the Christmas rush and save.

By Max Milano (Caribbean and South America travel expert)*

Fall and early winter is a great time to fly to Latin America.  It’s shoulder season in the Caribbean and the Christmas rush doesn’t really begin until the second half of December. Do bear in mind that it will be a tad humid and very hot, particularly in the Caribbean, but you wouldn’t be flying down to Latin America if you didn’t like the heat, right?

Mexico

Cancun can get several Hurricane alerts during the fall season, but the resort  doesn’t actually get hit every year.  The less busy fall season plus the abundance of hotels (both in Cancun and along the Riviera Maya) add up to bargains galore until the Christmas rush. Most savvy travelers avoid the Cancun strip and head directly from the airport to the Cancun water taxi pier for the ten minute boat ride to the tropical paradise of Isla Mujeres.  There is something so ‘Fantasy Island’ about reaching your resort by boat, that you will half expect Mr Rourke to pop out behind a palm tree in his white suit, holding a couple Pina Coladas in his hands.  And if Isla Mujere’s white sands and magenta blue waters don’t float your boat, head south of Cancun to the Mayan Riviera, a wonderful stretch of coastline that stretches all the way to the Belizean border, full of secluded beaches, cenotes (swimmable sinkholes) and Mayan ruins right on the shore (Tulum).  Vayama has plenty of cheap flights to Cancun this fall from $170 roundtrip from the east coast.

Isla Mujeres is close to Perfect

Belize
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Take a Cultural Vacation this Summer

(By Florin R. Ferrs  Culture Vulture)

Travel is the best way to learn about other cultures, really. We’ve heard it all before. But is travel the best way to get cultured?  Will a visit to the Louvre museum to view the Mona Lisa, in the flesh so to speak, make one a better educated and cultured person?  If you are willing to put a bit of research (sometimes just a copy of Lonely Planet will do), the world suddenly becomes your classroom.  You can plan your international trip so that you not only learn about art, you can just as easily learn about music, food, history, sociology and almost any field you want to get into.

Culture Club: Five Airfare Deals to Cultural Destinations
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International Airfare deals to Travel with Mom for Mother’s Day

By Florin R. Ferrs

(World Traveller and occasional mamma’s boy)

Mother’s day is upon us. Some people buy chocolates, some even take mom out for the early bird special, but the really adventurous bring mommy dearest along on international trips to exotic destinations.

Have Mother, Will Travel

I for one have recently discovered the joys and challenges of traveling with my mother. After years of globetrotting alone or with dubious traveling companions (some of which could not leave bad habits at home), I started to travel with my recently retired mother. She’s an active baby boomer of the “new age” type (i.e. hippy) and this helps enormously when planning trips to more off the beaten track destinations, I.E.  India or Africa-actually India is pig-heaven for “new-agey” boomers.

My Mother in Bollywood

A Travel Boom for Boomers
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Celebrate Earth Day with these Summer Eco-tours

By Florin R. Ferrs (Eco Travel Specialist)

The best way to celebrate Earth Day and help save the rain forest is to actually go into the tropical jungles of the world to see how native people live and use its natural resources in the face of relentless encroachment from the modern world. We may only have a few years to save many native tribes and the delicate flora and fauna they have depended for their survival for thousands of years.

Many think eco Tourism is the last hope some native people have to generate income for their communities and help protect the rain forests they inhabit. The beauty of Eco Tours is the income generated can reach local communities directly, bypassing often corrupt or disorganised local governments.

Top 5 Destinations for Eco Tours
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This World is full of Wonders; fly to the New Seven Wonders of the World this summer.

By Florin R. Ferrs

(International Flights Specialist)

Of the original seven wonders of the ancient world, only the Great Pyramid of Giza has survived to this day. The rest were lost to fire, floods, storms, earthquakes and the sands of time.  Fortunately  UNESCO had the great idea of coming up with the New Seven Wonders of the World: The Great Wall of China (Beijing, China), Petra (Amman, Jordan), Christ the Redeemer statue (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil), Machu Picchu (Lima-Cusco, Peru), Chichen Itza (Cancun, Mexico), The Colosseum (Rome, Italy) and The Taj Mahal (Agra, India).

7 International Flight Deals to the 7 New Wonders of the world.
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Turn a shut-in winter into a glorious spring vacation with these bargain destinations and the cheap airfares to get you there.

What is an international travel bargain? It’s not only a cheap airfare; it also means that once you arrive at your destination, you will find great food, culture and hotels that are so reasonably priced that running out of money halfway through the trip is not a possibility.  The destinations below offer enough quaint affordability to suit even the most budget-conscious pockets.

The Cheap &Cheerful
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Get way off the beaten track with vayama’s hot airfare deals.

By Florin R. Ferrs

In these days of GPS travel there are not many true off the beaten track places left to explore. Sure, one can trek into Iran from Kurdish Iraq (and get kidnapped for the effort) or take a wrong turn on a canoe ride of the Amazon river and end up in a Yanomami village set on wooden stilts with  virtually no contact with the outside world.  But when I say “Off the beaten Track” I refer to those last few places left on this earth where one can truly be isolated from the outside world and still maintain a modicum of civilization. No point going to the end of the world only to be inconvenienced by the utter lack of creature comforts. Let the brave kids wear the Birkenstock sandals and live off the grid while digging wells in some remote Central American village (been there, done that). Some of us are not getting any younger and my end of the world trip better come with running water, a beautiful beach and rustic local bar with crusty locals (make that a rustic tea shop in Muslim countries).

Until the end of the world:

Top 5 Off the Beaten Track Destinations for 2011.

Galapagos, Ecuador: Be Darwinian

The Galápagos Islands are famous for their endemic species first described by Charles Darwin:  Humpback whales, giant land tortoises, sea turtles, iguanas, albatrosses, the blue-footed booby, several species of seals and many more. Have a “Darwinian” adventure in the Galapagos with LAN Airlines new direct flights to the islands from the USA via Quito. Add a stopover in Quito and go from snow capped volcanoes at the center of the world to some of the most isolated islands in the Pacific Ocean. The only way to explore the islands is by boat, many relatively luxurious yachts offer snorkelling and “eco adventures”, book in advance and do your homework to find the best boat that fits your budget.

Galapagos: Giant Tortoise

Easter Island, Chile: Get a-head

Easter Island (Rapa Nui) is one of the most isolated islands on earth, located on the southernmost corner of Polynesia. The island is home to the mysterious Moai (rock-heads monoliths). Rapan Nui has belonged to Chile since the 19th century, but a strong Polynesian culture remains. The sight of its many majestic Moai lined around the island, facing the vastness of the Pacific Ocean, is on the top of many a bucket list. It is possible to now fly from the USA (San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York, Miami) to Rapa Nui (Easter Island), via Lima, Peru on LAN Airlines. I recommend a stopover in Lima on the way to Easter Island to do Machu Picchu, the Nazca lines and the beaches of Miraflores.

Rapanui: Hard-headed

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On the Beat’s Path:  Retrace the Beat Generation’s favorite haunts in Tangier  & Mexico with vayama’s cheap airfares.

By Florin R. Ferrs

(World traveler, cheap airfare expert and occasional beat.)

There are better hotels in Tangier than the El Muniria, but Naked Lunch wasn’t written in one of them.  Luxury sheets and a Jacuzzi do not make up for the wonderful view of  the Pillars of Hercules heralding the Atlantic into the Mediterranean that you get from the large French windows of the Hotel El Muniria’s Jack Kerouac Suite.

It isn’t even much of a suite, just a single room with a queen bed and a private bathroom (its second luxury).  The bed of the Jack Kerouac suite is positioned in such a way so that when you awake to Tangier’s early morning calls to prayer,  your feet will point towards the large French  windows, inviting you to open them wide to admire the expanse of Tangier’s bay, its palm lined beach boulevard and the dry hills of southern Spain on the opposite shore of the Mediterranean.

A room with a view at the El Muniria



The Beat poets put the hotel El Muniria on the map; a framed black and white picture above the tiny bar of the “Tangier Inn” downstairs captures them in all their Beat Generation Glory: Alan Ginsberg, William Burroughs, smiling in the Hotel’s garden with its British expat proprietor.  Nowadays you can enjoy lunch in Tangier with your clothes on, don’t miss the fabulous Cus Cus au legumes, its labyrinthine Medina, chock full of spices,  camel leather cushions and colorful textiles.  Do as the locals do and spend a lazy afternoon sipping sweet Moroccan tea outdoors in one of Tangier’s many French era cafe’s.  Save your energy for Tangier’s wild nightlife of belly dancer bars and, of course, lively conversation and cold Moroccan beers at the bar of the Tangier Inn, where you might meet an interesting ex-pat or two.

You can fly nonstop to Morocco and avoid the occasional volcanic interruptions that have closed airports in the U.K. & Ireland.  Vayama.com is offering discounted airfares from New York to Casablanca on Royal Air Maroc , you can also fly into Madrid and take the train south to Algeciras where they run a daily ferry to Tangier.  I found great fares on Vayama.com from the East coast to Madrid, with the added bonus that Madrid has remained open trough all the volcano crisis, making it a great base for your southwestern Mediterranean off the “beat”-en path explorations.

The Tangier inn: Lunch is dressed nowadays

Mexico City Blues

You can still trace the Beats without booking a transatlantic flight; I just saw that vayama’com has discounted airfares on Aeromexico, nonstop from San Francisco to Mexico City , a city that has retained most of the charms that made it a hot bed of the Beat generation. Great world-class museums, cozy cantinas, and leafy plazas selling colorful arts and crafts or as William Burroughs puts it in his introduction to his novel Queer: “I liked Mexico City from the first day of my first visit there; it was a cheap place to live, with a large foreign colony… cockfights and bullfights, and every conceivable diversion. A single man could live well there for two dollars a day.”

Prices have gone up a bit since Burroughs’s day, but you can still stay in a cheap and clean backpacker’s hostel right on the Zocaco (Mexico City’s large downtown Plaza) from $16 per night and sip a nice cup of coffee for two bucks while been serenaded by a Mexican Guitar trio at Café Tacuba, a 100-year-old coffee shop and Restaurant tucked away on one of the many cobblestoned streets that emanate from the Zocalo.

Perhaps the best guidebook of Beat Generation Mexico city is Jack Kerouac’s poem “Tristessa”, where he describes the Mariachis on Plaza Garibaldi (they are still there) and the large Diego Rivera  Murals that are a Mexico City staple.

El Mariachi on Plaza Garibaldi

Take the Turibus (Mexico City’s Big Red open top Tourist Bus), and hop on and on along all the wonderful sights and sounds of this greatly underappreciated city, including stops in the Downtown Zocalo, the amazing National Museum of Anthropology, the bohemian enclave of Coyoacán, home of Frida Kahlo’s Casa Azul and Troski’s house and Mexico City’s wonderfully large Chapultepec Park, where Jack Kerouac suggested to Burroughs that the name for his upcoming book should be; Naked Lunch.  A book that was not to be completed until a few years later in a  hotel room next to the “Tangier Inn” in Tangier’s El Muniria hotel.

Beat it to Morroco & Mexico with vayama’s cheap international airfares.

Next Week: Lisbon Escapade