Digital Nomad Cities – work from Previous San Juan Puerto Rico
11 min read
After I checked into the Lodge Convento in Previous San Juan, the desk clerk requested me if I used to be there for enterprise or for pleasure. Why do I would like to decide on? On a video name right this moment, one co-worker thought I used to be engaged on my trip… which might be unhealthy. However I used to be actually vacating on my “workation.” We don’t even have the language to explain that but.
Throughout the pandemic, many information staff realized they may work productively remotely. However does that actually must be from your house workplace?
Once you assume that your supervisor could be OK with you working remotely from aside from your individual residence workplace, the place would you go first to attempt it out? Some folks would get on a airplane and head to some digital nomad hotspot like Chiang Mai, Thailand, however I’m going to counsel you do what I did and spend your first week in Previous San Juan, Puerto Rico, as an alternative. This is without doubt one of the finest locations to start out working remotely.
Desk of contents: ()
Why Work from Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico – It’s within the USA!
My present day job has a “work from wherever” coverage, however wherever is a little bit of an exaggeration. There are some locations the place they don’t need a laptop computer with delicate company data to finish up. Frankly, there are some locations they might be OK if I by no means went to even by myself time. With that stated, I can work from a lot of Europe, most English-speaking nations, and half of Central and South America. All I must do is:
- have permission from my boss’s boss’s boss
- have no matter visa I would like to have the ability to legally work in that nation.
When you’re a giant multi-national firm, you may’t actually flip a blind eye to folks working the place they will’t legally accomplish that.
However… Puerto Rico is a part of america. I didn’t want greater than my supervisor’s permission. I additionally don’t want a visa to work in San Juan, any greater than I would like one to work in San Jose. I don’t even want a passport to get to Puerto Rico. You don’t need to clear customs while you fly from the USA… since you by no means left American territory.
Authentic Most important Sq. of Previous San Juan
Puerto Rico is on New York Time… type of
Puerto Rico is within the Atlantic Time timezone, which is an hour forward of New York and the east coast of america, however it doesn’t observe daylight financial savings time. That signifies that for greater than half of the yr, from spring to autumn, it’s primarily the identical timezone as Boston, New York, NYC, Washington D.C., and Miami. That may make it simple to work with colleagues on the east coast. Since I usually stay in California and most of my co-workers are on Japanese Time, it was really extra handy for my supervisor for me to work from Puerto Rico than from residence.
Distinction that with the temptation to get on a airplane and fly to Chiang Mai, Thailand, or another far-flung vacation spot. Thailand is 11 hours forward of New York Metropolis. A lot of Europe is 6 hours forward of the east coast. Plan on having some conferences in the midst of the night time if you wish to work there. Additionally, your boss has to actually belief you that you would be able to work with out supervision earlier than they’ll OK that transfer.
Puerto Rico Doesn’t Really feel like it’s within the USA
Probably the greatest issues about Puerto Rico is that it doesn’t really feel like it’s in america. Certain it has a few of the identical shops and may be very simple and comfy even for monolingual Individuals, however it additionally has a Caribbean aptitude. After I was dropped off by my Uber at Lodge Convento, the place I stayed at first of my go to, the very first thing I heard was Caribbean music wafting from the native bars and cafes.
Puerto Rico is within the Tropics
There’s little or no of america within the tropics. Hawaii is the one state within the tropics… though Florida want to assume it’s. Apart from Hawaii, if you wish to keep within the USA and be within the tropics, it’s good to go to the U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico or American Samoa, Northern Mariana Islands, and Guam. Guess which a type of has one of the best Piña Coladas.
If you happen to stay within the japanese half of america, Hawaii is a great distance away, whereas Puerto Rico isn’t a lot additional than Florida. That is seaside climate. It’s heat all yr spherical.
Why work in San Juan Puerto Rico
San Juan has extra historical past than the remainder of america
San Juan was based because the capital of Puerto Rico in 1519. That’s 46 years earlier than St Augustine, Florida, and 88 years earlier than Santa Fe, New Mexico, or Jamestown, Virginia. Once you go to Previous San Juan, you may stroll on cobblestones trod by conquistadors, go to the home that Ponce de Leon constructed however by no means lived in (earlier than he searched Florida for the fountain of youth) or the cathedral the place he was buried (guess he by no means discovered that fountain of youth). The Cathedral of Previous San Juan is the second oldest within the Americas, second solely to the one in Santo Domingo.
San Juan has Nightlife
If you’ll work in the identical timezone as the house workplace in New York Metropolis, then when work finishes, you don’t wish to be someplace the place town has closed down and gone to sleep. You wish to work someplace the place town is simply waking up, and Previous San Juan is a type of locations. It has bars and nightclubs, significantly on the Calle de San Sebastián. This isn’t simply the place vacationers come to social gathering, however the place Puerto Ricans come to benefit from the nightlife.
There are well-known cocktail bars like La Factoría, the beer bar, and bottle store La Taberna Lúpulo and locations like Cafetín the place you will get a $5 Mojito.
San Juan has Meals
I stayed in Previous San Juan for per week and by no means went again to the identical restaurant twice… and nonetheless didn’t have sufficient time to discover all the nice eating places within the neighborhood. You could find good pizza at locations like Pirilo, meals vans down by the cruise ship docks, or go for a extra conventional Puerto Rican dish and order mofongo and any variety of locations.
At Casa Luna Relaxation, I realized to make my very own mofongo, which begins with mashed plantains. At Deaverdua, I attempted fried breadfruit for the primary time. Sure… it tastes like bread. At Barrachina, the house of the frozen Piña Colada I attempted… after all… a Piña Colada.
I ate a tremendous french toast mixture breakfast (strawberry cheesecake french toast and blueberry compote french toast) at Mercado La Carreta one morning (sponsored by Uncover Puerto Rico) for breakfast after which one other morning a standard Mallorca (stuffed Puerto Rican candy bread) at Cafetería Mallorca.
For actual foodies, I additionally made a go to to the restaurant Cocina Abierta within the close by Condado neighborhood (additionally sponsored by Uncover Puerto Rico). This restaurant is working to vary the Puerto Rican Meals scene. Puerto Rico imports 85% of its meals, however this restaurant is a part of a motion to vary that. They solely use native elements and switch these into some superb dishes like tacos al pastor with oyster mushroom for “meat”, star fruit pico de gallo, and breadfruit tacos pictured above.
Skinniest Constructing in Puerto Rico
San Juan has Actions
When you will have a time off, you may reap the benefits of a spread of actions within the metropolis. I did the El Morro Fort and Previous City Strolling Tour, which explored from the harbor space as much as the outdated El Morro Fortress. We realized in regards to the origins of Puerto Ricos wealth, the privateer Miguel Enríquez, the Cathedral and the origin of the identify “Puerto Rican”, the miracle that occurred on the chapel of Christ the Savior, the Dutch invasion of Previous San Juan within the Eighty Years’ Battle, and life at El Morro… simply to call a couple of issues.
I used to be sponsored on this tour by Get Your Information, and the tour was achieved by Patria Excursions. It was a terrific overview of the outdated metropolis.
Uncover Puerto Rico additionally set me up on a Traditional Previous San Juan Meals Tour with Flavors meals excursions of outdated San Juan. Come hungry for this tour because it concerned a breakfast pastry, the principle course… one other primary course the place we made our personal mofongo, and gelato. Alongside the best way, our information Marjorie Ana informed us extra in regards to the historical past of Puerto Rico and in addition identified a few of her favourite eating places within the metropolis. Do that tour in your first day!
Many excursions of Puerto Rico depart and return from San Juan, so in your days off, you may simply get to different elements of the island.
The place Digital Nomads Ought to Keep
There are quite a few choices for staying in San Juan for digital nomads. My authentic plan was to remain in a resort in Previous San Juan for 4 nights, after which to maneuver over to the seaside space of Ocean Park to remain in a co-living, co-working area run by the positioning Offsite. My plans received clobbered by Hurricane Fiona. The Ocean Park neighborhood was with out energy stil after I was presupposed to make the transfer, so I stayed in Previous San Juan. Previous San Juan presents resorts, boutique resorts, and plenty of Airbnb properties.
Lodge Convento
As talked about above, my first 4 nights have been at Lodge Convento within the coronary heart of Previous San Juan. This resort, which is a former convent, is throughout the road from the San Juan Cathedral. Though I don’t assume the nuns had the rooftop pool and scorching tub that the resort now has.
When I’m searching for a spot to work from, I’m searching for value, location, web pace, good wi-fi, and good work surfaces like a desk. Lodge Convento isn’t the most affordable resort within the space however was a reasonably good place to work for half per week. The web pace was superb, though the wi-fi sign was stronger in my room than it was within the widespread areas just like the rooftop deck. After I was there, the wi-fi within the central courtyard was not working.
My room was massive and comfy, with a desk, a desk, and a snug chair the place I might work. There was a wi-fi repeater in my room which have nice wi-fi protection. The web pace for the resort was usually good aside from the night that I spent there throughout Huricanne Fiona which I think was busier than ordinary as folks couldn’t exit. As a resort to experience out a hurricane, I felt fairly protected. It’s an outdated stone constructing with very thick partitions and critical shutters.
The resort has two eating places. I ate on the one within the central courtyard, which was good, though the service was not what I’d name quick. There’s additionally a bar in the identical space. The meals included risotto, pasta, hamburgers, and different not particularly Puerto Rican meals.
Villa Herencia Lodge
I spent the second half of my keep on the boutique resort solely two doorways down from the Lodge Convento. Whereas it’s in the identical neighborhood, the Villa Herencia Lodge is sort of totally different. It is a resort that can also be in a historic constructing however with a bit extra model. This resort doesn’t have a restaurant. It solely has 10 rooms.
My room was snug however a lot smaller than my room at Lodge Convento. The one place to work within the room was on the mattress. It did have air-con which was just about important after I visited in September because the temperatures have been within the 90s with excessive humidity. For my keep at Villa Herencia Lodge, I spent extra time working from the widespread room or from the rooftop terrace.
Right here the wi-fi and cell protection have been really higher within the widespread room or on the roof, so each have been nice locations to work. I tended to work within the widespread room in the course of the warmth of the day and on the roof in the course of the morning and evenings. Another friends would come into the widespread room for ice, chilly water, or espresso, however I largely had the place to myself.
Co-Working Areas
You by no means understand how resort web shall be, however I had a backup plan. There are a variety of co-working areas in San Juan, Puerto Rico and two in Previous San Juan. The in the future I used to be having issues with my company VPN, I virtually relocated to certainly one of Lunaspeiz or Piloto 151 Coworking at Previous San Juan, that are solely a few blocks away from the neighborhood the place I used to be staying in Previous San Juan. If you happen to work from a co-working area, you’ll add further expense until, just like the Offsite location I discussed above, it’s a co-working and co-living area, however it’s good to have the choice for those who want it.
Conclusion
I spent per week having fun with Puerto Rico. I realized the streets of Previous San Juan. I took excursions and sampled its meals. I did all this with out taking a trip day. Possibly working remotely from Puerto Rico must be in your plan for subsequent yr. If you happen to can work from wherever… shouldn’t you be right here?
