I grew up spending summers with my aunts and uncles in Brooklyn and Harlem, crushing hard on Puerto Rican boys and enjoying city escapades within the Puerto Rican diaspora community that had a major presence there. Back then, I’d hear Hector Levoe as often as I would Michael Jackson, and I’d crave traditional arroz con pollo just as much as a traditional pizza slice. I’d felt the Black and Brown connection of food, music, and traditions from a young age.
But even after years of traveling a lot for business and pleasure in my adulthood, I’d never actually been to Puerto Rico.
San Juan is always at the top of the list for popular vacation spots in PR, but when I was finally offered the opportunity to witness the true richness of Black culture via a trip with Discover Puerto Rico to Fajardo— a region in the East, just an hour’s drive from San Juan—I jumped at the chance. The whole experience was eye-opening, cleansing, alluring, and life-changing.
And since it’s Black History Month, I've created an itinerary full of cultural richness and adventure that you can add to your bucket list when you visit Puerto Rico.
Where I Stayed:
At El Conquistador Resort's La Marina
Courtesy of Janell Hazelwood
El Conquistador
Fajardo, Puerto Rico
This was just the perfect spot to not only be centrally located to take on activities and excursions but to get the quiet time I needed to reflect on all I saw and witnessed on the trip.
The resort is an expansive property with four pools, a massive golf course, a private island called Palomino, a water park, and beachfront restaurants. It still had a vibe that hugged you in a way no super-commercialized tourist trap ever would.
My room was located within their La Marina Village section, which was a Godsend because, from my private balcony, I could enjoy quiet mornings and sunrises with my cup of coffee. The room also included a king-sized bed, minimalist but modern decor, a waterfall shower, a workspace and seating area, a coffee station, and streaming and cable TV. The vibes were like living in an oceanfront gated community.
Fun Excursions
Bespoke Lifestyle Management
Carolina
The drivers and tour guides had us riding in style (a luxury Black SUV to be exact) while they transported us to and from each activity, sharing details on the history of the rainforest, the culture of the surrounding communities, and the best off-the-beaten-path spots to eat. (Because of them, there’s a strip of restaurants in Fajardo that specialize in offering nothing but pork that I have to visit next time I’m in PR).
I highly recommend booking tours through a guide service or company because they usually know all of the off-the-beaten-path places to go. (But even if you don’t book one like Bespoke, you can still hire your own driver or rent your own car.)
Mini-Boat & Snorkeling Tours With Kayaking Puerto Rico
Las Croabas
I’m nobody’s swimmer (and I’ve never really enjoyed being in the middle of an ocean in a boat smaller than a cruise ship,) but this right here was a memorable tour that I’m glad I tried. You can get your Megan Thee Stallion on and drive the boat, or like me—the fearful non-swimmer in the group—opt to be a passenger, in pairs of twos or threes.
We were part of a small convoy riding along the beautiful coast of Fajardo. We stopped for guided snorkeling in La Cordillera Nature Reserve’s amazing coral reefs.
Then we ventured to Icacos Beach (located on the small island of Cayo Icacos) where we enjoyed drinks and snacks. The team was informative, and fun, and made sure everyone (from experienced snorkelers to newbies) could enjoy themselves.
The Rainforest Zipline Park
Rio Grande
This location has five platforms with the first few being testers to prep you for the higher lines that take you through the lush greenery and nature. The staff was welcoming, fun, and super-attentive to ensuring everyone's safety, and this was key for me, a first-timer who has a fear of heights and has battled with vertigo in the past.
The groups were small, which made the experience feel intimate. I learned new things about pushing my own boundaries and recognized how fear literally is an avoidable roadblock to fully enjoying life. It sparked a new interest to do more extreme sports during my travels.
Brisket at La Estacion in Fajardo, Puerto Rico
Courtesy of Janell Hazelwood
Where I Ate (My Favs):
Rio Grande
A local breakfast and brunch favorite, this cute restaurant had friendly staff, chic coffee-shop decor, and good food. Instead of going with the usual pancake or egg dishes, try the arepa benedicts, a Puerto Rican play on the Eggs Benedict that swaps out the English muffin with cornmeal cakes. It was a lovely mix of savory, creamy, and sweet.
Cinco Nudos
Fajardo
This is a casual waterfront seafood eatery that I absolutely loved. I highly recommend trying the croquetas de bacalao (traditional Puerto Rican cod croquettes), the Calamares Costeros (squid rings with lemon aioli), and the fresh whole red snapper with Creole sauce. Everything tasted like they literally caught it that day.
Whole snapper fish at Cinco Nudos
Courtesy of Janell Hazelwood
La Estacion
Fajardo
The Nuyorican BBQ here was more than amazing but what really intrigued me was the backstory of this restaurant being a former gas station revamped into a restaurant by a couple who relocated to their roots more than a decade ago.
Try the charcoal-grilled local spiny-tail lobster, the coconut arepitas, their traditional rice and beans, and the star of the table: their brisket.
The sticky, sweet, and tender meat almost melts on your tongue and the cilantro chimichurri adds just enough of a citrusy boost that leaves you yearning for more.
A bonus: The owners brought out something called pitorro, or “Puerto Rican moonshine,”—a fermented drink traditionally made with sugarcane, spices, and fruits and enjoyed during the holidays. (Coming from someone who can drink shots of Jamaican white rum straight, the name didn’t scare me. It was a delish sweet closer for the night).
Bomba dancing in Loiza, Puerto Rico
Courtesy of Janell Hazelwood
Must-Visit Black Culture Spots:
Bomba Dancing With Sheila Osoiro of Taller Nzambi
Loiza
Bomba dance has roots in African ancestry and the slave rebellion in Puerto Rico, and learning the steps along with participating in this activity was deeply connecting and spiritual. (And not in the ‘Blood of Jesus, rebuke it!’ way.) Her classes are taught at the oceanfront, near a small square of small shops and stands where everyday Loizans congregate. Sheila was bold and captivating in her movements as well as her detailing the relationship between the drummers and the dancer and the history of bomba’s influential impact on generations of Afro-Puerto Ricans.
With every step of my bare feet in the sand and every sway of my hips, I felt not only a once-in-a-lifetime kinship with the land but with all the women who communed together in the dance circle with me, embracing both the living and the memories of those passed on.
This stop is mandatory when visiting Puerto Rico, especially as Black women of the diaspora.
Art Experience with Samuel Lind
Loiza
The three-story enclave—that by the way, gave alluring, mystical New Orleans Bourbon Street vibes—is located on a quiet narrow street in a community called Medianía Alta, and it serves as Lind's art studio and home.
His vivid realist depictions of Afro-Puerto Rican culture, festivals, spirituality, and traditions, especially of the people of Loiza, are colorfully divine and really intrigue you. I was so captivated that I bought a print on-site, which he signed.
I was happy to add a piece from an iconic artist, whose work has been featured at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Santurce, Puerto Rico as well as in Chicago, Philadelphia, New York, and Cleveland, to my own collection.
Iconic scultor and painter Samuel Lind, in his studio in Loiza, Puerto Rico
Courtesy of Janell Hazelwood
When I was told that I would be visiting Artesanias Castor Ayala, a shop that specializes in vejigantes masks (a horned mask that dates back to medieval Spanish folklore and is used in PR's Carnivals), I thought, ‘Oh, hell no!’ Any mention of demons and you can count me out. However, since the vejigantes masks are a huge part of Afro-Puerto Rican culture and, in today’s uses, are said to be more about the “battle between good and evil,” I took a deep breath, said a prayer, and gave it a chance. (And to be fair, a lot of our favorite American and Caribbean festivals and celebrations have less-than-savory undertones and history.) I was relieved when we went to this little house, just a few minutes' drive from the art gallery, because, who was there? A group of nuns. (Ha, look at God!)
By the time we left, I got a good sense of what goes into hand-making the masks and why they play such a huge role in Afro-Puerto Rican culture and folklore.
An added bonus: Tito, one of the hosts, took us in the backyard (where chickens were walking about unfazed) to show us photos and news clippings from his music career when he toured internationally with Latin bands. He chopped fresh coconuts for us to drink the water and eat the jelly (and shout out to all my fellow Caribbeans because I literally felt like I was back a ya’d at this guy’s spot).
If you're looking to tap into African culture and heritage in Puerto Rico, or simply explore another part of the diverse island, this itinerary is for you, allowing the space for reflection, fun, good eating, and more.
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Detoxes concentrate on drawing out bad toxins and energies and realigning us with our purpose. Usually, when my energy is low, or I experience constant uneasiness, I know I need to take steps to detox spiritually. Luckily, I remembered a Reiki healer who worked with a close friend years ago; therefore, I started there.
I checked in with Reiki Practitioner Tamara Angela (@loveandfaerymagic) for her top ten recommendations on how to spiritually detox. I appreciate Tamara’s advice because she uses Reiki as “maintenance, not crisis [management],” thus, helping me realize I can prevent “spiritual clutter” from progressing.
Reiki practitioner Tamara Angela
Photo courtesy of Tamara Angela
According to Tamara, "Reiki is a Japanese healing art. It [Reiki] comes with the understanding that we are all energy. And the way I describe it is Reiki covers you like your grandma’s prayer.” And we all know how vital our grandmother’s (or elders’) prayers are, especially growing up.
Ways To Spiritually Detox
Tamara explained that her nine steps all work together and detoxify your spirit and help you maintain the work you put into cleansing your spirit. We apply many of these steps to our daily routine, not realizing how crucial they are for our spiritual health. Each step ties into the other, and all are necessary.
When you do a spiritual detox it's important to remember, it’s a lifestyle. Start slowly to create the level of peace you want and build the stability you need. Tamara shares, “You can do all nine steps and still experience chaos. That is why it is important to have a baseline, a level of peace,” Tamara says. “You have to create a baseline of stability that you can revert back to. ‘I am used to this level of peace.’ Someone came along to disturb it, and now I have to fix it. Now, I can come back to these [steps] and remove that energy and know how to properly.”
1. Turn off your phone notifications and alerts.
Those notifications keep you tethered to constantly looking out for things (i.e. a text from that one person you should have kept blocked), thus, making it harder to calm your spirits. “Instead, choose a time in the day when you’re checking notifications,” Tamara recommended.
2. Get proper rest.
We experience different levels of sleep, and getting proper rest allows your body to reset. Raise your hand if your off day consists of running multiple errands. Often, we do not rest on our off days; “something” comes up. That “something” can be as simple as your favorite reality show.
Feel seen yet? I surely did. Sitting down and binge-watching a TV show does not allow your mind to rest effectively. For proper rest, Tamara suggested that classical and jazz music or white noise is okay, but nothing with lyrics.
3. Clear and calm your nervous system
When you are constantly experiencing things, sometimes you need to calm your mind down. For example, when something goes wrong with the Wi-Fi, we reset the modem. We should do the same when it comes to our bodies. Unfortunately, we tend to not think like that regarding our body and nervous system. “We are in a constant sensory experience," Tamara explained.
"You have six senses. That is how you experience the world. So, when you are constantly experiencing things, sometimes you need to calm down. Sometimes you need to remove something. Sometimes you need to be aware of how much you have taken in or have the capacity to take in.”
According to Apollo Neuro, an overactive sympathetic nervous system can cause issues like muscle tension, jitters, insomnia, etc. It can also lead to hyper-vigilance, the tendency to detect danger, even in its absence. By contrast, excessive tiredness, depression, and an overactive gag reflex can signal parasympathetic dominance. Fortunately, steps eight and nine emphasize easing an overactive nervous system.
4. Enjoy the company of good friends with laughter
“Laughter is a way to express emotion; it’s a great release. You are not in an inadequate space when you’re there [with friends].” As we know, laughter is good for the soul; it releases endorphins and helps you release things.
5. Purge your living space/get rid of clutter
Also known as “spring cleaning.” Constant mess or clutter is draining, and cleaning removes that negative energy. A great example Tamara uses is opening a window as it “can let out negative, stagnant energy. Many people do not realize that this practice is hoodoo-based.”
6. Unplug
Completely unplug or pick a day or time, and unplug. One way to do this is by turning off your phone. You cannot scroll through social media, talk on the phone, etc. Tamara recommended starting with 15 minutes and progressing from there.
7. Set boundaries
My personal favorite as I’ve gotten older. From a former people-pleaser, this is not an easy task. A lot of the pleasing we wrap ourselves up in is one of the main reasons we are spiritually drained. Setting boundaries is healthy; do things are your terms.
8. Do some Reiki
“Reiki energy balancing allows you to center yourself and clear that [negative] energy,” Tamara said. She further explained that it's like a church mother “laying hands on you.” Reiki is an energy healing technique that promotes relaxation and reduces stress and anxiety through gentle touch. Reiki practitioners use their hands to deliver energy to your body, improving the flow and balance of your energy to support healing.
Reiki practitioners are a conduit between you and the universal life force energy source. The energy flows through the practitioner’s hands to you. However, your Reiki healer does not always have to touch you for Reiki to work physically. “You can receive Reiki healing from long distances, like on the phone,” Tamara said. Instead, clients experience the energy through heat, cold, tingling, or pulsing sensations.
There are many benefits to Reiki. Reiki can:
- Promote relaxation, stress reduction, and symptom relief to improve overall health and well-being.
- Bring on a meditative state.
- Foster tissue and bone healing after injury or surgery.
- Stimulate your body’s immune system.
- Promote natural self-healing.
- Relieve pain and tension.
9. Breath/breathwork
“Breathwork is extremely helpful in moving any stagnant energy,” and that is why Tamara gives the people she works with a two-minute meditation that consists of breathwork. One breathwork exercise is placing your hand on your heart and feeling the movement of your heartbeat. Doing this technique for two minutes will recenter you and can be performed anywhere – office cubicle, home, etc. Even a deep belly breath, hold, then release is a great way to release stuck emotions.
“The process of inhaling brings in what we need, and that full exhale is letting go of what we do not [need],” Tamara said.
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Feature image by Johnce/ Getty Images
Originally published on April 13, 2023