A Taste of Puerto Rico: My Stay at La Concha Resort

by Melissa Teutsch on May 19, 2026 in Travels,
Aerial view of La Concha Resort in San Juan, Puerto Rico, showing the tall glass-fronted hotel building with rows of balconies, the white seashell-shaped Levant restaurant in front, surrounding palm trees, a sandy beach, and the Condado neighborhood in the background.
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Some people travel to relax. Some travel to explore. Some for the food. My first trip to Puerto Rico let me do all three, and La Concha Resort in San Juan set the stage for it all.

I went over an extended weekend in late April, leaving 50-degree weather behind and stepping out of the airport into blue skies and 80-degree sunshine. La Concha is just a short ride from the airport, and it has recently undergone extensive renovations, making it feel like it’s brand new. My room was in the Suite Tower with an ocean view. Every night, I fell asleep to the sound of waves. No white noise app needed for me! 

Things to Do On Property

The Sereno Pool at La Concha Resort, a curved blue pool surrounded by white lounge chairs, striped teal and white umbrellas, and palm trees, with a sandy beach and the Atlantic Ocean in the background.
The Sereno Pool offers a more laid-back atmosphere, with lounge chairs, daybeds, and umbrellas set just steps from the beach. Photo courtesy La Concha Resort.

The Pools. La Concha has multiple pool areas, and each one is different. The main pool is the lively one. The Sereno Pool is a little more laid-back, and the Ocean Terrace is an adults-only infinity pool (that overlooks the ocean). Whatever mood you’re in, there’s a pool to match it.

The Spa. I booked a massage at the resort’s spa, Elemara, and while the treatment itself was wonderful, the part I absolutely loved was the waiting area for spa guests: a private covered space outside that overlooks the beach. Sitting there in the ocean breeze, listening to the waves before your massage appointment is a great way to get into the relaxation mindset. 

Mixology Experience at the Lobby Bar. One afternoon I joined a mixology experience at the lobby bar, hosted by a mixologist named Manuel. Here’s how it works: you choose a vibe and a spirit, and he creates a custom cocktail for you based on it. The vibe choices are Adventurous, Life of the Party, Sociable, Passionate, and Introvert. I chose Introvert and tequila and ended up with a pretty (and yummy!) dark pink margarita.

Morning Beach Workouts and Bike Rides. La Concha offers complimentary bikes for guests, which is the easiest way to explore the Condado neighborhood. There’s also morning exercise sessions you can join on the beach if a workout outdoors is more your speed.

Casino del Mar. If you’re in the mood to test your luck, La Concha has a casino that sits right off the lobby. It’s not a sprawling Vegas-sized floor, but it has everything you’d expect like slot machines and table games like blackjack and roulette.

Where to Eat

A clear glass cup holding a layered mango and chia pudding, with bright yellow mango on the bottom, white almond milk chia pudding on top, garnished with sliced kiwi, diced pineapple, pomegranate seeds, and a pink orchid flower.
The Mango & Chia Pudding from the breakfast buffet at AQA Oceanfront, made with almond milk pudding, fresh mango, pomegranate, and kiwi. Photo courtesy Melissa Teutsch.

La Concha has multiple on-site restaurants, and over the course of the weekend I worked my way through several of them.

AQA Oceanfront is where the breakfast buffet lives. The spread is impressive, but the showstopper for me was a Mango & Chia Pudding that was almost too beautiful to eat. They also serve brunch and dinner. 

Aroma Café is the on-site coffee shop for grab-and-go options. I grabbed a coffee and yogurt here before leaving for my Old San Juan food tour.

Interior of Levant restaurant at La Concha Resort, with curved white scalloped ceilings forming arched windows that overlook the Atlantic Ocean, white-and-gray patterned tile floors, cream-colored chairs around small marble tables, and flower-shaped chandeliers hanging from the ceiling.
Inside Levant by Chef Michael White, where the seashell-shaped architecture frames sweeping ocean views and the Mediterranean-inspired menu is built around shared plates. Photo courtesy La Concha Resort.

Levant by Chef Michael White is the dining experience you don’t want to miss. Created by the Michelin-starred chef, Levant sits inside the iconic seashell-shaped architectural marvel designed by Mario Salvatori in 1958. The menu draws inspiration from the Mediterranean, and the whole concept is built around shared plates. I dined here with four other people, and by the time we finished dessert (or three desserts in our case), we had collectively shared eighteen different dishes. Eighteen! A few of my favorites: the beef and mushroom ravioli, the wild boar ragu, and the Mediterranean sea bass. They call it a “gastronomical journey” and boy, are they right!

The Puerto Rico Wine & Food Festival

While I wasn’t there specifically to cover the festival, the timing worked out beautifully with the 2nd annual Puerto Rico Wine & Food Festival happening during my stay, and I was lucky enough to get passes to the events. The opening night of the festival was a white party, with food and wine booths set up around the main pool and the Sereno Pool area while salsa music played overhead, making it feel like I was on a very unique dance floor. The options were almost overwhelming, but there were a few standouts I can’t help but mention: bluefin toro with crispy Japanese grain sushi rice; sautéed Argentinian pink shrimp with chickpea sauce and rosemary; squid ink cavatelli with shrimp, basil, and shellfish butter; mezcal deviled eggs with caviar; and slow-braised goat with sticky coconut rice. (They had tastings like this all three nights of the festival and I attempted to go back the second night, after that eighteen dish meal at Levant, but after just two bites, I couldn’t force it. I’m sure each nights’ tastings were just as delicious as the first one’s.)

A round codfish yuca blini topped with diced bluefin tuna, three mounds of black caviar, a drizzle of coconut sofrito, and a garnish of microgreens and edible flowers, served on a black plate.
The codfish yuca blini topped with bluefin tuna, coconut sofrito, and caviar—a standout dish from “The Art of Indulgence Dinner Experience,” the closing event of the Puerto Rico Wine & Food Festival. Photo courtesy Melissa Teutsch.

The festival closed with “The Art of Indulgence Dinner Experience,” a multi-chef event featuring several Michelin-starred and James Beard Award-winning chefs, each contributing dishes throughout the evening. My favorite of the night was a codfish yuca blini with bluefin tuna, coconut sofrito, and caviar. 

What to Do Off Property

Old San Juan: A Walk & Taste Food Tour

I cannot recommend enough taking a food tour in Old San Juan. The Spoons’ Walk & Taste Food Tour gives you a little Puerto Rican history alongside some amazing local dishes, and it’s the perfect way to get your bearings in a new city.

During the tour, I tried soursop for the first time—a tropical fruit I’d never had—mixed into a rum cocktail at Deaverdura, alongside a plate of pork with rice, beans, and fried plantains. But the dish that stole the show for me was the mofongo at Juanes. If you’re not familiar with mofongo (like I was), it’s a Puerto Rican staple made from green plantains that are fried, mashed with garlic and pork cracklings, and shaped into a mound, often topped with meat or seafood. It was so good that I’ve added it to my mental collection of dishes I wish I could recreate from my travels. They served it alongside a piña colada, which—fun fact—was invented in Puerto Rico. 

Exploring Old San Juan on My Own

A light blue piragua cart with "Piraguas Viejo San Juan" painted on the front sits on a cobblestone street in Old San Juan, shaded by a large beige umbrella. Two men stand at the cart preparing shaved ice, with colorful orange, yellow, and pink buildings lining the street behind them.
A piragua cart in Old San Juan—Puerto Rico’s version of a shaved-ice snow cone. Stands like this one are scattered throughout the streets, though this particular vendor handmakes their syrups. Photo courtesy Melissa Teutsch.

The food tour gave me my bearings, so after it ended I set out on my own to take pictures. Old San Juan is so charming. Picture cobblestone streets, buildings painted in every shade imaginable of bold colors, ornate doorways, and the blue Atlantic Ocean peeking out at the end of nearly every street.

I ducked into shops, took lots of pictures, and made my way to the Cathedral of San Juan Bautista, the second-oldest cathedral in the Americas that was established in 1521 and is home to the remains of Ponce de León. (Worth a stop even if cathedrals aren’t usually your thing.)

If I’d had more time in Old San Juan, here’s what would have made my list:

– Castillo San Felipe del Morro (“El Morro”) — the 16th-century Spanish fortress at the tip of the old city. Admission is $10 and gets you into San Cristóbal too.

– Castillo San Cristóbal — the largest fortification the Spanish built in the New World, just a 15-minute walk from El Morro.

– La Fortaleza — the Governor’s Mansion, the oldest executive mansion still in use in the New World. You can view it from Fortaleza Street, also known as the famous “Umbrella Street” for its colorful overhead decorations.

– El Capitolio (the Capitol Building) — open to the public Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., with a stunning dome covered in mosaics depicting Puerto Rico’s history. Admission is free.

– Paseo de la Princesa — a scenic waterfront promenade lined with art, music, and food vendors.

– Casa Blanca — built as the intended home of Ponce de León, now a museum with self-guided tours of the gardens and grounds.

A row of colorful colonial buildings in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico, with a powder blue facade, yellow and red buildings beside it, wrought-iron balconies with potted plants, and a sidewalk lined with bougainvillea and other flowering plants in pots.
An example of what each street in Old San Juan looks like, with rows of colorful colonial buildings. Photo courtesy Melissa Teutsch.

Day Trips and Excursions

La Concha has a tour desk that books out adventures all over the island. Among the most popular: rappelling and zip-lining in El Yunque Rainforest, the only tropical rainforest in the U.S. National Forest System; kayaking or paddleboarding at Condado Lagoon, just five minutes from the resort; and (if you can swing the timing) a nighttime visit to one of Puerto Rico’s bioluminescent bays, considered among the brightest in the world. (Putting that one at the top of my next-trip list.)

A Relaxing End

A curved gray rope daybed sits on sand beneath a large umbrella at La Concha Resort's Sereno Pool, with palm trees, blue beach umbrellas, and the Atlantic ocean visible in the background.
Guests can reserve a daybed at the Sereno Pool, set apart from the pool in a private area with poolside service for ordering food and drinks throughout the day. Photo courtesy Melissa Teutsch.

For my final day, my flight wasn’t until late afternoon, so I reserved a daybed at the Sereno Pool. The daybeds are set apart from the pool in their own private area, with poolside service so you never have to leave. I spent the day under an umbrella, listening to the ocean, reading my book, and sipping rosé. It was a perfect way to wind down the long weekend. 

All good things must come to an end, though, and I left already planning my return with my family. (And Googling how to make mofongo at home. Wish me luck!)

TIPS:

  • The Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport (SJU) is just a short ride from La Concha, with direct flights from most major U.S. cities.
  • La Concha sits in the Condado neighborhood, which is walkable, has plenty of dining nearby, and is between the airport and Old San Juan. 
  • Old San Juan is a quick rideshare from La Concha. Skip the rental car. The streets are super narrow and will stress you out trying to navigate them. Stick with an Uber to and from Old San Juan.

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Cover Photo Courtesy La Concha Resort.

A native of Louisiana, Melissa Teutsch enjoys hiking, reading, baking, dabbling in home improvement on her 106-year-old home, traveling, and spending time with her husband and two kids. When she’s not working full-time in the publishing industry, she’s planning trips to new places for her family or taking day trips to explore the North Georgia and North Carolina mountains.