A guide to Puerto Rico, inspired by Bad Bunny’s Grammy-winning discography

Last year, Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio AKA Bad Bunny the ‘King of Latin Trap’, returned home to Puerto Rico for an historic, record-breaking residency titled ‘No Me Quiero Ir de Aqui’ (I Don’t Want To Leave Here). 

Spanning more than 30 shows at San Juan’s José Miguel Agrelot Coliseum, the residency drew 600,000 fans and generated nearly USD$200 million for the island’s economy. His residency turned a slow tourism season into an economic boom, but more importantly, it gave his fans equitable access to his shows—the first nine dates of the residency were reserved exclusively for Puerto Rican residents. By harnessing his celebrity to spotlight Puerto Rico, Ocasio effectively rebranded the island as a global platform for music and creativity. 

Even though his music has taken him to every far-flung corner of the globe, Ocasio still says Puerto Rico is his favorite place in the world. He’s passionate about promoting local and authentic tourism across the island, wanting folks to not only see the best parts of PR, but all parts of it. El bueno, el malo y el feo (the good, the bad and the ugly).

Puerto Rico is a Caribbean archipelago and island that’s an unincorporated territory of the United States. This means that it operates as a self-governing commonwealth where the residents are US citizens, but they can’t vote for the president. And yet its location—about 1,000 miles (1,600 kilometers) southeast of Miami, Florida—makes tropical Puerto Rico feel a world away from the continental US. 

When most people think of exploring Puerto Rico, they often think only of San Juan, the island’s colorful capital city. But beyond the center, there are pristine beaches to the north, lush mountain ranges and a unique Latin-Caribbean-African cultural history and vibe. If you want to explore Puerto Rico through a Bad Bunny lens, this is where to go, what to eat and how to dance:

Be a curious turista in Old San Juan

In the hit song Turista, Ocasio uses a short-lived romance as a metaphor for thoughtless tourism. In several interviews, he’s spoken about visitors coming to the island for fun, but leaving without learning more about Puerto Rico’s culture or the socioeconomic issues the island is currently facing. 

Fiercely proud of Puerto Rico’s history and identity, Ocasio encourages visitors to look beyond Old San Juan’s colorful colonial architecture and engage with the island’s past on a walking tour with Memoria (De)Colonial. Led by local guides and developed by historians, academics, and community members, these tours examine Puerto Rico’s colonial history, the legacy of slavery, and its current status as a U.S. territory—from Spanish colonization beginning in 1493 to U.S. rule following the Treaty of Paris in 1898.

En mi vida fuiste turista (in my life you were a tourist)
Tu solo viste lo mejor de mi (you only saw the best of me)
Y no lo que yo sufria (and not what I was suffering)
Te fuiste sin saber el porque (you left without knowing the reason for my wounds)

- Bad Bunny, lyrics from 'Turista'

The tour also addresses how recent tax policies have fueled gentrification, seeing Black and immigrant communities increasingly displaced by luxury developments and short-term holiday rentals. 

On his most recent record, DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS (Take More Photos), the track LO QUE LE PASÓ A HAWAii  (What happened to Hawai’i) reflects local sentiment about foreign investment, rising housing costs and forced displacement, drawing a parallel with Hawai’i. (After the US took over Hawai’i, the Indigenous monarchy was overthrown which led to the suppression of Hawaiian culture and language, and the loss of  both land and sovereignty). Ocasio expresses concern that Puerto Rico could face a similar fate. 

Experience coffee and rum culture across the island 

Puerto Rico has two types of liquid gold: Coffee and rum. Both are honored in the song Café Con Ron (Coffee with rum) on Ocasio’s Maspotos album. Grown in the island’s central mountainous, volcanic soil, Puerto Rican coffee is known for its smooth, sweet, and rich flavor. Historically, it was so highly regarded that it was even served to popes and kings. Luckily today, even commoners like you and I can enjoy the bean-to-cup process firsthand at coffee haciendas (plantations) like Hacienda Muñoz, a family-owned estate in San Lorenzo, a 30-minute drive from San Juan. 

CL Tours PR offers a Bad Bunny-inspired San Juan tour, which can include (upon request) a trip out to the world’s largest rum factory, the Bacardi Distillery. While Bacardi was founded in Cuba, this distillery, located in Cataño, across the San Juan Bay, produces roughly 85 per cent of all Bacardi rum and has the capacity to make over 100,000 liters of rum daily.

Take a selfie with Bad Bunny

Or with his painted face, at least. Behind La Factoría bar on Calle Imperial in Old San Juan, you can find a famed mural of the musician. Painted by local artist Joabel Ortiz, the striking artwork bursts with color, drawing fans and tourists eager to capture a selfie. Even though it’s down a lane and positioned slightly in a corner, the mural stands out thanks to its scale and style, symbolizing the cultural impact and popularity of Bad Bunny. 

If you don’t want to wait in line for a snap, but are keen for more art, both the Puerto Rico Museum of Art and the Contemporary Art Museum are just a 15-minute bus ride away in Santurce, the largest and most populated barrio (neighborhood) of San Juan.  Santurce is known as the epicenter of Puerto Rican music, art, and culture, and Ocasio’s lyrics frequently champion the neighborhood as an important cultural hub.

Go dancing in Santurce

But where should you go? The music video for his track La Jumpa with Arcángel, an American singer and rapper, was filmed on Santurce’s Calle Loíza, a key spot for steamy nights at salsa bars. The track Te Boté – Remix mentions dancing at La Placita de Santurce, a market by day and a hub for salsa and reggaeton music by night. 

And don’t forget to drop by a local eatery, such La Casita Blanca, for authentic, home-style Puerto Rican dishes that Ocasio would’ve grown up eating—like, mofongo, a savory dish of deep-fried green plantains commonly mashed with garlic and chicharrón (crispy pork skin). Mofongo is best savored on a hungry stomach as it’s hearty and dense, perfect post-partying indulgence.

Se ve lindo hasta en Google Maps (Puerto Rico looks beautiful even on Google Maps).

- Bad Bunny, lyric from 'Me Fui de Vacaciones'

Have a night at Fifty Eight

In his 2022 album, Un Verano Sin Ti (A Summer Without You), Ocasio sings: “Ayer te vieron dizque en Fifty-Eight con otro tipo (Yesterday they saw you allegedly in Fifty Eight with another guy)”.  

Fifty Eight is a sophisticated nightclub where music, fame, and late-night Puerto Rico intersect. Tucked beneath La Concha Resort in Condado, a chic, oceanfront neighborhood just east of Old San Juan, Fifty Eight draws fans of Latin trap music—reggaeton infused with hip-hop and trap—that Ocasio has made popular worldwide. Bad Bunny even performed a surprise set at Fifty Eight back in 2022, following a surprise pop-up concert on a gas station roof.

See Bad Bunny’s hometown hits 

Less than an hour drive west from San Juan, Vega Baja is known for its palm-fringed beaches, forested areas, and being the hood that raised wee Ocasio. Situated on the Atlantic coast, Vega Baja is a typical, small Puerto Rican town with a public plaza and a cathedral at its center. The Bad Bunny sites include: the Econo Plaza Vega Baja Supermarket, where Ocasio worked as a packer; Escuela Segunda Unidad Almirante Norte and Juan Quirindongo Morell High School, his former schools; and the Santísima Trinidad Parish, where he was an altar boy. Ocasio has credited his music-loving parents with nurturing his passion for music early on, which began at his church. 

North of Vega Baja you’ll also find Puerto Nuevo beach. It’s got dramatic limestone formations, calm blue water and the honor of being Ocasio’s hometown playa. Scenes from music videos like La Jumpa and Estamos Bien were filmed here, so stop by for re-enactments. 

“Se ve lindo hasta en Google Maps (Puerto Rico looks beautiful even on Google Maps),” Ocasio sings in Me Fui de Vacaciones. And it’s true. And after this week, when Ocasio graces TV screens across North America to perform the famed Super Bowl LX halftime show, even more people are going to be taking note and adding PR to their bucket lists.

Writer was supported by MSC Cruises

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