Travel by Any Means Necessary

Tag: coffee

Wordless Wednesday: Cafe Lareño

View from Cafe Lareño

Puerto Rican Coffee Experience

Latte at Cafe Lareño

After our experience trying to visit a coffee hacienda on our last trip to Puerto Rico, we still wanted to have the experience but were nervous about what road conditions we might find along the way. I did a lot of research before this trip into coffee haciendas around the island and compared them to our schedule. We ended up deciding to visit Cafe Lareño in Lares because it seemed like it was close to the main roads and was only an hour and 15-minute drive from Rincon.

Of course, Google took us off the main roads and through some twisty mountain roads, but the views were breathtaking and none of them seemed to disappear out from in front of us. We made it to Lares and the coffee shop and it seemed to be nestled in the rainforest. I don’t think I have ever enjoyed coffee with a better view before in my life (left). And it was some of the best coffee I had ever had in my life. Of course, we brought some home, but it wasn’t as good when you weren’t watching them sorting the beans below you (below).

Sorting beans at Cafe Lareño

While we didn’t get a tour of the coffee plantation, honestly, I was entirely happy with our decision to visit Cafe Lareño. If you are visiting Puerto Rico and are loooking for good coffee in a beautiful setting, look no further than Cafe Lareño.

Ice cream choices at Heladaria Lares

After our afternoon pick-me-up, we discovered that there is a famous ice cream shop (heladeria) in Lares that is known for its unique flavor options. It was tricky driving into town because all of the roads seemed to be closed, but eventually, we made it. The line was out of the door on a weekday so we knew that was a good sign. Once we got in the shop and saw all the flavors, it was hard to choose. I ended up with Maiz (corn) and Piña (pineapple). Chris was a little braver and got Batata (sweet potato) and Arroz con salchichas (rice with sausage). The ice cream was very good and unlike anything I had ever had before. Chris said his was good but sausages in ice cream are strange and he wouldn’t order it again.

Ice cream at Heladeria LaresOverall, we had a fun culinary adventure in Lares, Puerto Rico. One thing to note is that Spanish was spoken almost exclusively in both the coffee shop and the ice cream shop. Most places in tourist areas of Puerto Rico have menus in Spanish and English and servers typically speak English. That was not the case in Lares or in many of the little towns we visited.  If you do not have basic Spanish, Google Translate will help you a lot, especially when deciding on your ice cream flavor (Maiz y Piña, por favor)! You can prepare for your trip by practicing Spanish with apps like Duolingo as well.

Thanks for stopping by! To read more about our time in Puerto Rico, check out my Circle Tour of the Island. To read about some of our previous trips, visit my Trips Page. To read campground reviews check out my Michigan Campground Reviews page. If you like my photos be sure to “like” my Facebook Page and follow me on Instagram! For my list of gadgets to make your travels easier, click here. To see inside my camera bag, check out my Gear Page.

Austin Public Library

Whimsical Staircases in the Library

Libraries aren’t typically on my must-see list when visiting a new place, but our tour guide on our Austin and the Hill Country tour highly recommended a stop at the Austin Public Library. She mentioned that the library has a coffee shop/bar (just like the library in your home town, right?) so we figured that would be a good place to hang out for a while and wait for the rain to pass.

Click to view full sizeIt was too early in the day for a cocktail, when we arrived at the Cookbook, but this teacher loved their literary-themed drink menu (left). I was sold right there! After we got our drinks, we headed up to the roof garden (below), with a view of the city that you would ordinarily have to pay a hefty sum for. There was a lot of open seating up there, I’m sure due to the rain and chilly temperature, but we took a seat looking out over the city for a while enjoying our coffees. The roof garden looked like the perfect place to hang out on a warm day in the shade of the canopies and enjoy Austin.

The Austin Library is a place I could have spent a lot more time. One thing our tour guide mentioned was the staircases (top). I believe she described them as something out of a Harry Potter book. If you are visiting, the Austin Library is a great quiet place to enjoy the uniqueness of the city with a cup of coffee or a cocktail and take in the views.

Library Roof Garden

Thanks for stopping by! To read about some of our previous trips, click here. If you like my photos be sure to “like” my Facebook Page, follow me on Instagram! You can purchase prints on Etsy and Fine Art America. To see inside my camera bag, check out my Gear Page. For information about our new Guided Photography Tours, visit GuidedPhoto.com.

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