Puerto Rico: Day 9, Bacardi Rum Distillery Tour

85% of Bacardi energy comes from these 2 wind turbines
and saves the company $75,000 per annum! 

The fruit bat was selected as the company mascot
due to the first production facility had to be cleared of
nesting bats, seen as a symbol of prosperity. 

Our last morning was spent 15 minutes outside of San Juan. The Embassy Suites – Dorado is situated directly on a northshore beach with manmade breaks. It seems the Puerto Ricans are not quite sure the concept of a "Hot" Tub. Hoping to settle in and reflect on our trip, Hubby and I step into the tepid bath. At both hotels, the swimming pools have been warmer than the Jacuzzi’s. Really, really, really a bummer, since that’s about the only thing I like about hotel pools.

I started this blog series referencing a great movie to watch when starting an adventure. I am adding another must see when traveling to Puerto Rico and the TV just happened to have a “Pirates of the Caribbean” movie marathon running. Granted, I didn’t hang around to watch all, just enough to let Johnny and Orlando set the mood for lots of rum consumption. Argghh! 

With a vibrant piratical history, no PR trip is complete without the Bacardi Rum Distillery Tour aka Casa Bacardi. It’s not so much a factory tour as much as a reception room and museum. There is a history of the Bacardi Family, their trials and tribulations with US Prohibition, the seizing of assets by the Communists Cuban leaders and the modern use of wind-turbine power. What you think is the San Juan power plant is actually the campus of Bacardi. Proof that booze and politics go hand-in-hand.

All in all we had a wonderful trip. And talking with co-vacationers on airport vans can teach one a lot. Unbeknownst to us, (or perhaps Providence) the area of our island tour was not the tourist side. The northeast coast is apparently THE place to be, as we were on the southwest side. Sounds like they had a wonderful time banging sea kayaks together with a full bay of other sea-kayaks during their bioluminescent trip to Puerto Mosquito Bay/Laguna Grande. They were not allowed to snorkel, which is what really made our experience memorable, and as a general rule, I tend to avoid anything named after those evil little blood-suckers. Also, I heard that it rained almost daily on them. With this in mind, I have three travel suggestions for wherever you tour: 1) don’t plan too hard, 2) get two tour books, one conventional and one off-the-beaten path (reference the second one more often) and 3) have a reason to need a map.

Cheers until next time!

Bacardi Rum was the first to trademark mixed drinks.
e.g. If the drink is call Bacardi and Coke then, by law, Bacardi must be used.