Are you ready to see a familiar island in an entirely new light?
Today’s featured book takes you into la isla del encanto for a deeper dive into its diverse landscape and culture that will have you booking a plane ticket to visit (if you’re not there already)!
Note: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links, which means that if you click on them and choose to buy something, it won’t cost you anything, but I’ll get an itsy bitsy commission as a thank you for sharing something cool with you.
The book: The Dining Traveler Guide to Puerto Rico
Written by: Jessica van Dop DeJesus of The Dining Traveler
Originally published: 2019
Back in 2015, Jessica got the idea for a book when she was thinking about how there were not enough travel stories about Puerto Rico being told by actual Puerto Ricans in traditional travel media. That’s how The Dining Traveler Guide to Puerto Rico was conceived.
The Dining Traveler Guide to Puerto Rico takes the reader on a journey across ‘La Isla del Encanto’ with stunning photographs of the island, its people and its food. The North, East, South, West and Center of the Island, as well as San Juan and the outer isles of Vieques and Culebra are featured in separate chapters. With interviews of chefs like José Andrés and other food and hospitality personalities, the book shows the diverse landscapes of the island, its people and the boricua cuisine. The Dining Traveler Guide to Puerto Rico is produced by a predominantly Latino team (author Jessica van Dop deJesus, editor Nina Alvarez, and award-winning photo journalist Italo Morales) as well as talented Italian graphic designer Federica Ricci – via Amazon
Readers who will love this book:
Anyone who loves Puerto Rico. You may be thinking, I’ve already been to Puerto Rico (or, I already LIVE in Puerto Rico), so I don’t need a travel book about the island. But this book is so much more than a travel guide. This book is a celebration of Puerto Rico and its people. It’s filled with gorgeous photography that captures everything you no doubt cherish about the island and – bonus – it’s presented as a stunning coffee table book with tropical flair that you’ll want to leave out in your home.
Travelers who seek to explore off the beaten path. There is so much more to Puerto Rico than San Juan, though it can be challenging to find information on where to go beyond the main city. This book takes you on a road-trip across the island, sharing hidden gems and must-visit places from Isabela to Guayama and even to the outer islands of Culebra and Vieques. Even if you’ve been to Puerto Rico before, you’ll no doubt want to plan a return visit to explore more of what this incredible island has to offer.
Readers interested in hearing about an island from people who actually live there. Not only is the author of the book from Puerto Rico herself, but she also includes fun Q&As throughout the book with residents of the island who offer peeks into what they love about the paradise they call home.
Have you been to Puerto Rico? What would you recommend as a must-visit, must-see, and/or must-eat while on the island?
Want to meet the author and hear more about the making of the book? Jessica is currently on book tour and may be coming to a city (or island!) near you. You can follow her on Facebook and Instagram for details on her next stops. I’ll be attending her Miami event this month – hope to see you there!
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If you’ve read the featured book too, be sure to leave a comment below or on our Facebook page – we can chat about it and it’ll be like our own island-style book club!
Looking for more Island Reads? Here are some others I’ve covered for you to check out:
If you’re a fellow island reader and would like to connect on all things books, you can find me on Goodreads. I even have a shelf of island-related books, which I plan to cover in future posts like this one.
Current Rock of Residence:
Virgin Gorda, BVI
Island Girl Since:
2006
Originally Hails From:
California
Chrissann’s home rock in the British Virgin Islands feels bigger to her than it actually is. Though after spending five years on a teensy one acre island, the current 13-mile long rock she’s residing on now IS ginormous, at least by comparison. As with everything in the tropics, it’s all about perspective.
Once upon a time she used to care about things like matching her purse to her pumps but these days, any activities that require a bra and shoes go under careful, is-this-even-worth-it consideration. If island life has taught her anything at all, it’s that few things are more rewarding than time spent in the pool with a cocktail in hand.
As the Editor in Chief of this site, she spends her days working from home with her blue-eyed sidekick, Island Dog Diego, writing, editing, and cultivating content in the hopes of bringing some laughter and lightness to her fellow island souls. She recently published her first children’s book, When You’re a Baby Who Lives on a Rock, and is pretty pumped to share it with all of the island mamas out there. Her days off are typically spent boating, hiking, and meeting up with the neighborhood’s imperious roadside goats, who she shamelessly bribes into friendship. While normalcy was never listed as one of her special skills, Caribbean life may indeed be responsible for new levels of madness. She attributes at least a smidge of her insanity to the amount of time she spends talking to drunk people.
If you’re somehow still reading this and feel inclined to find out more about this “Chrissann” of which we speak, you can also take a gander at her eponymous website or follow her daily escapades on Instagram @womanonarock.
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