Caribbean hotspot with Blue Flag beaches, £2.40 cocktails & amazing nightlife

IF there is one thing Puerto Rico knows how to do, it’s to party hard.

Which is how I found myself running into the sea with hundreds of people at midnight.

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It was part of their celebration, Noche de San Juan, which takes place every year towards the end of this month.

A phrase I kept hearing from locals was, “If I jump, you jump with me” — meaning if the party is still going, so are you.

Hardly surprising, with Puerto Rico being the island that created the humble Pina Colada cocktail in 1954 and home to the largest Bacardi rum distillery in the world.

I stayed at the huge Le Concha Resort on the night of the famous annual holiday — the biggest event on the island after New Year — to celebrate in style.

One minute my ears were being pounded by club music from the bustling hotel swimming pool, the next by a local rock band on stage who resembled a Puerto Rican Rolling Stones.

I then ran for the ocean along with everyone else to “rid myself of my negativities” when the clock struck midnight, dunking myself into the warm water three times as part of the tradition.

A local delighted in telling me that the party is so big, it’s often joked that the island tilts due to the weight of so many people heading to San Juan to celebrate.

Yet even after the event ends, the party continues elsewhere on the island.

Reggae music was blasting and guava and rum concoctions were flowing on our boat trip to Flamenco Beach on the island of Culebra.

It has been voted one of the best beaches in the world (day trips cost from £105; see eastislandpr.com).

Dutch courage from the cocktails was certainly needed too, as our boat was unable to dock on the remote island, so the only way for us to reach it was by jumping into the ocean and swimming to shore.

Then there’s the La Factoria strip, a road that is now-famous after featuring in the music video for Daddy Yankee’s Despacito.

But the best night out is found at the bars in La Placita, where Cuban and Spanish music blares onto the streets as clubbers squeeze into each sweaty venue.

I went straight into the fray of dancers before, out of nowhere, a live band launched into action making the crowd go mad with rendition after rendition using just a trumpet and drum.

While I didn’t know most of the songs, I knew when to yell, “Tequila!” during the iconic song by The Champs.

The mojitos kept coming for as long as the music was buzzing, but it wasn’t until I ventured outside to cool my head that I stumbled upon a proper winner in the form of a $3 frozen Pina Colada from a tiny roadside stall.

As the morning light slowly came up, it was time to surrender with a taxi back to the hotel (which has a nightclub underneath if I’d had any energy to continue).

It’s safe to say a hangover was inevitable.

Yet Puerto Rico looked after me in the form of carb-heavy food and punchy coffee grown locally and hand-picked.

I was guided by Pablo, a fountain of knowledge who gave me a taste of the best food and drink in the colourful Old San Juan.

This included a hair-of-the-dog 11am “beermosa” made from passion fruit, rum and juice with craft beer.

Sunset kayak tour

The local dish, mofongo, is a deliciously rich mashed plantain, great for soaking up any residual booze.

And you can’t go wrong with a meat and cheese-stuffed Cubana sandwich, the best being at taproom La Taberna Lúpulo with a rum-mutard kick.

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Pablo delighted in telling me I would never have been able to keep up drinking with the locals anyway, claiming Puerto Rican grandparents get them drunk young to prepare them as adults.

My much-needed chillout time on the island was spent at the sleepier Caribe Hilton hotel, a resort with a quiet infinity pool and loungers.

Perfect for sleeping off the remnants of the heady days before.

That’s not to say a party was the only way to have a good time in Puerto Rico.

Nature-lovers can head to El Yunque rainforest to jump into cool waters via a treacherous rope swing while listening out for the Coqui frogs, named after the sound of the mating call they make.

And rather than spend another night at a bar, I opted for a much more peaceful evening kayak tour to watch the sun go down before paddling through the glowing schools of bioluminescent fish in the waters.

I even managed some guided meditation and rooftop yoga at the wellness resort Casa Alternavida run by Yancy and his dog Honey.

But despite all this, I learned that if you’re handed a beer, just say cheers and get ready for the best night of your life.

Or as the locals say, “Buen provecho!”