PUERTO RICO

                      

Happy Friday! I am finally getting around to posting about our trip to Puerto Rico. I have been trying to plan this trip for years but something always intervened. We were finally able to go this summer! Frank and I are both 100% Puerto Rican, and have been to PR many times and we still have family around different parts of the island. However, for my childhood at least, anytime we would go, it was strictly to visit family so we didn't really get to do any of the fun stuff other than the beach. Frank and I went back by ourselves in 2011 for a cruise but it was just a few hours in San Juan so we didn't have enough time to do much. Our kids have never been to Puerto Rico so this was their first time. 

Anyways! We went in July which is peak season. The weather was very hot and humid, as expected. We rented a car from Enterprise at the airport. Always choose a reputable rental car company. I've heard horror stories on several in the area. Renting from Enterprise was very easy. I did the check-in before arrival so once we arrived we went straight to the garage to pick up our vehicle. 

We landed around 5pm so we were ready for dinner. We made a quick stop to Bebe's bbq which is located right behind the airport. Here you will find some of the best authentic Puerto Rican food. It's also pretty cheap.


   

After we ate, we made our way to our resort. We stayed at the Wyndham Grand Rio Mar, which was about 30 minutes away. 

LUQUILLO

On our first full day we headed to Luquillo, which was about 10-15 mins from the hotel. We planned to see Seven Seas beach and Luquillo beach but both were very crowded. We stopped at the Luquillo food kiosks. Do NOT miss this! This is an entire strip of kiosks with different Puerto Rican cuisine. You can either sit and eat or grab and walk. View video HERE.


   




OLD SAN JUAN

The next day we went down to Old San Juan. San Juan in general is always fun to visit. I love walking around Old San Juan and the colorful houses and cobblestone streets. 

RED DRESS LINKED HERE.


  

  

CULEBRA

The next day we headed to Fajardo. I booked a Culebra beach and snorkel tour through East Island Excursions. You can find the post on that HERE. You snorkel, and stop at Flamenco beach during your excursion, and you are provided lunch, snacks, drinks, etc. View my video on this HERE.

EL YUNQUE

The next day we did El Yunque. This was one of my favorite places that I never got to visit until this trip. You can view video HERE.

ARECIBO

We planned to see Cueva del Indio. Admission is free if you park and enter on the side of the road. You do not need to pay the $10 tourist admission. We didn't go in the cave but you can. Just make sure you have proper hiking footwear. We chose to admire the views. We got some drone footage but not much due to the high winds.

 

 

VEGA BAJA

If you're near Vega Baja area, check out Ojo De Agua. This is basically a small waterpark, and admission is FREE. We just paid $5 for parking.  They have kayaks for rental, as well as slides, swings, and more. Around the area is Puerto Nuevo beach which is where this swing is located. Also, if you're a Bad Bunny fan like me, Vega Baja is his hometown, and you will find his mural around town. We also stopped at MarChiquita beach which is beautiful!


   

CARABALI RAINFOREST PARK

On our last full day we decided to go to. Carabali. This was a fun spot to go to if you have older kids. We did the go karts, and planned to do the UTV's but our 4 year old wasn't tall enough. We also wanted to do horseback riding but there were no more time slots available for the day so make sure you reserve a time in advance.


I had a couple more stops planned throughout the west side of the island but we didn't have enough time to get to them! We have to go back sooner rather than later. 

We returned our rental at 4 am the day we flew out, and our flight was scheduled for 0730. I would suggest arriving to the airport 3 hours before departure. When we walked in at 4 am there was already a line at the Delta counter for baggage drop off and we waited almost an hour. USDA, TSA lines moved pretty quick. The rental car drop off was easy. It's open 24/7. If you're headed to the island, make sure you plan for enough time to really see other parts of the island, not just the touristy stuff ;)

CHRISTINA

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