Last month my husband and I went on a super fun vacation with my family to Puerto Rico. It was the last “hoorah” of the summer before my baby sister was off to college. We have been to Puerto twice before and loved it so much each time. You can find the previous blog posts here– San Juan travel guide (Old San Juan, Luquillo, Culebra) and Rincon travel guide. Although there is so much to see and do in Puerto Rico, we wanted to hit a few of the highlights during the time we had here with my family. Below is our daily itinerary.
Travel
We flew direct from RDU to SJU with Jet Blue. This is a quick and easy flight which I love! Since we were arriving later in the evening and wanted to experience San Juan for part of our trip, we stayed 1 night at the Sheraton Puerto Rico Resort & Casino. It was a nice hotel and the casino was an added bonus–perfect way to end the night! For dinner we ate at Havana Bar & Grill. Hubby and I ate here on our first trip to Puerto Rico and I’ve been thinking about the shrimp pasta ever since. It did not disappoint! Anita Gelato in Old San Juan is also a MUST!
Day 1
Our first full day of family vacation was strictly dedicated to Old San Juan! There is simply so much to see and do here. From the colorful buildings to the delicious food and rich history, it’s definitely a place you have to visit when in Puerto Rico. Although we rented a car from Black Tie Car Rental (great experience), we utilized Uber to get to and from Old San Juan so we didn’t have to worry about parking. Our first stop was Castillo San Felipe Del Morro. It’s so beautiful to walk around the architecture and the water below. Pro tip: they do have a military discount!
Afterwards we walked through the streets of Old San Juan and stopped for a few photo ops. My favorite is the Puerto Rican flag mural on Calle Imperial. We stopped for a traditional lunch of Mofongo at Raices. Mofongo is a traditional Puerto Rican dish made from fried green plantains and it’s one of my favorites! We then utilized Puerto Rico Ferry to travel to Cataño for a tour of the Bacardi Rum Factory. We had never done this before and we really enjoyed it! We chose the Legacy Tour which included a welcome drink, tour of the facility, and rum tasting. Pro tip: booking the ferry tickets to Cataño was very simple but make sure you book in advance if traveling to Culebra or Vieques. After a long day we made the 1 hour drive to our rental property in Fajardo.
Day 2
We took it easy on the first morning in Fajardo and chose to simply enjoy our gorgeous rental property. We stayed at Casa Blue Laguna which was perfect for our family vacation. The highlight of the property was definitely the large balcony overlooking the water. For brunch we walked over to Cafe Playero. The guava pancakes were delicious- highly recommend!
In the afternoon we made our way over to Luquillo Beach. Since it was a Saturday it was very crowded when we arrived and a bit difficult to find a place to hang out. However, the water was nice and the crowd cleared out as the day went on. Overall it was a great beach day! We ended the day with a quick bite to eat at the famous Kioskos de Luquillo right by the beach. We also went to El Tropical Casino for a little more evening fun and it was great! The casino was clean with a variety of games and machines to play.
Day 3
The big activity on today’s itinerary was visiting El Yunque National Rainforest! We started by driving up the mountain and stopping at many of the scenic overlooks. We chose to hike through Mt. Britton Trail to get to Mt. Britton Tower. The rainforest surely lived up to its name because it was raining the entire hike! This Amazon backpack was perfect for keeping everything dry and holding what we needed for the day. It was truly a once in a lifetime experience though, and I’m glad we did it. The cafe selling empanadas hit the spot on the way back down after a long day of hiking! We went back to our rental and got ready for a nearby dinner at Kalizo.
Day 4
Our last full day in Puerto Rico was another relaxing beach day! We went to a beach super close to our rental (Seven Seas Beach) and ended up enjoying ourselves even more than our first beach day. It was less crowded but equally as lovely of a location. There were several kiosks with snacks and piña coladas. The highlight of this beach is definitely the hidden passage you can take to get to Playa Escondida! It’s about a 30 minute walk through the mangrove trees but is well worth it for a more private beach experience. The beach here was truly breathtaking!
We got all dressed up for one last family dinner on vacation at La Estación. The vibe here was so cool and the food was even better! The restaurant is set inside an old gas station and the menu features traditional American BBQ with Caribbean influence. It’s a very unique experience that I would recommend when in Fajardo! Although we were sad for family vacation to come to an end, I’m so glad we were able to experience the beautiful culture of Puerto Rico. We enjoyed history, food, beaches, and more while on this trip. There are so many unique things to do in Puerto Rico… I have a feeling we will be back again soon! 🙂
