An "Iconic" Family Adventure

We spent a long weekend in Puerto Rico for mom’s day and we had a blast!

Day 1: We arrived at the Royal Sonesta in Isla Verde, only a few minutes from the airport, and the staff/service was really great. Everyone was so friendly and really went out of their way to be helpful. The hotel was very nice, as were the rooms – nice size and very clean. Out to lunch, we walked a few doors down to Lupi’s, where we got some good food and then had some pool time before heading out to Fajardo (about an hour away), to kayak in the bioluminescent bay. Tip: It is helpful to rent a car if possible and when searching you can find some decent prices.

Staying in Isla Verde was a nice central-ish location to do all the things we wanted to do on this trip and although not quite like D.R., where there’s a kids water park and kids club, the pool and beach were enough for them.

The bio-bay tours run often but we chose the 8:15 pm one (booked through Viator) so it could be really dark. It has to be very dark to be able to see the glowing water and I initially tried to book the boat tour, worrying the kids may not be able to kayak the whole way (a couple of miles round trip in the dark), but they weren’t making any reservations because of the full moon. With the kayaks though, they take a tarp and place it over a few kayaks at a time, and it provides enough darkness. 2 people per kayak, the kids were able to each have an adult and off we went. Navigating the mangroves was a little difficult but we were able to make it all the way out to the bay and got to see a wonder of nature!

Day 2: The original plan was to take a day-tour to El Yunque, the National Rainforest, but alas, flash flood warnings had gone out, so it turned into a pool day. Spending the day at the hotel was relaxing and going back and forth to the beach made for a good time for the kids. The hotel also had a small play area and some games to play including table tennis, connect four and bean bag toss. We went to the restaurant on the beach for lunch where they served good, authentic Puerto Rican food and reasonably priced.

Nighttime activities took us into San Juan for food and nightlife. First stop, “La Placita,” a kind-of party area with music and restaurants everywhere. We ate at Jacinta Cuisine (recommended by the bar tender at the hotel) and the food was delicious. Afterwards, we left the area (they recommend not to be in the area with kids after 9, it is more a 21 and over crowd) and headed over to Distrito T-Mobile. This area, near the convention center, was a cool space with restaurants, dining, live music, etc. It was indoors but had a space in the middle with fake grass, Adirondack chairs and games for the kids…we got some good ice cream there to top the night off.

Day 3: Our final full day in PR included some sightseeing and snorkeling. First heading into San Juan, we walked around the cobblestone streets taking in the colorful buildings and art galleries. We found our way over to Pigeon Park, a small park where there are pigeons literally everywhere, and they don’t fly away! After that, we visited El Morro, the fort, and got a nice history lesson…It is inexpensive ($10 for adults/kids free) and is a really cool place to learn about the history of the island.

The final stop was snorkeling at Escambron Marine Park (booked on Viator). This one-hour trip off the beach was a lot of fun – we got to see a lot of tropical fish and several sea turtles. The guide was super nice and very knowledgeable; he also made sure my daughter was comfortable and felt safe.

Overall, the trip was a success, though we will have to come back and get to the rainforest and a few other places I have in mind. I was really happy to be able to share Puerto Rico with the kids and create some wonderful memories!