Puerto Rico Family Vacation: Old San Juan, El Yunque waterslides, Manatees, & Isla Verde Beach

Last year we enjoyed three nights in Fort Lauderdale for April break - combining days of adventure in the National park with relaxing days of beach and pool.  This year, we used the formula on a slightly more exotic destination - Puerto Rico.  In four nights we had a history/culture day in Old San Juan, an adventure day in the El Yunque rainforest, and a beach relaxing day in Isla Verde.  Our family of four (kids age 8 and 10) had the perfect spring break vacation in Puerto Rico.

Here’s how to recreate this adventure:

Hotel Pool at Embassy Suites San Juan

Lobby at Embassy Suites

Day 1 - Fly to San Juan, Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico is a US territory although its cultural and linguistically different than the mainland, you do not need a passport to travel there.  Four hour direct flights from Boston were reasonably priced.  We flew in around dinner time, picked up our rental car without any issue (I like Avis) and drove the 10 minutes to our hotel - Embassy Suites San Juan Hotel & Casino - which is actually in Isla Verde - a beach community just outside San Juan.  Once checked in, we walked the two easy blocks to the beach where we grabbed classic pina coladas in coconuts and food at Lifeguards on the Reef Cafe.  We watched the sunset, walked back to our hotel and did a night swim in the giant pool.  It really felt like we were instantly on vacation!

!!Hotel Pick!!  I spent more time researching hotels than anything else!  The Embassy Suites was chosen because it literally checked all the boxes:

• Close to the airport (we didn’t want an exhausting or stressful drive the first day)

• Not far from Old San Juan or El Yunque - the two main places we wanted to go - it’s in between both.

• Beach access by walking - ES provided beach umbrellas, towels, and chairs down on the beach.  It was an easy walk.

• Kid Friendly Pool - it was massive and aesthetic with stone landscaping and a waterfall.  It also had a pool bar, attendants, and restaurant.

• Included breakfast - When traveling, I don’t like the stress of figuring out where to eat breakfast at 8 am and getting everyone out the door right away.  ES has a great continental breakfast including a cook doing made-to-order omelets.

I was really happy with our choice!  There were even some extra perks that made it even better than I thought:

• Happy hour - ES puts out complimentary snacks from 5:30-7ish.  Adults got two free drink tickets per day.  I usually used mine to get the rum punch and the kids liked the chips and hummus.

• Suite - We had a king bed suite.  The kids slept on the pull out couch in the living room.  It was nice having two separate spaces.  We also used the fridge for leftovers.  There was also a sink and microwave.

• Walking distance to restaurants, shopping, and supermarket - Even though we had a car, we only used it twice.  We could walk to restaurants, souvenir shops, and even a supermarket.

• Parking - the ES is also a small casino with a large parking garage so our car was always safe. This however, comes with a price of $25 but it has easy in and out ability with your card.

I’m really happy with our choice to stay at Embassy Suites.  We had a comfortable, quiet, and clean experience.  I booked through the Expedia app and that was smooth as well.

Drinks at Lifeguards on the Reef Cafe

Happy Hour included at hotel every night

Day 2 - Culture and History of Old San Juan

Our first full day in Puerto Rico was about experiencing Old San Juan.  *Fair Warning* this was a lot of walking!  We parked the car at Escambrón beach ($6 a day). This was a surfers beach with spectacular views of waves, palm trees, and sand. From here, we walked the Pasea Puerta de Tierra - a scenic, award-winning pedestrian walkway stretching roughly 1.5 to 2 miles (about a 30–45 minute walk) along the coast from Escambrón Beach to the entrance of Old San Juan. It offers spectacular ocean views and convenient access between the beach area and the historic city center, capitol building, and passing by Muñoz Marín Park.  We stopped at Old San Juan when we got to the San Cristobol castle - the largest fortress built in the Americas!  It is a National Historic Park.  We paid entrance and did a self tour.  The kids loved the dungeons and I loved the views from the top!

Moving on, we wandered into Old San Juan.  We marveled at the large colorful buildings and blue bricked roads.  We popped into some shops (Matt bought the popular four pocket shirt called a guayabera) and we all got Puerto Rican ice cream from a street vendor.  We made it all the way to the end where we also visited San Felipe del Morro fort (nick named El Morro).  Our entrance from San Cristobal got us into this one as well.  

Escambrón Beach where we parked

Old San Juan Streets

Dungeons in San Cristobol fort

At this point we were hot and tired.  Matt chose our lunch spot of Caleta cafe where we had fantastic sandwiches outdoors right in the Cathedral Plaza - an aesthetic masterpiece. We started our walk back - but first got gourmet popsicles for dessert at Zippops. 

Getting our National Park Passport Stamped

Views from El Morro

Getting street ice cream ($5 a piece)

Back at the hotel, we relaxed and enjoyed the happy hour and pool. For dinner, we got authentic and affordable dinner at Bebo’s BBQ - a short drive from the hotel.

Popsicles on the go at Zippos

Bebos BBQ - all this for $24

**TIPS** Wear sunscreen and comfortable shoes for this itinerary. My phone read I had walked 15,000 steps by 1 pm!  If we had had the energy, it would have been nice to hang at the Escambron beach before heading back.  We got caught in a 10 minute downpour in Old San Juan - none of us minded since it cooled us down a little, but an umbrella would have been handy in the backpack.  Lastly, bring cash to buy ice cream or shaved ice from street vendors.

Day 3 - Adventure in El Yunque

I knew we wanted to experience some adventure in the rainforest.  I waffled between going on our own and choosing a tour.  Based on my Costa Rica experience this summer, I knew with a tour guide I wouldn’t have to stress about getting in, where was safe to hike or go, as well as help identifying plants and wildlife.  To relieve stress and get access to some adventure, I booked a guide.  I chose ComfortPR tours - a one man operation of David Ortego - who does his own booking and does not use third party booking like tripadvisor and getyourguide. We booked his Trails-River-Beach tour that included transportation to/from our hotel. 

short walk to the waterslides

Fruit stand/smoothies before the rainforest

This excursion had three stops: First, a visit to a fruit and smoothie stand outside the rainforest, then a short hike to natural waterslides - including safety and photo/video taking, and last, a trip to Luquillo beach - another must-see destination famous for the kiosk market. My son would have spent all day doing the slides!  We all tried the small one but he was the only one brave enough to to the big one…over and over.  At Luquillo beach, we had lunch at La Parrilla restaurant - kiosk # 2. We tried the traditional seafood mofongo as well as a conch salad.

David helped us stay safe in the waterslides

David made sure we got great photos

Our guide David with Comfort PR tours

David was very knowledgeable and even helped Matt do a side quest to a take-out place to get him mondongo (not to be confused with mofongo) - a tripe soup he wanted to try. 

This day was lots of fun and we felt we were in good hands with David.  We saw a lot of large group tours doing similar experiences but without the safety warning, life jackets, etc. 

We were pooped that night - so we stayed in - used the pool and had dinner at one of the hotel restaurants.

Mofongo and conch salad at the Luquillo kiosks

Day 4 - Manatees and Beach

My daughter loves manatees, and last year we weren't able to see any in our Florida trip.  I was determined that we’d see them this one!  After some searching, I found out that San Juan’s manatee rescue organization offers one hour tours of their facilities which include seeing the manatees receiving care!  The Caribbean Manatee Conservation Center is located in the Bayamón Campus of the Inter American University of Puerto Rico - a 35 minute drive from our hotel.  Our guide Shelly was engaging and informative.  We learned about the rescue process, the animals they treat, and the  veterinary services they provide.  We got to safely view their patients including four manatees, sea birds, and a sea turtle.  It was a wonderful experience! 

Manatee viewing

Great tour at the Manatee Conservation Center!

The afternoon was designated our beach day.  Embassy Suites is two blocks from the Isla Verde Beach - a large family friendly beach.  We brought some portable sand toys and the hotel provided a beach attendant with lounge chairs, towels, and umbrellas.  Unfortunately, it rained on and off during our afternoon, but since the kids didn’t care - Matt and I decided that neither did we.  They loved making sand castles and body surfing in the warm, tropical water.  We got food and drink from the hotel cafe and also from Lifeguards on the Reel Café again.

Big beach and warm water at Isla Verde - 2 blocks from hotel

For dinner, we took a local’s suggestion for Metropol for local Puerto Rican favorites.  Matt and I each tried a new mofongo again and we had the traditional dessert of flan for dessert. 

Day 5 - Heading Home

Our last morning in Puerto Rico included another continental breakfast and pool time.  We got to the airport early.  I’d heard scary tales of four hour TSA lines, but we didn’t have this experience.  The required USDA check (don’t miss this!) took about ten minutes and the TSA precheck line under ten.  As a result, we had at least three hours to kill before our flight. 

Would repeat!

I felt this vacation was a nice blend of relaxing, culture, and adventure. With more time, it would have been fun to visit one of the islands - Vieques and Culebra.  If the kids were older, a snorkeling, jetski, zipline, or atv adventure would be fun as well.  Overall, we have no regrets and hope to come back.  

See similar adventures here:

Costa Rica Adult Trip

Family Florida Trip

Florida Keys Adult Trip

See more photos, video, and adventure at my instagram

Day 5 - Westfjords Waterfalls and Coastal Villages

Amazing Drive through the Westfjords.  Can you see me?

After a somewhat rough start to the Westfjords the day before (see post), we were excited for a fresh start to explore the area.  The adventure included driving winding and remote roads, hiking up an enormous waterfall, and exploring quaint, small towns.  In this wild and remote wilderness, we finally felt more like travelers and less like common tourists.  Here's how to recreate this adventure...

Day 5 - Westfjords Waterfalls and Coastal Villages 

Driving gravel roads up and down the fjords.

Most of the day consisted of driving through winding fjords.  The roads were sometimes paved and sometimes a dirt/gravel combo.  I was intimidated at first - worried that our little 2-wheel drive car wouldn't be able to handle the climbs.  I was wrong.  We stayed on Rt 60 for the most part and found that we could navigate the gravel roads just fine.  Nothing was as bad as the day's prior when we took Rt 614 to the Red Beach (see previous post).

Our first stop from Patreksfjörður was the Dynjandi waterfall.  This impressive series of falls totals a 100 m drop.  Visitors park at the bottom and can walk up to the base of the largest fall.  Bring a rain jacket to avoid spray!  I loved this waterfall - the series of diverse cascades all flowing down toward the fjord is a beautiful and powerful sight which was impossible to capture on camera.

Can you see the person at the base of the top falls?  Dynjandi is huge!

Our next stop was at Hranfnseyri, which Leanne coined the "church and turf".  This quick stop is a tiny, picturesque church sitting next to a turf house. The home has been recreated to represent early Icelandic homes.  There is no charge to tour the house. The site has bathrooms and coffee/pastry available for purchase.

"Church and Turf"

Driving in multi-km one-lane tunnels

We drove on and entered a new Icelandic road type: long and dark, one-lane tunnels.  These tunnels are a marvel.

Driving north through the tunnel on Rt 60, we discovered we had the right-of-way.  Oncoming traffic received a flashing light if cars were approaching and they would have to pull off onto one of the labeled safe zones.  The tunnel went on for multiple kilometers and even included a three-way intersection!

Hotel Edda rooms feel like a dorm...because they are.

The tunnel popped us out in the good-sized town of Ísafjörður. We checked into our Hotel Edda.  We stayed at multiple of these chain hotels over our trip, and I commented that it looked like a dorm room.  It turns out that's because it is one!  Icelandair converts boarding schools into low-budget guesthouses in the summer months and calls them "Hotel Edda".  They provide a reasonable dorm-style room with a shared bath.

In Ísafjörður, we walked through the town and decided to eat at Husio which served American-style meals like burgers and pizza but also had some Icelandic menu items like soup and fish.  After dinner, we walked around town some more and went back to the hotel for an early night in.

On the map, the Westfjords might lack the numerous named sites you find in southern Iceland, but don't let that fool you.  In just a couple days we witnessed hundreds of massive waterfalls, mountains, ice sheets, rare sea birds, and spectacular landscapes that should not be missed.

Just one of the unnamed, "small" waterfalls along our drive.

READ ABOUT THE NEXT DAY HERE:  Day 6 - Westfjords Continued - Hot Tubs, Waterfalls, and Sorcery

Please leave comments or questions below, or visit us on our Facebook page at The Freelance Adventurer for more photos and stories or visit us on Instagram @FreelanceAdventurer.

Day 4 - Westfjords - Winding Roads, Mountains, Puffins, and a Ferry

Ice and barren landscape driving over the Westfjords.

What should have been a quick day through the fjords began with us being stranded on a small island and ended with midnight sun on puffin-covered, ocean cliffs.  The Westfjords of Iceland are often overlooked by tourists because it is away from the popular Ring Road, and slow winding (and usually gravel-road) driving.  We were fortunate to explore the wild Westfjords by car and ferry.  Below is our adventure...

The Wild Westfjords - Winding Roads, Mountains, Puffins, and a Ferry

The morning started pleasant enough...we got up early and drove to the town of Stykkishólmur to catch our morning car ferry to the Westfjords. The ferry is a three hour voyage - broken up after two hours with a drop off/pick up on the small residential island of Flatey.  The three of us were all under the impression that the ferry spent 30 minutes or so on the island and that we were free to walk around and see it before moving on to our final destination.

Flatey Island Town

At the island, we disembarked to explore with a large group of fellow passengers.  The island is small (2 km by 1 km) with a hotel/restaurant and small shop. We walked down the island for ten minutes before turning around to return to the boat (just to be safe).  When we turned, we saw OUR FERRY in the distance.  It couldn't be!!!  It just couldn't!  Our car!  Our luggage!  Everything was on the ship!  

We ran back to the dock.  There was no one there and sure enough, the ship was gone.  We ran into the shop/coffee shop.  "We are supposed to the be on that boat!"  I said to the teens behind the counter.  They stared blankly back.  An adult shop worker came to our rescue.  She called the ship and found that they would be coming back for one more run that day.  Luckily, our car was parked on the side of the interior, making it possible for the other cars to get around us.  This just meant that we had a two hour wait, followed by a two hour ferry back to Stykkishólmur, followed by a three hour ferry again to Brjánslækur.  Sigh.  It wasn't optimal, but it sure beat stranded on a 2 km island in the North Atlantic for the night!   So this is what we did.  It was a long wait but we eventually got to Brjánslækur.  

Resting Sheep on Flatey Island

We prayed this would be the only mishap we'd have on the trip.  I am extremely grateful to the woman at the Flatey cafe/shop who helped us by contacting the boat and negotiating our return.  I am also extremely grateful to the crew of Seatours who could have easily been furious with us and charged us for our mishap (they didn't even charge us for a second return!) One crewman also sat with us and consoled us on our return.   Two pet peeves of the experience - the boat announced that we would having a short stop at the island but didn't say not to disembark.  AND ... the rude Americans who thought our misfortune was hilarious and then three of them took my photo (without permission) before while laughing and piling into their SUV.  Really?!

Flatey Island

It was such a relief to get off the ferry.  A friendly crewman had spoken to us about a geothermal public hot tub near the ferry landing, in Flókalundur, that was made of rocks on the ocean.  We decided to check it out.  When we arrived, the hot tub was beautiful, but the cold wind and lack of shelter chilled us and we decided not to take the dip.  

We drove on to our hostel in Patreksfjörður called Hostel Radagerdi.  Besides our stay at the Icelandair Hotel, this Hostel was by far our nicest accommodation.  Our room came with a private bathroom (most of our guesthouses did not).  It also had a superb breakfast spread in the morning with French-pressed coffee.  Mmmm.  

After check-in, we decided to see two more sights - the Red Beach and Latrabjarg cliffs.  We didn't realize due to gravel winding roads, this trip would take hours and we wouldn't return until after midnight.

To access Raudassandur (Red Beach), we had to take the windy, gravel, and steep Rt 614 over the fjord to

Check out the road behind me.  This for miles!

the remote beach.  The drive is accessible without 4-wheel drive (we didn't have it), but be careful of the cars that do - they barrel up and down the road and kick up gravel that can crack your windshield (it happened ... a story for another time).  Driving down the mountain, we got a glimpse from above of the gorgeous red sand bar stretching around the fjord. When we made it to the base, we were unable to discover how to access the sandbar offshore by foot without getting soaked.  Perhaps it's best accessed at a low tide?  If any readers have insight, please leave comments.  Either way, we still enjoyed the thrilling drive and the views from above.

Puffins

From the Red Beach, we drove back on Rt 614 and took Rt 612 through more windy roads and sleepy towns to Latrabjarg - a well known seabird nesting area.  We arrived around 10:30 pm.  There was still a small tour bus of bird-enthusiast photographers as well as a couple other cars.  Approaching the high cliff edge, we saw hundreds of razor bills, gulls, puffins, and terns flying and resting on the cliffs.  Some puffins rested near the edge and it was easy to get within 2 feet of a bird.  *Our hostel hostess informed us that the puffins are "friendlier" in the evenings.  

We drove the winding fjord-hugging road back to our hostel in Patreksfjörður.  It was the first time we saw the sun dip low in the sky.  At 1 am, when we finally crawled into bed, it was still light outside.  It was an exciting and adventure-filled day.  

Latrabjarg Cliff

READ ABOUT THE NEXT DAY HERE:  Day 5 - Westfjords Waterfalls and Coastal Villages

Please leave comments or questions below, or visit us on our Facebook page at The Freelance Adventurer for more photos and stories or visit us on Instagram @FreelanceAdventurer.

Planning Guide for a Maine (and NH) Vacation

Covered Bridges found all over New England

I got an email from a friend of my mom's who is thinking of spending two weeks in Maine this upcoming summer.  She had a list of questions and after answering them, I thought I'd repost them for others to peruse.  Please leave comments if you have other suggestions!

1.  Where are the best hikes?

Jordan Pond, Acadia National Park

It depends on your hiking ability and how far you want to drive.  In Maine, you'll have two main choices for hiking... either Coastal hiking or Mountains. If you are really into hiking, I'd say Acadia National Park or White Mountain National Forest in Northern New Hampshire (2 hours from Portland) are the places to go.  

Here are my recommendations for specific hikes:

Southern Coastal Maine

- Marginal Way, Ogunquit - Beach/Coastal Walk in Ogunquit, Maine (Easy)

Mid-Coast, Maine

- Bald Mountain or Mt. Battie, Camden - Small Mountain near quaint town of Camden (Easy-Moderate)

- Acadia National Park - Fav hikes are Gorham Mountain (Moderate - Challenging), Bubble Rock (Moderate), Jordan Pond (Easy), Acadia Mountain (Moderate - Challenging)

Cog Railroad can take you to the top of Mt. Washington

White Mountains, NH

- Mt. Willard (Easy - Moderate) access from Highland Center, Crawford Notch - 3 hrs

- South Moat Mountain - (Moderate - Difficult) - all day hike  accessed from the Kancamangus Hwy

- Mt. Chocura - (Moderate - Difficult) - all day hike access from the Kancamangus Highway

- Mt. Pierce - (Moderate - Difficult) - all day hike access from Highland Center, Rt 302

- Mt. Washington (Very Difficult) - all day access from AMC Pinkham Notch Visitor Center

- Mt. Lafayette/Mt. Lincoln (Very Difficult) - all day

2.  Where are the most quaint charming villages?

Many of the coastal Maine towns are very quaint and charming...Here are my recommendations...

Southern Maine:

- Ogunquit, Maine - Beaches, shopping, restaurants.  It is very touristy but fun and beautiful.

Bar Harbor, Maine

- Kennebunkport, Maine - This is where I live.  It is very charming and has great beaches, shopping and dining.

- Portland, Maine - Charming small city.  Excellent night life and unique dining.  Check out Portland Head Light in nearby Cape Elizabeth.

Mid Coast Maine:

- Camden, Maine - Small and regal fishing town.  Tourist friendly.

- Boothbay Harbor, Maine - Small Fishing town.  Cute shops, and places to eat.

- Bar Harbor - town near Acadia National Park.  Artistic, shopping, and nature

3.  Where should we stay (maybe 3 different places)?

If I were you and I had 2 weeks I'd do something like this...

Kennebunkport, Maine

- Southen Maine 3-4 nights (see Kennebunkport, Ogunquit, Portland)

- Small Fishing town Camden or Boothbay Harbor - 1 night

- Acadia/Bar Harbor 2-3 nights

- White Mountain National Forest - Stay in North Conway area for 3-4 nights

- Return to Portland/Boston or whereever you are flying out of.

4.  Are there any inn to inn hikes available?

- There are well established "hut to hut" hiking systems.  These don't provide private rooms but in the summer would provide a hearty dinner and breakfast and bathrooms/ shared bunkroom.  The one I'm familiar with is run by the AMC and can be found out about at www.outdoors.org.  There is also a hut system called Maine Huts and Trails but I've never used them.  You should know that the hiking is generally moderate-very difficult.

5.  Which part of the coast is the prettiest and most interesting?

- Southern Coast has sandy beaches and is more tourist friendly with a wide variety of restaurants, accommodations, and things to do.  

- Mid Coast is more rocky/rugged and a fisherman's land (less tourism).  I think one of the small towns like Camden or Boothbay Harbor would be a charming one night stop.

Boats in Kennebunkport, Maine 

- Acadia is gorgeous because it has mountains up against the ocean which provides many places for beautiful views.  Plus, Bar Harbor has a thriving scene for tourist looking for good food and shopping.  

6.  Any ferries to take us to Nova Scotia or outer islands?

- Nope.  Last year they ended ferry service to Nova Scotia.  

- If you want a short ferry trip - try the 20 min ferry from Portland to Peaks Island.  Check out my blog entry here for info on what do do on the island:  HERE.

7.  Any other tidbits you’d like to share?

Lobster Roll 

- Bring Bug Spray

- Use a map and bring appropriate gear if hiking in the White Mountains.

- Use Trip Advisor Forums for quick questions.  There are some really knowledgeable people on there who love to answer questions.

- See the Portland Head Lighthouse in Portland, Try a Lobster Roll, Whoopie Pie, and Maine Maple Syrup, and get into nature.

Southern Coast on Dwellable