Pack your bags....

and go to Puerto Rico! I seriously had the best time. There is so much to do on this 100 mile island. I can not wait to go back. Granted, my sister makes for an excellent travel buddy, so that made my Spring Break even more fun. 

Traveling to San Juan, the capital of PR, is super easy. It is a domestic flight, no Passport is required. San Juan is like Paris, 99% of the population is bilingual. Some people may pretend not speak English, but that is only because they do not want to help you. I am sure that in some of the small towns and surrounding islands English is harder to find.  There are some great deals on flights these days. Right now, Continental is running a special to San Juan. If you have a job, take advantage of this recession - life is so affordable right now. Ok, getting around the island...Becky and I rented a car and that worked well for us. The roads are in decent condition, with a few more pot holes than I am accustomed to. Becky commented that on many of the roads it is hard to tell where the lanes are because the lines are very faded. Please note that GPS is a must in PR. Mapquest and Google Maps sent me in the right direction, but there are few street signs in PR. The lack of infrastructure is both charming and frustrating. Thanks to Becky's fancy iPhone, there was minimal wandering. If you are leery of renting a car, there are lots of taxis and many tours can be booked through hotels. 

El Yunque Rainforest

Day 1: After a good nights sleep at the Embassy Suites, Becky and I headed to the Eastern part of the island.  We went spent the morning at Loquillo Beach and the afternoon in the El Yunque Rainforest.  At the beach, we walked around collecting shells and admiring the crystal clear water. After a quick bite, we headed up 191 to the rainforest. Now, the drive up the mountain was challenging for my compact rental car, but totally do able. El Yunque is a free, but if you want to visit the visitors center, it is $3 a person. Becky and I opted to visit the visitors center and we enjoyed the informational video narrated by Jimmy Smits. At El Yunque, we hiked to a waterfall. The hike was about an hour round trip. I would recommend wearing sneakers for hiking. I saw many people in flip flops, but they did not look very comfortable. Also, the wet rocks can be slippery. At the falls you can play in water. Becky and I sat on a rock and dipped our toes into the water. We ended Day 1 eating at a restaurant that Becky booked on Open Table. 

Old Town San Juan

Bioluminescent Bay

Day 2: This was my favorite day in PR. Becky and I were exhausted after our adventurous Day 1, so we slept in until almost 10:00 a.m. After we woke up, we drove to Old Town San Juan. The architecture there is great. Becky and I spent the morning wandering around visiting souvenir shops. For history buffs, Old Town San Juan has two 400 year-old forts that are world heritage sites. There is also an art museum and a pretty cathedral. That evening we did one of the coolest things I have ever done. We kayaked Fajardo's bioluminescent bay. There are only 15 bioluminescent bays in the world and PR has the brightest bays. Swimming has been banned since 2007 because of pollution, but it is still really cool. There are about 10 tour companies in Las Croabas that offer bay tours. The departure times are 6:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. All of the companies charge $45 a person and offer the same experience. I hear it is about $80 if you book through a hotel. Becky and I did not book in advance, so we just walked around until we found a tour company that had an opening.  I read that the 6:00 p.m. tour time is suppose to be best best because you see many birds and iguanas while kayaking through the channel. For us, all of the 6:00 p.m. tours were booked because of the Spring Break crowd. Yet, Becky and I both thought that the 8:00 p.m. tour was wonderful. If you want to know why the bays do what they do, I can not tell you. I seriously missed everything the tour guide said because I was mesmerized by the sparkling water. Go here to read about why bays are bioluminescent. While we waited for the tour, we ate dinner at La Estacion. It was delicious. The food was very fresh and the owner cooks everything on the grill.  

Ponce Cathedral 

Day 3: We again slept in, but made it to breakfast. We started the day by visiting the Bacardi Rum Factory. The tour was free and it included two free drink coupons. What is not to like about that? Now, finding Bacardi was a chore. Google maps and GPS were useless. However, the people of Catano were helpful and gave good directions. Next, Becky and I drove to the Southern end of the island to Ponce. Ponce did not really have much to offer, but the drive there was excellent.  The views are truly stunning. That evening, Becky and I stayed in, ordered room service, and watched a marathon of Millionaire Matchmaker on Bravo.  A perfect night.

Vieques Island 

Day 4: Becky and I decided to spend our last day relaxing on the beach. It was a great decision. We wanted to go to a small island called Culebra, but the 9:00 a.m. ferry was full. Apparently, to make this ferry you need to arrive an hour in advance, who knew? So, Becky and I took the 9:30 a.m. ferry to Vieques Island. Vieques means little island girl, isn't that fun? The ferry costs $2 a person and it is about an hour and half ride. We paid $3 each to take a taxi to the public beach. There was a native Puerto Rican in the taxi with us, so I feel like we paid the right price. At the beach there were lots of palm trees for shade and the water was the perfect temperature. The beach was also fun because we saw lots of roosters and wild horses. For lunch, a little shop sold burritos and pizza. Now, you are supposed to tell your cab driver what time to return, so that you have a ride back to the ferry. Our cab driver left us stranded on the beach. Luckily, another group was also stranded, so we all waited together for about 30 min until an empty cab drove by. It was a little tight catching the 3:00 p.m. ferry, but we made it back to PR safe and sound. Becky and I ended our trip with a fancy dinner at Pamela's. 

Ok, I know I was a little link happy this post. Whatever, I just figured this feature out and I like it. Really, I can not say enough wonderful things about Puerto Rico. I will be sure to post some more pics on Facebook. High on my list for when I return to Puerto Rico are Camuy Caves, Culebra Island, and the Western coast line. If anyone ever wants to go to Puerto Rico, just let me know!!