Puerto Rico

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The one night we spent in Old San Juan was an absolute delight, thanks in part to the gorgeous Monastery Art Suites. Being in the heart of Old San Juan, it was definitely different than our beach paradise in Luquillo. The colorful architecture of Old San Juan, along with restaurants, art, and more surrounded the location, and we were a short walk from the sea on all sides.

We arrived at the hotel early for our reservation and received the warmest welcome while our bags were whisked away and stored for us. We had to return our car to the airport (definitely don’t need it in the city) and when we got back to the hotel, we explored the stunning, artistic lobby and events spaces.

Monastery Art Suites Monastery Art Suites The building has a long history and was at one point a Masonic lodge. Thick stone, high ceilings, decorative windows, and beautiful staircases make every corner worth inspecting. There are beautifully detailed surprises everywhere.

Monastery Art Suites

When we were whisked to our room by the friendly woman at the front desk, we discovered our bags had already been brought up for us. The warm and artsy theme of the rest of the hotel carried into our room, which had beautiful colors and little touches. Monastery Art Suites

 

Monastery Art Suites

And while the hotel is historic, we enjoyed many modern touches in our room, including excellent air conditioning that cut through the brutal heat, Apple television, a fridge, coffee maker, and a wonderful shower. Our shutters opened to overlook the sunny lobby area and the umbrellas we saw from the other side when we arrived.

Monastery Art Suites

The hotel’s location near government buildings meant that there were officers right at the end of the street at all times, making it feel complete safe at all hours. From here we were able to walk everywhere we wanted and to retire in utmost comfort at the end of the day. I slept so well and felt so rested after our night here.

I can’t recommend the hotel and its lovely staff enough. Monastery Art Suites will be our Old San Juan home base going forward, and let’s face it, with snow in April, all I am doing is dreaming of going back.

Tags: art, hotels, Puerto Rico, san juan, Travel

Take me back to Puerto Rico, please. I have had enough of rainy spring and am well ready for summery temperatures and sunshine again!

For  Puerto Rico travel blog posts check these out:

Outdoor adventures in Puerto Rico

Luquillo, Puerto Rico is paradise

Colorful Old San Juan

 

Boardriders in Luquillo was one of the highlights of our stay trip to Puerto Rico. Its laid back surfer vibe, great music, and gorgeous ocean views made it so good that we went three times, once for dinner, once for drinks, and once for brunch. Being there made my shoulders drop and the more relaxed, less anxiety-laden me come back for just a little bit. I miss that girl.

Boardriders Luquillo Boardriders Boardriders had a pretty extensive menu of bar-type food featuring great local ingredients, along with rum cocktails to spare. I kept it simple for the most part with a Cuba Libre or three while listening to the crashing waves.

cuba libre

We enjoyed simple but incredibly delicious dishes like shrimp tacos and spicy tuna bites. Food just tastes better at the ocean!

shrimp tacos tuna bites

On our first night there, the moon was so amazing that all of the patrons in the restaurant got up to admire it. It was a special kind of moment seeing people from all over come together, wowed by the power of nature. There was late night dancing, at least on my part!

moonlight in Luquillo

Brunch at Boardriders was extra special because it started with passionfruit mimosas and overlooked that view. Breezes kept us cool, and hearty breakfast sandwiches and burritos fueled us for our next round of swimming (after 30 minutes, of course).

mimosas Boardriders is really a must visit in Luquillo, and I suggest you visit on your first night to help set the tone of a relaxed beach bum vacation.

Tags: Food, Luquillo, Puerto Rico, Restaurants, rum, Travel, travel blogger

We could visit Puerto Rico 10 times and not to or see it all. We discovered that there’s so much to do on this enchanted island, and in between beach days and lazing on our balcony, we set out for a few adventures on land and at sea.

First there was hiking in El Yunque National Forest, a must-do while visiting Puerto Rico. It’s the only rainforest in the National Park system, and it is pretty spectacular.

 

El Yunque

El Yunque National Forest

 

El Yunque El Yunque waterfalls

El Yunque has some great, paved trails for hiking and beautiful waterfalls and pools for swimming and relaxing. The air smells so fresh and green, and the sounds of tropical birds and frogs fill the space. Even though there was a steady stream of tourists, the forest felt so peaceful and far away from the rest of the world.

Ell Yunque trail  El Yunque waterfalls

tropical flowers

 

 

 

 

 

El Yunque

While the park feels remote, it is also super well equipped with great roads and a visitor’s center with a helpful staff and information on the flora and fauna you might find.

El Yunque   rain forest water fall

 

And the views were simply stunning.

El Yunque Puerto Rico

 

Puerto Rico

 

The other adventure we took was a snorkeling and sailing trip to Icacos, a magical island off of the coast of Puerto Rico. We debated spending timing in Culebra, which we decided to do for a few days on a future trip. Culebra is apparently one of the best places in the world, and I can’t wait to get to know it.

We went to Icacos with East Island, and I recommend them highly. The boat was beautiful and clean, and the staff was so much fun.

 

 

 

sail to Icacos

 

sail to Icacos

The cost of our tickets included delicious local pastries, fresh fruit, and a sandwich and salad bar at lunch, along with rum. All of the rum. We headed first to a reef for snorkeling, followed by a really delicious lunch, then the trip to anchor at Icacos for swimming and sunning.

tropical fruit

 

Icacos Puerto Rico Puerto Rico Icacos Island sailing in Puerto Rico Icacos sailing The sky was blue, fun music was blasting, the water was warm, and it was basically the best day ever. Oh yeah, and there was a slide!

 

Puerto Rico We met a bunch of fun people, there was dancing, and I didn’t want the day to end. If you head to Puerto Rico definitely check this company out. They also do Culebra day trips.

Las Croabas Puerto Rico

And finally, after some sunset swimming, we headed to Fajardo pier for a night time boat tour with BioIsland to the Bioluminescent Lagoon in Las Croabas. We originally considered doing a kayak tour, and I was SO GLAD we went with the electric boat option. It was very, very dark, and the route requires navigating water with thick growths of mangrove trees and plenty of iguanas. It appeared many of the kayakers we passed were having difficulty with the trip.

Maybe it’s lazy of me, but I enjoyed just being able to sit back and enjoy the beautiful star-filled sky and the glowing organisms in the water, which we saw, but not as well as we would have if it had been warmer. It was a really beautiful experience though, to be out in the pitch dark on the lagoon with just the water and sky and the quiet. Whether you kayak or take the electric boat, I definitely recommend getting out there!

Bioluminescent Bay boat tour

Tags: outdoors, Puerto Rico, Travel, travel blog

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