We did something that we have never done before as a family, and that is go on a Spring Break trip!! We decided on Puerto Rico for a few reasons, but mainly because we didn't need passports to go there and we needed an escape from the chilly Midwest! We did have to get COVID tests done a few days prior to travel since it was a requirement to enter Puerto Rico. We were able to administer them ourselves in the Walgreens drive through, so that was nice. The flight was just under 5 hours (the longest flight for the girls so far) and went super smooth for everyone!
We decided to rent a car since our resort was a good distance from the airport and we knew we would be doing several activities outside of our resort. Without too much trouble we were able to pick up our car and head to the hotel to see if we could check in early.
We were able to check in early, however our room did not have the ocean view we paid for and the hotel did not have any available rooms to move us to for that night, so that was kind of a bummer. It was also pouring rain and our luggage (that literally consisted of everything except my purse) was missing for over an hour. When it was eventually located and delivered to us, we learned it had been taken to the wrong room by mistake. On top of that we were all starving (our snacks were with our missing luggage and the hotel restaurant wasn't open for dinner yet)!
Once our luggage was located, we were able to grab some snacks from our bags and that helped everyone's moods quite a bit! The evening shaped up nicely with dinner, swimming and the hope of a new room the next day!
The next morning we had breakfast at the hotel and then headed out to Carabali Adventure Park for a UTV ride through El Yunque Rainforest. We had a great time, and got nice and muddy! They also had Go-Kart's, so we did that too!
Afterward, we headed back to the hotel and were pleased to find our new ocean view room was ready!!!
We changed and spent the rest of the day at the resort eating and bouncing between the beach and pool!
The next day started early with breakfast at the hotel and then some hiking and sightseeing in El Yunque Rainforest! First stop was La Coca Falls! You could see this right from the road!
Next we climbed to the top of Yokahu Tower where we got some amazing views of the rainforest!
Our final stop was Juan Diego Creek. It was just a short 5-10 minute hike to the first waterfall. I did some research prior to our trip, and learned there is a second waterfall you can get to, but its up a muddy and less defined steep trail. Of course, since we were there, we had to do it. On our way up, we weren't sure this was the best idea to tackle it with the girls. We found some reassurance when we saw other families as crazy as us doing it too. The beautiful waterfall at the end was totally worth it!
We wrapped up the day at the pool and beach!
We ventured out for dinner and found a cute local pizza place. The only problem was they were closed for indoor dining due to COVID and we really didn't want to take it back to the hotel to eat. The owner was so sweet and gave us napkins and plates so we could eat at a table outside! The pizza was SO good.
On our last full day, we headed out early too explore Old San Juan. Our first stop was Castillo San Felipe del Morro.
We followed the Paseo Del Morro (which is a walking path around the fort along the water) to get to La Puerta de San Juan (the San Juan Gate). This is the last remaining gate in the old city walls. It's massive wooden doors used to be closed daily at sundown to keep the city safe from intruders. It was a beautiful walk, but turned out to be a little longer and hotter than we anticipated. After a few water and shade breaks, we made it!
We walked past Fortaleza Street, which previously had been known for the beautiful umbrellas hanging over head. They were intended to bring back color into the lives of people after the hurricane. They have since been taken down and now have these pink kites. Not much to do here other than take a picture! :)
We stumbled on a cute (air conditioned) cafe and had an amazing lunch. We were pretty worn out from walking and agreed the water at this restaurant tasted exceptional. ;)
Nate and I tried the popular Puerto Rican dish Mufongo with steak, it was delicious.
Last stop was at Save a Gato, which is a non-profit organization dedicated to the welfare and care of cats through fostering and adoption. This stop was a big hit with the girls, they loved photographing and petting ALL the cats!
We navigated our way back through the beautifully colored streets of Old San Juan to our car and then headed back to the hotel.
You guessed it, we finished up the day at the pool and beach and then had ice cream for dinner!
The girls had high hopes for some final time at the beach and pool our last morning, but the day started out quite windy and rainy. Nate picked up amazing breakfast sandwiches and pastries from a nearby cafe, they were so good! We were able to pack up and secure a late checkout, so when it cleared up had just enough time for some final sand castles and shell hunting before heading to the airport.
We had such an amazing trip, and feel so blessed to have been able to do this!
