After almost 2 years of being pretty careful, COVID caught up with us. Quinn brought it home from daycare in January, and it slowly made its way to Steve and then me. I am very thankful we had mild cases, but man, no childcare for almost a month while working full time was no joke. Once we recovered, we decided a trip was in order. Let’s take those antibodies on the road while we can! Plus, the only COVID restriction to enter was presenting your vaccination card at check-in (and registering online beforehand). As of March 10th, 2022, there are no restrictions.
Somewhere in the same hemisphere seemed like a good starting point since we only had a long weekend to spare. Plus, it had to be a direct flight. Same or similar time zone was also a consideration. Then, off to Google Flights to see where we could go in early March that fit the criterion and was a reasonable price.
Puerto Rico was our best option- direct flight, one hour time change, warm weather, and a fair price. We booked it, picked a hotel in San Juan to be near the airport, and kind of forgot about it. Life was busy and we didn’t research or plan anything. Then, our sweet Magic dog was diagnosed with suspected terminal cancer and given days to weeks to live. It was a complete shock since we had no idea he was even sick. We were going to cancel, but very sadly our boy didn’t make it past his scheduled surgery day, a week before the trip. After mulling it over, Steve and I decided it would be good to get away, clear our minds, and spend time with our little family. The cats were in good hands, so we went. I like to think the rainbow outside our window upon arrival was Magic smiling down on us.
With nothing planned, I reached out to a friend from Puerto Rico and a few who had recently visited. I cobbled together a quick itinerary, which turned out to be just right for our time there.
WHERE TO STAY:
Or not to stay…We stayed at the Condado Plaza Hilton in San Juan. It was a quick drive from the airport, which is why we chose it. After getting off a flight, it’s nice to be close to your destination. You can always drive around to see other areas once you are rested.
The positives: walkable location, excellent pools, access to a small beach, huge bathroom that fit Quinn’s crib (provided by hotel, but we brought our own sheet).
The negatives: not well maintained, not on the main beach, felt a little dirty, and their parking garage ticketing system did not work. Tired baby and non-operational ticket was not a good combo!
I don’t think I have particularly high standards, but it just wasn’t that great. Airbnbs are more my thing, but we didn’t see any available with short notice. I bet we could have found a better place to stay if we looked outside San Juan, so maybe next time.
A few other places that caught my eye: The Dreamcatcher Inn and Dorado Beach Ritz-Carlton (if you have unlimited budget, or just to visit the spa).
WHAT TO DO:
El Yunque National Forest: The only tropical rainforest in the National Forest system. Entry is free, but right now, they are limiting entry and charging a $2 reservation fee per car. Thankfully, we were able to log in the day before to snag a reservation. Apparently the system opens 30 days out, but they release a small number 24 hours prior. There are 2 time windows per day, so I suggest setting an alarm and try to reserve exactly 24 hours out. Create a recreation.gov account if you don’t already have one to save time. You need to be logged in to reserve.
This picture really capture Quinn in his element, being carried and getting fanned by a giant leaf. This kid lives a charmed life!
It did rain on and off while we were there, but not so much that is ruined the experience. A few spots were closed due to COVID or maintenance. The park is designed for both hikers and drivers. Normally, I’d love to go hike, but with drizzle and baby, we opted for the lazy man’s version and drove to each spot we wanted to see. Probably a good thing, since the rocks were really slick after the rain. Ask me how I know…
San Juan National Historic Site: Located in Old San Juan, tickets are $10 per adult, and covers entry to Castillo San Felipe del Morro and Castillo San Cristobal. The views are spectacular. We found a reasonably priced parking garage right before El Morro. While there is street parking, a lot of the streets are one-way and very narrow. Just a warning. Don’t be like 2017 Amy and Steve in Spain.
Old San Juan: After you visit the castles, wander around Old San Juan. The narrow streets are full of candy-colored pastel buildings and little shops tucked away. We went twice- once to walk the streets, and the second time to see the historic site. The first time we went, we came in near the cruise ship port and found the easiest place to park was in a garage in that area. For some reason, we both find it painful to pay to park, but sometimes you have to give in. Maybe it’s a D.C. thing- we’d rather circle looking for a free spot, even if it takes more time.
The Beach: We went to the tiny, but calm, beach adjacent to the hotel. When Quinn is older, I know he will love playing in the water and building sand castles, but on this trip, we just made a brief visit. There are bigger beaches nearby, but the water was VERY rough when we were there.
Street art: All around and very colorful!
WHERE TO EAT:
After the rainforest adventure, we headed down another very windy road to get to Bacoa. We never would have found this place on our own, so I can thank our Puerto Rican friend for sending me this spot! Another plug for Amex here: the restaurant was fully booked when I checked for reservations a few days out. I used the Global Dining Access filter on Resy, which gets you off the waitlist 9 times out of 10, at least in my experience. I’ve used it locally at our neighborhood taco spot all the way to Puerto Rico now! To use it, you just add your Amex card to your Resy profile, and if a reservation is unavailable, you can add yourself to the priority waitlist that way.
Anyway, back to the food: Bacoa was delicious! The restaurant sent a link to the menu the night before, but the options were a mystery prior to that. It was an open-air giant porch of a restaurant with amazing food. Quinn approved of the watermelon salad and his grilled chicken. We enjoyed roasted pumpkin, chicken, rice, beans, platanos and more. So much food! Plus, they had friendly cats. Truly, I find cats everywhere I go.
Cuatro Sombras: Quick coffee stop in the touristy area right near the cruise ship port, but they had a cute little back patio hidden away.
Lote 23: This “gastronomic park” had options for everyone. We went on a Saturday night, and it was busy, but not overly crowded or loud. Wow, I sound old. I tried mofongo, and my arteries are glad this is not something I eat often.
Burrito Social: On the main strip in San Juan, tacos hit the spot. They were very accommodating with Quinn, making him some plain chicken and pineapple.
Café con Cé: Teeny tiny coffee shop inside, but leafy green, shaded patio outside. It is adjacent to a mini food truck lot.
Cafe Regina: Avocado toast and eggs for Quinn, granola bowls for Steve and I. Things got messy really quick. We will be finding bits of avocado for days! The iced cashew milk latte was delicious! They had a cute little patio, but only half had umbrellas. Bring your shades!
La Marqueta: This breezy outdoor food hall was conveniently located right near the hotel. Only a few booths were open because they didn’t have running water…Maybe I should’ve been more concerned about that fact? We had some Beyond burgers and enjoyed the breeze coming through.
Crush: After the indulgent lunch at Bacoa, we went for a nice long walk. I opted for an acai bowl for dinner and it was the optimal layering. Acai, peanut butter, more acai, more peanut butter, then toppings. Why can’t all bowls have more than one layer of peanut butter? It was incredible!
Spiga: This spot is located in Old San Juan and was about a 15-20 minute walk from El Morro. I was greeted by an extremely cute pup at the entrance. All I needed to become a fan. I had the best spinach salad there and felt better about the mofongo I had earlier.. The caprese salad may have leaked in the rental car en route to the airport, and I forgot to grab cutlery, but Steve managed to barbarically eat it with Quinn before we went through security.
TRANSPORTATION:
We rented a car, which I highly recommend. We were able to drive from the airport, to the more modern parts of San Juan, to old San Juan, the rainforest, and the restaurant in the middle of the island. Scooters (Skootel!) are on every corner, and walking is a good option. We could’ve walked even more, but wanted to have the car nearby so we could get Quinn back for a morning nap.
TIPS:
You can skip this section if you are not bringing kids. But, here are some things that helped, or that I wish we had done differently:
Bring snacks, and then some. We don’t give Quinn any packaged stuff or pouches, except for bambas as a special treat after we introduced peanuts to him. We brought a banana, but should have re-upped our stash upon arrival rather than waiting. Freshmart was within walking distance of the hotel and had healthy, fresh options that we visited, but should have done it sooner. Understandably, Quinn did not want to wait for his food to be served at restaurants. The bambas did the trick for the most part, but there are only so many puffs one can eat. A small snack would have made him and other patrons a lot happier!
Bring a travel high chair! I cannot praise this thing enough. It folds up very compact, can be buckled on to a regular restaurant chair, is stable on a restaurant bench with someone next to him, and can be used as a beach chair, too.
Triple confirm with the hotel or Airbnb that they have a crib or pack n play available. I wanted to be sure we had a safe sleep space and the right sized sheet to bring.
Seek out a lounge in the airport. Back to singing the praises of getting the right travel credit card! The lounge accessible for Priority Pass members in San Juan had a kids room. Was it germy? Probably. Did we care at that point? Nope. Quinn was thrilled to crawl around, bang together some wooden train tracks, and have space to move before the flight. It was also really nice because we were the only people in there, while the rest of the lounge was full.
There you have it. A long weekend in Puerto Rico, recapped in the same year we went on the trip. That’s a win! Now it’s time to plan Italy.