Traveling is addictive, it’s an opportunity to really immerse yourself and enjoy life without the burdens of daily life. My partner and I love to see and experience new places so we are always planning our next trip. Since this blog is all about enjoying life to the fullest, I knew there would be no better opening post then my amazing trip to Puerto Rico (PR). I’ve broken down the post so it’s not quite so large but we’ll look at the hotel, the restaurants and the sights.
Now I am from New Jersey with a family full of Italians from Brooklyn, so I would say I have a decidedly “New York Italian” attitude about things and for some reason that included having a rather bad perception of Puerto Rico as a small, dirty island riddled with crime. How wrong was I? I will be honest when I say it wasn’t my first choice as a Caribbean getaway but my view quickly changed as you can’t help but fall in love with it’s old world charm and I will go back – no doubt about it.
If I had to describe Puerto Rico in one word it would have to be lush. Densely green hills with smatterings of bright red orange flamboyant trees line the sides of the main highway as you travel away from San Juan. Obviously, there are areas that are poor and run down, just like any major US city but the genuine beauty of the land completely overshadows any doubts I had about this utterly lovely place.
My partner is from England and although he has traveled extensively and has tons of knowledge about many places on earth, Puerto Rico was not one of them. So we went in blind trying to find a hotel. We wanted something nice, on the beach and not $500 a night. After much research on the web, I couldn’t pass up a Travelocity deal and we ended up staying at the Wyndham Rio Mar.
picture courtesy of http://www.wyndhamriomar.com/
The hotel was in Rio Grande, which is about 40-50 minutes from the airport. As far as highways and directions go this drive was straightforward. However, the local drivers made any commute an adventure. Since Jersey drivers are generally labeled the worst in the US, I feel that I am allowed to point out that I saw things in PR that I have never seen before. So I let the guy who’s used to driving on the left side of the road take over and amazingly we emerged unscathed from all of our road trips.
The hotel is located at the bottom of large gated community on the side of a hill covered in bright white condos and houses. It also has its own golf course and clubhouse for those interested. The grounds are kept incredibly well manicured, which was very pleasing to the eye but not so pleasing to my ears when the lawnmowers were roaring at 7am. I suppose it has to be done but you would think they would have had a better game plan than that.
The parking at this hotel was one of its worst features. You had to park in their garage at $15 per day and every time you entered you needed to get a ticket and every time you left you needed to get that ticket validated at the valet. Needless to say that got old very quick and they should really think about just charging you a flat fee.
The front desk staff was friendly but not totally accommodating. I had booked a king and ended up with two queens because they were overbooked for the weekend. They informed us we could move rooms on Monday but by that time I really just couldn’t be bothered.
We had a room overlooking the inner garden and part of the beach but for this city girl who just left 3 feet of snow on the ground, it was in heaven.
The room was impeccably clean and done up in yellow, orange and tan which gave it a bright and sunny feeling.
picture courtesy of http://www.wyndhamriomar.com/
Nothing was lovelier than throwing back the curtains, opening the sliding glass doors and parking my bum on the balcony chair, breathing in the sea air, feeling the sun on my face.
Definitely sign up for Wyndham Rewards to earn points and if your stay is for more than three days you receive free internet access, choice of bedding and your favorite treats in the room (we had fresh fruit and water every day) It’s a fabulous perk and totally free.
Food and drink at the hotel are expensive (think Vegas) but if you go in knowing that you won’t be so surprised when you pay $12 for a virgin pina colada. More to come on that in my restaurant post.
The concierge was extremely helpful and for those without car transportation there are tours to all of the major attractions on the island. Downstairs the hotel has a full service Mandara Spa, which unfortunately I could not partake in this trip but the facilities looked beautiful.
This is also a very family/convention oriented hotel. It was crowded the entire time we were there which was ten days. I am not exactly a kid person so I was somewhat giddy about the fact that they had a very large swimming pool complete with water slide for families and an adult pool that was much smaller but included cabanas and a hot tub. Oddly enough, I never stepped foot in either pool as the beaches were way too gorgeous to waste anytime near chlorinated water.
picture courtesy of http://www.wyndhamriomar.com/
All right, let’s talk about the beach. We are serious beach junkies and can throw a towel on the sand and hang out there for hours on end. The beach at the hotel was nice, free loungers on the sand and towels you can pick up and drop off on your way. For those that feel a cocktail is a necessity to prolong your joy- the bar is just a few feet away.
Although I am a beach lover, I am not however, in love with the ocean. I am from the JAWS generation of children so to get me in past my knees is a bit of a feat. The surf here was pretty rough (ok, any kind of surf that stirs up the sand so I can’t see my feet is rough) and it was very windy so I opted to stay on my chair most of the time soaking in the sun and getting a massive burn on my leg due to some displaced aerosol tanning lotion. I did fare better than the Brit who suffered full body burn while actually using tanning oil with SPF. Do beware of the sun. Neither of us burns easily and we were toast without using some major SPF.
There had to be better beaches than this in PR so that evening I googled “best beaches in PR” and found our beloved Luquillo Beach or as we dubbed it “Yummy Beach”. It was fab. It’s the beach all the locals love so you know it has to be good.
Calm, warm, crystal blue water, only $3 to get in and you’re supporting PR National Parks. Tons of parking, a little gift shop for souvenirs, a fast food stand for drinks and a quick snack and ice cream vendors readily available for your frozen pina colada needs.
When you walk in one direction along the shore it leads to a tranquil, undisturbed cove where you can amble out at least 100 feet and the water is still up to your ankles. (my kind of beach!) If you head in the opposite direction it leads to a row of food vendors called the kioskos.
The kioskos may look intimidating- especially if you don’t speak Spanish. In my opinion the locals in PR are some of the friendliest I’ve encountered. They want your business and if they aren’t bilingual (most are) they are more then willing to engage in a round of pantomime so you can eat.
The kioskos are a long row of about 60 food vendors. Some are pretty beaten up, some are closed but the ones that are open are worth checking out. Try a pina colada or a batida. (There is a girl that has a stand in the parking lot of the kioskos on the weekends and the batidas are just amazing) If you’re hungry there is plenty of seafood, barbecue and empanadas in every flavor imaginable. It can be somewhat scarce on the weekdays but on the weekends there is much more activity.
Evenings at the hotel were fairly quiet…at least on the inside. A few nights a week they had live music at the upstairs bar. We preferred the downstairs piano lounge. It was low lit and intimate with comfy couches and small tables. Great for an amaretto or a touch of dessert before retiring.
picture courtesy of http://www.wyndhamriomar.com/
The hotel grounds are also lit well so you can go for a stroll under the stars if an after dinner treat is not your thing. The beach was completely unlit and just a tad creepy in the darkness so we didn’t venture off the garden paths.
picture courtesy of http://www.wyndhamriomar.com/
Sleeping can be a bit of a challenge in PR if you’re used to quiet at night. Since my nights are usually filled with the blaring sirens of DC’s finest, it was actually a nice change but I’ll have to admit I was really taken back at how loud those little guys were.
picture courtesy of http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_Coqu%C3%AD
For those of you that are amphibianphobic, never fear! Not only are these guys really small (about thumb size), but I never actually saw one and we covered a lot of ground. You will hear them though - you can’t miss the whistling symphony of co-qui that is their namesake.
