Travel recap: Puerto Rico
- Wonjee
- Apr 17
- 8 min read
Spring break 2025 took place in Puerto Rico. Spring break didn't have too much meaning for us until this year - now that Zoe is in school full-time, we follow her school calendar and plan our travels accordingly.
Puerto Rico ended up being the perfect destination for a few reasons: 1) only one-hour time-zone difference, 2) 5-hour direct flight from DFW, and 3) it gave us the feeling of international travel without being truly international. Since PR is a U.S. territory, it requires no passport or visa. Traveling with a 5 and a 2-year-old means we seek convenience more than anything, so San Juan ended up being a natural pick. We do hope that we will get to explore the more rustic, nature side of PR when the girls get older and can handle adventures better.
Lodging
With the assistance of a travel agent, Deb Summers Travel Design, we reserved a fully renovated double bedroom at San Juan Marriott Resort & Stellaris Casino, which included complimentary breakfast for two people each day. Children aged 12 and under ate for free, which was fantastic. Nowadays, we generally prefer a suite for some physical separation between our sleeping area and the kids', but they were fully booked—likely due to spring break. We requested a crib since Zaylee isn't ready to sleep in a bed yet, but even with that, the room didn't feel cramped, and it was a comfortable stay overall. Also, the resort is smack in the middle of the touristy hotel district - there wasn't a shortage of restaurants and 24-hour pharmacies, which came in super handy for an unexpected extra diaper purchase. With almost everything being within walking distance, it was an ideal location for our needs. Also, the airport is less than 10 minutes away (without traffic).
Rental car and road conditions
There are numerous rental car choices, but after thorough research, I opted for Enterprise at the airport via Costco Auto. We usually rent from Avis/Budget, but I read reviews about long lines and poorly prepared operations. Therefore, despite the higher cost, we chose Enterprise for peace of mind. There were a lot of mixed opinions about the type of car to get. We rented a compact SUV (Honda HRV) and had no problem getting around except for Old San Juan (OSJ). A lot of the roads in OSJ area were very narrow/one-way type streets - Z did great, but I wouldn't have done a good job driving around there. Once outside of OSJ, most roads are wide enough for full-size SUVs to drive around comfortably.
Itinerary
We reached San Juan early in the afternoon on March 15th. After collecting our luggage, getting the rental car, and setting up the car seats for the girls, we didn't check into the hotel until 4 p.m., so that day was mostly lost. Our flight was at 5 a.m. on March 21st, giving us five full days in Puerto Rico. We then had three full days at home after the trip, as Zoe's school resumed on the 25th, which was essential for us to recover, return to our routines, and reset the house.
15th - Arrive in PR
16th - Beach/pool day, Old San Juan in the evening
17th - Tour at the El Yunque National Forest
18th - Castillo San Felipe del Morro
19th - Beach/pool day
20th - Drive to Fajardo/private boat tour to islands
21st - Head home
Beach/pool day
If you ask the girls, the beach/pool/lazy day was probably their favorite of the trip. The hotel is on the Condado Beach, which is known for rip tides and rough waves. It was not swimmable, but Zoe especially loved being crashed by the waves (don't worry, we made sure she was safe). Of course, Zoe and Zaylee are happiest simply playing in the sand and swimming in the pool. The hotel has sand toys available, which were an unexpected treat for the girls. The shallow pool area was wonderful for Zaylee. After all those swim lessons, her love for floating and swimming finally clicked during this trip. I was seeing a little fish developing! The adult poolside has a slide; Zoe went on an endless loop until she was exhausted. The pool was maintained clean most of the time, although toward the end of the day, we did see a lot of accumulated sand on the bottom of the pool.
Old San Juan
Old San Juan was just a short distance from where we were staying, so we found ourselves heading that way on more than one occasion to enjoy its food, sights, and local charm. One of Zoe's (and mine, too) favorite activities was flying a kite in the open field near Castillo San Felipe del Morro. We knew about this area prior to our trip, so we packed a couple of nicer kites for the trip. Seeing all the flying kites as the sun set while overlooking a castle and feeling the ocean breeze was one of the most beautiful and peaceful moments I have experienced. I'd like to think that it was one of the highlights for Zoe - she couldn't stop asking us to take her back there.
We did a half-day tour of Castillo San Felipe del Morro. Finding parking nearby is a true challenge; we parked at a garage about 20 minutes away and walked. The sun was beating down on us all day, so despite the nice ocean breeze, we struggled with the strong sun and heat. The castle tour was definitely more of an entertainment for me than the girls. We managed to use the stroller for Zaylee, but I wouldn't consider a stroller-friendly location. There were 4 different levels throughout the castle, and none of those levels had a ramp strollers.
El Yunque National Forest
It is the only tropical rainforest in North America, so we had to check it out. If you look through TripAdvisor, there are so many interesting and adventurous excursions available, but most of the minimum age requirements were 6, which excluded our girls. I booked a more laid-back option—a guided tour led by a sweet old man, Louis. The guided tour included 3 stops along the windy roads of El Yunque National Forest. Our first stop was at one of the swimming areas that offered refreshing ("cold" if you ask the girls) water temperature with a couple of diving spots.
Yocahu Tower and Bano Grande were the 2 other stops, and we ended with lunch at a local spot. Unfortunately, I had trouble with car sickness (due to windy roads) most of the tour, so it ended up being a little bit of a rough day for me. Overall, for the age of the kids we have, this was the perfect type of tour. Tour information can be found here.
A charter boat to the islands
On our last day of the trip, a last-minute decision was added to the itinerary: we drove to Fajardo to take a charter boat out to some of the smaller islands east of the main island. This change was prompted by the fact that Condado Beach, where our hotel was located, was not swimmable due to dangerous rip tides. Z was eager to experience more of the calm, turquoise waters. The boat initially took us to Isla Palominos, but the tide was higher than expected due to the swell from the North that day. We spent most of our time on Icacos Beach instead. An unfortunate series of motion sickness hit me again, this time with sea sickness, so I spent a good chunk of time napping next to Zaylee, who decided that napping was better than being in a life jacket and trying to swim in the ocean. However, Zoe was a true adventurer - she was collecting seashells, swimming with daddy, and making several jumps into the ocean.
Food/Restaurants
When traveling with us, you'll soon discover that food plays a crucial role in how we gauge the success of our trip. Although our girls can be selective eaters, we enjoy encouraging them to sample new foods, even if they don't end up liking them. Naturally, dining is a significant aspect for both Z and me. As an island, there's plenty of fresh seafood available, but we were surprised by the number of Japanese and Chinese restaurants as well. I assume this is due to being in a touristy area; we didn't specifically look for those cuisines since we were eager to try traditional Puerto Rican dishes.
We did not dine at any of the hotel restaurants, except for (American-style) breakfast, which came with complimentary tickets for 2 guests each day (again, kids ate for free). We did, however, go to quite a few places within walking distance of the hotel due to its convenience. Sometimes, kids were getting so hangry that we just simply couldn't venture farther. Admittedly, prices were aimed at tourists, so they were quite expensive. We had a mix of ok and wonderful dining experiences; here is a list of all the places we went:
Orozcos (featured in Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives - tried mofongo for the first time. We got there early (hello, early dinner thanks to hungry kids), so there was no wait. Honestly, we didn't love it. Felt like mofongo was really dry and lacked flavor. Although this was our first time trying mofongo and our first meal just after getting settled at our hotel so we were very tired, so I wonder if that played any role in our palate.
Barrachina - located in Old San Juan. Outdoor seating was nice. This was a very busy location, but the line moved fast. Seafood was flavorful and fresh. It was good food, but we didn't feel like it was anything particularly special.
Ropa Vieja Grill - walking distance from the hotel. Initially, we didn't have high expectations, assuming it was just another restaurant catering to tourists. However, we were pleasantly surprised by the cooking and seasoning. I wouldn't classify it as a traditional Puerto Rican restaurant, as it has a modern feel and the flavors seem tailored to suit American tourists' tastes.
Cocina Abierta (reservation required) - This restaurant is located right across from the hotel. This was our favorite restaurant during our trip. It offers a tasting menu that showcases an excellent twist to Puerto Rican dishes. It is not kid-friendly as the tasting menu course takes about a couple of hours total, but they did a wonderful job accommodating our girls (i.g, speeding up each course, coloring supplies, telling us which dishes kids might like). Zoe was exhausted that night from all the swimming, so she was sleeping on our laps most of the dinner.
Tuttobene Ristorante - girls were craving pasta, so we went to an Italian restaurant to keep them happy. Food was fine (nothing special).
La Santurcina - originally, we were planning to dine in Fajardo after our boat trip, but the girls were tired and hungry, so we decided to fold that plan. We drove an hour back to the hotel, cleaned them up, and had pizza by the pool. Pizzas were good, and we particularly liked the zucchini pizza (trust me, it's good).
We've discovered so many fantastic restaurants we'd love to try, but they often come with challenges: requiring reservations well in advance, offering tasting menus that aren't very kid-friendly, and being on the pricier side (though we were ready to indulge). Ultimately, this trip was about creating memories for our girls, so it meant staying attuned to their needs and what they could realistically handle.
Puerto Rico is a destination we can't wait to revisit in the future. As the girls grow older, they'll be able to enjoy unique adventures like a nighttime bioluminescent kayaking tour and exploring the smaller islands where nature truly takes center stage. Staying in San Juan was perfect for this trip—it allowed us to get a taste of Puerto Rico's vibrant culture while offering the accessibility and conveniences we rely on with little ones in tow.
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