Karen and I were lucky enough to get a girls trip in to Puerto Rico with my friend Yassiris and her daughter Madison. Our trip was a bit of a family reunion. Yassiris was reconnecting with with her mothers side of the family and rediscovering her Puerto Rican roots. Her extended family were overwhelmingly welcoming. We met them at a retaurant in the mountains that specializes in roasting the whole pig and other traditional Puerto Rican dishes.

We stayed at the Wyndham Grand Mar.

http://www.wyndhamriomar.com
Yassiris found a really great deal on living social. It seems to come up every now and again, so keep your eyes peeled!

A couple great things about Puerto Rico

It’s a us territory, so…
you don’t need a passport.
They use US currency.
All driving rules and signs are the same. Drive defensively. They treat yellow lights like a stale green. Pause a moment when your light changes from red to green. They are known to go through red lights. Other than that it was very easy to drive and get around.

To do’s…

Eat at roadside restaurants. They are cheap authentic and really good!

Old San Juan is a must! Go during the day so you can see everything.

Take a boat cruise to the Spanish Virgin Islands. These  little chain of islands were featured in Pirates of the Caribbean. 

we went through this company out of Fajardo. http://www.saildiveparty.com it was $69 per person includes lunch and snorkel equip. & a rum punch on the way back. If you want them to pick u up at your hotel then it’s $99 per person.

There is also a bioluminescence kayak trip at night which we didn’t do because it books fast. So book it before you leave.

We didn’t get to go to the rain forest because it was the rainy season and the road had washed out, but it looked amazing!

We felt very safe there and the people were friendly and gracious.

Awesome start to the summer!