Paradise in Puerto Rico

Hi Lovies,

If you follow me on social media or snap chat, then you know I was in Puerto Rico this weekend. Me and my Beau decided to do a quick little weekend getaway and it was one of the best times I've ever had. My fellow Instagram Wife Darlene was already there for work so I got to spend the vacation with her, her boyfriend and her parents. It was great because it was like having our own personal tour guides, she knows the island very well and her parents live there. Even though it was a short trip, we were able to do a lot while we where there. We stayed at the Condado Vanderbilt Hotel in San Juan, which is an amazing 5 star hotel. I can't say enough about this place, from the customer service to the room and all the amenities, it was top notch all the way. I got a great deal through Hotels.com and got upgraded to a one bedroom Biltmore Suite which was just jaw dropping. I seriously didn't want to leave the hotel at all. They had several pools within the hotel, and also easy access to the beach. It was truly paradise...

Since our room wasn't ready when we arrived, we popped over to Darlene's room, changed into our swimsuits and began to enjoy the hotel amenities! We hit one of the many pools for some sun bathing and swimming. This area of the hotel had 2 pools, one regular and one infinity pool that overlooked the beach, the view was breathtaking.

After some fun in the sun, we went back to the hotel, bathed and changed to hit up Old San Juan for some dinner. We had dinner at Raices which is a pretty popular restaurant to eat in that area. The food was amazing as well as the atmosphere and staff. After we walked around a bit and enjoyed the town of Old San Juan.

For day 2 we had a quick breakfast at a local spot called Pinky's which was walking distance from the hotel Condado Vanderbilt Hotel. Aferwards, we changed in to our swimsuits and head to Condado Beach. The hotel has a section on the beach just for their guests with beach loungers and cabana service. We spent most of our day there just relaxing, sunbathing, drinking and of course taking a dip in the ocean. 

Later on that day some how the boys talked us ladies into going jet skiing. I have never been and was a bit scared to try it. But since I was on vacation, I sucked up my fear and decided to go. It was an hour long jet ski ride which took us pass a couple of iconic areas of San Juan, like El Morro and the Bacardi Factory. We even passed a huge cruise ship which was cool and terrifying at the same time. The view was amazing and for a couple of newbies, I think we did very well on the open water.

Jet skiing sure worked up an appetite so we headed back to the hotel to clean up and head out for some dinner in Loiza and drinks in La Placita de Santurce. Loiza is a small town and municipality on the northeastern coast of Puerto Rico and Santurce has a bigger population than most of the municipalities of Puerto Rico

Day 3 was unfortunately a rainy one so no beach or pool for us, but that didn't stop us from enjoying our day. We drove up to El Morro for some sightseeing and photos. El Morro Fort, or officially Castillo de San Felipe del Morro, stands guard at the entrance to San Juan harbor as a reminder of a by-gone era when invading countries would attempt sea attacks to take this prized city and harbor. This beautiful 6-level fort was named in honor of Spain’s King Philip II. The Fort wasn’t initially built as the huge structure that you see today. It has gone through many enlargements and modifications, from the time it was first constructed by Spain through the time that it was occupied by the US Army. Such an amazing place with such history and beautiful views.

  

After El Morro, we headed on over to the Bacardi Factory for their tour. This was so much fun, we decided to do the mixology tour which included us making 3 signature drinks with Bacardi. After the class, we all got certificates with our names saying we completed the course. We had such a laugh during the mixology portion of the tour, such fun and totally worth doing. 

After the tour, we headed to Darlene's parents hometown of Manati for dinner and to finish up our trip in Puerto Rico. I had an amazing time and I can't wait to return for a longer visit. It really is La Isla De Encanto.

Have you been to Puerto Rico? I'd love to hear about it!

Thanks for reading!!