Planning a family vacation to PR this summer. It will be my wife and I, along with my two daughters (14 and 21). We plan to be there for 7-10 days. Anyone have a good itinerary or recommendations?

What part of PR?

I have some great properties, excursions and dining recommendations if you want to shoot me an email. Puerto Rico was definitely a top destination in 2024

rlb28 said:

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What part of PR?

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As much of it as possible! We haven't made any decisions yet, but its small enough that we can probably hit any part of it if its a priority.

Sent you an email

Perfect! Just sent a reply your way.

Went there 2 years ago for a week with the kids.

Booked the whole trip on Orbitz.
1 - 2 days in the old town, including a free guided tour, shopping, and visiting the fort
Hired a guide who drove us around Vieques for a full day to see the different beaches
Rain forest hike in El Yunque (you have to do this)
Drove into the mountains on the pork highway (Guavate) (you have to do this)

We did not visit a bioluminescent bay. Also, if you do any snorkeling, do it somewhere besides San Juan, maybe on Vieques.

Stayed at a place called the Placid Suites. Lots of square footage, and a kitchen. I'm a low-key traveler, and this place was perfect, right across the street from the grocery store, with street parking.

Couple days and nights in San Juan to explore the historic downtown area, churches, shopping...and of course the Castillos. Stay somewhere near Condado at a resort if possible with the kids when there. Take em to T-Mobile District one night maybe.

You definitely should do at least a day trip into the rain forest and excursion.

Stay one night in/near Ceiba and reserve (well in advance and the website is wonky) the ferry to Culebra. Try to take the first ferry out in the morning and the last ferry back at night. While on Culebra, rent a golf cart and you can drive the whole island. There are multiple amazing beaches to explore, all a little different. The world famous Flamenco Beach is absolutely incredible. Theres a few restaurants in town to grab pizza or seafood for dinner. You can watch the sunset at one of the beaches on the north side of the island.

I wasn't a huge fan of Ponce.

La Parguera...man I wish we got to spend more time here and will when we go back. Awesome fun town. Can stay at a hotel right near the action/restaurants by the water. Fishing charters, street food, fun restaurants and music all right near the water.

Boqueron....probably our favorite town/beach/vibe combination. A day/night there is great. Eating fresh fried Tiburon on a stick...mmm

If you make it to the northwest side of the island, Crash Boat Beach in Borinquen is awesome.

Didn't get to spend much time in Mayaguez or Rincon...so our next trip we might focus purely on the west/SW side of the island from Mayaguez around to La Parguera, with a day or 2 up in Rincon.

Check the moon phase before visiting a bioluminescent bay. Anything close to a full moon and it's pointless.

Rincon on the NW corner of the island is nice. We stayed at Rincon Beach Resort back in 2007 and enjoyed that. https://www.rinconbeach.com/

A day or two in San Juan is a must. Obviously El Morro is one of the most historic places on the Island.
Castillo San Felipe del Morro - https://www.nps.gov/saju/learn/historyculture/el-morro.htm

The drinking age in PR is 18 but kids are going to be a no go for the Bacardi distillery.

Last PR trip in 2023, I discovered a brew pub on the beach that was nice:
Ocean Lab Brewing - https://oceanlabbrewery.com/

Also, your kids will probably enjoy walking around Old Town San Juan. I'd do that the same day you visit El Morro.

In Old Town San Juan, you do have to compete with the cruisers but they're gone by 4pm or so.

Personally, I enjoy renting a VRBO in Palmas del Mar which is near where I lived as a child in the early 1970s. I did that in 2007, 2014, 2023 and enjoyed it every time. These days, you can buy everything you need food wise at the local Wal-Mart.
https://www.vrbo.com/vacation-rentals/caribbean/puerto-rico/puerto-rico/humacao/palmas-del-mar

On the way home in 2023, we spent our last night in the relatively new Distrito T-Mobile. That can be fun if they have an event on. https://distritot-mobile.com/

Unfortunately there's no more satellite dish at Arecibo but I do encourage you to get out and drive around the mountains and also go shopping at some of the malls like Plaza las Americas in San Juan or the mall in Caguas. Just to get some local flavor. If you're a real hard charger, you can go out in a rural area where nobody speaks English and do some shopping there.

Guilty pleasure - Fuddruckers at Plaza Centro Mall in Caguas.

The Bio-Bay Canoe experience was way cooler than I expected.

If you want a pure locals feel, look at the beach at Loiza, just East of the airport. It's protected by a reef, has local street food across the road from the beach and more options in the actual town just before you get to the beach.