Save your changes before leaving this page.

The Smart Route

Create a Route

You can plan a new trip or share your past travels.

Sign in If you don't have an account you can create one below by entering your email address/username. Your account details will be confirmed via email.

The map will be displayed once your route has been saved.

1

Enter stops made for this day of travel.

1
1
Add a stop
1

Enter stops made for this day of travel.

1
1
Add a stop
Add a day
Just a few more steps and your route will be ready to share!
I certify that I have personally taken this route and that the opinions and statements are mine alone. I also confirm that I own the rights to the photo(s) and grant permission to The Smart Route to use them in the media.
Maximum file size: 5 MB.
Maximum file size: 5 MB.
Your route will be submitted for review and published to the site upon approval.
Your route will remain here in the Route Builder after being saved, allowing you to edit it while browsing the site.

The Smart Route

Find the smart route by viewing itineraries for all types of travel destinations

  • Browse Routes
    • Africa
    • Asia
    • Australia/Oceania
    • Caribbean/Central America
    • Europe
    • Middle East
    • North America
    • South America
  • Log In / Register
Menu
  • Browse Routes
    • Africa
    • Asia
    • Australia/Oceania
    • Caribbean/Central America
    • Europe
    • Middle East
    • North America
    • South America
  • Log In / Register

Puerto Rico

4 Days in Mar
Caribbean/Central America

Route DetailsMap

We booked an Airbnb at Vereda Del Mar in Rio Grande, which is a great place to stay. There are a lot of vacation rentals in that area and it’s close to the Wyndham Grand Rio Mar (golf/restaurants/amenities), El Yunque, and Luquillo.

Day 1
  • Vereda Del Mar, Camino las Picüas, Río Grande, Puerto Rico
  • Dos Panza Taqueria y Cantina, Calle D, Río Grande, Puerto Rico

Flight arrived in the early afternoon, picked up rental car at Europcar and drove about 50 minutes to our Airbnb. Europcar wasn’t bad, but there were some on-airport options that were more expensive. If it doesn’t matter or the price isn’t that different, I’d definitely opt for the on-site vendors. We had to wait 2 rounds for the shuttle and it took awhile to get through the line once we were there.

Our Airbnb was great – pool, kids pool, beach, playground all within steps. We checked in and walked to the beach for a little, then drove to Dos Panza for dinner. Great happy hour deals and the tacos al pastor were phenomenal.

Day 2
  • Angelito Trail Head, Puerto Rico 988, Luquillo, Puerto Rico
  • Juan Diego Falls, Río Grande, Puerto Rico
  • kioskos de luquillo, Calle Marginal, Luquillo, Puerto Rico

Drove to the Amigo store in Luquillo for groceries (expensive but that’s what it costs – lots of locals so it was the best place in the area) and then we all headed to El Yunque National Forest. First stop was the Angelito Trail – a very nice and easy trail to a neat area to swim and play in the water around big rocks. An hour or two total, our 3-year olds walked the whole way there and back. They loved it.

Next stop was Juan Diego Falls. La Mina Falls is the most famous waterfall that you can swim in but it was still closed, and Juan Diego was so crowded. Kinda took away from it. There’s a slippery trail up the left side of the falls that leads to the “upper” falls – I’d say it’s worth it if you’re comfortable doing it. Water shoes for both stops were very useful.

We then drove to the Luquillo kiosks, which is another really popular area. There are lots of small, connected restaurants and shops along the side of the highway and on the other side of them is the beach. Had some mofongo (so good) and walked up and down the sidewalk.

Went back to our place and swam and cooked dinner in.

Day 3
  • Ceiba Ferry Terminal, Marina Drive, Roosevelt Roads, Ceiba, Puerto Rico
  • Playa Flamenco, Flamenco, Culebra, Puerto Rico, Culebra, Puerto Rico
  • Mamacitas Guest House, Calle Castelar, Culebra, Puerto Rico

We planned on going to either Vieques or Culebra this day. The ferries were still a bit of a mess according to recent reviews (cancel with no warning, delays, sold out) and there was conflicting information online about times. We decided to just head to the ferry terminal around 9 and hope one was leaving around 10 or 11. Most of the stuff we found online showed at least 1 boat left in that time frame. We drove about 50 minutes to the new ferry terminal in Cieba – make sure you’re aware they no longer leave from Fajardo. Also, was advised to get there very early (as much as 2 hours prior) if you want a ticket on the weekends. We had no problem getting a ticket to Culebra, and the next ferry to Vieques was 3 hours away so it was an easy decision. The return we would want from Culebra was sold out, however, so we weren’t able to come back until the 8:30 PM return.

The ferry took about an hour and a half and we caught a bus/van to Playa Flamenco (Flamenco Beach), always in the conversation of world’s best beaches. We had about 6 hours at the beach and had a great time. There is an old tank on the beach that you can walk to, pretty neat. If you walk to the beach and are facing the water, it’s to the left, maybe a 15-20 min walk. They have food stalls and small shops right by the beach so you can get everything you need there. Got a shared taxi/van to take us back close to the pier so we could grab dinner at a restaurant (Mamacitas – decent food and prices, on the water). Ferry then drive back to our place. Long day.

Day 4
  • Mi vida cafe, Calle Principal, Río Grande, Puerto Rico

We planned on going into San Juan this day, but the day before was so long and we really pushed the kids so we just relaxed. Drove to Mi vida cafe for some breakfast pastries and spent the whole day at the pool, beach and playground on the property. Went to dinner at Dos Panza again because the tacos were so good and the kids like quesadillas. Had an early flight out the next morning.

We really liked Puerto Rico and it was a perfect destination with 3-year olds. There were some concerns about how much they’d recovered from the 2017 Hurricane Maria but everything was great. Don’t feel like we missed out on too much by skipping San Juan, but it would have been nice to visit if we had another day.
Weather was great in early March, 80s.

Year Traveled: 2019

Route Map

Vereda Del Mar, Camino las Picüas, Río Grande, Puerto Rico

Day: 1

Dos Panza Taqueria y Cantina, Calle D, Río Grande, Puerto Rico

Day: 1

Angelito Trail Head, Puerto Rico 988, Luquillo, Puerto Rico

Day: 2

Juan Diego Falls, Río Grande, Puerto Rico

Day: 2

kioskos de luquillo, Calle Marginal, Luquillo, Puerto Rico

Day: 2

Ceiba Ferry Terminal, Marina Drive, Roosevelt Roads, Ceiba, Puerto Rico

Day: 3

Playa Flamenco, Flamenco, Culebra, Puerto Rico, Culebra, Puerto Rico

Day: 3

Mamacitas Guest House, Calle Castelar, Culebra, Puerto Rico

Day: 3

Mi vida cafe, Calle Principal, Río Grande, Puerto Rico

Day: 4

Click on a pin to view details for the stop. Each stop is color-coded by the the day it's visited during the route. Pins with a + indicate that the stop is visited on multiple days.

Photos

Share this Route

0
0
0
0
0
Beau Route Traveler

    Contact This Traveler

    Your Name (required)

    Your Email (required)

    Subject

    Your Message

    Type this: captcha

    I want to experience as much as possible when I go to a new place. The routes that I plan are usually packed full of exploring and finding the best hikes, food, sites, and experiences that I can’t get anywhere else. The idea of a staycation deeply saddens me, as the precious vacation time we get should be spent far away from home. Favorite city: Prague. Favorite tourist attraction: the temples of Angkor in Cambodia. Favorite “paradise” destination: Tahiti.
    © 2017 The Smart Route LLC. All Rights Reserved
    • facebook
    • twitter
    • instagram
    • pinterest
    • Contact

    Insert/edit link

    Enter the destination URL

    Or link to existing content

      No search term specified. Showing recent items. Search or use up and down arrow keys to select an item.