Come to Puerto Rico with me!

At the end of September, I traveled for a vacation trip to San Juan, Puerto Rico. I spent 4 days in Puerto Rico and it was so much fun.

Sometimes the wellness and self care we need is to get away. This was a last-minute trip I planned as a way to get away and enjoy a lovely vacation somewhere new. This trip to Puerto Rico was a couples trip, but really the activities I’m highlighting are perfect for family trips too!

Have you been to Puerto Rico? Let me know in the comments below.

Check out the YouTube Video, Puerto Rico Travel Vlog to see my highlights from the trip, and keep reading for the details you could use for planning your next vacation to Puerto Rico!

Watch this YouTube Travel Vlog for Highlights from My Trip to San Juan, Puerto Rico

Morning Routines While in Puerto Rico

If you follow me on Instagram @WellwithBrielle then you know that I absolutely LOVE my morning routine. You also know that I totally believe in holistic wellness being a lifestyle so that means maintaining my healthy habits and wellness while traveling. It’s what makes me happy and feel my best!

Mornings in Puerto Rico were definitely on the top of my list of favorite things to do in Puerto Rico! I naturally wake up early almost every morning no matter where I am or what’s going on. The same was true during my vacation trip to San Juan, Puerto Rico. I appreciated this especially since the sun would set much earlier in Puerto Rico than it does in Maryland.

Basically each day once the sun was up, so was I. Sometimes on vacation it feels like a lot to go to the local pool or beach, especially if there are lots of people around. During this trip I was able to really beat the crow and make it to the beach almost every morning.

Our hotel was about a 2-minute walk to the beach and Puerto Rico felt really safe for me. I can only speak for myself, but I felt very comfortable going to the beach alone during the daytime. Our hotel included staff that would open the door and generally guard the area. I also saw la policia driving occasionally throughout the day and via boats in the water. Of course, at night I didn’t travel alone, especially not on the beach where it was clearly deserted after dark.

Anyways, back to my mornings in San Juan!

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Each morning on the beach I took my favorite yoga mat, pyrite and clear quartz crystals, and journal. These are typically essentials to my daily morning routine no matter where I am.

Well with Brielle is all about doing what feels good. I typically would do a few minutes of yoga followed by meditation and journaling. Once I felt complete, I’d then lay out in the sun for a few hours or even play in the water. It was a good balance between having fun and staying centered during the trip.

Tip: Start early if you want to execute your self care routines while traveling. Typically if you arrived with other people, they are sleep so no one is missing out. Also, during the early mornings, I find that fewer people are out. I love this because I feel like I have more privacy and peace to truly connect within during the morning. It also helps a lot with my morning yoga and mediation.

If you’re curious about what my morning routines look like at home check out this blog post on one of my go to morning beverages or read about how to set up the perfect morning bath.

Morning routines can be as simple, short, long, literally anything you desire and need for yourself. The idea is to have me time so you can prioritize your wellness and self care.

Trip Details: Planning Your Trip to Puerto Rico

My Travel Packing Checklist

My favorite yoga mat
Not only is this mat super cute, but it is also machine wash friendly. I take it everywhere and throw it in the washer when needed. It’s lightweight and perfect for relaxing on the beach, doing yoga, or meditating.
Pyrite and clear quartz crystals
I love traveling with my crystals and Well with Brielle crystals come with a travel-size pouch that you can throw in your purse or suitcase! Choose crystals based on your intentions for the trip or bring your favorites.
A journal instead of a laptop
I did bring both but to my surprise and benefit I literally never used my laptop on the trip except for in the airport and even then it really didn’t feel all that convenient or worth my time. Consider this a partial digital detox. It’s a great way to be more present and connect within during the trip.
My favorite luggage brand, Calpak
I’m OBSESSED. I’ve been using this brand of luggage for years. The designs are chic, functional, and durable. It’s such great quality!

What I Used to Plan My Trip

My trip was last minute, but still quite affordable compared to other trips I’ve taken in the US and to other countries. Are you trying to figure out how to plan a trip to Puerto Rico on a budget? Or maybe you’re planning a couples trip or planning a family trip to Puerto Rico? I do have a few tips to provide. These are tools I used to plan my trip and get good deals without sacrificing quality. I’ve also included details on the excursions highlighted in my YouTube Travel Puerto Rico Travel Vlog.

Here are the details:

Flights to Puerto Rico

I used Google Flights to look around and ultimately booked using Google to get the best pricing for this trip. I’d also recommend looking at sites like Expedia to price compare and get package deals. I think the key is to vet the places you select and make sure they meet your expectations in terms of features and quality.

Expedia was great because it included package deals for our flight and hotel room. Our flight had a connecting stop to Orlando. We did have some delays and flight changes, so it’s likely that the night in Orlando was unexpected.

For our flight, we booked with JetBlue via the Expedia deal. I think it was my first time flying with JetBlue and overall I had a really positive experience. In fact, I’m really OBSESSED with the 88 Acres cinnamon seed bars that JetBlue provided during our flights. I definitely need to add them to my kitchen back home!

Where to Stay In Puerto Rico

I stayed in the San Juan Water & Beach Club Hotel located in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The glow in the dark aesthetic was fun and even a bit romantic. When we entered our room, it was enclosed in a canopy which was so amazing, only to be topped by our ocean views from our bedside.

The hotel included 2 restaurants (one of which is a rooftop bar and kitchen), an onsite spa, complimentary Wi-Fi, a fitness center, a rooftop swimming pool with sunbathing beds, beach chairs and umbrella service for the beach, and about a 2-minute walk to the beach.

This hotel is also near so many restaurants and local stores. We were able to walk everywhere and really only drove to go to our excursions.

Things to Do in Puerto Rico

While on vacation it’s important to me that I have a good balance of time spent relaxing (hopefully on the beach) and being adventurous by exploring the food, touring the land, and experiencing different excursions. I definitely had that balance during this trip to San Juan, Puerto Rico!

Here’s what I did:

Rainforest Ziplining

I’ve been rainforest ziplining before back home, in Maryland, but never on a trip or in a rainforest. Was I scared to go ziplining? I’ll be honest, I was literally shaking like a leaf. It was weird. The height didn’t bother me, but I just wanted to make sure I understood what to do, haha. After about 5-6 ziplines I was totally fine and couldn’t wait to do more. See highlights from this experience including my POV (point of view)!

We booked our rainforest zip lining reservations via Viator with the Rainforest Zipline in the El Yunque Foothills, which is located in the El Yunque national forest in Puerto Rico. The location was absolutely GORGEOUS. A good amount of my photos (that are my favorite!!!) came from visiting this zip-lining location. This excursion included a variety of 8 ziplines. In addition to a gorgeous location, everyone working was SO NICE. From the time we arrived to check-in, there were ladies greeting us and giving us a great overview of what to expect. They even had brand new hair ties for anyone that needed to put their hair in a bun. I greatly appreciated their care and preparedness as we headed out to begin ziplining. This really helped me be able to relax and enjoy the experience more fully.

The staff was also very helpful with getting us geared up and properly dressed for ziplining. At each zipline, we were also greeted by a staff member which made the experience extra special. During my YouTueb Puerto RicoTravel Vlog you can hear them cheering us on as we take off on the ziplines.

ATV Rides

This was so much fun! We also used Viator to book this reservation for ATV rides in Puerto Rico. The tour we booked was with ATV Double Hacienda Campo Rico Adventures located in Carolina, Puerto Rico. It included a professional tour guide throughout the Campo Rico Trails. They also had a few shops that you could visit prior to beginning the ATV tours.

After fully signing in, we were taken in small groups to ride the ATVS throughout a private ranch. You could sign up to individually ride or ride with/as a passenger to someone you’re with. I chose to ride as a passenger and only drive for a few minutes at the end of the tour. It was perfect. As a passenger, I got the opportunity to not just look around and experience the tour, but also film or take pictures throughout the experience. The tour of the private ranch in Puerto Rico included beautiful views of mountains, the tropical forests, fields, local ranch animals freely roaming the grounds and we even got to visit the actual ranch! Watch my travel vlog to see highlights from this adventure.

Gorgeous Beaches

I love the water and scenic views. As mentioned, our room had an ocean view of the beach (the one I literally walked less than 2 minutes to every day) and we visited the beach while in Luquillo, Puerto Rico. We were there for the food which wasn’t too far from one of our excursions. We completed the excursion, visited the beach, and then strolled into a nearby restaurant for some local Puerto Rican cuisine. Keep reading for details on the restaurant and what I had to eat in Luquillo, Puerto Rico, and San Juan, Puerto Rico.

There were also a lot of excursions that you could do while on the beach. Water activities included on the beach were jetskiing, and tours via boat ride to name a few. The beach near our hotel was well sectioned off so that these water sports were available in a specific area rather than taking up most of the beach. All in all it was pretty chill and definitely a great beach experience.

Eating in Puerto Rico

Prioritizing plant-based eating habits is something I naturally do, but I also allow myself room to indulge and eat intuitively. During this trip to Puerto Rico, I did discover some plant-based options which I’ll share below. Many of the Puerto Rican food options I found included plant-based foods. There was also a balance of other types of foods including seafood, meat, dairy.

I spent most of my time at the beach or doing excursions, so spending time sitting down to eat was not a top priority. I’d definitely want to spend more time at restaurants during my next trip to Puerto Rico.

Monfongos in Puerto Rico

No matter where I went, I almost always could find a variety of monfongo options on menus of the restaurants in Puerto Rico. I decided to try it for myself. Monfongos are sweet plantain sometimes with sauces, gravies, vegetables, meat, seafood or other foods included.

We enjoyed a wonderful dinner at La Parrilla in Luquillo, Puerto Rico. It was so perfect because it’s literally on the beach. I ordered the monfongos with shrimp and the other meal was lobster stuffed with seafood. The lobster meal included a nice salad (loved the beans in it) and rice.

Traveling in Puerto Rico

I’d recommend renting a car if you know that you plan to travel around Puerto Rico, especially if it’s for multiple destinations or days. We did uber (or maybe it was lyft?) to and from the airport, but otherwise, we drove to places that were not within walking distance. For instance, we drove to all of our excursions mentioned.

We rented a car from Charlie Car Rental. Everyone was friendly, the service was pretty quick even though they were busy and we did shop around- they had some of the best rates locally. Lastly, we didn’t use the complimentary airport shuttle service but it did seem very popular and was included free of charge to all customers when we were there. I’d definitely use Charlie Car Rental again.