Wow! We had an absolute wonderful time in Puerto Rico and for many reasons. There is much to share and we’ll do it over the course of three, maybe four posts. I first wanted to share our arrival and first day and a half or so. This provides a few travel tips and can help you get settled if you opt for an experience similar to ours. We loved Puerto Rico and highly recommend a visit.

First Flight for the Kids

We booked an early flight. Our flight plans for the day included one connection with a fairly brief layover. Our children, Molly (age six) and Michael (age five) were great. The only squeals came from their delight and were brief. Several people napped around us (phew!).

One thing that helped Michael was his car seat. We drove to Florida last spring and it is a comfortable, familiar space to him. One thing to note: our airline required the car seat to be placed in the window seat. Check your airline’s policies on this if you choose to bring one along. Anyway, the familiarity of the seat seemed to make it a better experience for him and us.

We also had a booster for Molly and checked it with the other baggage. The booster did not count

as a checked bag in terms of fees. We knew we had to have both to be safe on the road, so there was never a question of bringing them with us.

Another thing that helped with our flight was a series of surprises for the kids. This isn’t original thinking, many family travel blogs recommend this. We were also successful using this tried and true method.

First Day in San Juan

The eventual arrival in San Juan was mid-afternoon. We thought having a bit of time to leisurely settle would be nice. We didn’t stay at a resort, but booked a three-bedroom unit via HomeAway. I want to share more about our accommodations in another post, but will say were thrilled with the place.

We chose to simply get a taxi after conferring with the condo owner. It was easier than we expected because the man running the taxi lane at the airport prioritized us because we had kids. Nice! On the way to the Condado area of San Juan, our driver gave us a tip on where to eat. That is yet another post, but it pays to listen!

The leisurely settling in would have to wait because the beach wouldn’t. We didn’t bother to unpack, but changed and hit the sand shortly after arrival. There are many details to share here, but I want to stay focused on a bigger picture.

Our second day was largely the same. We spent time on the beach and made it to the local grocery. Tip for the grocery: the supermarket delivered both the groceries and us back to the condo. We just had to meet a certain threshold of spending, and, actually, we tripled it.

Yes, we cooked while there, even after having some wonderful mofango our first evening. We did, however, decide to dine out again our second evening. This was our first adventure into Old San Juan.

The Charm of Old San Juan

We had no rental car at this stage. I didn’t think we’d need one in San Juan and it turned out to be

the right call. Instead, we made use of the local buses and had no problem. There is a public bus terminus in the south-east part of Old San Juan, just about a six-block walk from Castillo San Cristobal. All bus lines that go to Old San Juan end here and it’s as good a place as any to start exploring. Bus Tip 1: they take exact

change only ($.75 per rider).

We didn’t explore much that evening, but found an excellent restaurant. Molly wanted a milkshake, but was more than satisfied with the fruit smoothies on offer. We finished dinner and to our surprise, it was dark out. Another travel note here: we live in the Midwest and the sun sets around 9:30 or later during the summer. In Puerto Rico, the sun set around 7:30. I never thought to check on this detail.

We took a brief stroll on the darkened streets and saw the Antiguo Casino before heading home, again on the bus. Bus Tip 2: the lines seem to run about every thirty minutes. This is a potentially difficult situation with small children. Wherever you are in San Juan, I suggest finding a stop that serves more than one bus line.

It was a successful trip so far, and the kids were having a great time at the beach. Our third day would be a test: touring Old San Juan. Can’t wait to tell you about it in the next post.