
My husband and I typically travel to chilly, mountainous areas for our vacations but, on rare occasions, we switch it up for a tropical destination, as was the case for this trip. And a nice bonus was that we got to explore a national park we’ve never been to!
In April 2023 we traveled with some family to Puerto Rico. Our travel companions had already been to Puerto Rico a couple of times but they specifically wanted to go in April for this trip to see the bioluminescence at Mosquito Bay on Vieques (which is a small island off the main island of Puerto Rico) as the best times to experience the bioluminescence are from December to mid-April. We also planned it for a week that was specifically a new moon so that it was darker and the bioluminescence would be more likely to be brighter than at times of a full moon.
**As per usual I have my detailed itinerary with tips as the main portion and will have a concise itinerary at the end. And all photos are taken with my iPhone 14 Pro Max
Day 1: in mid-April of 2023, we flew into the San Juan airport. It was already later in the day when we landed so we took the airport shuttle to the Caribe Hilton hotel in San Juan and just enjoyed being at the hotel for the rest of the evening. The pool there was fantastic with stunning ocean views and plenty of chairs and hammocks to relax in. The hotel also had some cute shops that we shopped in (mainly so my husband could buy very overpriced sandals since he forgot his at home lol) before our dinner reservations at Morton’s Steakhouse (which was conveniently located in the hotel). That was the one place that our travel companions said they wanted to eat at for the trip and it was a very excellent steakhouse with a relaxing ambiance.

Day 2: My husband and I are early risers so we woke up early and went exploring. There are a couple of fort ruins right beside the hotel and so we walked around those and then took advantage of the empty hammocks by the pool to relax and enjoy the ocean for a bit. Once everyone was awake we took a taxi to the ferry to Vieques. We enjoyed a delicious late lunch/early dinner at Banana’s where I discovered that I love mofongo which is a traditional Puerto Rican dish. Definitely worth a try! We then found a public beach access where we enjoyed a lovely sunset and saw some pretty cool sea creatures in the shallow water. To end the night we enjoyed star gazing from the rooftop hot tub at our hotel.



(Above two photos are some cool sea creatures we saw that I have no idea what their names are)
I have three tips from today:
Tip #1: We could have taken a small plane to Vieques which would have been faster and closer to our hotel. However, I am not a good flier and have a terrible fear of small planes so I put my foot down and we took the ferry haha. The ferry ride actually had quite a nice view and only took about 30 minutes.
Tip #2: Once on Vieques we picked up a rental car. This part was slightly strange as only one of our party could ride in the van to the rental car place as they didn’t have enough seats in the van for the multiple families who were picking up cars. So the rest of us had to wait on the curb by the ferry for almost an hour. So if you find an alternative way to pick up a rental car there, I would recommend that.
Tip #3: While on Vieques we stayed at El Blok hotel and unfortunately I would not stay there again. It was fine for the two nights we were there and I will say that it was clean and close to the beach access and restaurants. But it was literally just a few feet off the main road with some bars nearby that played loud music until the wee hours. So we were woken up several times both nights. I think with ear plugs and a light-blocking eye mask I would have been fine, but since I didn’t it definitely wasn’t the most restful nights.
Day 3: We started off the day with breakfast at Kristy’s restaurant which was delicious and also had good coffee. Then we did some exploring around the island including Playa Negra (a black sand beach), hiking Puerto Ferro lighthouse ruins (don’t stray off the path here because there are warnings that there might be some explosives leftover from bombing practice from the 1940s-1990s), and one of the most beautiful beaches I’ve ever been to called Playanuela. That beach is a bit off the beaten path and was not very crowded which we enjoyed. We ended up staying there for several hours.



Lunch was at Lazy Jack’s restaurant which wasn’t quite as good as Banana’s but was still good! But the crowning glory of the day (and of our whole time on Vieques) was our bioluminescent bay tour that night.
We had a group of seven people that was picked up by a tour group and drove to the bay where kayaks were waiting. After a safety brief, we loaded up into the kayaks and headed into the water. The guide did an excellent job at explaining the bioluminescence and giving some great facts and history about it and the island in general.
I truly have never experienced anything like bioluminescence. It was so magical because when you put your hands in the water it looked like sparks were coming out of your fingers. It was an experience I will never forget and am so glad we had the opportunity to see it. We definitely had ample time to enjoy it and did not feel rushed.
We also got some excellent star views as there is very little light pollution.

(The best photo I could get of bioluminescence. This is a fish swimming through it that is visible because of the bioluminescence its swimming through)
Tip: In our email confirmation with the tour guide, we were told to meet at a certain location at a specific time. We showed up to the meeting spot and eventually the other family of three joined us but there was no sign of our tour guides. We waited and the meeting time came and went and the calls we made to the tour guide weren’t going through. Eventually they did show up (I think about 30 minutes late) but some communication from them would have been appreciated. So just anticipate that they may be on “island time”.
Day 4: This morning we left Vieques on the ferry and went back to the main island. Our travel companions were staying at a Wyndham hotel that had a rental car service in the hotel so we were shuttled from the ferry to the hotel and picked up our car. We ate lunch there and enjoyed the hotel’s private beach for a while. Then my husband and I split off from them and went to the El Yunque national park visitor center where they had a gift shop, educational signs, and a nice nature trail with beautiful tropical plants that we enjoyed marveling at.
After that we hiked the Angelito trail which was a very short trail to a picturesque swimming hole. We had it entirely to ourselves so that was relaxing. It was then time to check into our hotel.

The Rainforest Inn: I’m going to go into detail about the Rainforest Inn as it is truly one of my top three places I have ever stayed and I just really want to sing its praises! It’s a boutique hotel bordering El Yunque rainforest with only four suites. Each of them are a little different but the one we chose had two outdoor tubs with two hammocks looking right out into the rainforest. The bed is a swinging bed hanging from the ceiling which was super cool and they had it set up with a cooling mattress pad that you could control with your phone which was amazing with those humid tropical nights. We liked it so much we went home and bought one similar!

The employees there are also so nice. At check-in they brought us piña coladas (and virgin piña coladas are one of my most favorite things) and each morning they brought us a gourmet breakfast. They would lightly knock at the door and leave it on a tray outside and we would take it on the back porch and enjoy it while listening to the birds and wind from the rainforest. The hotel also has a pool which has a sign up sheet so that you are the only ones in the pool. The pool is surrounded by gorgeous landscaping with a small waterfall and tropical plants and you can see the ocean in the distance. I could honestly go on and on about this place but obviously I highly recommend it and would absolutely stay there if we ever go back.

(Breakfast was delicious)

(The pool and beautiful landscaping)
Day 5: El Yunque National Park! We spent the whole day exploring and hiking in El Yunque. At the time we did have to have reservations for a timed entrance to the park but they have since done away with that so it’s no longer required. Our hikes today included:
Mount Britton Tower Trail (1.6 miles round trip (RT) with 626 feet elevation gain)*

El Yunque Peak - the second highest peak in the park (5.4 miles RT 1,748 feet gain)*. Sadly it was very foggy when we reached the peak so we didn’t have views, but the tropical plants along the way were gorgeous. And a mongoose ran across our path which was pretty cool as I’ve never seen one before.
(However, they are dangerous and carry diseases so definitely don’t get close!)


(Above two photos are of some of the plants along El Yunque peak trail)
Baño Grande - former swimming pool and historic site
La Coca falls - a beautiful waterfall that’s visible from the road
Yokahú Tower - built in the 1960s with fantastic views of the island and forests

(View from inside the tower)
Juan Diego falls - a short path to a pretty waterfall with a great swimming hole. We weren’t the only ones there but it wasn’t too crowded so we got to enjoy it.

*The trail distances and elevation gain are taken from the description on AllTrails.
Day 6: We spent today our last day in Puerto Rico exploring Old San Juan. We drove into town and there are public parking areas close to the shops and restaurants. However, we definitely put in some steps today! We did some shopping and ate lunch at Ostra Corsa which had fantastic seafood and delicious gelato at Anita’s. Our major sightseeing for the day were the two historic forts: Castillo San Cristobal and Castillo San Felipe del Morro which is a National Historic Site. They were fascinating to walk around and of course they have informative signs to learn their history. We really enjoyed visiting both of the forts and spent a few hours between the two of them. This was a great way to end the trip!


(Downtown Old San Juan)
Concise Itinerary:
Day 1: Fly into San Juan. Stay at Caribe Hilton. Dinner at Morton’s Steakhouse
Day 2: Ferry to Vieques and sightsee on the island
Day 3: Playa Negra, lighthouse hike, and Playanuela. Bioluminescent bay tour that night
Day 4: Ferry back to San Juan. El Yunque visitor center and Angelito trail. Stay at Rainforest Inn
Day 5: El Yunque National Park: Mt. Britton, El Yunque peak, Baño Grande, La Coca falls, Yokahú Tower, Juan Diego Falls
Day 6: Explore Old San Juan: shopping, eating, and sightseeing Castillo San Cristobal and Castillo San Felipe del Morro
Day 7: Fly home.

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