Anonymous wrote:We were thinking of renting an AirBnB in Luquillo for 4 nights. We'd like to do a few day trips for hiking and snorkeling along with easy access to the beach. Is it safe for a family to stay there?

Yes

Anonymous wrote:So many better places than dumpy PR. Don’t waste your time honestly.

Go away, you pathetic germ

Anonymous wrote:Any recs on day trips to Icacos? A lot of the boat tours seem more party vibe vs family vibe? What about Luquillo beach? Isn’t that near Rio Mar?

We used East Coast Water Taxi and did the Beach day package. We had a great time.

I would stay at El Convento one or two nights to explore San Juan and then hightail it for Vieques! The beaches are beautiful and the laid back vibe is like the Caribbean from the 1950’s.

We were thinking of renting an AirBnB in Luquillo for 4 nights. We'd like to do a few day trips for hiking and snorkeling along with easy access to the beach. Is it safe for a family to stay there?

Luquillo is a few miles down the road from the Wyndham Rio Mar. It’s a great place to spend a day— nice calm beach and there is a stretch of “kioskos”— small restaurants selling all kinds of food and drink, mostly to go.

Any recs on day trips to Icacos? A lot of the boat tours seem more party vibe vs family vibe? What about Luquillo beach? Isn’t that near Rio Mar?

Anonymous wrote:For all those recommending Wyndham Rio Mar, what do you like about it?

What’s the beach like - safe for swimming? Can you kayak or paddleboard there? Are there restaurants in walking distance? Do you need a car?

Also how long is it to drive to San Juan for a day there?

Thanks from NP

I've been to Puerto Rico with family and for work, and I have stayed at Wyndham Rio Mar, El Conquistidor, the Royal Sonesta, and an AirBnB in Old San Juan:

--El Conquistidor is a lovely resort, near El Yunque, good restaurants, but I did not like that you can't just easily go to the beach. You have to walk to the incline, take that down to the dock, and take a boat to get to the private island. I prefer to just stroll to the beach when I feel like it. I also get sea sick, even on short boat rides.

--Wyndham is a nice resort with restaurants on property. There's not much else around walking distance. You can get to El Yunque pretty easily, and it's about an hour drive to Old San Juan.

--Royal Sonesta is similar to Rio Mar but smaller. Still a nice beach, decent restaurants on property but also walkable to other restaurants nearby. An easy 15-20 minute Uber to Old San Juan.

With my family, we stayed 5 nights at the Wyndham and 2 nights at an AirBnB in Old San Juan, and that was a nice balance for us.

Whatever you do stay in a resort

You have to do at least two days in Old San Juan - we LOVED El Convento. Made for a truly special visit.
If you stay in OSJ - make it the very beginning or end of your trip. There is no place to park your rental car; or if there is, it's a pain to drive around.

Anonymous wrote:Is it better to be in/near San Juan (Contando, Isla Verde) or an area closer to the rainforest and nice beaches? It’s weird to me to go to a tropical island but not be able to enjoy the ocean/sea as apparently is the case at the resort areas in/near San Juan.

You should decide based on your interests. How many days would you stay in PR? Can you do half the time in SJ and half the time in the east coast (e.g. Fajardo)? From The East coast you can visit el Yunque, beach, day trip to Vieques/ Culebra/Icacos, etc. From SJ you can spend a day or two in OSJ, padel boarding in Condado, beach in Isla Verde, etc.

Is it better to be in/near San Juan (Contando, Isla Verde) or an area closer to the rainforest and nice beaches? It’s weird to me to go to a tropical island but not be able to enjoy the ocean/sea as apparently is the case at the resort areas in/near San Juan.

Anonymous wrote:El Conquistador is great.

+100!

Rio Mar is a big golf/resort compound, activities, kid friendly but not overly kid oriented. Beach is golden/brown sand, nice waves but could be heavy depending on weather. We borrowed boogie boards on site. I forget if they have kayaks, but we were saving that for the bio bay anyway.

Definitely want the car to get around. On site restaurants are good but expensive. Rico Pan nearby is great for breakfast/lunch.

For all those recommending Wyndham Rio Mar, what do you like about it?

What’s the beach like - safe for swimming? Can you kayak or paddleboard there? Are there restaurants in walking distance? Do you need a car?

Also how long is it to drive to San Juan for a day there?

Thanks from NP