First Stop: Luquillo, Puerto Rico!

1/31/2013 *Sara-Marie* 1 Comments

As many of you know, last week we took our anniversary trip to Puerto Rico! Even though we've been together for 6 years, this was our first REAL vacation together and first flight anywhere together! It was very exciting. 

We had an AMAZING time and can't wait to go back. I took over 500 pictures, so I'm hoping to share a few in a series of posts.

Our first stop was Luquillo, home of one of the island's most beautiful beaches. Now we had the best/worst idea in that we left on Sunday night on a red eye and landed in Puerto Rico at 4:45am on Monday morning. The idea was the be able to spend as much time on the beach as possible before checking into our hotel room. 

The good news? We got to see the most amazing sunrise in Luquillo:

The sunrise was amazing and I was so glad that how we spent our first couple hours on the island. 

The bad news? We were dead tired and couldn't check in until 2pm. As beautiful as the beach was, we desperately wanted a bed. 

Luckily, our bed and breakfast, Luquillo Sunrise, was right across the street from La Pared and the innkeeper was so kind to us. She gave us complimentary beach towels and beach chairs so we could enjoy the beach while our room was ready. Around 11:30-12pm, we were able to check in early and we were SOOO GRATEFUL!

I would absolutely recommend this bed and breakfast. The rooms were clean, had spectacular views, and the hospitality was second to none. The only downside, which we quickly got over, is that unfortunately there are a lot of abandoned beach houses on this street. It's actually quite sad. Some have experienced vandalism and makes you wonder what kind of neighborhood you were staying in. However, we always felt safe, Luquillo Sunrise was amazing, and it isn't touristy. Just living the island life - like the locals. We will definitely return. 

I mean, could you ask for a better location?

As I mentioned earlier, the beach directly across from our bed and breakfast was not really good for swimming because of the waves. However, just down the shoreline was a much calmer beach known as Luquillo Balneario. It was PERFECTO! 

So beautiful, calm waves,  just wonderful.

 

 

 

If you're ever in Puerto Rico, I would highly recommend making a day trip to visit Luquillo Balneario. Parking cost $5, $1 to use the bathhouse all day, and there are 60 food stands (kioskos) within walking distance where you can enjoy all of the wonderful, traditional Puerto Rican foods!

 Stay tuned for an upcoming post on our hike to the peak of El Yunque Rainforest, our historic trip to Old San Juan, and of course a special post on all of the delicious food we enjoyed!!!