Traveling to PR!

You may remember from my December post that we were preparing for Lee's 40th birthday celebration in PR, and wondering what would be there to greet us after the devastating hurricanes that swept through the Caribbean. I have to tell you, I was the one who was the most nervous about what we would find, and you know what we found?? - some of the most wonderful people and most beautiful sights I've ever seen!

Travel day (Thursday) & Day 1 (Friday)

As we landed in PR and went to baggage claim, the first thing I saw was a USACE flag hanging up over a check-in table so while my husband and our friends waited for the bags I went to visit the young man sitting there. I learned that his job was to sit there and greet USACE personnel arriving from the states and send them to the various check-in/meeting points for their missions. We would encounter a lot of US disaster response personnel during out trip, our hotel had a USCG command post in the lobby, EPA response teams, and FEMA staff daily. Remember, this was months after the hurricanes and these teams were (and are) still working to help the people of PR.

Back to the airport - once we got our bags, we went to get a taxi to the Embassy Suites Hotel & Casino San Juan and we were told that our hotel was closed (which we already knew), but we convinced the driver that we were supposed to go there and they took us right to the side entrance (the main entrances was closed due to damage). We arrived and were greeted by security who gave us ID bracelets to wear at all times, and told about the happy hour in the lobby at 5, and give some basic directions to get us around. That first night, we just hung out at the hotel and ate at the Outback in the lobby.

Friday we woke up and ventured out to the beach and enjoyed an amazing lunch at El Alambique Beach Front Bar & Grill - it was excellent!! The people were so kind, the food was excellent, and the view was spectacular! We had a very relaxing day and came back to enjoy the complimentary happy hour in the hotel lobby then once again ate dinner at Outback, sometimes it is nice to stick with what you know :) The complimentary happy hour was amazing, there were fresh drinks and plenty of snacks to enjoy, and music to enjoy while we visited.

Stay tuned for Saturday's Day 2 adventure, it was incredible!!

Tip - when visiting the San Juan Airport, get a cold water BEFORE you enter baggage claim b/c it was HOT in that baggage claim area and coming from Jan in the DC area we weren't exactly dressed for warmer weather yet and there were no vending machines.