This guy was so friendly and so proud of his (delicious) fresh fruit juice margaritas. He had me try a handful of different juices. I chose yuzu because it wasn’t super sweet. He also made sure to write down suggestions of places to visit during our trip before we left.

We also had some yummy arepas 😋

We walked the beach and then went back to our little Airbnb to relax for a bit and get showered and changed.

We enjoyed the beginning of a nice little sunset

Terruño (kiosk #20) was recommended to us by multiple people so of course we listen to the locals’ suggestions. I got the coconut fish rice and Andy got Piononitos (stuffed sweet plantain with shrimp and skirt steak).

Another tidbit we were told by multiple locals: you are not only fine to carry your drink around outside, but you can totally drink while driving 😂 (we did not try this 😝)

We can’t believe how friendly everyone is here. If today was any indication of how our whole trip will be, we are in for an amazing time!

And we couldn’t help ourselves when we saw they had some unique breakfast options, so we split a jamon y queso torta.

We picked Sarah and Austin up from the airport around 10 and headed back to Luquillo to check out the beach for a few and then the kiosks for a hat for Sarah. As you can see, we barely fit in our little rental car.

Next stop: brunch

We found a really nice place called Leña’s. Never thought I would be in Puerto Rico eating pumpkin pancakes but here it is and it was delicious.

Andy got the chicken and waffles. Another dish we didn’t expect to see here.

And then we finally made it to the marina!!

Here’s our home for the week!

Our new friends Heidi and Ponce (that we met yesterday in Luquillo) let us borrow their giant cooler so we can keep ice this week and a big bucket in preparation for all the fish we (Austin) will be catching.

As much as we would love to live on Mojitos and Medalla all week, we also bought 20 gallons of water.

We spent a long time at Amigo stocking up for the week.

So long that it was 2020 by the time we got back to the car.

After all the shopping, we were starving. So we stopped at this little spot and put in a to-go order. We got a variety of things but the “smoked meat” was exceptionally good as was the chicken mofongo.

We headed out of the Puerto Del Rey Marina around 11.

Felt good to be on the water and headed toward the Spanish Virgin Islands!

Everyone was more than ready to relax and enjoy the ride.

Sarah tried the hand reel in hopes for some Mahi. She was unfortunately not so successful.

Our first stop was Cayo de Luis Peña. We grabbed a mooring ball on the southwest side of the island. We snorkeled around some nice reefs. We saw lots of snapper, a lot of sand dollars, and some really beautiful reef fish.

Next we moved to the north beach for some exploring.

Andy made us some delicious mojitos for our trip over to Bahia Melones on Culebra island.

We got to watch a nice little sunset

We took the dinghy in and tried a place called Zaco’s Tacos. It was recommended by multiple people and it definitely did NOT disappoint.

Such a fun little place and the staff was very friendly. We were super impressed by how good everything was.

We couldn’t pass up Key Lime Pie and peanut butter pie for dessert.

Do not feed the chickens. (You’ll get Zika).

Food coma in full effect

We got back to the boat and got on the top of the boat and soaked up the amazing stargazing opportunity

Today we started with 2 dives with Culebra Divers. First was at Carlos Rosario Wall and then moved to Tamardino Chico. Tamarindo Chico was cool bc it was the first coral farm any of us had seen.

We saw some sting rays so many fun little creatures

Spotted eagle ray

Found a nurse shark trying to take a nap

Honeycomb cow fish

Anemone!!

All that diving made us hungry. We found a little place that served cafeteria style Puerto Rican food called Moncho’s. We really hoped to find some more yummy mofongo but lots of places were closed due to it being off-season.

After lunch we moved to Dakity and grabbed a mooring ball for the night.

Lindsey climbed into the best seat of the house

We had a nice relaxing night

A sliver of moon came out as we enjoyed the nice breeze and the disappearing sun

Our cab driver was super friendly and dropped us off at Playa Flamenco. It was sooo beautiful.

We were pretty much the only ones there and were loving it.

We found a few pretty flowers along the way

An old tanker sits just off the beach

This tanker would have made a really fun pic opportunity but tide was too high to really get out there without getting soaked and beat up by the waves.

Beautiful walk back

Oooh la la

Then we headed over to Culebrita for a day full of exploring

Found a hiking path and first stop was Playa Tortuga

Picture perfect and completely secluded

Snorkeled and enjoyed this beautiful beach

It took a while but we finally found “The baths”

It was a really cool spot.

Unfortunately, the really cool baths were not so friendly to me. A big wave came in and next thing I knew I had been flipped multiple times, pulled under and beat up against the rocks. But good news: we found my sunglasses and hat!

The worst of it. Not so bad, all things considered.

Next, we had quite a hike up to the highest point of the island. Over to the left where you can see the white of the waves crashing is where the baths are.

I think that’s St. Thomas in the background.

There’s a really cool abandoned lighthouse up there. It’s been out of use since the 1970s.

Andy made it to the top!

Beautiful views from here

We made it back to the dinghy and out of the brush!

We were very happy to see that while we explored Austin caught us some lobsters!

Next we headed over to Bahia Del Almodovar and caught a mooring ball for the night. We are the only ones here.

Another beautiful night to relax and take in the beauty

Happy Andy ❤️

Fresh lobster tostado prep is underway!

Absolutely delicious!

Ending the night with scary good s’mores

We finally get to put the sails up and turn the engine off

We pulled into the La Chiva bay for some snorkeling around 10:30.

The beach looked so beautiful and we couldn’t wait to explore. But first....snorkeling!

Not something you see often while snorkeling. Found this sign underwater warning of the unexploded ordinances. These islands were used by the US military for bombing practice until the 1970s. There were large sections of the island that are still restricted zones. \240

After our snorkel we had a nice walk along the beach.

When we got back, Austin showed off his big catch.

These lobster tails were not easy to prep but they ended up making some pretty delish lobster tacos.

Next, we moved to a mooring ball in Esperanza.

The town is really cute, especially the walk along the Malecon

We decided to grab a drink (here is their signature Painkiller) and watch the sunset.

Their Halloween special was a free shot with each drink. Cheers!

The sunset did NOT disappoint tonight

Beautiful walk to our meeting spot to start our Bioluminescent Bay tour

It was AMAZING! We really loved this. The dinoflagellates in the water light up when the water is agitated.

This spot is the brightest bio bay in the world. So cool.

On the bus ride back to the dinghy dock, we smelled something delicious and followed our noses to El Blok. A “little snack” of French fries turned into a multiple course meal. It was such a cool, modern spot and the food was amazing. I got the grilled corn cob salad.

Andy got the tostones sliders. Not pictured is a lot more food for the rest of the table.

We couldn’t help but get an order of churros. They were fantastic. Remembered to snap a pic right before the last bite.

Sarah snapped this really cool shot of the sunrise view reflected in the hatch from her cabin

Today we moved over to Playa Negra

This black sand beach was just so cool!

There were some small little lagoon areas that were pretty cool

The sand kind of sparkles and definitely weighs more than normal sand

Couldn’t get enough pictures of this spectacular spot

Next, we moved to Punta Arena for the day and night. We got another cool snorkel in.

We whipped up a huge batch of our version of “German Fries”

We had the whole rest of the day to play

We are always amazed by the cloud formations and watching the rain in the distance and seeing what amazing colors the sun will paint the sky

We tried to find some good snorkeling spots on Isla Icaco but the water seemed pretty rough and low visibility. So we ended up at Isla Palomina to relax for the day.

Time to pack up and return the boat. As always, it went by too fast.

Luckily, we don’t have to go home quite yet! We spent the afternoon at El Yunque National Forest.

It was a nice contrast to the week we spent on the water.

This hike was no joke. I need to get in better shape!

But we made it to this cool little tower

We were so far up, we were in the clouds

They cleared out enough for a decent selfie from the top

Next, we went chasing waterfalls

Another pretty steep hike but I enjoyed this one much more

I wanted to get in but it was cold and I didn’t wear the appropriate shoes or a bathing suit

After the waterfall, it was time to take Sarah and Austin to the airport. Andy and I are staying overnight in San Juan with an old college friend and his wife.

We walked to Bebos for dinner. It’s super popular for locals to get traditional Puerto Rican food. I got pork mofongo and Andy got this dish of chicken stuffed with sweet platained and covered in cheese. It was yummy!

Next, we walked to El Tap. It was a cool spot with 38 beers on draft.

Andy got a flight of beers and I had Sangria. It was a nice way to end our day and catch up with Kyle and Laurie.

One last little stroll along the beach. Have to soak it up to get us through until our next trip.

We went to a cute little place called Coffeterra. Andy really enjoyed his latte. I love the look and smell but just can’t get into coffee.

Our breakfast was really yummy. I was going to be good and get a fruit parfait but they were out of yogurt. I’m a sucker for Eggs Benedict and this one had Hawaiian sweet rolls instead of English muffins and came with cheesy potatoes so how could I resist? Andy had the ham, egg and cheese panini.

I love this little Airbnb our friends own. I would really recommend if you are visiting San Juan. Let me know and I can get you the information to book. I would share pictures of the room but it’s currently a mess trying to get everything packed up.

Rental car return. Started raining so everyone is huddled under coverage to stay dry. 🐓 🐥

Austin in his glory

Cocktail hour

Getting Sarah into the lazy jack is a multiple man process

She’s up and in! And so gracefully, too

Ha. I had to.

Lots of these guys on our hike in Culebrita

Had to get creative. Lots of ointment, paper towel, odd sized bandaids and then a bandana to protect it all so I could sleep and heal my wound.

Could never get tired of this

You know you found a keeper of a friend when she will wash your hair for you off the back of the boat

I just find this strangely mesmerizing

Gotta really whack that lobster to get it nice and tender

Pretty cool ride up to our hiking spot