After a wild and crazy long weekend spent in Key West, Florida in 2015, friends Donna and Beth, agreed to another girls trip in November 2019. After receiving glowing reports from a co-worker, I suggested San Juan, Puerto Rico.
.
What I failed to understand is that it may not be best to travel somewhere so soon after a country has been hard hit by a hurricane, even two years later.
Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico with deadly force on Sept 20, 2017. Making our plans in the summer of 2019, the three of us knew San Juan could still be recovering. We just underestimated how much.
Beth and I arrived on November 7, taking an early non-stop out of Philly. Wishing to stay close to the airport, I made reservations at Hilton's Embassy Suites for Beth and me for the first night. Here we could relax by a beautiful pool, enjoy a complimentary happy hour and breakfast before changing hotels after Donna's arrival on the 8th.
Unfortunately, at check-in at the Embassy, we were told by the desk clerk, "We have no reservation for you Mrs. Oetinger".
"What?!!! That's impossible!". With that, I produced my printed reservation including my confirmation number. Unimpressed, the clerk insisted that we had no reservation in the Hilton system.
After staying on hold for nearly an hour with Hilton's customer service, my reservation was finally found. However, the hotel manager informed us that the hotel was completely booked. No room in the inn so to speak.
This was not my problem. It was clearly Hiltons.
After a flurry of phone calls, the Embassy's manager made arrangements for Beth and me to stay in a suite at a relatively nearby hotel for the night (not a Hilton property). With no other options, we accepted.
We appreciated the gesture but now faced the need to find a grocery (happy hour, breakfast, and a beautiful pool were now off the amenities list). Ugh.
Travelers Tip: I always travel with hard copies of my reservations. Producing a piece of paper seems more compelling than showing a reservation on a phone. I strongly recommend before leaving for any trip, reconfirm all reservations.
Fortunately, our accommodations at the Courtyard Marriott Isla Verde Beach Resort were just as fantastic as I had been led to believe. You can't go wrong with this Marriott property if looking for a moderately priced resort with loads of great amenities.
What made our trip most memorable however, were two events: two near drownings and sunset in Old San Juan.
Travelers Tip: There are multiple beaches on Puerto Rico with currents and strong waves which command respect.
Our balcony view of Marriott Courtyard's Isla Verde Resort's beach
The Isla Verde beach is gorgeous! Finding the wave action pretty inviting, Donna and I ventured out slowly. Wrapped up in our enthusiasm, we failed to notice the lack of other swimmers in the water that day.
Like kids, we dove into the rather vigorous waves headfirst. The water felt great! Having so much fun, Donna and I couldn't stop laughing.
And then, with a bit of concern, I turned to see what appeared to be the largest wave's crest I'd ever personally encountered in any ocean.
Before I could prepare, BOOM!, BOOM!, BOOM!!! It wasn't one but three giant synchronous waves, sending Donna and me spinning around and over in nature's own washing machine. More alarming, with each tumble, we found ourselves further away from the shore.
I couldn't get my breath between the "hits". Was this it? Was I going to die?
Just as panic really set in, the waters thankfully calmed. Treading in the now very deep water and breathing hard, I looked around for my friend.
"Ellen!!!, Ellen!!", I heard just behind me. Donna, her long dark hair plastered over her face, clearly was in trouble.
"Turn around Donna. Turn around and swim!!!", I yelled still struggling to get to a place where I could stand again.
Fortunately for us, we weren't caught in a rip tide. With a lot of effort, we dragged ourselves out of the water onto the safety of glorious dry sand. Standing at water's edge, Beth's stood with her hands on her hips. Her body language was clearly saying, "What in the world were you crazy girls thinking?"
From that moment on, we decided it was best to stay poolside.
Post ocean's wash cycle - Glad to Be Alive
But our adventures weren't over.
On our last night, we thought it would be fun to shop in old San Juan before dinner. Interestingly, the three of us hadn't given it a thought that there were still so few people visiting Puerto Rico.
After visiting the point at Castillo San Felipe del Morro near sundown, we thought we should probably head back to our hotel. It was then, we suddenly realized there were so few lights on....anywhere! Strolling during rapidly approaching darkness, the only folks we saw stood in the murky shadows of the doorways of the now mostly closed businesses and restaurants which hadn't reopened post Maria.
More alarmingly, we realized we couldn't call a taxi because we had no idea where we were in Old San Juan. There were no street signs, anywhere!!! Apparently, they'd blown away (along with the street lights) during the storm and hadn't been replaced yet.
Just when concern was creeping into feelings of despair, a taxi pulled up next to us, seemingly out of thin air. Gratefully, the three of us climbed in, very happy to be "picked up" so to speak.
Our visit in San Juan, Puerto Rico turned out to be a wonderful girls getaway we won't ever forget. Puerto Rico is a beautiful country. You'll find the residents most friendly, the food amazing, and in 2023, there is quite the variety of places to stay to match your budget.
But please, respect the power of Puerto Rico's beautiful waters.
Ankle deep is just fine with me from now on.
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