6 Amazing Days In Puerto Rico With The Manini Experience
This June, I kicked off summer the right way by spending 6 unforgettable days exploring Puerto Rico with The Manini Experience, and let me tell you, the trip was everything I’ve been hoping for and more!
After 6 adventure-filled days, it is safe to say I am now completely obsessed with this Caribbean paradise.
The only problem I’m having is in trying to decide what exactly about Puerto Rico I loved the most. Was it the colorful buildings and charming streets of Old San Juan? Perhaps it was the waterfalls of the El Yunque rainforest, or the beautiful sandy beaches with crystal clear water?
During the trip, we headed to so many unique and incredible off-the-beaten-path spots that it is impossible to choose just one favorite! Keep reading to learn more about the treasures that Puerto Rico has to offer, and why I’ll be dreaming of Puerto Rico for months to come. WARNING: major wanderlust ahead!
Note: All of the photos in this post were taken by Erica, and are included in The Manini Experience. It was such a welcome change for me not having to lug a camera around with me, or begging strangers to take my picture!
The Manini Experience
If you have been following along on the blog, you probably already know that I have been looking forward to this trip for months-ever since I first interviewed Sam and Erica, the boss babes, best friends, and entrepreneurs behind The Manini Experience.
What exactly is The Manini Experience?
The Manini Experience is a travel company focused on curating unique travel experiences filled with adventure, philanthropy, and fun. Sam and Erica take the work out of planning an epic and one-of-a-kind trip so that you can dive head first into the adventure.
The best part? Erica is a professional photographer, and uploads the amazing photos she takes each day, ready for you to share on the ‘gram, while Sam blogs each day so you can share your adventures with friends and family (and make them extremely jealous 😉 ).
As a travel blogger who is constantly snapping photos, having Erica there to capture amazing shots was such a welcome vacation for me. Sam and Erica really help you capture the moment, so that you can actually enjoy it! All of the pictures in this post were taken by Erica, and you can read Sam’s trip blogs starting here!
The Itinerary
Sam and Erica truly had an epic itinerary in store for us. Equal parts adventure, fun, relaxation, and philanthropy, we saw parts of Puerto Rico often overlooked by tourists and were able to explore the island’s hidden gems. Here is a day-by-day breakdown of the trip’s highlights:
Day 1: Exploring Old San Juan + Volunteering At Save A Sato
Wandering Around Old San Juan
As members of the group were still arriving, we had free time to explore the amazing city of Old San Juan. This historic port city is incredibly colorful and filled with things to do and see. I spent several hours just wandering around, soaking up the colors and atmosphere around me. Some of the group went and visited the historic fortress, but I chose to save this visit for after the trip, as I had an extra two days to explore San Juan.
Volunteering at Save A Sato
Here I am, cleaning out one of many dog cages of the day. Image: The Manini Experience.
True to the Manini Experience’s commitment to philanthropy, we spent the afternoon volunteering at Save a Sato, an organization that saves stray dogs in Puerto Rico and helps them find forever homes. We rolled up our sleeves and cleaned cages, food bowls, and (best of all) got to play with some pretty adorable pups! It was great being able to give back while on vacation, and it was clear that Save A Sato could use the help. You can read more about volunteering at Save a Sato here!
The hard work is totally worth it when you look at these cute pops!
That evening we had a delicious (rooftop!) welcome dinner, before turning in at the amazing Hotel CasaBlanca. Throughout the trip, we stayed in eco-friendly lodging. The Hotel CasaBlanca is not only beautifully decorated and unique, but is also San Juan’s First Energy Star Rated Hotel.
Day 2: Beach Cleanup + Bioluminescent Bay Kayaking
Doing Good: Beach Cleanup
Day two began with a little bit of my Mom’s favorite philosophy: work before play. We packed up our things, grabbed breakfast at a local bakery, and set off for Piñones, a beach just outside of San Juan popular with locals. While the view was stunning, one thing was easy to see along the shore-lots of trash. I am a huge lover of our oceans and our environment, so I loved that The Manini Experience involved a DIY beach cleanup!
We all donned some rather adorable pink gloves, grabbed some trash bags, and promptly got to work. Less than two hours later, we had already collected over 6 bags of trash and the beach area looked a million times better! The only thing more satisfying than seeing the beach look beautiful again was taking a dip in the water afterward!
We then ate a delicious local lunch right by the beach before heading up the coast to our lodging for the night, El Hotelito.
El Hotelito is a beautiful rainforest farm hotel with an incredible view of the ocean below! The hotel uses 100% wind and solar power, and even uses rainwater (which meant we had to wait until the next morning’s rain for a shower!).
Bioluminescent Bay Kayaking
After heading down to town for dinner, we went on a kayaking tour of the nearby Bioluminescent Bay, which was definitely one of my favorite moments of the trip, for those of you who have been following along on my blog, you may recall that I didn’t enjoy my experience visiting a bioluminescent bay in Jamaica, but I am happy to report that I loved this experience!
It was so cool kayaking through the mangroves at night, listening to the sounds of wildlife and water around us, as the moonlight filtered through the leaves around us. When we arrived at the Bioluminescent Bay, our guides pointed out some of the constellations in the night sky before pulling a tarp over us so we could really see the water sparkle. The whole experience was pretty magical, and I would highly recommend it! We went with the tour company Pure Adventure, and the guides were very knowledgeable and professional. Unfortunately, it is dark at night, so it is impossible to get a photo, but I promise it was awesome!
That night, we returned to El Hotelito and fell asleep listening to the sounds of the rainforest, coquí frogs (which I at first thought were birds because they chirp!), and the Hotelito’s resident dogs occasionally barking as they “guarded” the property at night.
Day 3: Catamaran + Snorkeling on Icacos Island
After 2 awesome and busy days of adventuring, I was super excited to be heading on a catamaran to do some snorkeling, sun-soaking, and swimming in the gorgeous waters of Puerto Rico. After grabbing breakfast at El Hotelito, we set off to meet up with our catamaran company, Traveler. Once everyone was fitted for snorkel equipment, we boarded the vessel and set off for Icacos Island.
It took us about 45 minutes to reach Cayo Icacos, an uninhabited island with some of the most beautiful water I had ever seen! It was seriously like a dream! Here we had free time to get off the boat, explore the shore, meet some fishies, or just tan on the boat. I still can’t get over how amazing the water was!
After a few hours here, we boarded the catamaran, had a yummy included lunch, and enjoyed some rum punch before heading to the next snorkel spot, at a reef just offshore. The snorkeling here was incredible! The fish are used to tour groups coming and feeding them, and I saw more fish than I had ever seen before in one spot while snorkeling.
At one point everyone got really excited because we thought we saw a small shark, but it turns out it was “just” a suckerfish, but it was still really cool to see it swimming around with all of the others.
After our time here was up we got back on the catamaran and relaxed in the sun while heading back to shore, where we had dinner back at El Hotelito and rested up.
Read 6 Amazing Days In Puerto Rico With The Manini Experience Part 2!
The trip was so nice, I wrote about it twice! Check out what adventures we had in store on days 3-6 of the trip here.
Spoiler alert: Hidden rainforest waterfalls, mangroves, beautiful beaches, and cave exploring ahead!
Disclaimer: This post is part of a collaboration with The Manini Experience. As always, my opinions are 100% my own!
For more information on The Manini Experience and upcoming trips, be sure to check out The Manini Experience website, or follow Sam and Erica on Instagram @themaniniexperience! Rumor has it Puerto Rico, Lesotho & South Africa, and Peru are the next wanderlust worthy locations that The Manini Experience will be heading to!
You might also like:
- 6 Amazing Days In Puerto Rico With The Manini Experience: Part 2
- Getting Philanthropic in Puerto Rico: Volunteering At Save A Sato With The Manini Experience
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