Puerto Rico Chronicles & Adventures

My husband and I hosted our wedding and honeymoon festivities in Puerto Rico and we could not have picked a better place to celebrate our union! We absolutely fell in love with the island and plan to visit again sooner than later. We had our wedding and stayed at Wyndham Grand Rio Mar Resort in Rio Grande, Rico, which was about 30-45 minutes from the airport depending on traffic conditions.

We decided about two weeks before our arrival that renting a vehicle for the full course of our stay (which was 7 days, 7 nights) would be best for us, since we had other activities and adventures planned away from the resort. We ended up going with National Car Rental because my husband has an extensive history with them. The car rental cost approximately $300 for the week. Considering an Uber ride from Luis Munaz Marin International Airport where flew in was about $50-55 (one way), a car rental was the best option.

One reason that I chose this resort was because of all the things the resort had to offer which included:

The Beach

Pools & Cabanas

Golf Courses

Tennis

Mandara Spa

The resort had many over 8 different options for dining which included:

Palio-know for premium steaks complemented by gourmet assortments of Italian cuisine with a Caribbean twist

Iguanas-known for authentic Puerto Rican Flavors and the island's best traditional tastes, this restaurant is located at the Club House overlooking the golf courses.

Roots Coastal Kitchen-this restaurant is know for its Caribbean comfort food

Roots on the Go-known for takeout eats like pizzas, salads, guava barbecue spare ribs, ice cream and more.

Marbella-known for starting your day with an energizing breakfast

The Hut-no-walls outdoor tiki bar combines Cocktails with Puerto Rico-inspired dishes

Caicus Bar & Tapas-Indoor cock lounge with sophisticated vibe

5 O'clock Somewhere-poolside restaurant where you can enjoy a frozen drink and juicy burger

Hole-In-One-located in the Center of the Ocean Course, this golf bar offers appetizers, salads, sandwiches, wraps, and burgers.

Barista Cafe-coffee ships serves brews of coffees and teas, donuts, crafted lattee, etc

In-Room Dining-enjoy a meal from the comfort of your bed and balcony. Available 24 hours.

But what absolutely attracted me to this resort was the fact that I would be hosting my wedding here in the Marbella Gardens. When we first began our search for resorts in the area, I immediately noticed the beautiful garden scenery and iconic windows at this resort. It fit every vision that we wanted for our special day. A few must-haves for our wedding day included a tropical garden look, close proximity to the beach, but not directly on the beach, and a beautiful backdrop. When I tell you this venue fit all of our needs and vision and then some!

The pools and cabanas and beach area was absolutely amazing. It was also very family friendly and offers relaxation like no other. The beach was located directly behind the pools and cabana areas and stretched for a distance of 2 miles!

The El Portal de El Unique National Forest was in very close proximity to the resort. This was on our list of things to do and coincidentally, it was less than a mile from the resort. We went on a hike and then a drive up as far as we could and it was a blast. We planned to see the waterfalls but you had to book it one day in advance and we didn't. We had the best time in the forest hiking with our close friends.

Here are a few photos of the beautiful scenery that the rainforest has to offer!

We also visited Old San Juan Historic District and it did not disappoint!

A few more photos from San Juan.

We also had a chance to take a ferry boat to another nearby island called Vieques. The ride was about 45 minutes from the resort.

We had the best time celebrating all our wedding/honeymoon festivities with some wonderful memories. We could not have picked a better island to celebrate. It was so much to experience we plan to visit again, sooner than later I might add. I hope you all have enjoyed seeing what Puerto Rico has to offer as much as we did. Stay tuned for Part 2 of our Puerto Rico Chronicles!