A couple of Amphibia travelers just returned from Rio Mar Beach Resort in Puerto Rico, and we wanted to pass along their feedback on the resort and Puerto Rico in general. Emily and her mom, Barbara, escaped the frigid Minnesota winter and spent four nights at the Rio Mar Beach Resort relaxing on the beach, having drinks by the pool, playing tennis on the clay courts and venturing out for some hiking in the El Yunque National Rain Forest, swimming in a crystal-clear clear pool under a waterfall, kayaking through a bioluminescent bay and horseback riding through the Puerto Rican countryside.

Here are some pictures and a few things they thought other travelers might want to know:

Rio Mar Beach Resort:
- Seemed to be the most beautiful resort  in the area!
- They had very nice tennis courts – some clay, which was fun. Lessons were really good, too.
- It was really nice to have separate adult/kid pools.
- The staff is polite and helpful. (They brought us a free cooler – and put a bottle of wine in it – no charge!) The concierge was helpful.
- The rooms were nice. There were some signs of age, but not bad at all.
- It’s really close to El Yunque, and about halfway between San Jan and Bioluminencent Bay – which is a must-see!
- No free parking, but the valet was $20/day plus tips (self park was $15/day).
- Internet fees were $15/day/device – which can get pricey when you have iphone/laptop/ipad. There were some free computers in the biz center.
- food and drinks seemed expensive ($8 beers, $10.50 mix drinks), though I’m sure this is pretty common.
- We didn’t eat a whole lot there, seemed more fun to get out into the city, but what we had was just OK.

Some other stuff we learned:
- 3G service everywhere we went in PR!
- A rental car is a great idea – lots to see!
- Driving wasn’t bad, as long as you have a GPS. Lots of roads are not marked.
- A neat hotel in Old San Juan that people might not know about: www.thegalleryinn.com
- It would be a good idea to stay 2 days in San Juan, then 2 days in Rio Grande or similar because it is a good hour drive each way.
- Most people there speak english and are insanely nice.
- There’s a definite “work week” there, nothing was crowded Tues-Thurs and then really picked up Friday and Saturday (or maybe it was the slower time of year?).
- Every day is beautiful. 83, intermittent clouds, rains somewhere for 10 minutes. Neat ecosystem!