Vacation in Puerto Rico - 1

As I type this, I am sitting poolside at Passion Fruit Bed & Breakfast in Fajardo, Puerto Rico. It is Friday, the last full day of our trip. As always when traveling with Danny, our time here has been a pleasure. Danny has an easygoing vibe that makes time spent with him very agreeable, and is in marked contrast to my own rather hypertensive nature.

Sunday - December 6, 2009

We dropped off Mason and Valdo (Danny’s fish) at Mark’s around 8:30am. Then we headed home and took care of a few incidentals before heading to the airport for our two part flight to San Juan. Our flight to Dulles was in a small commuter plane, and the highlight of that was a twinkish flight attendant with a rather cheesy flight routine. Our layover at Dulles was about two hours. The plane was bigger for the flight to San Juan, of course. Our experience was typical of the new airline service, we paid for our meal: $9 for a sandwich and chips. Then I slept for the rest of the flight since we were getting at 10:45pm and had a long drive to Fajardo. San Juan’s airport is exceptional: very clean and well organized. We hopped a shuttle and were at the Hertz counter within minutes. Renting a Toyota Camry, we were soon on our way to Fajardo.

Immediately, I realized how out of date my GPS is, as there is a new highway in eastern Puerto Rico, Route 66, that didn’t even show. We took it and made it to B&B shortly after midnight.

Gladys, the owner of Passion Fruit Bed & Breakfast was there to greet us, show us around, and take us to our room. I’ve stayed at a number of B&Bs over the years, and this is by far the best. The rates are very reasonable, the location is prime, and our room was immaculate. There is also the service: Each morning at poolside, we were served a full breakfast, including oatmeal and fresh fruit, and alternating dishes of eggs, bacon, toast and home fries; or banana pancakes with bacon (featuring bananas grown right on the property); or French toast and bacon. There were beverages also, of course. At most B&Bs I’ve been to, I was lucky to get coffee and a stale doughnut.

A word about the Camry we rented: rather disappointing car for the price point. Comfortable ride, but louder than I expected, and – as usual with Toyota – the ergonomics are counter intuitive. Just reaching for the door handle or the window controls was an exercise in frustration.