It’s been a few months since we’ve posted! After taking a bit of a break, we’re resuming starting with some posts about our family trip to Puerto Rico over Christmas.

We decided to visit Puerto Rico partly because we wanted to visit somewhere warm, with a non-stop flight from Boston (winter can led to delayed connections), and liked the idea that Puerto Rico also had some real cultural richness/history to it.

After looking at our options in Puerto Rico – we ended up staying in the Luquillo Beach area, with its nice beaches, about 45 minutes east of San Juan. Luquillo is also fairly close to El Yunque National Forest, to the ferry ports to Culebra/Vieques, and to one of the famous bioluminescent bays. We found a nice Airbnb by the beach there.

On our first full day in Puerto Rico, our family opted for a relaxed morning at Playa La Pared beach, where our teenage boys decided to try out a two-hour group surf lesson at Surfing Puerto Rico.

The Logistics

• The Company: Surfing Puerto Rico
• Location: Playa La Pared, Luquillo
• Price: group lessons for $70/person, they also offer private lessons.
• Inclusions: High quality equipment, water, snacks.

Our Experience

While La Pared Beach was only a 20 minute walk along the shore from our airbnb apartment on Playa Azul beach, we ended up deciding to drive over so that Jeremy and I would have flexibility to go elsewhere during the lesson.

The boys began with about 15 minutes of ground training, covering the basics of getting on the board and standing up.

The kids then took turns in the water, guided by two instructors—one in the water and the other on the shore. Given the rough waters and marked rip tides, the instructors kept the group close to the shore for safety.

While there was some waiting involved, the kids still managed to have a good time.

John had taken some surfing lessons several years ago, when we were in Bali. We wish there were $30 private surf lessons everywhere! That said, the price point was more affordable compared with Hawaii or California. And the quality of instruction and the thrill of surfing in Puerto Rico made it a good experience for our family!

We’ll start posting more frequently again.

More From Adventures of the 4JLs

Keep reading our travel blog for more adventures in the Caribbean: