If you are looking for what to do in Isla Verde, Puerto Rico with kids, read on! We had the most incredible family trip to Puerto Rico last summer! After a year and a half of no travel, we wanted to celebrate our 10 year wedding anniversary somewhere warm and on the beach. So how did we settle on Puerto Rico?! Well, we signed up for a Marriott credit card in early 2020 which gave us 3 free nights at a specific category hotel (plus we accumulated enough points to pay for 5 more nights – if you’re interested check out their current promotions here and feel free to reach out with any questions on our experience- our 8 nights were 100% booked on points), so I spent MANY months scouring the world map reviewing and analyzing countless properties. We finally settled on Puerto Rico because Courtyard Isla Verde seemed to check off all of our wants (nice pool, resort-type property vs. just hotel, beautiful beach, fun things to do in the area, etc). It was also perfect that Puerto Rico is not an international destination, so we did not need passports and re-entry to the United States was not contingent on COVID testing at the time.
Our Final Itinerary
I spent A LOT of time researching the island and what to do with our family. Our final itinerary looked like this:
- Sunday: Check in to the hotel (late)
- Monday: Hotel (Beach/Pool)
- Tuesday: Hotel (Beach/Pool)
- Wednesday: El Yunque, Luquillo, Fajardo, Icacos
- Thursday: Arecibo
- Friday: Old San Juan, Hotel (Beach/Pool)
- Saturday: Hotel (Beach/Pool) and local Splash Pad/Beach
- Sunday: Hotel (Beach/Pool)
- Monday: Flight to Orlando
Today, I am sharing about our experience with what to do in Isla Verde Puerto Rico with kids. Stay tuned (sign up for blog alerts here) for another post coming soon which will detail our day trips and excursions including tips, tricks, and things we wish we knew before going.
HoteL: Courtyard Isla Verde Room
Our room view at Courtyard Isla Verde was absolutely beautiful! We booked on points so we were limited to a specific room level (not the best view/location). However, we were upgraded and ended up with a beautiful high-floor ocean view room. If feasible in your budget I definitely recommend booking an ocean/pool view on a high floor. Rooms with even numbers are on the side of the building where you will overlook the long stretch of palm tree-lined beach. Rooms on the other side (other than front rooms with a direct ocean view to either side) will look at the beach but are blocked from full view by the other hotels and condos on Isla Verde beach). Lower-level rooms on the “even” side will still have a partial ocean view but will be blocked by the roof of the first-floor building that spreads out to the pool. The hotel is located directly behind the airport (SJO) which did not bother us. The kids loved watching the planes take off from our room and the intermittent take-off sounds did not impact our experience (basically just a really loud white noise sound). The only “negative” of our room was that we spent time on our balcony when the kids slept and the air conditioner was fairly loud out there, so not as “peaceful” as we had hoped. If you are looking for our favorite travel sleep products, you can find them here.
Courtyard Isla Verde Location & Amenities
The location is amazing. Isla Verde beach is beautiful and provides gorgeous views and access to long beach walks. The outdoor setup of the pool area having direct access to the ocean was beautiful and exactly what we wanted and loved. The pool area had a lot of umbrellas and palm tree shade and we all enjoyed the swim-up bar. If you are deciding what to do in Isla Verde Puerto Rico with kids, the pool at the Courtyard was perfect for kids (the swim-up bar was popular with the whole family too). My kids loved using their snorkel gear in the pool. They rent out pool floats for $5/hour, but I recommend you pack your own. Our son loved using his tube as a “boogie board” in the shallow areas of the beach. The beach had chairs and umbrellas with service attendants to set them up for you. Don’t forget to pack these awesome collapsible buckets to keep the little ones busy. The ocean was a bit rough when we were there (red flag every day), but we did swim in the shallow areas (waist deep or less) on a few days where it was “less” rough. The kids preferred the pool in general, and we spent much more time in the ocean during our day trips to calmer beaches. At the beach in the evenings, I was bothered by the “no see ums” but my family was not (bring bug spray for evening time ).
Pool & Beach Food and Drink Service
During the time we visited they were still recovering from the impact of the pandemic and full staffing, and there was limited “chair to chair” food/drink service at the pool. However, the woman who was doing the entire area herself was always friendly and provided great service. As staffing returns, I imagine pool service will be much better if that is something that you want. For us, we were totally fine with what was offered… they just would have made a lot more money on us if they had someone coming around to take orders frequently. In regards to service, when we visited the beach had no servers, so if you wanted a drink or food you would use the bar up by the hotel restaurant. Again, not a deal-breaker for us, and I’m assuming it was because of COVID-related shortages.
Others Things to Do in Isla Verde Puerto Rico with Kids
If you are deciding what to do in Isla Verde Puerto Rico with kids, another thing that we liked about this location was that if you walked to the right (when looking at the ocean), you can walk down to the Carolina local beach which has a splash park (Parque Acuático Infantil Aquasol). The walk is about a mile and we walked both the beach and the road. The road has a sidewalk and we used it when we brought the stroller – it felt completely safe but it wasn’t the “prettiest” walk as you’re on the side of a busy road. When we visited it was open Tuesday – Sunday from 9am – 5pm. Entry is on the top of every hour and is $4/per person for the hour. One important thing to know is that women need to wear either a cover-up or shots over their bathing suit bottoms.
Another place you have to go when you are visiting is Ocean Lab Brewing Co – they are a little less than 0.75 miles in the same direction as the water park area. They had great beer, amazing craft cocktails, and the food was delicious. We visited twice during our stay and will definitely be back the next time we are in the area.
If you walk the opposite way from the splash park and Ocean Lab, (left if you’re facing the ocean), you can walk into an area with more restaurants. We took the road to walk into this area (so when you go out of the hotel main entry, you will take a right). For breakfast, we loved Playa Papaya – everything was great, but we especially loved their acai bowls.
Getting to Puerto Rico with kids
When we traveled, all arrivals to the island needed to upload documentation of vaccination or a negative PCR COVID test that was taken within 72 hours of arrival. The time you actually got tested needs to be in that time frame, not just when you get results. You upload this information into their portal here, and then you get a QR code which is scanned by officials as you leave the airport. During your stay and after, you will receive automated text messages from their Sara alert to report on how you feel and if you have any COVID symptoms. All passengers 2 and over on the plane need to wear masks (Check your airline for current requirements before traveling). We used disposable ones so we did not have to worry about cleaning them while we were there.
A helpful tip for arrival and getting around the island: Bring cash – many taxis did not accept credit cards
Leaving PUERTO RICO
When leaving the island, you need to go through USDA before checking into your airline. When you arrive, look for the USDA signs and head there to have your bags go through a scanner and receive their approval sticker. If you don’t, the airline will send you back there which will be a big waste of time if you wait for check-in only to start all over again. We heard that sometimes the airport lines are unpredictable with staffing and to get there 3 hours before departure. We ended up getting through all the lines quickly so had planned to get breakfast in the terminal. Unfortunately, there were no restaurants open for meals (we were there around 9 am). The only two “quick service” options had lines that were so long we waited for 45 minutes and ended up leaving the line to run to our plane without food. So, I am not sure what is “typical”, but I would not plan on food at the airport. Stop somewhere fast on the way in or bring your own snacks.
Overall, we absolutely loved Puerto Rico and plan to return in the near future. Our stay at Courtyard Isla Verde was exactly what we wanted for this trip with three little kids with a perfect mix of pool and beach time. There are so many beautiful areas on the island and I cannot wait to explore more places next time we return. Want to see more? Check out the Instagram highlight here and follow us on social media below…