Anyone vacation in Puerto Rico?

[leahjade]

It looks so beautiful in pictures, but I'd have no idea what area to stay and what to do. How are costs? Any suggestions on sights to see or places to eat?

 

[donald&daisy]

We stayed a couple of night after our cruise at the Marriott and Stellaris Casino. I really liked it. We got a good deal through priceline too. You should go to www.cruisecritic.com and go down to the Ports of Call section and you will find a section for Puerto Rico and you will find more information than you would ever dream of. Granted, most people will only be there a day or two, but you'll know what's great by seeing what people prioritize. We were in San Juan, but there are awesome things to do all over the island. I wish we had done a biobay tour...but hopefully we'll go back some day.

 

[Chelley00]

I second the cruisecritic board suggestion. We cruised Princess this summer and spent an entire day in Puerto Rico.

In the morning we did the canopy zipline. It was a lot of fun (it was pouring down rain and made us go very fast!)

That evening we did the bio bay kayak trip. That was amazing and a total must do for anyone going to Puerto Rico if the moon phase is right. You cannot even describe what you see. Kayaking back in the pitch black under the mangrove trees is an adventure!

 

[Tanzanite]

Theres a lot here beautiful beaches .El Morro castle is beautiful San Juan has nice shops & restraunts.There are some nice hotels not cheap. It is pretty.

 

[leahjade]

I was considering staying a week - this may sound like a silly question, but is it safe for tourists? I know a lot of Caribbean areas are having trouble with the drug trade.

 

[deedeetoo]

We went for a week in April. We stayed in a villa at the Wyndam Rio Mar that we rented from someone on VRBO. We loved it. We went snorkeling one day, went to the rain forest, did the forts in Old San Juan and then just hung out at the pool and beach. We loved it and are thinking about going back sometime soon. We never felt that we weren't safe, though we didn't go walking around at night in the city or anything like that.

In general we felt it really wasn't that different from being in a poorer city in the states. Some random thoughts: Outside of the resort, things were a little less maintained than we are used to. People like to make left turns from the right lane (after awhile we started making jokes about this because it seemed to happen so often). There is a Walgreens on every corner (almost). The supermarkets are super airconditioned - we almost couldn't stand it. Many people speak English but not everyone. We know minimal Spanish but didn't have any problems.

 

[momoftriplets]

I went for 6 days back in 2008. We did most of the things listed. Old San Juan castles & forts, the rainforest, Don't miss the Bacardi factory!!

I have to laugh about the PP who mentioned the driving. OMG!! :scared1 Stop Signs?? Merely a suggestion.. We saw someone drive backwards on the interstate. Craziness.

All in all, I would love to go back. It really is a beautiful place. People were friendly. We don't speak Spanish, but never had a problem with that. There was always someone to help us who spoke English. We never felt unsafe, but we didn't go roaming after dark, either. We rented a villa in Durado through VRBO. Three bedrooms, two baths, right on the ocean, for about $1100 for the week.

 

[Chelley00]

I think most of Puerto Rico is safe as long as you stay in the busier, touristy areas. When we were going on our biobay tour, we went through some pretty shady, poverty stricken areas, and our guide was telling us that he didn't like going through there are night because the crime rate was pretty high.

 

[LoraJ]

We stayed a couple of night after our cruise at the Marriott and Stellaris Casino. I really liked it. We got a good deal through priceline too. You should go to www.cruisecritic.com and go down to the Ports of Call section and you will find a section for Puerto Rico and you will find more information than you would ever dream of. Granted, most people will only be there a day or two, but you'll know what's great by seeing what people prioritize. We were in San Juan, but there are awesome things to do all over the island. I wish we had done a biobay tour...but hopefully we'll go back some day.

We also stayed there for a couple of nights before our cruise and really liked it.

We walked over to La Concha and that hotel looked really nice. I really like the Condado area.

 

[leahjade]

Thanks for all the suggestions! Just a few more questions - did you rent a car? Are the prices (food etc) comparable to Florida prices? Is there an area of the island that is nicer to stay- prettier beaches, close to activities?

 

[ksl5f123]

We went in May 2005. We stayed in San Juan for a few days then went to Arecibo. I thought the coastline there was beautiful!! We visited a lighthouse and some caves. We also hiked to La Mina Waterfall in El Yunque and that was really incredible. We did rent a van for a few days from a small place in the San Juan suburbs. We didn't have any trouble, but we were there visiting family who were able to take care of the details for us.

 

[momoftriplets]

We reserved a vehicle to be picked up right at the airport. Piece of cake.

I think the prices on everything were fairly comparible to Florida. I never thought anything was outrageously priced.

 

[Promomx2]

Do you have to have a passport for Puerto Rico?

 

[JamieW]

Do you have to have a passport for Puerto Rico?

No passport needed.

 

[tiggertabi]

We just spent Christmas week. We stayed in Fajardo, which is where the good snorkeling (or diving) and a quick boat ride to Culebra (BEAUTIFUL!!!) is. About 45 minutes east of San Juan, about 15 minutes to the rainforest (El Yunque) and 10 minutes from one of the great beaches, Luquillo. It was great! We actually rented a condo from someone using the website vrbo.com. We had a 3bdrm condo, Christimas Eve week, for about 1,000 dollars! I know there are smaller ones that are as little as $85 a night. There was a fantastic resort there, for more $$$, called El Conquistador. They have some really cool amenities.

We loved it so much, we really would love to own a condo there!

 

[leahjade]

tiggertabi, do you remember which condo you rented on VRBO - the price sounds great!