San Juan Excursions on your own?

[maryisme]

Is anyong thinking of exploring San Juan on their own? We've been there before and are pretty comfortable with navigating the island but am unsure if this is what we will do.

I am playing around with the idea of renting a room for the day and enjoying the hotel's facilities. Again, not sure which hotel but am in the midst of researching. Transportation to the hotel could be an issue if the hotel doesn't provide a shuttle to and from the port.

I really don't know what we're going to do. It does seem like our group will be splitting up to do different things though. My DH want to take our DD (9) to El Yunque and my Mom wants to do an air conditioned tour of Old San Juan. I want to go to the beach and enjoy a resort atmosphere.

What is everyone else doing?

 

[yayasi]

Hi Maryisme,

We are thinking of exploring San Juan on our own. Never been and always want to go. Our group will be splitting up as well. DH, DD8, DS2 and myself will be together my brother and his family will be on there own.

So what is a must see in San Juan?


Claudia

 

[ganurse]

we will be on the sept 4th cruise and plan on spending a couple of hours at a nice casino, just dont know which one yet

 

[tink5]

We are going to do San Juan on our own. I Think we are going to stay in old San Juan and walk around and SHOP. It sounds interesting. I told the kids 16, 13, and 6 that we would do the beaches in St. John. That way on St. John we do what they want and at San Juan we can do what we want.

 

[bobbiwoz]

For any history buff, or just to have a beautiful view from up high, the San Juan National Historic Site is worth seeing. This is a Spanish-built fort, and houses a museum and visitor activities.
We walked to it from our ship, we were on RCCL, don't know if they dock in the same place as DCL.

Bobbi

 

[jellybungsters]

We are actually planning on taking a cab and having a picnic lunch at one of the beaches. Isla Verde seems to be one of the best ones. I found this link that might be helpful: http://www.gotopuertorico.com/go_beachesSports.php?language=english&page=2

 

[PinClubs]

We weren't too excited about the excursions options either.

Since we have an infant (DD- 6 mos) and are not interested in leaving her at Flounders our excursion choices were just a few.

We chose the Condado Beach Escape which is fairly expensive, but like I said there wasn't much for families with infants.

We might cancel or venture out on our own.

Please post if you have any better ideas.

Jeff

P.S. I have checked out some of the Puerto Rico websites to find some other options.

 

[drarill]

Hi:
I just read in one of our newspapers that Disney is planning some nice excursions for your visit. They are offering scuba diving in The Conquistador Hotel in Fajardo, that one of the most beautiful hotels in Puerto Rico, Regis and Kelly taped their program two years ago from there. They are also offering horseback riding in Palmas del Mar in Humacao. That another resort and residential area, also beautiful. For all of you that decide to go to Palmas del Mar ask your tour guide to take you to the Villa Pesquera, where you can have fried fresh fish.
If you want to explore Old San Juan by your own you just need a good pair of tennis shoes and you can walk , lots of good shopping and beautiful places to go. They are also offering an excursion to El Yunque, thats our rainforest, and it will be a nice experience.
Ganurse, just ask the taxi driver to take you to Condado, you can go to El Condado Plaza, and enjoy the casino. If you make a lot of money there is a Cartier and a Luis Vuitton stores close by.
For all of you that want to go to a close beach, you can go to Isla Verde, the Ritz Carlton is also there, Ganurse ,another casino!!!
Well if you have any other questions, just ask me.
I read in the paper that some fokloric groups will be on the terminal to greet you with music and also Rum samples. I forgot, there is also an excursion to the Destleria Serralles (Don Q Rum).
I have a really funny story, when we were on the Magic last May my husband talked to a guy that told him that he had the best hot dog in San Juan. I have never try a Hot Dog from a street vendor, they scare me to death, and this guy loved his hot dog. Only God knows what they served him.
Anyways, most food here is really good, and for all of you that cant live without your fast food, there are Mc Donalds, Burger Kings, Hard Rock Cafe, SenorFrgs in Old San Juan. Good Piñas Coladas in Marias (Close to La Fortaleza). But you should really try some of our food, chicken with rice and beans, tostones, flan as a dessert you wont regret it.

Well hope this helps;
Lydia

 

[CRSNDSNY]

Originally posted by drarill

For all of you that want to go to a close beach, you can go to Isla Verde, the Ritz Carlton is also there, Ganurse ,another casino!!!
Well if you have any other questions, just ask me.

Well hope this helps;
Lydia

Lydia:
What should we expect to pay per person for a cab to Isla Verde? Do we have to pay to use the beach? Also, what is this beach like? Are there bathrooms, chair & umbrella rentals?

I am really apprehensive about doing an excursion on our own, but with good directions and advice I am willing to try.

I appreciate your great info!

 

[drarill]

CRSNDSNY:
I have no idea about the cab prices, but I think they have either fix prices or meters, you should ask the taxi driver before going anywhere to tell you how much is going to be approx.. Isla Verde is really close but the traffic in San Juan is bad. If you want to go to Isla Verde I will stay close to The San Juan Hotel and Casino and you can check if they let you use their chairs, you can use their bathrooms for sure. Believe it or not its been a long time since I have use a public beach here in Puerto Rico. Back then when we used to visit them we will bring our cooler, beach chair, music and enjoy the sun and wind. I dont know if Disney is offering any beach excursion, but if its not too expensive I will consider doing it with them. If you find that info I can tell you if its a good deal. I really hope you have a great time relaxing in our beaches, they are beautiful and during the week not too crowded. You will find that most puertorricans are bilinguals and will try to help you.
Hope to help all of you as much as you guys helped me with my cruise,
Lydia

 

[CRSNDSNY]

Thank you so much for your help Lydia! Below are two different excursions we've been going back and forth on. Tell me what you think!

Kayak & Snorkel Eco-Adventure (5 - 5.5 hours)
Plunge into the action! After a 1-hour bus ride to Seven Seas Beach in the town of Fajardo, get ready for the eco adventure of a lifetime. First, you'll meet with the friendly staff for an informative orientation before gearing up for aquatic excitement. The crystalline waters of Seven Seas await your exploration via kayak and snorkeling-you'll have approximately 2 to 21/2 hours to kayak and swim among colorful reefs abundant with living coral and a variety of fascinating sea creatures. Afterwards, it's a 1-hour trip back to the ship. Please note: The maximum allowable weight for kayakers is 250 lbs.
Adult Price: $79 (ages 10 and above)
Child Price: $N/A
Departure Time: 8:45 am, 10:45 am

OR

Condado Beach Escape (4.5 hours)
Hit the beach in style! Bask in the sun-splashed offerings at the San Juan Marriott Resort, where you'll have carte blanche to enjoy the resort's palm-fringed beach, shower facilities and elaborate pool, complete with water slide and swim-up bar. You'll have approximately 2 hours to relax on one of the resort's comfortable beachside lounge chairs, cool off at the pool and revel in the tropical atmosphere. The trip to and from the beach is 30 minutes each way. Enjoy!
Adult Price: $69 (ages 10 and above)
Child Price: $49 (ages 3-9)
Departure Time: 8:30 am, 12:10 pm

 

[drarill]

CRSNDSNY:
Both are fine, I wrote earlier about Fajardo, its beautiful and if you like the snorkeling and kayaking this is the excursion for you. Just keep in mind that Fajardo is at least an hour away from San Juan, and you will spend a lot of time on a bus. The good thing about the Condado experience is that is really close to the ship terminal and you will also have time to explore Old San Juan. Its some kind of food or beverage included? I'm going to try to find out for you guys whats the policy in local hotels about using their chairs and pools and will let you know. If I'm not mistaken The Marriott used to be The Dupont Plaza. I dont know if you remember, but years ago they had a big fire on Dec. 31st. Today is a beautiful hotel, they have a really good Italian Restaurant.

Lydia

 

[Disneycrazymom]

I spent the day looking for something in San Jaun too! Since my DD is only 4 we are very limited. For the $240 it would cost our family to take the tour to the Marriott I think we could get a room for the day. I did look at a tour offered by Rico Tours that takes you to the Rainforest and then stops at the Luquillo Beach. I e-mailed then to ask about ages allowed on the tour. Maybe Isle Verde is a better choice?

Drarill, What would you recommend for a family with a 4 year old and an 11 year old? The Rainforest, the beach, the fort? Niether child will appreciate shopping! Is the rainforest really hot and buggy? I'm definately NOT the hiking in the woods type! Is it really worth $240 for 4 hours at the beach? Thanks for your help!

 

[drarill]

Disneycrazymom:
Hi; if you are not the hiking type then stay away from the rainforest, but the hiking is easy, you just walk thru trails. The rainforest is located approx. 45 min away and the beach in Luquillo is beautiful and family oriented. Luquillo is really colorful they have what we call "kioskos" where you can buy everything that can be fried.l I like your booking a room idea so you can have access to the a Hotel pool and beach. I think Sept. is low season and you can get a good price. Thats what your 4 year old will like to do. If you decide to stroll thru San Juan, you can take him to "El parque de las palomas"where little kids love to feed the pigeons. There is also a Children Museum in front of the Cathedral, nothing big, cheap, but my children liked it, and is really close to the fort. As I said before, you can go to the beach by yourself in the morning, just bring some kind of cooler. And then stroll thru Old San Juan in the afternoon, or book a room and enjoy a hotel the whole day.

Lydia

 

[drarill]

crsndsny and disneycrazymom

I just read on the cruise critic boards that someone got a room in the Caribe Hilton for just $65. They used priceline. The Caribe Hilton is really close to the pier and they have nice stores, and a private beach. If you can get a price like this to stay for the day it will be a better deal than the Marriott tour.
Lydia

 

[Disneycrazymom]

Lydia, Thanks for the quick reply. I am going to check out the Hilton, since it is close to the peir. Could we walk or would we need a cab? Are the paths in the rainforest little paved pathes or just sort of dirt. If we just got a cab to Luquillo Beach would there be cabs out there to bring us back? Thanks so much, I feel so much better hearing from someone who lives there!

 

[drarill]

Disneycrazymom:
Its been a long time since going to "El yunque", but if you decide to go there you should go with a guided tour, not by your own, just the cab price will be too much. You will need a cab if you decide to go to the Hilton, but is really close.
El yunque is really beautiful and well care by the Federal Gov. It all depends on what you really want to do.
Hope this helps
Lydia

 

[drarill]

Hi:
I just did a search on MSN and found some web sites
elyunque.com
gorp.away.com
You can get lots of answers there
Lydia

 

[Disneycrazymom]

Thank-you!

 

[jellybungsters]

Hi Lydia,

Do you have any information on Isla Verde beach behind the Wyndham?

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