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| *Travel Tips>>>Puerto Rico Travel Tips |
Ok. I found out that I don't need a passport to go to Puerto Rico. Is it expensive? What is there to do? |
Travel Info Is it comparable to .... Mexico, or Punta Cana, or Jamaica. Is it expensive, like Aruba or Hawaii? Can you leave the resort? Is there a good time of year to go, or not to go? Are there a lot of excursions to do? How is the food? How are the beaches,? How is the drinking water? Are they friendly to tourists? How long is the flight? (I live in Jersey) Any info is much appreciated. Thanks!!! Travel Tips I have never been to Mexico, Punta Cana or Jamaica so I can not say how Puerto Rico compares. It really depends on what you are looking for, Here in Puerto Rico you will get to great beaches, great scenery, greet food, friendly people, historic towns / cities. You have nothing to worry about with regards to water, it's very drinkable. Cost, it is not the cheapest in the Caribbean, and not the most expensive. All depends where you stay. Flights will be around 4hrs from NJ (should be able to get a direct flight) see this post http://www.visit-the-coqui.com/2007/04/v... My advice: If you get chance try to rent a car, that way you can see the sights on your terms and not on a set time frame with a group tour. Most people will know English, especially in the tourist areas, but trying your hand at speaking Spanish looks good. If you do rent a car just bear in mind that driving is a little crazy, just keep your eyes on all your mirrors and you'll be fine. Challenging at first, but don't let that put you off. Places to Stay. Really depends on your budget, if you want to take a chance, try priceline.com (you can specify the star of the hotel and make a bid on the nightly rate). Or check out expedia or travelocity. Isla Verde or Condado are good choices Check out tripadvisor.com and search pierto rico. Gives a list of hotels and b&b's Places to see. Old San Juan - easily spend a few hours walking around here. It's a little hilly so maybe jump on the free trolley bus to El Morro (the fort) and work your way back down through the city. Plenty of places to eat and drink for all budgets. Try Breakfast at La Bombonera (one of the oldest establishments in the city) El Yunque (rainforest) plus spend the afternoon at Luquillo Beach Ponce on the South coast for more Puerto Rican architecture Arecibo Observatory. The James Bond movie Golden Eye and also the Jodie Foster movie Contact were filmed there. There is also this: Las Cabezas de San Juan Nature Reserve (Tel:787-722-5882). I have not been, but I would like to (it sounds a cool place to visit). You can have an escorted tour through the reserve on an electric trolley, but you have to book in advance. The Rio camuy caves also There is plenty to do here. You might even want to consider a side trip to Vieques or Culebra (as I've heard the beaches are amazing) Try the local food stands and just enjoy everything that the island has to offer. Food wise, everything you can imagine. In condado area for seafood try Miro's, Ropa Vieja Grill for Cuban & Puerto Rican. In Old San Juan try The Parrot Club for Caribbean style or Tantra's for Indian cuisine Also check the online guides frommers.com, roughguide.com and http://visit-the-coqui.com Source(s): http://www.visit-the-coqui.com http://www.frommers.com http://www.roughguide.com http://www.tripadvisor.com Other Travel Tips The area around San Juan is expensive, as are a couple of places in Rincon, but no more expensive than a hotel in New York or Washington, DC. You can leave the resort, and there are malls, etc., but keep in mind that PR has a higher poverty rate than most places in the US -- I think maybe 30% living below the poverty level. Most of that is toward the center of the island but not all of it. The beaches are beautiful, the food is good, the drinking water is safe, and as far as attitude toward tourists go, they are pretty friendly, and tolerate English-only speakers. Most of the residents of PR are bilingual, well educated and consider themselves Americans. I detected a bit of an air of superiority when comparing themselves to citizens of other Latin American places such as Mexico. The flight will most likely connect through Miami. From Miami, you have to fly over Cuba almost all the way to South America, so it is a LO-O-ONG flight. Have fun! I recommend the Horned Dorset Hotel in Rincon. Absolutely charming! I'm from Jersey also. I went about 4 years ago and I loved it. I forget how much the flight was, but P.R itself isn't that bad. San Juan is comparable to a large city here price wise. You can leave your hotel, just use common sense. It's just like going to NYC, there are certain place you shouldn't go. Be smart after stay in well lit places or the hotel/resort. The food is great. The beaches are beautiful, but there are beaches in Jersey. enjoy Puerto Rico for the sights and culture. I drank the water and was fine. Play it safe if you want, there is bottled water all over. They are very friendly to tourists. Respect them and they will treat you fine. English is widely spoken. Check out the old fort in San Juan. El Junca (sp) is the rain forrest it is magnificent. There is a city called Ponce that is very beautiful.. No matter what you choose, you will enjoy the trip. The flight, if I remember, is about 4 hours.. Enjoy..! since PR is part of the US, you will have to spend in its currency.places I recommend to do: the old san juan,isla verde,el condado,hato rey and plaza las americas,santurce,el yunque the highest peak in the island,etc,etc. you will love the old san juan! You should look into checking out Vieques. It's a small island to the east of PR. Un-developed pristine beaches. A "reset button for the soul" if you will. You can take a 20 minute flight from San Juan to Vieques. I flew direct from Detroit to San Juan and it took about 4.5 hours (and tickets were only 99 bucks!!). San Juan can be fairly expensive depending on what you do and like, but there is lots of free sight seeing. It's not Hawaii expensive, but not Cancun cheap... The water is fine and actually tastes good. The food is amazing!! lots of asian/latin fusion type stuff. Check out a place called Tantra. Awesome and the belly dancers are entertaining :) - Food is where your price tag will skyrocket. I don't think we got out of any dinner with out at least a bill of 120 (2 people) but the food is so good you won't mind paying for it. El Morro Fort is cool, the cemetary next to it is crazy and beautiful. You can also see what they bill as the most beautiful slum in the world. and I think it is. just don't wander down there I hear it can get quite nasty. Old San Juan is nice. Aericebo is interesting if your into astronomy and radio stuff... It's a long drive up there from San Juan but the scenery is worth the trip. If you do rent a car, be careful. They drive like nut bags in PR. Just soak up the sun and relax!! I stayed at the Condado Plaza Hotel & Resort in San Juan it was expensive around the area but there was a small cafe called San Telmo's it was reasonably priced & wonderful food. You can definitely leave the resort since it was a tourist area it was also safe at night.The beaches are gorgeous very beautiful.I wouldnt trust the drinking water safe bet go with the bottled water.I took a non-stop flight from JFK and it was around 3 hours. I do believe they started a new rule this year you do need a passport check this site out for further details http://www.meetpuertorico.com/about_pr/p... |
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