Another San Juan PR?

[tundramom]

Looking at a cruise departing San Juan. We will only be in San Juan either: 1. Arrive late Fri night, depart early Sun evening or 2. Arrive Sat afternoon (2PM) and depart Sun early eve. I know this isn't much time and will only give us a taste of PR, but from a hotel stand point, what area do we want to be in for walking tour type sightseeing? We would like to get a feel for the city, love architecture, street shopping, etc. We are going to get tons of beach time on the cruise and are not "nightlife" type people (read 50 somethings ). Any suggestions? Thanks

[BrerGnat]

Condado Beach. You can easily walk to many good restaurants and shops. It's a quick cab ride to Old San Juan. Recommend Marriott Stellaris or La Concha Resort.

Or, stay inside Old San Juan. I would recommend El Convento Hotel. From there, you can walk to all the shops and restaurants in Old San Juan, and walk to the Fort. This sounds like it would be right up your alley.

FWIW, San Juan is not really a "walkable" city. Old San Juan is, but the other areas are quite far away.

[tundramom]

Thanks Natalie, I figured you'd be the "go to" source here but I didn't want to hijack the other post!

[SBETigg]

I'm leaving tomorrow for Puerto Rico, staying in San Juan at the Marriott Stellaris, and also visiting an uncle in Rincon for a few days. I really have no idea what to expect, but I'm looking forward to getting away from the snow.

[tundramom]

I'm leaving tomorrow for Puerto Rico, staying in San Juan at the Marriott Stellaris, and also visiting an uncle in Rincon for a few days. I really have no idea what to expect, but I'm looking forward to getting away from the snow.

Have a wonderful trip! "Feels like" temp 16 degrees here right now! Even 74 in WDW is sounding good!- 13 days to go for us.

[SBETigg]

The San Juan Marriott and Stellaris Casino was wonderful. We loved it. We loved the beach. They have plenty of chairs and when you step out, an attendant comes to get you settled with chairs, umbrellas-- ask for a table. They won't always offer it because they run out of them fast, but it helps to have a place to keep your drinks out of the sand.

They have beach service, an attendant comes around to bring you drinks or snacks. They're all so friendly and attentive. In San Juan, most of the people you deal with do speak English. Definitely all the hotel staff.

The two pools are also lovely, one shallow for wading with fountains, one deeper (but not very deep, no diving) and a pool bar with swim-up seating. There is a hot tub next to the main pool. Also, table tennis, a big chess board, and daily games and activities posted at the pool. They do give out towels at the pool area, which you can bring to the beach. The food is typical American fare at the hotel for the most part, but it was all good. There's a beach restaurant, a pool bar, a nicer restaurant (which wasn't great- I would go out in San Juan for dinners), and a lobby bar area (serves lunch and dinner). Coffee Shop, that becomes a noodle bar at night. Gift shop. Jewelry shop. We never tried the Casino.

The hotel offers daily excursions. El Yunque (rainforest), diving and snorkeling, to the Bacardi tour. The Bacardi Tour is free, so beware packages that charge big fees for it. It's an easy drive not far outside of San Juan (if you had a rental car, as we did).

We spent a few days in San Juan, and the rest in Rincon, Mayaguez, Ponce. Ponce was fun to browse around, loved it. So glad we got out to see more of the island and to try some authentic food. We saw whales way out in the water, too! From shore. That was too cool.

[awaggett]

Sounds like you had a great trip! Would you recommend Ponce for a day trip from San Juan? We stayed in San Juan about two years ago and did a day trip to rain forest, Luquillo Beach, and the Conquistidor (sp?). Looking to do another day trip during our upcoming visit.

Thanks.

[SBETigg]

Sounds like you had a great trip! Would you recommend Ponce for a day trip from San Juan? We stayed in San Juan about two years ago and did a day trip to rain forest, Luquillo Beach, and the Conquistidor (sp?). Looking to do another day trip during our upcoming visit.

Thanks.

Definitely recommended. Very picturesque, lots of shops, museums, restaurants. The scenery in the area and on the drive is breathtaking (but I drove there from Rincon, not from San Juan). I wish we had longer to enjoy it, but we were with my husband's uncle who has difficulty walking.

[JanetMegan]

I'm late to chime in here but we stayed at the very fancy La Concha and it was just ok, pretty from the outside but we had TERRIBLE noise from the street and a club across the street that kept us up.

We did do a VERY VERY fun Segway tour of Old San Juan on the morning before our cruise.