Puerto Rico Getaway!

I researched a lot online before planning a trip to Puerto Rico. There is a lot to see here and I just wish I stayed here for longer than 4 days. PR is beautiful and even though it's a small island, there is plenty to do and it's worth visiting the different cities.

I went to Old San Juan and I loved it, it's beautiful to simply walk and see the history, visit the shops, and eat at many of the restaurants there. It's very safe and I highly recommend walking around here as it's the size of 20 city blocks. There are 2 forts, both have lots of history and it will take hours just to cover every part and read about the history. There are lots of shops, many outlets and souvenir shops which are worth to stop and check out. There are also many restaurants, some of them have the best food so research online which is rated the best instead of walking around and looking which can get quite tiresome.

El yunque is the name of the rain forest there which is huge and very pretty, there are many trails within this rain forest which can be quite a lot of fun and tiring depending on the level of the trail. Some of these lead up to waterfalls which are nice but if you are looking for some thing equivalent to Niagara falls then you will be let down big time. There are small waterfalls here, the biggest is 50 feet which is right off the road. There is plenty of wildlife here which most of them you will hear but wont see if you stick to the trails. I would recommend a visit here but be prepared to walk a lot and have plenty of time if you decide to do the trails.

The best experience out of this trip by far is the bio bay tour to Vieques. East winds along with island adventures have an excursion trip to the island of Vieques which takes you to the Bioluminescent bay there. Vieques is a small island which is part of PR but is an 1 hour boat ride away. This small island which is about the size of 20 miles is beautiful and definitely worth a trip in its own to check out. The bio bay which is best described and explained here (www.biobay.com) was the best experience, swimming at night in the darkness with glowing planktons was an amazing experience. Even if you cannot swim, they provide you with floating belts which are totally safe and let you float in the water. I cannot describe this experience in words, its one of those you definitely have to go and see for yourself.

This trip experience was my first in the Caribbean and I loved it, wish it was just longer since there was a lot there that I could not see due to time constraints. I highly recommend visiting PR and researching online for reviews and information on restaurants, hotels, and things to do.

If you plan to stay in the San Juan area then you do not need a car as there are lots of cabs and buses which will take you almost every where. There is lots of traffic there since the roads are small and parking can be an issue so be prepared to pay to put it in a lot.

If you plan on visiting cities outside of San Juan then its a really good idea to rent a car. I rented a car from Charlie's car rental for $60 for the whole day which includes full insurance and it was well worth it. I got to drive around and visit the El Yunque rain forest at my own pace as oppose to relying on a tour bus's schedule. Also, driving through the luquillo area was nice and for the Bio Bay tour I had to go to Fajardo which is 45 mins away from San Juan so renting a car was definitely a plus. I was quoted $120 rountrip for cab ride from San Juan to Fajardo which was not just feasible since you can rent a car for the whole day for half that price.

Driving in PR is not as bad as people say it is but if you are use to NY driving then it wouldnt take you long to adjust there. People do drive carelessly so just have to use honk and pay more attention then usual. I only had one bad experience driving wise and that was when I was at a wallgreens parking lot out of all places. Some one backed into my rental car at 5mph and then casually just drove off. I honked and it was just too late, I guess they werent kidding when I heard drivers there are careless. I didnt go chase the guy down but instead got out of my car to look at the damage and saw only scratches and decided its just not worth it. Aside from that little incident, every thing else was smooth sailing and I would definitely rent a car to explore the rest of PR and especially places outside of San Juan.

This restaurant was located right on Isla Verde Avenue which was about a 15-minute walk from the Courtyard Marriott that I stayed in. This restaurant was packed on a Friday night as people were standing and waiting for tables inside and outside the restaurant. The decor is relatively simple, nothing fancy and felt as if I was at a neighborhood diner. The atmosphere here is anything but quiet and that's partly because this place gets super busy on the weekends since there are lots of neighboring hotels.

The food was decent, the mixed appetizer platter (Cheese, empanadas, and fried plantains) that we got was small in portion and it was too oily for our liking. The main course that I ordered was a house special which consisted of shredded pork and beef, plantains, rice and beans. This dish was good and it could have been better if the meat wasn't as dry when it was served. Another dish that was ordered was a chicken rice stew which was pretty good, it had the right amount of seasonings and the chicken was soft and juicy. The best food item that they had was surprisingly a strawberry cheesecake, it was delicious and tasted as if it was fresh and home made.

The major gripe about this restaurant was the service or the lack of, the waiter was catering to multiple tables on this busy (Friday) night so we had to wait around for water and even the check at the end. I am sure if you go on week night then the service will be much better.

To summarize, this restaurant is not one of those that I would highly recommend to some one who wants the best authentic food PR has to offer but rather, one of those that you can go to if you are really hungry or do not have much of a choice to go elsewhere. The food here is not bad but its not great either and the prices are up there with costing each person $25 including appetizer and dessert.

This was my first time staying at a beach resort and it was one of the best stays that I have ever had. Before going on my trip to PR, I contacted the general manager at this Marriott for general questions and he was very helpful in answering them and helped accommodate my entire stay. I had an ocean view room with a king size bed and a balcony - This was awesome and nothing beats opening the curtains and seeing the ocean right in front of you. The general manage was even nice enough to leave a complimentary fruit basket for us.

The rooms were small but very comfortable, once you close the doors then its very peaceful which is good considering the airport is nearby and the rooms are well insulated from the outside noise. The rate per night is not too expensive, I paid $180 per night including all the taxes and resort fees which isint too bad considering the hotels on this beach strip go for more then $250 per night.

This resort has two pools, one for children and the other for adults which has a nice swim up bar. There is a jacuzzi and several hammocks on the beach as well which makes it very relaxing and cozy. There are a couple of restaurants within this hotel which are very expensive and I wouldnt recommend them. The only thing I would recommend is the breakfast buffet at the Salsa restaurant which is good for $13.95 each person.

This resort is for those who want a nice beach at an affordable price and dont want to be far away from the airport (5 min cab ride) and Old San Juan (15 min cab ride). There is also a casino here if you want to gamble and they have salsa music on the weekends which is a lot of fun since its a live band.

I had a great stay here and I would definitely come back. The staff were nice and friendly, the room was awesome with the view, the hotel had nice amenities and the Isla Verde is a nice beach to swim and visit.

I highly recommend this excursion to the Vieques island, it's one of those experiences which words or pictures cannot describe. East wind in conjunction with Island Adventures let you take a trip to Vieques without having to spend a night there. The east wind boat leaves at 5:30pm and brings you back to mainland Puerto Rico at 11pm. The price for this tour includes the back and forth boat trip to Vieques, dinner at a restaurant and the shuttle bus tour to the bio bay where you go on another boat. This price is well worth the $117 that I paid and would do it again.

Visit the www.biobay.com site to learn and understand behind this magic that takes place here. You need to research the moon cycle as a full moon means you wont get to enjoy this experience since these planktons which glow require darkness. There is a calendar for this on that same website which you can look up and plan ahead of time. On a clear, moonless night not only will you see the beauty in the lake but in the sky as well since you can see almost all the stars and planets. Its a truly amazing experience and the tour guides explain every thing to you, including where all the stars are and where the milky galaxy is. They explain to you what makes these planktons special and provide you with floating belts which let you swim in the water.

The swimming experience is truly magical, the water is warm and swimming with these microscopic orgasims is a lot of fun since you can do tricks and even see fish swim which is indicated by the surrounding glowing planktons. It can be a little scary when you are first entering the water since its dark and very calm but once you are in, you would not want to get out. I highly recommend every one to come visit this bay and you will not be disappointed.

This was my first time in a rainforest and it was a wonderful experience. The are many trails here, from beginners (20 mins long) to expert (2 hours long) so you can pick the one which you are comfortable with. A lot of these trails lead you down to waterfalls which makes it more or less adventureous. I did the trail down to the La Mina waterfall, which was a pretty good hike - Took 30 mins each way and had lots of scenary along the way. A lot of the waterfalls in the El Yunque are at most 50 feet so if you are looking for some thing equivalent to Niagara falls then I suggest you prepare your heart to be broken. These waterfalls usually have water outlets where you can swim so it can be very soothing to take a dip after you are all sweaty and itchy from trails. You cannot see a lot of the wildlife here if you stick to the trails but you can hear them. I wish I had more time to do other trails and if I do return to PR then I would definitely pay a second visit here. So this is definitely one of the main attractions that you should consider when visiting PR especially if you are into scenary and hiking.

Advice - There are a lot of insects here so use some kind of insect repellant. Also wear comfortable shoes as its a lot of walking and sometimes the trails can get slippery. If you do want to take a dip in the waterfalls then take your swim wear with you.