San Juan 2008

When my wife and I arrived in San Juan, my wife and I decided to walk around San Juan and experience the daily life. It was very HOT!!! Just walking around the city with the sun beating down on you made it a workout. Not only was the sun burning, but it was also humid. Walking through the city, I noticed that you could always get a beautiful picture of any part of San Juan. It seemed like the sun always hit at the right time to take pictures of a gorgeous alley way. The buildings were wonderfully designed with narrow roads. I was taking it all in. The atmosphere was lively and refreshing. I have to say that it is VERY BUSY, even at night. The roads are always packed, so I can only image how frustrating driving can be. Just walking through the city. It was great to know that where we were staying that the beach was right next door.
As for transportation, the bus are free, which is great; however, take at your own risk. One, you need to know where you are going. While riding on the bus, we didn't know where we were going to get to the port of San Juan to get to the Barcardi Factory. There are friendly people, including the bus driver that will gladly tell you where you need to get off. Two, the bus drivers drive like they are operating a roller coaster. They are not afraid to cut in front a car in the middle of a busy road.
I had a great time in walking in San Juan; I plan on returning again in the near future.

I went to this factory with my wife for the first time(for my wife, it was her second time). I was excited and thrilled to visit this place. At first when we heard that it was going to be an arm and a leg to get to the Bacardi Rum Factory, I was going to not go. Then, I was told how to get there cheaply by one of the receptionist at the El Canario Inn. All we had to do was take the bus, which was FREE to take. The bus will take you to the San Juan port. Once at the port, you find a tugboat to take you, which was also FREE to take. You get on the tugboat and enjoy the ride to get on the other side of San Juan. The only transportation you pay for is a taxi ride to get there, which was only $3 per person. My wife and I finally arrived there. Once inside, my wife and I got two tickets, which we would use to get FREE drinks. I got a delicious mojito and a fruity drink that had Bacardi Lemon. My wife, on the other hand, got two cokes because she was pregnant with our child. We finally got to do the tour to check out the museum. When we got inside, you get a tour guide to explain the origins of Barcardi Rum. You are allow to take pictures at the beginning, but once you go inside the main museum, you can't take ANY PICTURES because it is top-secret information as well as copyright laws- that's how the tour guides explained it. I was quite surprised at the tour. I have to say that you learn a lot about Barcardi and it's origins, such as the fact that they use sex to sell their product as well as where they get their symbol of the bat. I don't want to give too much information about the tour because I think everyone who goes to Puerto Rico should at least experience The Barcardi Rum Factory at least once. Although it is a place that makes alcohol for people over 21, I think anyone can visit and have a great time. The scenery is very beautiful with palm trees and well-mowed laws right next to the beautiful Caribbean Sea. If you are STILL reading this, then what are you waiting for, GO SEE THE FACTORY.

After my wife and I unpacked at our inn, we decided to go eat lunch. We decided to go eat at Latin Star- Only three blocks from El Canario Inn. When we arrived, our waitress was nice and sat us outside the restaurant. If you have never been to Puerto Rico, you don't need to speak Spanish- The people over there actually speak fluent English to serve you.
I got a steak with onions with salad and perfectly-cooked plantains. The plantains are the main reason you should eat at this restaurant. They were very crispy yet sweet. In fact, my wife and I were pleased by the plantains that we ordered more.
The setting was beautiful. Outside the restaurant, we could see the Caribbean Sea. There a nice, Caribbean breeze that made the dining experience very refreshing. I could see why a lot of people, especially Puerto Ricans were coming here. The best part was that I was able to watch ESPN and the college football games. Hehehehe.
This is a nice restaurant to check out for where it is at. It is actually reasonably priced for the food. The service is a little slow, though, so if you don't have the patience, then don't go to this restaurant. Otherwise, I liked this restaurant.

My wife and I was walking around San Juan because we were waiting to get on our cruise to sail off to the Caribbean. It was a hot and VERY humid day- My wife was turning red all over because of this weather. After walking around for about an hour, we decided that it was time to eat.
At first, we couldn't decided where to eat because, to be honest, we didn't know where to go to eat that was opened. We walked for another 30 minutes until we came upon Hard Rock Cafe. Now, my wife was almost to her knees praising God that we found a Hard Rock (She has been to many Hard Rocks before in different countries and loved each and everyone of them).
When we went in, it was almost empty. We had guessed that the restaurant had just opened up to serve lunch. We waited and waited and waited for almost 30 minutes until a hostess came up to us to sit us down. The great time about coming to Puerto Rico is that the inhabitants speak fluent English, thus Spanish is not need to know.
Being sent to our seats, I noticed that there was a vast array of rock souvenirs. Just like any Hard Rock Cafes, you would have the Madonna's famous push-up bra's and Jimmy Hendrix's pictures.
We finally got to our seats and our waiter came. He was a very nice and highly helpful in our selection of food. I got this delicious, frozen blood orange drink (Let me tell you that I LOVE blood orange). This drink was very refreshing. My wife, probably just like any American would coming here, got a coke. After we got our drinks, we were finally ready to order. I got a burger that was looked like any regular burger, but it was with a Puerto Rico flare. It was a spicy burger made with, what I thought at the time, the finest Puerto Rican spices. My wife got a salad and a regular burger. Now, one of the cons of these restaurant was how long it took for our meals to come out. It took over 30 minutes for our meals to come out: That's with my wife finishing her salad and coke as well as me drinking all of my big glass of frozen drink.
My burger was well-cooked and delicious as well as the fries. My burger made me realize that Puerto Ricans really do try to stand out. I could taste the many Puerto Rican flavors.
What was ironic about this place, was how it was attracting more Puerto Ricans than actual Americans. Other than us, I think there was only one American family that came in to eat. The rest was Puerto Ricans, which to me, told me that this is camouflaged non-tourist restaurant. It was great to know that we found a place that wasn't touristy, if that's a word.
We were about to leave when we wanted to know where a Wal-Green was. Our waiter, again, proved how helpful and knowledgeable he was about the area- In fact, I tipped him well for amazing service.
I would recommend this restaurant for anyone trying to avoid tourist-trap restaurants. Even though it is American, it is still a great place to eat and relax.

My wife and I as well as two friends we met at The Barcardi Rum Factory ate at this place. The food was delicious and flavorful. I have a red snapper fish with plantain, which I ate everything on my plate. The atmosphere was nice- set in a dark room with blue jellyfishes hanging in the room. I do have to say that it was obviously a place a lot of tourist come, so if you want to go eat at places with few tourist, don't come here. This place was a tourist-trap. I realize that there was not a single Puerto Rican in the restaurant except for the cooks and hosts. I figured that the tourists, just like me, probably went on Frommer's to get information on where to eat, and this place got a big, fat circle to eat. Another little grip I had was the price. Even though the meal was delicious, I thought I paid more than what I was served. I ended up paying around $72, plus tip, for my wife and me.
The waiter was great. He was African-descent just like me. After everyone at my table being surprised at how I was able to eat THE ENTIRE fish, he came to our table and said that he wasn't surprised. He, just like me, eats everything off his plate; I guess it is an African thing. The one con about our waiter was that he took too long to come back to our table to serve us more drinks.
Even though it is a fancy, high-class restaurant, you didn't need to dress up fancy. You might feel like you need to, but you don't.
All in all, this place is a great place if you are a first-time visitor to the island; however, I don't plan on coming back to this place again. To me, once you stay in the restaurant, it loses it's flare and style. I've been to way better places than that I spent my hard-earned money for way more high-quality, delicious food. Come to get the high buzz, but be prepared to sober up when you realize there are better restaurants out there.

When you visit this inn, you might think it was a beatdown, old place to stay. Let me tell you, DON'T BE FOOLED!!!! This place was awesome to stay for the price my wife and me paid for. We stayed there for two nights for around $100.00 a night. I have to say that anywhere in San Juan, you would have to be lucky to see it even down to $150 a night, unless you plan to at a one-star hotel. The rooms are small, but they have air conditioning as well a nice shower, WITH HOT WATER. The one thing that stood out the most was the reception from the front desk. These people were nice and told us were to eat and how to get to places without spending a fortune to get there- such as the Barcardi Rum Factory. If anyone goes to San Juan, I would tell them to check this place out.