Traveling in March with our young adult daughters. Who has been? I seem to remember someone on here having spent the better part of a winter on the island a few years back.
We are leaning toward staying in Isla Verde, and can rent a car, if needed for excursions. Thing we enjoy: the beach, hiking, biking, culture and food. Would love any recommendations for fun day trips.
That was @Creekland. I think she has been MIA for quite some time.
I go for work.
You’ll want to check out El Yunque on a day trip and for hiking.
If you’re staying by Isla Verde, and want to do things like Old San Juan…everything is close. Golf a bit farther out.
Tons of great restaurants - more in Condado than Isla Verde but El Parrillion - on the other side of the freeway in Isla Verde - is excellent for churasco.
Good luck.
Haven’t been in a long time but there is a really small island if you can call it that “Gilligan’s” island they call it. Lol. You take a boat there, spend the day and boat back. I think you have to bring your own food. We did this with the kids when in Middle school. It was fun.
For overnights, there’s also Vieques ( in some ways like living in a past time) - really nice. Wild horses everywhere. And Culebra. Haven’t been but I think more touristy. Both are close to the East coast (like 30-45 min ferry) or short flight. We had a car in San Juan and parked at the ferry. Had a different car in Vieques.
We’ve been! We really enjoyed our trip, loved the culture and the people were very friendly. In San Juan you do not need a car, but you will need one if you want to go to El Yunque (rain forest) for hiking. We really enjoyed the visitors center at El Yunque, and did an easy hike to a swimming hole; that’s all we had time for but well worth the trip. Do some research ahead of time to plan how to spend your time there.
We loved Old San Juan but you only need a day for it (although we stayed in OSJ for 2 nights at a B&B and would go back and do the same again.) Easy Uber to get there from anywhere in San Juan, and the rest is all walkable, assuming nobody has mobility issues. Check the cruise schedules to see which ships are in port on each day of your trip, and go on a day when the fewest ships/passengers are scheduled. Trying to get seating at a restaurant in OSJ can be tough when big ships are docked, particularly lunchtime. Plan to eat off hours or have a dinner reservation.
Loquillo is a fun beach town to visit if you want to experience local culture. Very low key with a surfer vibe. We actually stayed there for 2 nights and did an ecological kayak tour with a local guide, which we really enjoyed. (Did this instead of the bio bay tour which is popular, but has really mixed reviews.) There is a fun bar across from the beach called Boardriders, and also many choices for eating at the Loquillo Kiosks. But if you want resort feel or fancy restaurants, Loquillo is not your place.
As mentioned above, you might want to consider going to Vieques or Culebra. We didn’t have time but would probably do if we went back again.
We went for a week. Stayed in an air bnb closer to El Yunque for the first few days. Went ziplining,hiking in the park, hit the beach. Went to Culebra one day by ferry - loved the beaches there. Spent a day in Old San Juan and the fort. Another day, we drove out to the west side of the island, specifically to see the Arecibo observatory (that’s gone now I believe). Thoroughly enjoyed that day - very different from the others.
@Knowsstuff Ah, thank you for that memory-jog. I forgot we did that as well when we were in PR. Great snorkling at Gilligan’s. For the OP, one of the best experiences we had in PR was a nighttime bioluminescent lagoon kayak tour in Laguna Grande. Well worth it! Enjoy the trip!
This thread is making me want to go back. We have a friend’s mother that lives there and we stayed at her house with our feiends kids also. So many great memories and… Food!
In San Juan, be sure to check out Viejo San Juan. I recommend Pannes and Waiter’s Gastro Bar for good food that’s reasonably priced.
Culebra has beautiful beaches and great snorkeling, so if you fancy those, check it out. You catch the ferry at Ceiba ($2), or you can fly from San Juan at greater expense. If you eat there, there’s Heather’s (pizza and pasta), Zaco’s Tacos, Mamacitas, and Dinghy Dock for good, affordable eats.
Culebrita – a couple miles off the east side of Culebra – is a great day trip for the adventurous type: hiking, multiple beaches, cliffs/baths, a lighthouse, and goats. Bring food, though – it is rustic. Absolutely lovely though.
ETA: If you decide to spend a night on Culebra, I recommend Palmetto Guesthouse. If they lack availability, Mamacitas Guest House works too – it’s just a little louder, with the restaurant downstairs.
Ages ago, we stayed for a week near Gilligan’s Island. (Resort called Copamarina). It was very relaxing, and it was a good place to put down roots while exploring that part of the island. Not high end fancy but it had everything and was extremely fairly priced. I recall that they sustained damage in the hurricane. In any case, it’s a good option if you want a good place to hang in the Guanica area.
Oh yes - I forgot to mention that. Great time kayaking in the mangroves during sunset to see the bioluminiscence.
My daughter went on a yoga retreat to Rincon–she said it was a beautiful area.
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