<p>H and I will be in PR for 10 days in January with our S and his GF. The first 4 days, we’ll be staying at a beach resort in San Juan, but the other 6 days would like to explore other parts of the country. we’re all interested in historical/cultural attractions. Any suggestions?</p>
<p>El Yunque rain forest.
La Bahia Fosforescente.
Old San Juan and the fortresses.</p>
<p>Botello Art Gallery in Old San Juan:</p>
<p>[Art</a> Gallery in San Juan - Review of the Botello Art Gallery in Old San Juan](<a href=“http://gopuertorico.about.com/od/museums/p/Review-Of-The-Botello-Art-Gallery-In-Old-San-Juan.htm]Art”>http://gopuertorico.about.com/od/museums/p/Review-Of-The-Botello-Art-Gallery-In-Old-San-Juan.htm)</p>
<p>Vieques Island</p>
<p>[Vieques</a> travel guide - Wikitravel](<a href=“http://wikitravel.org/en/Vieques]Vieques”>http://wikitravel.org/en/Vieques)</p>
<p>GAK!! Someone sent me a pm and I accidentally deleted it. Any chance you’ll send again? I’ve never done that before–so sorry!!</p>
<p>We took 2 teenage boys there and put over 900 miles on the rental car. We loved the bio bay at vieques. You go out late at night and we could actually swim with them. Amazing experience. You want to book a private trip because the ferries are ver unreliable for tourists. ( or they were- things may have changed) </p>
<p>We also zip lined in the central forest. (Not the rain forest)</p>
<p>We loved luquillo. The boys did surfin lessons there and we enjoyed the kiosks for food. We actually went back a second day for more surfing and kiosks. </p>
<p>El junque- enjoyed the hike, waterfAlls and views. </p>
<p>When you are in San Juan - take the boat to the Bacardi factory. Tour and drinks. This was a free unexpected activity. Loved it.</p>
<p>Puerto Rico has great music and dancing for your S and GF. Puerto Ricans really dress up to go out in the evenings, high heels and all. Warn the kids they need to bring really nice clothes if they go out. And get ready to salsa!</p>
<p>has anyone here been to Ponce?</p>
<p>Bethievt, We’ve been to PR a couple of times. Here’s a response I had to another similar thread in 2009 - <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parent-cafe/671293-puerto-rico.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parent-cafe/671293-puerto-rico.html</a> We really liked our Segway tour.</p>
<p>We were in Ponce several years ago. We stayed at the Hilton and we did the Chu Chu train that loops around the town. We had a wonderful meal at Pito’s Seafood Restaurant that is just outside of town and right on the ocean. The waves crash underneath the restaurant. We had the native dish-Mofongo. We also hiked the desert area of Guanica Dry Forest. Enjoy!</p>
<p>Be careful there at night.</p>
<p>Be careful of what, Onward. Crime? I did read that the roads outside of towns would not be lit and could be washed away.</p>
<p>Ponce is on the dry side of the island and is not that wonderful. Puerto Rico has many other areas that are more beautiful.</p>
<p>Swimming in the bio bays is no longer allowed. It was killing of the bioluminescent dinoflagellates (the things that glow). It’s still fun to go by kayak or boat.</p>
<p>This is all very helpful. Thanks for the link kathiep. I tried to search for old threads, but couldn’t find any.</p>
<p>One of the interesting things about the “dry side” of the island was the lack of English speaking. The road signs were not even in English. It actually made the whole trip seem more international. People were not as bi-lingual as I had anticipated on the whole. We stayed in Guanica for a couple of nights in a place that Tripadvisor lists as a hotel, but was more of a bed and breakfast. [Hotel</a> Parador Guanica 1929 (Puerto Rico) - Hotel Reviews - TripAdvisor](<a href=“http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g736581-d590083-Reviews-Hotel_Parador_Guanica_1929-Guanica_Puerto_Rico.html]Hotel”>http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g736581-d590083-Reviews-Hotel_Parador_Guanica_1929-Guanica_Puerto_Rico.html) This was not a fancy place at all, but kind of fun. We went to Ponce one night for dinner and it was kind of fun. We were told that it’s where the natives vacation, so a much different feel than San Juan which has a much more touristy feel, especially when the ships dock.</p>
<p>We had planned our trip to the Guanica side because my husband likes to dive and I had read that that was the place to do that. Unfortunately he developed a sinus infection a couple of days before we left so we just snorkled and hung out, which was nice too.</p>
<p>I was partly interested in Ponce because of the masks.</p>
<p>Thanks for the link to the place in Guanica. We’ll already have spent a few nights in a Hilton, so some smaller, more local places would be fun.</p>
<p>Bethievt, yes, crime. We were told by several people that Ponce had a high crime rate and to be careful after dark. We just used common sense and we stayed at the resort at night except when we drove to the restaurant. The masks are cool.</p>
<p>Thanks, Onward! Did you buy a mask? I’d like one for my son’s bedroom.</p>
<p>Thanks for all the great suggestions! Anyone else?</p>
<p>I actually bought two small ones and they are hanging in my downstairs powder room. They do surprise people some times but I love them.</p>