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Puerto Rico!
QuantumTurk
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
So, my partner and I are going to puerto rico very soon! Any advice/tips definetly do's or certainly avoids? We are mostly planning to laze around, hit old san juan, see El yunque, I heard there is a fort nearby to checkout. Also making reservations for the darkest night we can for the bio bay kayaking. We are both 24, and won't have a ton to spend, but any tips are appreciated! Any advice on getting around in particular would help, renting cars is expennsiveee when you are 24, so days we can reasonably avoid that will be taken advantage of.
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...Man I wanna visit Puerto Rico again. I'm pretty much the only person in my family who doesn't know spanish, so when I travel with them, instant translators! (except when they forget about me.... )
I also second the Bacardi distillery, it's pretty cool.
Also I've been to Puerto Rico many, many times, though granted other than the San Juan Mall I mostly have been around old San Juan and maybe a few excursions just for a few hours outside, I speak maybe two words of Spanish and have never, ever had a problem conversing. As long as you're not in nowheresville but more towards, well, the stuff worth seeing anyways, and especially the touristy areas, you'll be fine with just English.
Just like any other place, if you use common sense you can avoid hardships, it is not "a very violent place" where muggers are waiting in dark corners. I lived in PR for 30 years and not once was I ever shot, mugged, beaten or harassed.
Transportation:
Cheap public transportation is available around the Island in the form of buses, but if you really want to make the most of your time, I don't suggest this unless you are familiar with the routes and are willing to spend long time waiting for the next bus. Taxis are more expensive, but they are faster and all taxi drivers speak English.
Renting a car with a GPS might not be a bad idea because Old San Juan, El Yunque and the Bio Bay are really far apart from each other. Also, restaurants within walking distance of hotels are incredibly expensive. You might save a lot of money and have a great experience if you drive out to eat at local spots instead of big name chain restaurants. A car might be the most expensive initial investment, but it will give you a lot of freedom in the form of "come and go where you want when you want".
Some hotels have tour services, in which they take you places, but these might end up costing the same or more as renting a car.
Bio Bay
There are two bio bays in PR, one on the main island in Fajardo and one in Vieques. The Fajardo biobay is not bad, but it cannot compare to the one in Vieques. You can only get to Vieques by ferry or small charter flights. If you go by ferry, you have to be there incredibly early because tickets for the ferry stop selling once the boat is full... then you have to wait a couple of hours for the boat to depart. It takes almost an hour to go there, but it is a fun ride, also it is very-VERY cheap.
Charter flights are more expensive, but they will get you there very quickly and the aerial view of the Island is awesome. If you're running short on time, this might be the way to go. If you have the cash to spend, I suggest this way. The boat is a bit of an adventure, but I only suggest it if your Spanish is very good, you are very adventurous and don't mind if you can't get on the boat or if you're going with a local whom has done this before
Let me know which one you're interested in and I'll find you a price listing and contact info.
Food
90% of things will be fried. It will be awesome and heart clogging. Also, Fantomas is wrong, Mofongo is a Puerto Rican dish. Mangu, is basically the same but from the Dominican Republic, it is boiled instead of fried..
Safety
Puerto Rico is no more dangerous than the U.S. However, locals and tourists will be treated differently. Avoid lonely dark places, don't take out money from the ATM at sketchy places. Don't leave valuables in plain sight unattended. Look both ways before crossing the street. It is not the "very dangerous place" Fantomas wants to make you believe it is, but just exercise common sense and you will be fine.
First off thanks! Sadly I already booked for Farjado, but could cancel so long as its a couple days before the 14th. Any quote you can give me on Vieques is appreciated, just send me a PM. Sadly we almost certainly don't have the money for a charter flight. The food I am looking forward to, I eat damn near anything (I only really draw the line at primates for health reasons) , and my partner eats nearly anything.
As to safety, most things I've seen say the same: there are the standard tourist scams, but if you avoid those and stay away from the drug trade and we will be fine. Along with standard precautions we would take in the states, obviously.
Any particular places to eat we should hit? We are based in San Juan, but will be exploring/travelling about.
From Wiki: "Although there are numerous variations, the main distinction is a combination of three meats, typically grilled, such as beef (usually churrasco steak or cube steak), roast pork (pernil), chicken, and ham. Condiments may include some combination of mustard, ketchup, and mayonnaise, often combined to create a “special” sauce. Popular toppings include thin crispy fried potato sticks or shoe string potatoes, thinly sliced cabbage, lettuce, onion, tomato, pickles, and Swiss cheese. The sandwich is often finished in a sandwich press until bread is toasted."
I discovered this in Old San Juan, at a food truck, in a marketplace near the harbor. I believe it's on Calle Comercio. Not sure if it's the best place to get one, it's the only place I got one from.
If you like coffee you should check out Café Cola'o. It's very affordable and locally produced.
http://www.prcafecolao.com/
If you like mojitos I recommend going to Punto De Vista. They are buy 1 get 1 free and were among the best I had while I was in Puerto RIco.
http://www.yelp.com/biz/punto-de-vista-restaurant-san-juan
If you haven't gotten a place to stay yet, I highly recommend the Posada San Francisco Hostel. They have hostel style beds and hotel style rooms available and the prices are really low. It's within walking distance of a lot of places and I met a lot of really cool people there during my stay.
http://posada-colonial-puertorico.com/posada-san-francisco-guesthouse
What? Since when have the forts costed money? I went there in May 2011 and I just...walked on in. No one asked me for any cash.
Also, get used to dat rain. But definitely enjoy the beaches. Oh man, I want to go back to Puerto Rico.
And Farjado is a fun and pretty place in general
Definitely try our Baccalaitos. But be forewarned, while we Puerto Ricans like everything fried, we definitely over cook a lot of things. I'm looking at your pork chops, Puerto Rico.