Reccomendations for Puerto Rico

Brittywest05

Looks like we will be able to afford a honeymoon, YAY!! We are thinking about puerto Rico to avoid getting passports. Has anyone been there?? Any resorts or restaurants or activites youd reccomend??

AdeleDazeem

We went last year and stayed in San Juan.  Old San Juan was a nice place to walk around and see.  We rented a car (very easy) and drove over to the rainforest one day to do some day hiking.  The "hiking" was comically easy (the paths are paved) and we chose one of the most popular ones.  Many many people were carrying coolers down the waterfall for a day of sitting, drinking and eating.  It wasn't exactly what I had in mind when I heard "hiking to a waterfall!"

We also drove across the center of the island to a few cities on the southern coast.  We ate dinner outside on water - it was gorgeous.

Had we had more time, we would've gone over to Vieques and seen the phosphorescent bays.  I'm so sad we missed that!

AprilH81

If there is not a full moon while you will be there I HIGHLY recommend doing a Bio Bay Kayak trip at night.  I did this two years ago and it was amazing.  You kayak through a mangrove lined canal into a lagooon where these bioluminescent (spelling?) organisims live.  When something moves in the water (fish, kayak, paddle, people, etc.) the water glows like a glow stick.

I went with Kayaking Puerto Rico and their service was amazing!

jemmini6

We went to PR about 3 years ago and had a blast!  We stayed at the Intercontinental, which was nice enough (we weren't at the hotel very much).  The location was great because there was a lot of stuff in walking distance plus a bus stop right in front of the hotel, which was the easiest way to get to Old San Juan.  

For stuff to do, we did A LOT!  My absolute favorite thing we did was a waterfall hike/zipline tour with the company Acampa.  It was an all day tour, they provided lunch (which was quite possibly the best meal we had that trip), and it was a lot of fun, it's a little pricey, but totally worth it.

We also spent a day walking around OSJ, another day for a kayak/snorkel tour in Fajardo, another day horseback riding on the beach in Isabella, etc.  Like I said...we did a lot!  We only rented a car for 2 days (for the drive to Fajardo and Isabella), but other than that, it was easy enough to use the bus or cabs (they have predetermined rates based on zones, which is a nice plus).

MrsGandthebeag

We were just there in February.  We stayed at the Embassey Suites which is in the Isla Verde area of San Juan.  The hotel is less than a 5 min walk from the beach.  they have their own section where they give you towels, chairs and an umbrella.  There are a lot of restaurants in walking distance.  We took the public bus to Old San Juan one day.  It's really cute there.  We toured the two forts and walked around.  Tons of restaurants, bars and shopping.  If you stay in the Isla Verde area I highly recommend eating at Metropol.  Probably the best meal I've ever eaten anywhere.  I'd skip the Bicardi tour.  I wish we had gone to El Yunque (rainforest) while we were there but we didn't get to it.  

Jells2dot0

Depending on your budget and what type of vacation you want, getting your passports and going to an island outside of the US may be a better fit for you. As the others mentioned, there is a lot to see and do and it can offer the flexbility of keeping costs down, but since PR does not have any all inclusive resorts, which tend to be the most cost effective from a luxury/value standpoint, it may be worthwhile to explore other options.

alithebride

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_honeymoon_reccomendations-for-puerto-rico?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:11Discussion:9ac5bbd0-1d95-4b9a-92b6-c5f98428d705Post:c791347d-61f5-4d55-82d2-fb944602bea0">Re: Reccomendations for Puerto Rico</a>:
[QUOTE]Depending on your budget and what type of vacation you want, getting your passports and going to an island outside of the US may be a better fit for you. As the others mentioned, there is a lot to see and do and it can offer the flexbility of keeping costs down, but since PR does not have any all inclusive resorts, which tend to be the most cost effective from a luxury/value standpoint, it may be worthwhile to explore other options.
Posted by Jells2dot0[/QUOTE]

you are so right jells!!! not getting a passport and goin got PR doesn't mean cheaper. i've found the taxi prices there to be some of the highest in the caribbean. just saying.

i've been a few times. my fave place to stay is the water beach club. <a href="http://www.waterbeachhotel.com/" rel="nofollow">http://www.waterbeachhotel.com/</a> i stayed here again just a few weeks ago and love it. beach front, small boutique place with an amazing rooftop lounge/pool etc... super nice.
the ohter was the caribe hilton which was also very nice btu you know a typical hilton. it had a nice pool area though. the rooms at WBC are nicer imo though.

stephie0612

I was born and raised in Puerto Rico (moved to the states only 2 years ago) as well as my FI and of course I have to tell you to go to El Yunque. You HAVE to rent a car because public transportation in PR is either non-existant or waaaay too expensive. Go to Old San Juan, visit el Morro, nightlife there during the weekends is really good, relaxing and drinking cocktails at the local bars. There are great restaurants there including "Raices" one of my favorites. Whatever you do, don't eat in your hotel, there are so many amazing places for food, authentic, great and cheap! Go to Piñones, very close to Isla Verde, there's beach, lots of little huts where you can eat tons of authentic puertorrican deep fried foods (fattening but you can never go to PR on a diet plan). They have lots of great seafood and better yet, you can rent a bike and stroll around the whole area. Condado area is great for more upscale dining, it's like a little Miami South Beach with shops and nice hotels. If you have time, take the ferry to Culebra island (you have to go extra early around 5am) so you have the whole day to spend there and come back around 5pm. Their flamingo beach was voted the 2nd best beach in the world on National Geographic a couple of years ago. In the same town where you take the ferry to Culebra, you can go on the bio luminescent lagoon kayak tour, it's amazing! I could keep going but, I want you to go, see for yourself, explore and have an awesome time. Good luck!

HobokensFury

I second going to Raices to eat. Be prepared to wait a long time. I think we waited an hour and a half for a table but it was worth every minute.

Xstatic3333

I'd recommend watching CheapCarribean.com for good deals. We were able to stay at a Hilton right on the beach on a student budget. I'd also recommend renting a car if you want to explore the island. Have fun!