Puerto Rico question - nightlife

DianaL616

We will be going to PR in August and we want to stay at La Concha.  Based on what we have read, we only plan to rent a car on days we went to venture out of the San Juan area. My question is about nightlife around La Concha. We would like to go out a couple of nights for drinks, salsa dancing etc. instead of just going to the hotel lounge every night. What transportation is available for this? Is it the type of place that you walk to the bars/clubs and then walk back or are their cabs available? We don't plan on getting hammered on nights we are out on the town...just a couple of drinks and dancing. Do you recommend renting a car for the entire visit in this situation? Thanks for your input!

acaponi87

No no no!

If you are staying at La Concha you reallllllly don't want to rent a car to go to Old San Juan. Traffic is a nightmare, and there is NO WHERE to park. I'd really recommend only renting a car for going on excursions etc. We rented one to drive out to El Yunque.

Here are your choices:
-walk. It's a bit far (I stayed at the Conrad Condado which is pretty close to La Concha), but if you are in good shape and in decent shoes it makes for a gorgeous walk especially at sunset. If you are planning on salsa dancing and are in sexy shoes this is probably not a good option.

-bus/taxi. The bus system is decent and cheap ($.75). If you ask at your hotel they can tell you which bus you tkake. Depending on the day they run every 30 minutes or so. Catching it at the right time can be annoying but if you are willing to wait it's a pretty good option. The bus only runs til about 9 so you will need to take a taxi back.

-The taxi system in the Condado/SJ area is pretty good. The drivers are all very nice. There is a fixed rate system. Most of the time you will pay about $14 for a ride. This seems annoying at first until you realize that you are probably saving money because sometimes traffic is just stopped and it takes awhile to get places.  I've also had some expereinces when FI and I were walking or waiting for the bus when a driver will offer us a $7 ride. Take it!

Should you rent a car on your trip I would highly recommend going through Enterprise. There is one attached to the Conrad Condado. We had an excursion cancel transportation on us and had to rent a car through a company recommended by them. It was an absolute nightmare. It ran out of the same building as a c*ck-fighting ring. Just a really bad situation. Also rented through that Enterprise and it was such a good experience!! 

If you've got any more questions let me know..I've been to the area twice in the last year and I love it there! You will have so much fun!