San Juan, Puerto Rico

San Juan is both a popular port of call on Caribbean cruises and also the main departure port for most southern itineraries. Puerto Rico is officially a Commonwealth and is a self-governing territory of the US. Most people you will encounter will speak English as well as Spanish. Drivers tend to be a bit crazy on this island so renting a car is not for the faint of heart! Get a good map and keep your eyes wide open. Others have rented cars and lived to tell the story ☺

If you are departing on a cruise from San Juan, most people will stay at a hotel in Condado, Isla Verde or Old San Juan (OSJ) due to their proximity to the piers. There are two main cruise piers in San Juan: the Old San Juan pier and the Pan American pier. Most ships stopping for the day in San Juan will port at the Old San Juan pier. Most ships beginning a cruise in San Juan will depart from the Pan Am pier however Carnival cruises usually leave from OSJ Pier 4. If you tell your cab driver which ship you are on, they will generally know which pier you need to be at.

TIP: If you are flying in for a cruise or need to wait for a flight out after a cruise, you can drop your luggage at Restaurant Barrachina (104 Calle Fortaleza) in OSJ and they will store it for you at no cost.

MAP
Map of Puerto Rico and map of Old San Juan – http://www.travelmaps.com/

TAXI CABS

All cab fares are regulated by the government and broken down into zones. You pay a flat fee from one zone to another, plus $1 for each piece of luggage. For more information on the various zones and fares, click on: http://www.puertoricodaytrips.com/getting-around-by-taxi/

BUS INFO

Local buses are a very cheap alternative to get between downtown areas and Old San Juan.  Fares run between $0.50 - $0.75 each way. Schedules are not always firm so some flexibility is required. Route B-21 runs from Condado to OSJ. Route A-5 runs from Isla Verde to OSJ.  The bus is not a good option from the airport though.

ATTRACTIONS/SIGHTS

I have provided information on some of the more popular attractions and sights below. If you want to see a very detailed summary of all of the sights, go to: http://www.topuertorico.org/city/sanjuan.shtml

OLD SAN JUAN (OSJ)

This is the heart of the action for most visitors and is full of history and culture. You will find two fortresses and the Parliament House as well as tons of hotels, shops and restaurants. If you are in relatively good physical shape, you can walk to most locations in OSJ.

El Morro Fortress - $3 entrance fee or $5 for access to both El Morro and San Cristobal Fortresses. Valid for 24 hours. Open 9am – 6pm. This is the most well known of the two fortresses. Don’t miss the Paseo de la Princesa boardwalk path along the city wall. It is a beautiful walk to or from the Fortress and not to be missed. You can reach the path by walking to the left from the cruise ship pier, along Calle Marina, past the Plaza de Armas & La Casita (yellow building) and past the fountain where you will find the beginning of the boardwalk.

San Cristobal Fortress – $3 entrance fee or $5 for access to both El Morro and San Cristobal Fortresses. Valid for 24 hours. Open 9am – 6pm. This is the largest of the two fortresses and can be reached by walking up the hill and to the right from the pier area.

Restaurant Barrachina - http://www.barrachina.com/ - Located at 104 Forteleza in OSJ, Barrachina’s claim to fame is that they are the birthplace of the original Pina Colada. This restaurant will hold your bags for you, at no charge, while you are waiting for a flight or cruise to depart. If you are staying around OSJ, they also have a flamenco show on Friday and Saturday evenings at 8pm. Just ask to be seated in the show area!

Walking tour - If you are interested in a walking tour of Old San Juan, check out: www.frommers.com/destinations/sanjuan/0323010008.html

Shopping options - You can find vendors selling knock-off purses down along the waterfront. The popular Coach outlet is located at 150 Calle Cristo. You can find many local artisans selling their wares at Plaza Arturo Somohano located about a block behind the Sheraton Old San Juan.

OSJ FREE TROLLEY
There is a free trolley that travels around Old San Juan and makes regular stops at Covadonga, La Pultilla, Plaza de Armas and both forts. There are three different routes. You can get a map from the information kiosk near Pier 1. The trolley moves slowly due to traffic and, if speed is what you want, you would be faster on foot. There is a trolley stop right at the corner of the waterfront road and Corretjer St (the street going up to the left of Pier 4 and the second street up to the right from pier 3) but everyone from the ship will try to get on at that stop. If you walk a few blocks to the left of the pier along Calle Marina (parallel to the waterfront), there is a trolley stop to the left of the small yellow "Casita" building (Tourist Info Centre). Just follow the road to the left and look for the trolley stop marker beside the trucks that sell food/drinks at the plaza.

EL YUNQUE RAINFOREST – http://www.elyunque.com/ - located about an hour's drive from the pier, the park's hours of operation don’t appear to be fixed.  They say that they open ‘early’ and you cannot stay past 6pm. Entrance to the park is free, but if you stop at the Visitor’s Center, there is a fee of $3. You can pay $5pp for a guide from the Visitor’s Center. The best way to really enjoy the rainforest is to find a group tour or rent a car. Taxis are not permitted to enter the rainforest. Taxis must drop their passengers at the Visitor’s Centre, which is a good distance from the good hiking trails and scenic falls.

There are lots of hiking trails to choose from in the rainforest. You can select one based on your time frames and fitness level. Big Tree Trail is one of the more popular trails and a 20 minute hike will get you to La Mina Falls where you can enjoy a refreshing swim. Since it is very popular with large ship’s tours, it is best to hit this trail early to avoid the crowds. To get to the Mount Britton trail, drive on PR191 and park on side road 930 at km 13 marker. If you want to hike all the way to the mountain peak, aim to hit the peak by noon as often clouds roll in and the panoramic view may disappear in the afternoon. The hike to the peak appears to take between 1.5 and 2 hours. For a shorter option, if you hike about 20 minutes along Mount Britton Trail, you will reach the Mount Britton Observation Tower.  Juan Diego Creek is a less well-known spot so doesn't have much of a crowd.  If you hike about 1/8th of a mile along the creek (not a trail...more like a path), there are three different waterfalls to see.  You may also want to check out the 1575 foot Yokahu Observation Tower at km 8.8 on PR191.

LUQUILLO BEACH – This is a beach area located not far from El Yunque. A great spot for some beach time after touring the rainforest. Parking $4. Bathroom access $1 adult/ $0.50 children. There are actually four different beach sections in Luquillo:

1. "La Pared" (The Wall) is where the surfers hang out. Lots of action and heavy waves.
2. "Costa Azul" (Blue Coast) in front of the 3 condominiums is quiet with lots of 'snowbirds'.
3. "El Balneario El Monserrate" has lots of gorgeous palm trees and delightfully calm water that is perfect for young ones.
4. “Kiosk Beach” aka Jet Ski Beach located behind the 60 local food kiosks. Lots of people and jet ski traffic and can be a bit dirty.

PLAZA LAS AMERICAS – http://www.plazalasamericas.com/
This is a large, modern three-story mall. Open 9am – 9pm weekdays and Saturdays, 11am – 7pm on Sundays and contains many well known stores. The mall can be reached easily by cab or bus. From the Condado area, take bus B12. The bus stops running around 9pm and the fare is $0.75.  Have the exact change.

BACARDI RUM FACTORY TOUR – You can arrange this tour through the ship and pay a premium or you can do it on your own for very little money. Take the ferry from near the OSJ pier across the bay to Catano for $1 pp each way. On arrival, you can catch a cab for the short ride to the Bacardi Rum Factory which will cost around $2pp each way if there are a group of people heading there. You can get your free tour ticket in the gift shop area, along with your coupon for 2 free drinks, and then wait for the start of the next tour. You do not tour the actual distillery. The tour includes a movie of the company’s history, a mock up of the distillery, a chance to smell some of the different rums they make and a demonstration on how to make some rum drinks. The tour ends in the gift shop where you are entitled to 2 free rum drinks. Food for thought: Cruisers who did this tour through the ship say that it is overpriced and not worth the cost that the cruise lines charge.

CAMUY CAVES (Parque de las Cavernas del Rio Camuy) – For more info, see http://www.gotopuertorico.com/caving-puerto-rico.php. The caves are only open Wednesday through Sunday from 8am to 4pm, or until they reach park capacity. It appears that the park only allows a certain number of visitors per day, so it is best to get there early. Entrance fees are $12 for adults and $7 for children (ages 2 – 12). Parking will cost you $3pp. There is generally a wait until your number is called to start your tour so patience is a virtue : - )

BIOLUMINESCENT BAY TOURS – These very unique tours are done at night as that is the prime time to experience the natural phenomenon of microscopic plankton that glow when the water is disturbed. The two most popular locations for this excursion are Fajardo or Vieques Island and you can tour either by boat or by kayak.  I have posted the most popular tour operations for each location below. You can also book a tour through the cruise ship, but it will definitely cost you more. This tour is best done around a new moon when there is not a lot of moonlight and it is easier to see the glow from the plankton. Check the moon calendar to see whether the moon phases match well with your vacation time in Puerto Rico : http://www.puertoricodaytrips.com/biobay-and-moon/ . Make sure you take bug spray as bugs can sometimes be an issue!!

La Laguna Grande - located in Fajardo, to the north-east of San Juan.  Two well-reviewed tour operators are: http://www.bioislandpr.com/ or http://www.kayakingpuertorico.com/ . The pros are that this location is closer to San Juan, less costly than Vieques and the tour takes about 2 hours. On the con side, you do not get the chance to swim with the plankton and visitors who have taken both tours say that Mosquito Bay has way more organisms to be seen.

Mosquito Bay - located on the island of Vieques, off the coast of PR. You can get detailed information here: http://www.puertoricodaytrips.com/eastwind-vieques-biobay/  and then book here: http://www.eastwindcats.com/pages/powercat_excursion1.html . You will need to scroll down the page to get to the Bio-Bay excursion. The pros of this tour are that you can enjoy a swim among the plankton and that there is less light pollution which enhances the experience even more. The con is that travel time is longer from San Juan and, therefore, requires more of a time commitment.

SEGWAY TOURS - http://www.segwaytourspr.com/ - Tour OSJ on a segway.

TOUR GUIDES
The following guides get excellent reviews on the discussion boards.  They both offer a wide variety of tours:

Albert Aguirre – contact at surfcabs@yahoo.com or (787) 317-6907. To get the $50 pp rate, Albert requires a minimum of 6 people. If you don’t have that number, he will approach other cruise passengers until he gets additional passengers for his tour.

Countryside Tours (Victor Balbin) - http://www.countrysidetourspr.com/

Experience the history and culture of this beautiful island!!