Hi! We just got back from P.R. We go about every 2 years as DH's family is from there. The drivers ARE crazy! Not only are the signs in Spanish, but they are not well marked either. Also, because af rapid growth, sometimes the way they had to route the roads and highways in town is rather counter-intuitive. I have been 7 or 8 times now and have not driven (or wanted to drive) once. DH grew up and learned to drive there and he does all our driving. If you REALLY want to drive I would suggest taking the shuttle to the airport and renting a car there. The airport is towards El Yunque and its a much more staightforward approach from there, you will avoid the more congested and confusing parts of the drive. I think you only have to make one turn off from the "highway" if you leave from the airport. Note, it is not really a highway, there are lots of lights. IF you decide to drive, there is an AWESOME beach on your way there or back - Luquillo. Lots of food near the beach too. They look like a row of garages, but are actually food stands just outside the entrance to the beach. Lots of coconut candies and fresh fritters. We have never had any problems with the food even if the booths look questionable, the fritters are awesome! My favorite is the bacalaito. Also note, the road up to the rainforest is narrow and winding and usually pretty busy. There are more fritter stands and souvenier stands (that also look questionable) on the way up. The food is always good. We have stopped at many of these and never gotten sick - even feed this stuff to the kiddos. DH's favorite fritter is the crab or lobster fritter, those are better down by the beach though - they put more stuffing in down there. Hope this helps. I am all for seeing a place on your own and we have rented and driven around ourselves everywhere we go. I would easily say PR driving is the craziest, with Argentina coming in a close second. Just be careful. If you are not sure they see you (meaning actual eye contact) then they don't. They make an effort not to see people trying to pull into traffic, its almost an art form. Just be very careful.
Car rental at San Juan (PR) pier?
in Saving Money on Your Cruise - Tips & Advice
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Hi! We just got back from P.R. We go about every 2 years as DH's family is from there. The drivers ARE crazy! Not only are the signs in Spanish, but they are not well marked either. Also, because af rapid growth, sometimes the way they had to route the roads and highways in town is rather counter-intuitive. I have been 7 or 8 times now and have not driven (or wanted to drive) once. DH grew up and learned to drive there and he does all our driving. If you REALLY want to drive I would suggest taking the shuttle to the airport and renting a car there. The airport is towards El Yunque and its a much more staightforward approach from there, you will avoid the more congested and confusing parts of the drive. I think you only have to make one turn off from the "highway" if you leave from the airport. Note, it is not really a highway, there are lots of lights. IF you decide to drive, there is an AWESOME beach on your way there or back - Luquillo. Lots of food near the beach too. They look like a row of garages, but are actually food stands just outside the entrance to the beach. Lots of coconut candies and fresh fritters. We have never had any problems with the food even if the booths look questionable, the fritters are awesome! My favorite is the bacalaito. Also note, the road up to the rainforest is narrow and winding and usually pretty busy. There are more fritter stands and souvenier stands (that also look questionable) on the way up. The food is always good. We have stopped at many of these and never gotten sick - even feed this stuff to the kiddos. DH's favorite fritter is the crab or lobster fritter, those are better down by the beach though - they put more stuffing in down there. Hope this helps. I am all for seeing a place on your own and we have rented and driven around ourselves everywhere we go. I would easily say PR driving is the craziest, with Argentina coming in a close second. Just be careful. If you are not sure they see you (meaning actual eye contact) then they don't. They make an effort not to see people trying to pull into traffic, its almost an art form. Just be very careful.
Cruz'n Mommy