LetsHaveFunInTheSun

My wife and I stayed at the Best Western Plus Condado Palm Inn & Suites in Condado just over the bridge from Old San Juan. It is a few miles away from the pier so you will need to get an uber or taxi, but the nightlife and restaurants are excellent. The hotel is just a block away from the beach and on the main drag (Ashford Ave). We stayed in the north tower on the 14th floor in a suite that was very large with a great ocean view. It also had a outside deck that we spent a lot of time on just people watching. They also had bicycles that you can take out for two hours at a time complementary to all guests. First come first served. I call Henry, the General directly and he hooked us up with a sweet room for well below the cheapest price that I could find. The hotel had a free continental breakfast which was a bonus.  I hope this helps!

Oceano is great for a amazing sunset dinner (pricey thought). Happy Cruising!

We used them for two tours in April and just loved them. They both made our vacation experience a real adventure. I am gald you liked them too.

We stayed at the Best Western Plus Condado Palm Inn & Suites in Condado just over the bridge from Old San Juan. It is a few miles away from the pier so you will need to get an uber or taxi, but the nightlife and restaurants are excellent. The hotel is just a block away from the beach and on the main drag (Ashford Ave). We stayed in the north tower on the 14th floor in a suite that was very large with a great ocean view. It also had a outside deck that we spent a lot of time on just people watching. The Hotel provides bicycles that you can take out for two hours at a time complementary to all guests. First come first served. I call Henry, the General directly and he hooked us up with a sweet room for well below the cheapest price that I could find. The hotel had a free continental breakfast which was a bonus.  I hope this helps!

4 minutes ago, cruisegal40 said:

Wondering if they are authentic? 

They seem to be. If they are not, they are really good. Some things are very highly priced and some things are 70-80% off. My wife was impressed.

My Wife and I were there about 6 weeks ago and went into the store. She said that they were cheap priced, but I still though that things were a little high for my liking. lol.

My wife and I stayed at the Best Western Plus Condado Palm Inn & Suites in Condado last month. It is just over the bridge from Old San Juan. It is a few miles away from the pier so you will need to get an uber or taxi, but the nightlife and restaurants are excellent. The hotel is just a block away from the beach and on the main drag (Ashford Ave). There are many casinos in the area as well. We stayed in the north tower on the 14th floor in a suite that was very large with a great ocean view. It also had a outside deck that we spent a lot of time on just people watching. They also had bicycles that you can take out for two hours at a time complementary to all guests. First come first served. I called Henry, the General Manager, directly and he hooked us up with a sweet room for well below the cheapest price that I could find. The hotel had a free continental breakfast which was a bonus.  I hope this helps!

We just stayed in the Condado Area two weeks ago. There are many good restaurants in this area. A few favorites of our is Pannes for breakfast (we went there multiple times), Tayzan for lunch or dinner. Their house fried rice is crazy good. We got it to go and ate it on our hotel balcony. Bun's Burgers has amazing burgers and fries. Fogo de Chao is a great experience if you have never been to an endless feast of steak. (hint...hold out for the best cuts of meat) Oceano is great for a amazing sunset dinner. (pricey thought) and then you have to stop in at Ben & Jerry's for Ice cream. I hope this helps. Happy Cruising!

It really depends on what you want to do and how much money you want to spend. Its hard to buy food from some place if you already paid for it on your ship. If that is what you want to do though, Sofia's Old San Juan is a great place to get some unique foods.  If it were me, I would walk a little bit through Old San Juan to get a idea of what all of the history of older buildings looks like. If you can swing it, I would do a walking tour with a local that can tell you the history of all the things that you are seeing. If nightlife is more your thing you can take five minute ride in a taxi or an uber to the Condado Area (Ashford Ave) where there are many upscale shops and places to stop and get a snack or drink. There is something for everyone in this area even some great souvenir shops. My personal favorite is to stop at  Ben and Jerry's for some ice cream and then take it out on the beach and sit in a lounge chair and watch the sunset and the waves crashing into the rocks. (see picture) There are also some parks down in this area that give you plenty of places to just sit and relax. Happy Cruising!

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My wife and I just spend some time in San Juan a few weeks ago. We went on a tour to see the Window Cave and the Indian Cave with Lismar from Seeing Puerto Rico Touring Company. These are two great tours that are a must see if you have time. I also know that there was zip-lining in this area near the Window Cave. I attached a few pictures.  Lismar and her husband Narayan can tailor your tour to see or do what ever your group wants to do. Check out their facebook page.  https://www.facebook.com/pg/SeeingPuertoRico/

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A tip for all of you flying into San Juan...If there is a long line of people waiting for a taxi (Arriving Level) you can always take the elevator up one level and catch a taxi on the upper level (Departing Level). (This elevator can be seen by the line for taxis) There was a porter there that help us with our luggage that gave us this idea and it save us a lot of time. If you use the porter expect to tip them at least a $1 a bag unless you can wheel them yourself, then save yourself some money

Sounds like fun! I am big on researching as well. Let me know if I can help.  Enjoy your time on the island!

I believe that they live in San Juan. They are not your typical large touristy company with a storefront building. They are more of a very professional Mom and Pop tour company with a large passenger van that can customize your tour any way that you would like it.  They have had many years of being tour guides and really know the entire island of Puerto Rico. This gives them the ability to give your group a more unique experience.  My suggestion is for you to go to the Window Cave in the morning and then come back to Old San Juan for lunch and have them do a walking tour of the highlights of the town. This will get you back in the dock area without having to worry about heavy traffic. Another suggestion is to team up with others on your cruise through the roll call to keep the overall cost of your tour down. I hope this helps. Being a cruiser myself, I understand that you want to get every detail right, so don't be afraid to ask me more questions. Happy Cruising!

My wife and I stayed at the Best Western Plus Condado Palm Inn & Suites in Condado just over the bridge from Old San Juan. It is a few miles away from the pier so you will need to get an uber or taxi, but the beaches are excellent. The hotel is just a block away from the beach and has a employee on the beach during the day to help with chairs and umbrellas. The beach that is at least a mile long with waves and a few areas with rocks for great pictures.  There are many restaurants in the area to grab something to eat, to take to the beach with you or to get out of the sun for a little bit. Really neat area.

On 3/19/2019 at 12:29 PM, LetsHaveFunInTheSun said:

My Wife and I found a great Wine Bar/Restaurant that is away from the hustle and bustle and has a beautiful view of the Atlantic Ocean. It is a 15-20 minute walk away from the pier. If you go, you have to try the octopus.  We we a little leery of it, but we ordered the seafood platter that came with it on. My wife and I both thought it was the best even better then the Lobster and Shrimp.

Sorry the name of the restaurant is Ladi,s Place. If you like seafood, you won't want to miss this place.

Your welcome!

My wife and I had a great time on a option#2 cruise out of San Juan. By porting out of Puerto Rico, you have the opportunity to extend your cruise a little by flying in before or staying after the cruise and seeing the island and all its beauty. Its like a having a 6th stop. Happy Cruising! Let me know if you are going to do this and I can give you a few ideas on what we did on the island.

We just stayed in the Condado Area are last week. There are many good restaurants in this area. A few favorites of our is Pannes for breakfast (we went there multiple times), Tayzan for lunch or dinner. Their house fried rice is crazy good. We got it to go and ate it on our hotel balcony. Bun's Burgers has amazing burgers and fries. Fogo de Chao is a great experience if you have never been to an endless feast of steak. (hint...hold out for the best cuts of meat) Oceano is great for a amazing sunset dinner. (pricey thought) and then you have to stop in at Ben & Jerry's for Ice cream. I hope this helps. Happy Cruising!

If you stay, pay the extra to get one of the ocean view suites. It is very large with a great view. Not basic at all. Definitely worth the extra!

My wife and I just stayed at the Best Western Plus Condado Palm Inn & Suites in Condado this past week and walked right by your hotel. We didn't see any problems and only seen a few that were closed due to damage.  The storm damage is minimal in this area.  If you need another hotel, I would recommend the Best Western Plus Condado Palm Inn & Suites. It was great!  This area is the happening area with lots of restaurants, shops and fun things to do. Make sure you make time for Ben & Jerry's. I hope this helps!

The entire hike was 1 hr & 20 mins.  We stopped a few times through the caves to take pictures and hear the history about the caves. The hike wasn't long by any means and you must go with one of the on site tour guides. Wear good tennis shoes or hiking shoes. (No sandals or flip flops). We hiked through two cave to get to the window. The picture doesn't do it justice. It is beautiful. How long is your ship in port? You may have time to do the caves in the morning and OSJ in the afternoon especially if you have a tour guide that can take you to all of the good spots. Happy cruising!

It was amazing! Here is a picture of the Window Cave with my wife and I.

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My wife and I stayed at the Best Western Plus Condado Palm Inn & Suites in Condado just over the bridge from Old San Juan. It is a few miles away from the pier so you will need to get an uber or taxi, but the nightlife and restaurants are excellent. The hotel is just a block away from the beach and on the main drag (Ashford Ave). There are many casinos in the area as well. We stayed in the north tower on the 14th floor in a suite that was very large with a great ocean view. It also had a outside deck that we spent a lot of time on just people watching. They also had bicycles that you can take out for two hours at a time complementary to all guests. First come first served. I call Henry, the General directly and he hooked us up with a sweet room for well below the cheapest price that I could find. The hotel had a free continental breakfast which was a bonus.  I hope this helps!