Looking to make the best of 1 1/2 days before cruise

[glenv]

Hi

 

My wife and I along with 3 friends are cruising on Celebrity Constellation from San Juan on Saturday, February 4 2006.

 

Our plans at this point are to arrive there Thursday late afternoon Feb 2nd. We would like to get experienced San Juan vactioners advice. We have ported at San Juan a couple of times and have toured Old San Juan exhaustively.

 

We want to take Friday and see the Rain Forest if possible and crash on a beach. We also would love to go parasailing. Since some of us cannot hike, we may not be able to go to El Yunque. We would love a driving tour if there is such a thing.

 

We are really open to suggestions. Maybe you will suggest something entirely different.

 

We are looking for a hotel that is close to a beach and offers reliable transfers to the Celebrity docks , on time. If you can recommend a nice hotel close to good "local" food, that would be great.

 

We would love to have you tell us what you recommend to make the best of this pre-cruise day or so!

 

Thanks!

[Wileyd577]

Hello glenv,

IM just in from San Juan and enjoyed the rain forest quite a lot. Most of the trip is by bus. You see a great deal of the island that way. The rain forest was breath taking. I live in the Blue Ridge Mtns and it looked like our mountains done in tropical attire. There were a great many hiking trails from very easy to I hope I find my way back out of here. I must confess I wasn't looking forward to another round of old San Juan but the tours really opened the country up. Hope you have a lovely time. Say hello to the little frogs for me. (You'll see---coqui--)

 

Peace.

[glenv]

Thank you. Did you take the tour Celebrity offerd or did you find your own? I do not think we can use Celebrity since we are going to be there a day or two earlier than we sail.

 

Did you stay in San Juan?

[mccasey]

In regard to hotels on or near the beach, what price range are you looking for and what kind of amenities are a must for you. In Isla Verde (the best part of San Juan to stay in in my opinion since it has a very nice beach, great resorts around to either stay at or go spend time at and dine in, lots of great local non-local variety in terms of restaurants in all price ranges, great hotels and beach inns of all price ranges, etc. Plus, it is entirely safe to walk at night. Anyway, so depending on what you are looking for, there's something for everyone. Most hotels offer bus tours of El Yunque (half day or full day, the full day tours usually stop for a few hours at Loquillo Beach, another of the most gorgeous beaches in PR, this one much calmer than the water at Isla Verde). Even if you are not staying at a hotel that offers these tours, you can book it through on that offers it or on your own. Some of the fancier and more expensive but amazing hotels in Isla Verde that are right on the beach are the El San Juan (Wyndham), the Intercontinental (this one is a little less pricey I think), the Ritz Carlton, etc. Then there are ones that are just off the beach (less than 5 minute walk) but still very nice, such as the Embassy Suites, the brand new Holiday Inn, the Hampton Inn, etc. There is also a Howard Johnsons right across the street from the beach.

 

I go to San Juan every year and stay there (don't get the chance to cruise often) and my grandmother has a condo there so if you have any more questions, just ask.

 

You will love it!

[glenv]

Thank you!

[wardmav1]

We are planning to go to San Juan this June, we won't be cruising so we will have ample time to explore Puerto Rico. Since you have stayed in San Juan, what is the best beach within a 1 to 2 hour radius? We really like the Caribbean's crystal clear blue waters. Where do we go to find that? I heard that the San Juan coast isn't nearly as blue or clear, is that true?

 

How far is the Belz Outlet Mall from Old San Juan? Do buses go to the mall?

 

Do you have a recommendation for a private snorkel trip?

 

I look forward to your response!

[mccasey]

Hi!

 

First, beaches. It's true that the San Juan are beaches are not as crystal clear and turquoise in color like the Caribbean Sea because it is the Atlantic Ocean, so it is more agitated and a bit darker blue. For the Caribbean waters are South. I think the place (at least on the East side of the island) where the Caribbean Sea meets the Atlantic is in Fajardo. Luquillo is a gorgeous beach near the Fajardo area. Otherwise, you will have to go more South and that is at least a 2 hour drive (depending on traffic). Fajardo is only about 40 minutes to 1 hour max from Old San Juan.

 

As for snorkelling, there are tons of catamaran day trips that will take you out, and most leave from Fajardo.

 

There's also a beautiful hotel around there called the Wyndham El Conquistador (a huge resort with a private island for the beach and a marina and so on). Even if you don't want to stay there, it's worth going to see if you are in or near Fajardo.

 

Fajardo and Luquillo Beach are also not that far away from El Yunque (the rainforest). About 30 minutes at the most.

 

I love Belz so you asked the right question there! It's probably about an hour and a bit from Old San Juan, again, depending on traffic. I wouldn't go during rush hour periods. There are city busses that go there but you would have to get info on how to get there from a local. We asked and it seemed really complicated to us (we would have to transfer and there's not a very reliable bus schedule as far as we could gather out that way). But, if you need someone to take you anywhere on the island, I highly recommend you call Carlos Llapiz (phone number: 787-485-3619). He is a taxi driver but a good family friend and the nicest and most honest guys around. He will take you literally anywhere you want to go (even down to the Caribbean side of the island). Just ask him about the price before hand and negotiate with him. He loves to show people around. But he will also be there whenever you need him to take you anywhere local too (grocery store and whatever). That number is his cell phone number so you can reach him whenever. Although, generally he doesn't work at night.

 

Have a great time!

[wardmav1]

Thank you for the great information!

[jlecruiser]

Hi--We will also be on the Connie Feb 4th with 2 other couples. We are arriving Friday and staying at Coral Princess, which has received excellent reviews. It's a small, boutique style hotel in Condado Beach area, and a short cab ride from the pier.

[hersh]

Hi there!

 

A group of 10 of us are cruising together and are going to be in San Juan June 10-12. Some of our group would really like to see the Southern part of Puerto Rico, specifically the bio bay down there. We had already booked a hotel in San Juan (Comfort Inn) but now it looks like we might want to get a hotel in the Southern part in order to fit this in and not have to drive back and forth across the island in one day. It looks like Ponce is the only place close by there where you can reserve a hotel for just one night. So my questions are:

 

Do you recommend seeing the southern part of the island? Is the biobay down there worth the trip? Just how long is the trip - we were told 2 hours, is that accurate? We'd be driving down there on a Friday afternoon. We originally thought about going to the biobay new Fajardo, but from what we could learn, it looked like you couldn't do that without spending the night on that island. What region of Puerto Rico is Belz located? We are still trying to work out our Puerto Rico plans and time is running short so your input would be very helpful!

 

Thanks in advance for any advice you can provide.

Kathy

[sandybeach121]

I already posted a reply in a specific question about the bio bay tour, so I'll make this one short. Try East Wind Excursions at www.eastwindcats.com under power catamaran excursions. They have a great alternative to staying the night on Vieques. The only one I've found.

 

As for hotels for one night near the pier, check out www.fajardoinn.com. No too fancy, not too expensive.