Must Sees for San Juan

[rlkubi]

We will be arriving a day before the cruise and staying 2 days after. What are must sees for the area? Thanks!

[texancruzer]

Depends on what your interests are. And where you are staying.

 

We stayed 3 days/2 nights precruise in old San Juan at the El Convento.

 

We opted to spend most of our time in old San Juan soaking up the charm and history. We figured we would be on "the beach" everyday during the cruise and we also live 5 minutes from the beach.

 

I purchased Frommers Caribbean Ports of Call at my local bookstore for 14.95 and was best investment I made...... have now used it to help plan my Legend cruise this past Nov. (see signature). It has soooo much info in it.... from a cruisers view (in port only one day).

 

We found old San Juan to be clean, safe, charming and the people were very friendly and helpful. We tend to "do our own thing" and therefore meet people more one on one which helps I think. We loved La Bombonera for breakfast....great food, good location, interesting atmosphere and cheap ! Had a blast going to two local clubs for salsa dancing..... even if you don't dance - go watch....they invented it and really know how :D The Rumba Club was the best....no cover, 7 piece salsa band. Drinks were priced a little high but also very strong ;) Not fancy but clean and safe. We enjoyed walking all over old San Juan. Took in El Morro (1 fort was enough for me) and other historical sites as well as the many plazas, parks and beautiful walkways along the harbor.

 

We really did fall in love with Old San Juan (the rest of the city is like any other big city - freeways etc) and hope to get back soon to explore the rest of Puerto Rico......

[rlkubi]

We will be staying at the Hotel Milano in Old San Juan

[texancruzer]

Then you too will be right in the heart of an amazing city. Most of the buildings have been redone, painted in pretty Caribbean colors. But even so it has retained its old world feel and charm. Most have wrought iron balconies with huge drippy ferns hanging down. The shops are at street level and usually apts. on top. Altho on some of the side streets we were on there were people living at street level. On some of the streets there are large pots with palms in them and these streets are not big to begin with :) Cobblestones with a tiny sidewalk. Hilly but not so that if you are strolling you will mind. Wear comfy shoes tho. I did a nice walk from one club to another in heels..... what was I thinking ???

 

Scour these boards....there is a lot of great info here. Maps (Old San Juan is only 15 square blocks) and lots of tidbits on where to eat and what to do. I am glad we concentrated on Old San Juan for our first trip there..... I do hope to get back to Puerto Rico for a land vacation and see the rainforest, bio bay and Aricibo as well as alot of the other parts of the island. Maybe even a side trip to Vieques or Culebra.

 

I thought shopping here was fairly expensive or maybe it was just because I was looking for certain things...... a carved santos was top of my list and the really nice ones they wanted a few hundred for :eek: so dh bought a nice box of cigars, I picked up a nice watercolor of the harbor and the gate to the city form a street vendor in the plaza across from the cathedral and some Caribbean spices and a few other small items.

 

Since you will be in old San Juan - as I said before - check out La Bombonera for breakfast ( 100 yr old bakery/diner that is know for its morning pastries and coffee.....but lots of other stuff on the menu too. I had a ham and cheese mallorca - mmmm (lunch is also served) and prices are the best in town. Four adults ate well for like $16.00 total.

 

Whatever you do...... take your time - they move slower there :p and you will have a great time.

[babywewe]

If you are staying over night you MUST eat at the parrot club. A bit expensive...but a meal you will talk about for a long time. El Morro fort is a must see when in old san juan. You may think about renting a car (or going on a bus tour) to drive to the rainforest. There is the Bacardi rum factory which you can visit. I think there is a boat which leaves from san juan to bacardi. Dont forget to pick up REALLY cheap rum there

[BleednBlu]

El Morro is very nice. A must see.

[itsanita]

Where is The Rumba Club in relation to the Sheraton Old San Juan? It sounds like a perfect place for our last night in PR.

[maygoddess]

Hi! I just booked RCCL, Adv of the Seas Southern Caribbean cruise that originates in SJ. We have not booked air or anything else for that matter and we are wanting to do a pre-cruise stay but wondering how many days to book to really see San Juan without feeling rushed. I am just reading up on what is there. I know old San Juan is where to go..I like cultural things, learning how the locals live, eat, etc..into rum, spices, etc..it won't matter if we see any beaches since we will be on them the entire cruise most likely...but biobay sounds interesting.

 

So..would 2 full days be enough? We don't plan on staying any days after.We depart on a Sunday..the ship leaves at 8pm..so we could technically get on the ship late though we probably would need to check out of our hotel around noon and do something with our luggage if we don't embark right away..so I am thinking perhaps arriving Thursday night which would give us all day Fri and Sat to explore..does having only 2 weekend days make a difference?

 

Patty

[texancruzer]

Itsanita: Rumba Club is located at 152 Calle San Sebastian in old San Juan. Since old San Juan is only about 15 square blocks nothing is really very far from anything else. We walked all over day and night..... do a websearch for " rumba club san juan " and lots will come up. It was the site for the movie "Dirty Dancing - Havana Nights".

 

Maygoddess: You sound like me..... these are all the reasons I travel also. The people, their culture and way of life is what makes a place interesting. Of course a beautiful setting doesnt hurt either :p

 

We flew in on Thursday (Thanksgiving Day) and had 1/2 of that day, Friday and most of Saturday (Serenade leaves San Juan at 10 pm on Sat). We were ALL OVER old San Juan during this time. Our friends flew in on Friday at noon.... so had a little down time waiting for them to get to hotel. We had reserved a rental car for Saturday very early and planned to drive to El Yunque and hike with a picnic provided by our concierge (we stayed at El Convento). But Saturday morning was cloudy and off and on sprinkles in the city and we found out there were some pretty bad storms in the mountains at the rainforest.... oh well.... next trip. But if you want to explore osj and a trip to BioBay (must be done at night with little or no moon) 2 days is really plenty. Also El Convento altho expensive has a 2 night internet special which makes it a little less pricey - but it is San Juans only 5 star and right in the heart of things. Also when you check out at 11 am they will store your luggage until you are ready to head to the dock to board. Check it out www.elconvento.com Let me know if I can be of any other help :D

[turbo46032]

Hi! I just booked RCCL, Adv of the Seas Southern Caribbean cruise that originates in SJ. We have not booked air or anything else for that matter and we are wanting to do a pre-cruise stay but wondering how many days to book to really see San Juan without feeling rushed. I am just reading up on what is there. I know old San Juan is where to go..I like cultural things, learning how the locals live, eat, etc..into rum, spices, etc..it won't matter if we see any beaches since we will be on them the entire cruise most likely...but biobay sounds interesting.

 

Here is our itinerary when we spent nearly a week earlier this month before cruising on the Crown Princess.

 

Day 1: Travel to SJ and walk around Condado (Holiday Inn). At night it is very lively (Avenida Ashford).

 

Day 2: Old San Juan, assuming you're in good physical shape. We (mid 40's couple and two school aged kids) walked for 8-10 hours) were wasted big time at the end, but saw both castles, a couple museums, and stores!!!

 

Day 3: Drive around town a bit more, see the malls (obligatory with teenagers :D) and do the Bacardi tour (yawn). Getting there was half the fun, Aqua Express, then taxi. Liquor prices NOT as cheap as one would think.

 

Day 4: More driving around and we spent some with a friend from work who's from there and was also visiting - we had planned Viaques instead. Viaques would be great, if you have the extra bucks, there's water taxi service from SJ.

 

Day 5: Rainforest (eye-popping - amazing - whoa - no kidding. Amazing). Watch the weather. We did, and still saw a carwash like 1/2 hour rain. Driving all the way up was amazing in itself...

 

Day 6: For extra adventures, drive over the mountains to Ponce - lots of small museums, architecture, the Cross, and Castillo Seralles (the good stuff), a Bacardi competitor.

 

Day 7: Spend AM hours in Old SJ before boarding the Princess.

 

The must sees are Old San Juan (1 day), Rainforest (1 day), and a free-for-all day for Bacardi early and Viaques late. We rented a car (driving in SJ was not for the faint at heart) and with a navigation system I brought along we did well.