annanicole

Hi.. I am trying to plan a last minute 5-night Puerto Rico vacation for a family with 2 kids (8 year old boy and 2 year old girl). Would love to finalize air tickets etc today since it is for christmas this year. Since I am short on time, I am turning to you all for expert advice. We would love to do some beach, some history, some kiddie stuff and bioluminescence bay is a must. Overall we want to have a decent vacation without breaking the bank (i.e. not too chic or shabby for that matter). So, the basic questions I have are:

1. what places do we HAVE to visit? Some really nice places to visit? What kind of itinerary should I plan for? I am not much into theme parks/ shopping unless it is something very unique.

2. What are the travel times like in going from one part to another? Can we stay in 1 hotel for the whole trip and go back and forth (considering we have a toddler with us too)? Or shouldl we hop hotels? Given questions 1 & 2, which part of Puerto Rico would you stay in if you were going to stay in 1 place for the whole vacation.

3. Best way to go from place to place? Rent a car? Ferry? cab? public transport? what kind of fares to expect? specially interested in bioluminescence bay. Thoughts? If you drive around, how easy is it find parking?

4. Are there some websites that specialize in puerto rico vacation packages?

5. Would you do it all yourself/hire a tour guide in some places/whole trip?Are the tour guides reasonably priced?

6. Any parts to stay away from?

7. Any hotel/vacation rental recommendations?

Lastly, thanks for reading and answering whatever you are able to. I have wanted to go to Puerto Rico for a LONG time.

annanicole

OP here: Another post mentionsnature preserve and rainforest.. yummy!

blamona

"without breaking the bank" doesn't help! We need actual figures, nitty rate for 4 or at least 5 night rate! Have no idea what breaks the bank to you.

1. El Morro, awesome fort. Old town San Juan, colorful. luquillo best beach. I think RSI Forrest too hard with 2 year old.

2. PR is quite large. Only 5 nights stay in one place.

3. You might want to depend on taxi, as public transport with small kids doesn't sound overly fun

Have you already looked at air? Christmas is already booked up and mostly sold out. All the nicest places have been booked for months.

Try travel zoo.com for what might be left.

annanicole

Thanks! Well, moderately priced stuff is what we would go for. Usually we end up staying in 4+ star hotels, occasionally 3+ - ~100-200/night can work. I am looking at flight+hotel packages which seem ok. BUt those need 5 nights stay in 1 hotel. Therefore, I asked. Good tip about forest being too hard for 2 yr old. For: El Morro, awesome fort. Old town San Juan, colorful. luquillo best beach - can we just stay in San Juan or should we stay in another part of PR? Thanks again. I know I am pretty late in planning this but we did not know we would be able to take a vacation until now.

blamona

$100-$200 a night for 4 will get you 1 star at most. Especially at Christmas. During that time all hotels have minimum stays, so 5 nights is reasonable. (most require 7-14 nights).

At that rate you'll be away from it all, so it will be costly getting around. For example, staying at Condando area of PR, close to airport, has a beach strip with nice resorts. At your prices you'll stay at edge of it. This part (the edge, not the strip) can be a little shady so I wouldnt recommend it. From there you can take buses to Old Town. Not much beach in Old Town, but gorgeous. Luquilla is about 40 minutes away, so you need car rental. (taxi years ago cost $100 plus)

Not a realistic budget, especially for that week. The hotel room will be in an alley with bars in the windows. Definitely not 3 stars.

At that nightly rate, if anything is left, you can check out Akumal or Isla Mujeres Mexico. From those you can explore Mayan ruins (although long drives with 2 year olds) and even Playa Del Carmen with nice shopping promenade and Mariachi bands.

IF you find something in your budget in PR that looks appealing post it hear and we can tell you if reasonable or not.

Off the top of my head, $200 a night I won't take my daughter to, I'd be a little uncomfortable, especially at night.

Maybe others can pipe in, but overall Caribbean is expensive, and star system doesn't equal what it does in States, so you won't get 3 stars out of it, sorry.

blamona

http://www.expedia.com/Dorado-Hotels...-ab5444088ef9&

A little over your budget, at least on a beach. Abut 20 miles from airport, probably 40 minutes to Old San Juan.

There's also a Courtyard in your budget, not on the beach but in town (so you have to travel to everything)

Wyndham is on a beach too, but far from everything.

Those are about it.