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How do costs in Puerto Rico compare to costs of traveling in the US? We are budget to moderate travelers who don't stay at high end places and don't eat at expensive restaurants and want a low-key, nature-oriented type experience. We are usually are more interested in smaller more authentic type places than chains or Americanized type places. We also often get off the beaten path. Thanks.
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Costs in Puerto Rico...Pricey, moderate, inexpensive or what?
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Gas is more expensive, as is food in general (though you can certainly find cheaper places). If you really stay off the beaten path, then I think you'll find reasonably priced accommodations (certainly no more expensive than those in, say, Florida and sometimes cheaper); most other places are only slightly more espensive (about equivalent to NYC as opposed to Kansas City).
But hotels in San Juan are fairly expensive (more expensive at times than they are really worth), and of course you pay a premium for staying on the beach. Many beach resorts are quite expensive; and there are, oddly, parking fees at many of the big resorts (pretty high ones) as well as resort fees, which add to your bottom line.
There are some good deals to be had right now, so you may find a relative hotel bargain, but it really depends on WHEN you travel (and you don't specify that). Go after April 15, and prices in hotels tend to go down. They're also usually up in San Juan on weekends (at least in the beach resorts), so consider doing San Juan during the week and staying in one of the smaller Ocean Beach properties. Look for paradores outside of San Juan for cheaper lodgings and often good deals on meals.
You can go to Puerto Rico as a budget traveler or as a high end traveler, accommodations and restaurants are available at all price points but don't expect high end accommodations for budget prices.
Generally hotels cost a bit more than you'd expect to pay for a similar standard in the US (especially the resorts).
I don't think you get a 'more bang for your buck' in PR compared with say Mexico but it's still 'affordable'.
Yeah, I agree with Doug... good deals are available right now but not for the peak holiday season.
Thanks. This is one option we were looking at among several, and I may end up choosing a place where can get more bang for our buck.
We visited PR for 12 nights. We stayed in Rincón and used this to drive all over the western part of the island. We visited places such as the Cuevas and the radio telescope near Arecibo and a remote wildlife area. You can find housing of all prices and from 1-5 stars. We also stayed near the rain forest (eastern end) and used that to explore the east end of the island. We have found 3 stars give you good quality for the price even though many of these places are off the beaten path. But remember, PR is not large and you can easily drive to most any place you want in short order.
We stayed in SanJuan our first and last nights and visited around San Juan seeing the rum factory, old San Juan and the U. of PR horticulture area. We found the traffic in San Juan to be rather heavy.
We ate in a few expensive restaurants, stopped at Subway and also had a great chicken lunch from a vendor at the side of a road in the mountains. You can go completely low cost for food or blow your budget. Remember that food in PR is as safe as on the U.S. mainland so you can try a lot of places.
We loved it so much that we are taking one of our sons and his family back to PR this coming Jan. We will be doing this on a moderate budget. This time, we will stay in the southeast and, with 3 children under 10, do a lot less traveling. The kids want to use some of their Dora the Explorer Spanish!
oldanalyst,
you might want to visit Vieques if you're staying in the southeast of PR. The biobay is well worth it but ideally would mean spending at least one night on the island (you can take a tour and avoid the overnight stay but it would be a late night for the kids)
http://www.biobay.com/
Here's my $0.02:
Check out the following link for an interactive map to get an idea of what's available in each town, both for lodgings and for activities. http://www.travelandsports.com/
Also, for those traveling with lots of family members, you might consider a rental house at VRBO (Vacation Rentals By Owners) http://www.vrbo.com/vacation-rentals/caribbean/puerto-rico/puerto-rico
Hope this helps.