Sunflowerguy03

As some of you knew we had made plans to go to Mexico, part of that process was getting our passports ready. We needed copies of our Birth certificates so I sent all the required forms off to the state to get copies so we could move forward on this. I did my application online so we could get them faster well as a week went by I called them and asked what the problem was.

Turns out their systems are down and won’t be back up until September, thus we have no real way of getting our passports. I have looked at all the different options to get around this or to see if there is some way to make this still work but it’s not.

So we adjust, we live in an ever changing world so we have to. Looking at where we could go that would still fit our wants we looked at Hawaii and Puerto Rico, both had some pluses but we settled on PR (we have some friends we may end up going with to Hawaii and thought we would wait for them).

In the few days I have been looking I have seen all kinds of info on PR but my main question is does anyone have any suggestions? San Juan seems nice but touristy and we tend to like a more relaxed less crowded feel. I could be wrong but from what I have read San Juan does not seem like it would be the best choice for us but I am open to suggestions and the wisdom of those that have been.

Any help I could get would be wonderful, thanks all

-SFG-

RoamsAround

Check out Vieques, Culebra or any of the USVI's - if you are all US citizens no passports are necessay to visit any of those islands.

08rookie

my girlfriend and i had a blast in san juan. we stayed at La Concha. a nice hotel with its own beach...newer hotel, hip and trendy...we rented a car and drove all over the island. olde san juan is to be appreciated. luquillo beach is gorgeous. el yunke is the rain forest and worth a drive. what are you looking for? if you want to be waited on hand and foot on a post card perfect beach then san juan might not be the best fit but thats not to say other parts of PR wouldnt do justice to your agenda....

suze

SFG~ Like I said on your original thread about this vacation, I'd go to Hawaii. I've been saying that all along ;-)

You can go again with your friends later on. Each island is such a different experience... Oahu, Big Island, Maui, Kauai, Lanai, etc. People can & do go to Hawaii more than once. Personally I try to get there every year!!

TC

SFG, You can apply for a passport with "Secondary Evidence of Citizenship". Requirements as follows from the US Govt webs site:

<i>If you cannot present primary evidence of U.S. citizenship, you must submit secondary evidence of U.S. citizenship. Determine what form of secondary evidence is most appropriate for your situation based on the descriptions below.

Early Public Records

If you were born in the United States and cannot present primary evidence of U.S. citizenship, submit a combination of early public records as evidence of your U.S. citizenship. Early public records must be submitted with a birth record or Letter of No Record. Early public records should show your name, date of birth, place of birth, and preferably be created within the first five years of your life. Examples of early public records are:
Baptismal certificate
Hospital birth certificate
Census record
Early school record
Family bible record
Doctor's record of post-natal care

<u>You may also file a</u>
Form DS-10: Birth Affidavit

If you were born in the United States and cannot present primary evidence of U.S. citizenship, you may submit Form DS-10: Birth Affidavit as evidence of your U.S. citizenship. The birth affidavit:

Must be notarized
Must be submitted in person with Form DS-11
Must be submitted together with early public records
Must be completed by an affiant who has personal knowledge of birth in the U.S.
Must state briefly how the affiant's knowledge was acquired
Should be completed by an older blood relative

NOTE: If no older blood relative is available, it may be completed by the attending physician or any other person who has personal knowledge of your birth.</i>

http://travel.state.gov/passport/get...irst_4315.html

welch

I gotta say, I'm with Suze!
And we've been to Mexico 3 times this year.
I know the Caribbean very well (born in the Bahamas).
Go to Hawaii!
It's low season but the weather is great- far better than the Caribbean.
You'll very much enjoy it. Ask a few questions and you'll find you can do a very laid back, low key vacation. Little to no tourist hype.
But do get your passports!

Sunflowerguy03

Wow lots of great advice especially on the passport issue, thanks.

When this all happened I spoke with Mrs. Sun and from that conversation we have come to the conclusion on PR. While we could jump through hoops and try to get this passport deal worked out we have opted to just change our travel plans, I know this may seem silly but life is kinda hectic right now and we really are striving to take on as little added stress as we can.

Suze, I know you have and when this happened I laughed and thought of you but alas Hawaii is off the table for now, I am not strong enough to fight two women at once

So to PR we will go. To answer the questions we are not looking to be waited on hand and foot or to sit in a post card. We like small laid back charm and really enjoy exploring. I am a big fan of getting ‘lost’ in a city. We love to wander and get off the beaten track and it just looked to me like San Juan was really geared toward resort tourists, seems I may be wrong on that front. I am going to give San Juan another look though based upon what I have read here.

Thanks for the help thus far keep the ideas coming as we have not settled on anything yet.

welch

Aww...
You need to look at Hanalei!

ishkribbl

In light of the fact that you are looking at PR, you might enjoy spending a couple of days in SJ and exploring old town, seeing the forts, etc. then moving on to Culebra for a few days- it is the "relaxed, less crowded" kind of place you say you are seeking.

suze

The 2 ladies involved WANT to go to Puerto Rico? And aren't interested in Hawaii?

OK. Well I guess you have to respect that. For me personally I just don't get the attraction. (I've been to Jamaica 3 times, DR twice, USVI once as far as my Caribbean stops, and you know how much I love Mexico).

Hey how about that? How about the US Virgin Islands? You don't need a passport for those islands.

Callaloo

I spent my last PR vacation in Rincon, a cute little surfer town on Puerto Rico's west coast. It's about a 2.5 hour drive from SJ, and closer to the airport in Aguadilla (which is served by Jet Blue, among others). While I really like San Juan, and tack on a day or two there at the beginning and/or end of trips, I liked Rincon better -- smaller, more rustic, more laid-back, more Caribbean.

If budget is not an issue, the Horned Dorset Primavera in Rincon is a little slice of heaven. But there are other places to stay for less money as well.

Trip report (with photos) here: http://islandtime.homestead.com/Rincon.html

Continental_Drifter

SFG - I second the west coast of PR also. We go to PR almost annually and intend to return over the holidays this year.

We love Isabela and there is a paradore there that is very budget friendly, if a bit rustic however. We love it, as it's right ON the beach. We've stayed many places between Isabela and Rincon.

IM me later for more details, if you want them. (You know where to find me!) If you do go to the east to the Luquillo/Fajardo area, I have a contact there who will take you in his skiff out to the islets in that area for the day or to the bioluminescent bay on dark (less moonlight) evenings.

However, we do love the west.... Google for sunset photos at Cabo Rojo. It truly is the end of the earth and a most fantastic voyage.

BeachGirl247

SFG, if you want laid back then check out Vieques, the small island off of PR. We went for a week and it was hard to leave. So charming, friendly locals, wild horses & gorgeous beaches all to yourself at times.

It's a wonderful spot and can be as lazy or adventurous as you'd like. Maybe you could split your time between Puerto Rico and Vieques as PR has a lot to offer, too.

girlonthego

We went a couple of years ago and stayed at the Caribe Hilton. It is separated from the rest of the action, but still close enough to easily get around to the city, the condado area, isle verde area and also can book tours or go on your own by renting a car to the rain forest or biobay tour.

The hilton has a private beach with a calm swimming area. Just outside the roped off area, my DH went scuba diving for the first time. Only about 10-15 feet down, he saw the most fish he has ever seen. The caribe hilton is a nice hotel with lots of restaurants and is the place where the pina colada was invented.