doctordec

Going to Puerto Rico for a long weekend in a couple of weeks and wanted to see if anyone had a few must see or must do things. Staying at Marriott Stellaris in Condado. I'm especially interested in the best quiet beaches. I plan to rent a car for a few days but wouldn't mind taking the bus. I guess the hotel restaurants are pretty standard Marriott fare so I'd also like to know about a decent local breakfast place. I'll post a trip report on my return. Thanks,

doc

girlonthego

We ate at the italian restaurant at the Marriott and the food was very good. That was spring break 2007, but I imagine it was the same.
I have read that Loquillo beach is a must see, but it is a busy beach. I went there as a teen, but we never made it there in 07. Renting a car and getting out of the city is probably a good idea for a quiet beach. We stayed at the Caribe Hilton and it had its own private beach. Next door to it is a public beach area and it looked fairly quiet.

katrinab

If you do an excursion, definitely do a bioluminescent bay trip! There are only a few in the world and it's totally amazing.

For more info visit our Puerto Rico post at http://patrinadoestheglobe.blogspot.com/

coqui_07

Hi

Plenty of restaurants near hotel + in Old San Juan - here is a sample http://www.visit-the-coqui.com/restaurants/

Must sees:
Old San Juan - 2 forts, small cathedral, museums, plazas, restaurants http://www.visit-the-coqui.com/2008/...n-juan-part-1/

El Yunque rainforest + Luquillo Beach + Luquillo Beach Food Kiosks

Bio Bay either at fajardo or evening cruise to the Bio Bay on Vieques Island - just make sure the moon phase is OK for the night you pick http://www.visit-the-coqui.com/place...n-puerto-rico/

Guavate if you would like to try some of the local Roasted Pig http://www.visit-the-coqui.com/2008/...of-the-lechon/

Make sure you try local food - mofono, rice and beans, lechon etc..

have a blast

Grotheur

Danny's International is a few blocks down from the Marriott and offers a very good breakfast at a great price. When you exit the hotel, turn left and Danny's is maybe 3 blocks down.

tom42

Do you mean Denny's?

patsy214

Make sure you go to the Parrott Club in Old San Juan. It is really good, the Margarita's are great as well as the food. Also, across from the Marriott is another hotel and on the roof is an Italian restaurant called Martins (I hope that is the name) you can see it when you are on the street. I ate there a couple of years ago and it was very good. Much better than the Tuscany restaurant in the Marriott. The best restaurant in my opinion in that area is Ramiro's a block or two away from the Marriott. I am going next week and have been trying to make a reservation but somehow I have not been able to get in touch with them. I think I read somewhere they closed. Can anyone tell me if this is true? I will be very disappointed because the food and the service was excellent.

Grotheur

No, not Denny's. Danny's International on Ashford Ave, a few blocks down from the Marriott.

annikany

I was there in Oct. 08' I loved the (half) day at the rain forest! I really love old San Juan. Such a beautiful city and the food is excellent. We stayed at the Isla Verde Marriott and the beach there was fabulous. We felt like the beach was ours there were very few tourists. There is a public beach right next door to the Marriott.
Have fun! I loved Puerto Rico.

natalia_rosado

Ramiro's closed a few months ago. The chef now works for the governor, so you can imagine, it was really good.

Danny's is definitely nothing like Denny's. It's a nice place for breakfast, and also for a late night pizza.

Luquillo used to be a beautiful beach, and the kiosks were a must-see. Not so anymore, don't waste your time there. Try the Piñones kiosks instead, which are somewhat close to Condado.

If you want really quiet beaches, I don't think you'll find that in San Juan. Your best bet would be Vieques, Culebra or the west coast, but you won't be here for long, so you might not make it. A quieter beach that Ocean Park (which is the closest you'll have - and where all the kids go) right next to San Juan is Isla Verde, towards the Wyndham San Juan Hotel and the Ritz Carlton (the beaches are public). It still can get crowded during the weekends, but it's a larger beach (so there's more spots) and, in my opinion, cleaner and better.

Two other choices for quiet beaches that you might want to consider are the Caja de Muertos Cay to the south (right under Ponce), or taking a catamaran trip to Icacos (for this one you need to make reservations, your hotel will hook you up).

Warning: For Caja de Muertos you need to be early at the ferry to get tickets, there's only two trips (as far as I'm concerned), one way in, one out. That means you'll be there from morning to about 3pm. There's no restaurants or kiosks over there, you have to bring a cooler with drinks and snacks. But if you're that kind of traveler that doesn't care for fancy, and would rather enjoy a relaxing day at the beach, it might be for you.

As for restaurants, if you're up to splurging on a really good dinner, you could try Marmalade in Old San Juan. The food is just excellent, the ambiance really cozy, and the service great. But if you want to try Puertorrican flavors, and don't want to drive away from San Juan, you can try the new Varita restaurant at the Condado Plaza. It's not exactly authentic, but you can have the "lechón asado con cuerito" (roasted pork with crispy grind), which is pretty good. However, my favorite restaurant in San Juan is Ropa Vieja. Their Cuban cuisine is outstanding, the prices are average, and the mojitos... amazing!

Hope you have a great time visiting us!!

P.S. If you're here towards the last weeks of April, beware of the south. The college olympics are coming up and the Ponce area is not exactly suitable for tourists.