8-hour layover in San Juan, P.R.
 

We are changing planes in San Juan and would like to enjoy Old San Juan. Best way to get there? Ideas for good, inexpensive lunch? On return flight, is there time to go to the rain forest?

The only practical way to get from the airport to OSJ is to take a taxi - it's about a 20 minute ride. If you went by bus you'll spend at least an hour going each way.

There are a host of restaurants in OSJ that provide good inexpensive lunches. If you post your question and/or search the archives on the Puerto Rico forum at tripadvisor.com you'll get lots of suggestions on where to eat - it's a very active forum with PR/SJU experts.

Sorry, don't understand your question about the rainforest. Are you asking if you have time to visit both OSJ and the rainforest or were you thinking of visiting the rainforest during a layover "on your return flight"? If the former I doubt you'd have time to do both. If the latter, it depends on what time you arrive in SJU as that determines how much "daylight" you have.

I've had similarly long layovers in SJU and have chosen to leave the airport to enjoy a little of what San Juan has to offer. Once I just wanted a nice lunch on the beach to relax, so I went to Pamela's restaurant at Hotel Numero Uno, which was very good. They have umbrellas tables right on the sand and I took a book along for a long, leisurely lunch. The food was very good although there was a bit too much of it. I loved being there outside, people watching, lingering over my book, and enjoying the sounds of the ocean.

Once I went to Old San Juan and knew that I wanted to go back to the restaurant at El Convento (I think it might be called Patio Nispero) for lunch. That day they happened to be handing out free sangria coupons with lunch--the food was excellent and the interior courtyard location was beautiful and cool enough to feel refreshing from the heat of the day (it's an open air courtyard).

I'm not sure about the rainforest option. I would personally be a little reluctant trying to do that on a layover because if the taxi had a flat tire or something happened, it might be a while before anybody could come to the rescue, thus risking missing the flight. In San Juan, though, it wouldn't be an issue.

Many options for a SJU layover - Pamelas is great for a beachy lunch, just be sure to ask the cab driver to come back for you as it is in a residential, gated neighborhood. If you want to see Old San Juan and shop a bit, El Convento is always delightful and Parrot Club is also a lot of fun with great food. There is great shopping to be had there and touring the Fort is very interesting as well. Also, the Ritz Carlton is a stone's throw from the airport - you could lunch and sunbathe there for a bit, too!

ejcrowe - can share anything else about El Convento? we are staying there the end of the month. I didn't book it, so don't really know anything about it. Close to beach? etc. Thanks.

same question for travel gal

Gracias for your ideas - creative and sensible. Looking forward to trying them out.

travlgal, we did the same thing. we missed our connection to anguilla, so we had an 8 hour layover in OSJ. DH and I had been to PR once before so we knew the hotels were close, so we hopped on a taxi to the Ritz. (good thing we had our bathing suits, we just had to buy suncreen, which cost like $18 at the ritz, i might add) We spent a glorius day subathing on the beach with umbrella cocktails in hand. what an awesome layover! can all layovers be like that?

emrutten: I'm not sure what you want to know about El Convento, but here's what I can tell you. I've only stayed there when I wanted to experience Old San Juan, not when I also wanted to get a beach experience, so things I liked about the hotel might be the same things that you could dislike about it. I loved its location in Old San Juan that was perfect for exploring by foot. I loved the history of the building itself and how beautifully it's been preserved. I liked that though the rooms are on the small side, they are nicely appointed in a way that blends modern ameneties with the original architecture, like huge exposed ceiling beams. They put on a very nice wine & cheese rooftop reception every evening for guests--you can sip wine while watching the sunset, mingling with other guests, and watching the cruise ships enter the harbor.

The courtyard restaurant serves an alfresco breakfast and lunch and the few meals that I've had there have all been quite good, with lunch seeming like the better value oddly enough.

I just love the atmosphere there and I also like its intimacy. I'm not a fan of large resorts anyway, thought.

Any other specific questions?

ejcrowe:
We just got back from San Juan and loved El Convento. Agree with everything that you said.
Thanks

In 8 hours, you have plenty of time to enjoy either Old San Juan or El Yunque, but not both. I wouldn't hesitate to go to El Yunque if that's what I wanted to do. You can do a couple of short easy hikes and have plenty of time to stop for some lunch and get back to the airport before your onward flight. Same with Old San Juan. You can enjoy the city, have lunch, and get back with time to spare.

Obviously take a taxi if you go to Old San Juan. You might be able to take an organized tour to El Yunque, meeting up with the tour at one of the hotels in Isla Verde, which is right by the airport (a very quick taxi ride away).

Glad you enjoyed it! I'm trying to figure out how to work in one night there again during my trip this summer.