tom42

Hi gotg. Yes, I've been to San Juan quite a few times (in fact, I just got back from a long weekend there last night). However, I've never gone during Christmas/New Years. I'm sorry that I can't give you any good information but I would call a couple of the hotels and ask them directly, starting with the Marriott. Also, give El San Juan Hotel (in Isla Verde) a call. I'd think that NYE would be quite a party there, since a regular weekend night is very lively.

Have fun! I've always wanted to be there for NYE but the hotel prices keep me away.

go_laura

HI Tom,

I came over to this board to see if I could learn more about the differences between the Isla Verde and Condado beach areas, and also whether there are other areas of PR not too far from airport, we might want to consider.

We're looking at a 4 1/2 day get away end of January, and we're a couple in our fifties, no kids or pets. Looking for pure relaxation for this trip, tno' if possible it would be a plus to get to go (either walking or cab, we don't plan to rent a car) to some restaurants frequented by locals in a neighborhood, in a safe area, rather than only hotel restaurants.

Thanks to you and/or anyone else who might be able to help!

schmerl

We prefer the beach in the Isla Verde area. There are some restaurants close to the hotel/resorts that are walkable. You can also just get a taxi.

tom42

I also prefer the beach in Isla Verde over Condado. It's a good walking beach and a calmer surf than the beach in Condado. It's a little bit of a trade off because the Condado area is nicer to walk around than Isla Verde, although Isla Verde is improving - they finally fixed the sidewalks and some more non-hotel restaurants have opened. In Isla Verde, I always make a trip (or two) to Metropol, which is walking distance from the major hotels. It's been there forever (well as long as I have been visiting) and is always crowded with locals and tourists alike. Good Cuban/Puerto Rican food. There is another restaurant called Platos that is also walking distance and serves Puerto Rican food. Other recent places that have opened include Piu Bello and another place a little further down the street that I mentioned in a previous post that was great for breakfast or lunch. Another standby, especially for breakfast or lunch is Mi Casita, also walking distance from the hotels in Isla Verde. So there are definitely non-hotel restaurant options available in Isla Verde.

Condado also has a variety of non-hotel restaurants. It also has more shopping available within walking distance of the hotels than does Isla Verde and it's just more pleasant to walk around in that area.

Whether you stay in Isla Verde or Condado, I'd recommend that you go to dinner one night in Old San Juan, which is a taxi ride away (although Condado is closer).

I am not familiar with any other tourist areas that are close to the airport.

go_laura

Thanks very much to both of you! That's very helpful, as calmer surf is a big plus. We've even been considering southern gulf coast of Florida for this vacation, with its very calm waters, but figure we're taking a chance there on weather being warm enough to swim.

Tom, I'll click on your name to see if you've already shared your Old San Juan dinner favorites in a previous thread!

genio67

go_laura,

I am not sure of your budget but if you plan on a splurge I can certainly recommend Marmalade in Old San Juan. It really is outstanding but very expensive. We also enjoyed Casa Lola in Condado and for something a bit more local you can try El Sabor de Reina, which is located at Plaza del Mercado in Santurce. I had a wonderful churrasco there and it's very inexpensive. On the weekend evenings the entire plaza in this area (La Placita) is a big loud party but very entertaining. You can also try Santaella and Jose Enrique in that area as well. These two places are a bit more upscale.

girlonthego

Just back from San Juan! We stayed at the Marriott on the Condado and Tom is right. It is a very walkable area, close to many restaurants. My family enjoyed the waves in the ocean and weather was pretty damn good considering we flew back to 20 degrees in Virginia. It was 85 and sunny when we left!

For dinner, a lot of people were recommending Marmalade which we did not make it too unfortunately. They said the wine was what made it very expensive. They also said to make reservations in advance (opentable)
We did enjoy our dinner at Oceano. We sat on their patio outside and it was a fun and seemed trendy restaurant with very tasty food.
We did not care for Casa Lola, but it may have just been an off night for them.
We did like a small place, almost right across from the Marriott, called Bar Gitano. It is spanish food, tapas, small plates and was very good. There is a crepe place next door that we ate at one evening looking for something more casual and low key.
If you are staying on the condado, there is a Market called Fresh Mart, which sells some healthy options, organic food store, with salads to go and a small food court upstairs.
Also, CVS and Walgreens sells snacks and cheap wines, (not inexpensive, but cheap brands LOL ) and beer, rums, etc...
For Tom, we did the Marriott's New Years Party and it was a lot of fun! Great salsa music

We also did a horseback riding trip, the biobay trip and a catamaran snorkel trip. We arranged them all through the Marriott, so easy and no car necessary. Really had fun at all of them.

tom42

I was thinking of you and wondering what you ended up doing for NYE. So glad you had a good time.