flygirl

Hi all

considering a short trip down there in a few months. any 4-5 star hotels you'd recommend? also interesting things you've sought out... A coworker tells me of the lagoons with bioluminescent little critters, I thought that sounded pretty nifty. The rainforest sounds like fun, too.

resto recos would be great, too. thank you!

doug_stallings

There are several good hotels in San Juan. I like the Marriott in Condado, but there are others. There's a good bioluminiscent bay in Vieques, but it's not very feasible to do on a day-trip from San Juan; you'd need to spend the night. The rain forest is an easy day-trip. We recommend many good hotels and restaurants on our site. Check out the listings under Puerto Rico.

canterbury417

We loved the Ritz Carlton in San Juan.

MIM04

Depending on how soon you decide to go, I would not stay at the Marriott. They are re-doing the outside of the hotel and many rooms will not have balcony access until this is complete. If you go once it is finished, it is a very nice resort. I am a huge fan of the Wyndham El San Juan Hotel and Casino, it is a great property. Also, there is a Renaissance opening (due to open in November) There are many hotels there that are very nice.

Old San Juan has tons of wonderful restuarants. I love Parrot Club, Dragon Fly and Aquaviva. Also, in San Juan Ajili Mojili is wonderful!

marigross

What is your budget? I also love El San Juan in Isla Verde. Some people like El Convento in Old San Juan (no beach).

If you go to Fajardo (east coast) you could stay at El Conquistador and go to the bioluminiscent bay there in the night. It is not as well known but it is still quite impressive. There are kayak excursions you could take.

There are tons of very good restaurants in OSJ, Condado and Isla Verde. The recs for Parrot Club, Dragon Fly and Aquaviva (this one is my least favorite with the lowest food/cost value - still good though). Ajili Mojili is OK but geared towards tourism. The exception would be their Sunday buffet which is frequented by many locals. If you are a bit adventurous I would get a cab and go off the beaten path to the Casita Blanca in Santurce for a more 'real' PR food.

There are several world-grade restaurants in the San Juan area: Augusto's, Compostela (Spanish Food), Pikayo in the new museum in Santurce.

My favorites for seafood are Miro's in Condado and Marisqueria Atlantica in Isla Verde. Che's is a wonderful argentinian style steak house. Metrool is a sure bet for a good cuban meal for a great price.

flygirl

thanks to everyone!

budget would be in the 4+ star category. not sure what that translates to actually.

tom42

I just returned from my annual summer trip to Puerto Rico. I stayed half the time at Wyndham El San Juan and half at the Caribe Hilton. El San Juan, as usual, was terrific. Caribe Hilton had some problems but it is a nice property very close to both Condado and Old San Juan (but in neither - both require a very short cab ride). I have to agree with some of the restaurant recommendations here. There is quite a bustling restaurant and lounge scene in Old San Juan. I ate at the Parrot Club and Dragonfly - both owned, along with Aquaviva and Fogata, by the same group of investors. Both restaurants were excellent. You should know going in that they are small, noisy and crowded. The food was very good, especially at Dragonfly - which serves an Asian-latin fusion menu. Dragonfly was the most bizarre and cool restaurant I've ever been in - it is all red, it is dark, lit mostly with many candles and the tables are very very close. It is a very sexy restaurant. I went on a Saturday night and it was packed. I really enjoyed the peking duck nachos and the Mongolian beef.

I also ate at Ajilli Mojilli (twice) and it was very good. I had written it off a couple of years ago but decided to give it a try in its new location and I was not disappointed. Very good. If you go, the Pumpkin fritters with a salsa-type dipping sauce are soooo good (they are not on the menu but they will make them if you ask).

I'd be happy to answer any other specific questions you have about lodging, restaurants and nightlife.

luv2travl2

Hi Flygirl!
I was PR at the end of April and a girlfriend and I stayed at the Wyndham El San Juan. It was a really nice hotel right on the beach. It's pricey, but I enjoyed my stay. The hotel has a club so you don't have to go far for nightlife if you don't want to. It also has some nice restaurants on the property.

While you're in SJ you have to go into Old San Juan and since you're a "flygirl" I know that you will enjoy the Coach outlet store. They have great deals and there is no tax!! I brought home 2 purses.

The parrot club was delicious and we ate at the Palms restaurant at the hotel. We probably she have ventured out more for food now that I reflect upon my trip.

Also, make sure you go on the Bacardi tour. I wouldn't sign up for a $40 tour....it's a rip-off. You can catch a ferry and a taxi and go to the Bacardi factory yourself and they'll take you on a tour.
Have a safe and fun trip!

flygirl

hey, thank you to everyone for this information!! I'm heading to NZ in 10 days or so, so I don't have time to do much more research now, but, this is a great start and when I get back I can start thinking about this... thanks again!

SAnParis

I would opt for El Convento myself, they also have a fine restaurant there & you are smack in the middle of Old San Juan.

jagger

The caves at Camuy were awesome. Besides the caves, the area around it is similar to the rainforest and we saw lots of things that you would see in the rainforest. Our guide pointed all of this out to us when we were en route to the caves.

Also, we spent 5 days in Vieques and it was the best trip! If you have some time, and you want to relax and see some beautiful beaches and eat some delicious food, I would recommend that you go there. But there's not a whole lot to do there so if you are looking for action, it's not the place for you.

newyorkergal

We stayed at the El Convento in Old San Juan for a few days. Boy it was tough as we were coming from Peter Island. Yes it's a great location and you can walk around the old town. It's a 200+ year old former convent (and it sure felt like it). Ugh don't get me started.

If I had to do it all over again, I would stay at the beaches and take a taxi in. I would vote for the Ritz-Carlton.