<BR>Have a long lay over in San Juan,need the name of a hotel near theairport that has tours. <BR> <BR>help, <BR>Sue

Why a hotel, unless you will stay overnight? There is a Puerto Rico Tourism "Welcome Room" in the baggage pick-up section of the airport. (By the way, this is a really horrible airport.) The staff are charming and will have all sorts of options for you. <BR>We had a 9:30am until 2:30pm layover last month. We checked our bags with US Airways for the 2:30pm flight, then took a cab to Old San Juan (set fare was $17, I think. I've been there before and knew where we wanted to go, but you might prefer to ask the cab to take you to El Morro, the fort. It is very interesting. Then walk back to the town. You can either follow a self-directed walking tour (from booklet available at the tourism center I mentioned earlier) or hop on the trolley which takes you by most of the points of interest. Have lunch somewhere interesting (Amadeus is my favorite). Catch a cab back to the airport. Hopefully you'll have as pleasant a day as we did. The PR Tourism people may have other interesting suggestions -- a tour of the rain forest is not too challenging of a walk for most people. There are some nice things to do in San Juan, and it isn't hard to learn about them!

Sue, <BR> <BR>Two weeks ago we had a long wait for our flight after disembarking from our cruise ship. We checked in at the airport, then checked our carry-on bags (there's a facility that provides this service for $2 per bag). We took a cab ($8) to the El San Juan hotel where we spent the day. Lounged poolside for a while, had a bite to eat, visited the casino, checked out the hotel shops, walked around outside the hotel (busy area with hotels and shops) - did all this while, most interestingly, people watching. After 5-1/2 hours, we took the cab back to the airport to board our flight. <BR> <BR>Tours are expensive. I find it more interesting to observe and savor an area in detail rather than whisk through glancing at buildings and scenery. <BR> <BR>Enjoy, the weather is warm and balmy - a delight to us from the north.

<BR>Thank for the information , I'm sure we'll have a great time. <BR> <BR>Sue

TO OLGA....where is the facility at the San Juan airport to check your carry ons for $2. We had a 9 to 5 layover there in Dec and had to stay at the airport because we couldn't find anything to do with our carry ons.

PMFJI, but it is on the main floor, not the "basement" baggage pickup area. I'd planned to check a big bag there while we spent a couple days in Vieques, but the Vieques Air Link people offered me the same deal. If you can't find out from the air crew of the flight that brings you there, you might ask the people at the Dept of Agriculture baggage scanning station. Oooh all day in the airport. How depressing.

The old San Juan area is about 10-15 minutes taxi ride from the Airport and much worth it than spending the time in a hotel (?). Old San Juan is absolutely breathtakinga s far as places to see, the people, the fort (El Morro), and it is a nice walkable area. <BR>Do it on you own, take a taxi to Old San Juan, tell them to drop you by the Fort El Morro. Visit and then as you head out, bare to your left. Within walking distance you can also visit Casa Blanca (Ponce de Leon's House), o rthe Cathedral (where he was buried). You can also walk to the Palace of the Governor (La Fortaleza). Plenty to see!!!! Don't miss the boat!!! <BR>