Dinah

My husband and I will be going to San Juan on July 15th through July 19th. We will be staying at the Comfort Inn Tamara Princess. Has anyone stayed at this hotel or seen it before? It is in the Condado district. I would like to know if we need a rental car to get around in the city or if there are public buses. My husband will be going to different marinas to go fishing and we would like to know if he would have to take a taxi each time if we do not have a rental car. Also, is it safe for me to wander about alone while he is fishing? Any info will be greatly appreciated.

Christie

I would recommend renting a car. Public transporation is a good way to "meet the people" but if you're not into that, a rental car would be better. Cabs get a little expensive- from the airport to Old San Juan was about $20 each way. Puerto Rico is very beautiful. Enjoy your time there!

Cheri

The only problem with renting a car and driving yourself is the lack of signs! Traffic has always been very heavy when we've been there.

Public transportation in Old San Juan is great. It's a free trolley. Cabs tend to be very expensive and the cabbies are experts at ripping you off. We'll get a price quote from the hotel doorman as to how much the fare is to such and such and the cabbies always add a few bucks to the price we were quoted. They'll charge $8 to go a few blocks.

As far as safety goes, I would exercise caution and street smarts that you would use in any large city. There are signs in the Isla Verde region advising not to take or wear valuables on the beach.

Have fun! If you like Mexican food try the restaurant on the top floor of the El San Juan Hotel. Awesome guacamole made at your table!

Jackie

The worst part about driving in Puerto Rico is the lack of traffic signs! My husband and I recently visited the (June 15-25) island with out two sons and spent more time attempting to figure out where we wre & where we were going! Also, the guides don't tell you this, but Puerto Rico is over-run with starving and sickly dogs and cats! For this reason alone I would not reccomend traveling there. The lack of concern on the part of the P.R governement is disgusting! Be prepared, emaciated animals begging for food would creep out from the bushes and approach our car when we stopped to read the map. Fortunately, all of the animals we encountered were gentle, but it breaks one's heart to see such suffering (especially in U.S territory). Good luck

Diane

I spent about 2 weeks in Puerto Rico last January, a week in San Juan, a couple of days driving around (South to Ponce, West to Boqueron then back to San Juan). I didn't notice an overabundance of sick, stray animals at all, however there are some pretty depressing areas of the city
(besides the airport), away from old San Juan and the tourist areas. We also spent 3 days on Vieques Island. Everything there was quite lovely. I would strongly recommend an overnight trip out of San Juan to see more than just the big hotels and casinos. The "new" highway from San Juan to Ponce is really nice and the views are quite grand.