Randi

Years ago my wife & I were in Puerto Rico for a week & we stayed at the Hyatt Dorado in San Juan & played a little golf. Back then it was very nice. Has anyone been there recently? Another question, does anyone have some recommendations where else to stay - San Juan or another city. Also, do you have any restaurant suggestions.

john

yes, I recently got back from Puerto Rico. Enjoyed it very much and highly recommend. Note that I recently posted right on this site under the heading "I loved Ponce" some of the highlights of my trip.

Jana

I haven't been to PR in a few years myself and am thinking about going sometime soon - hate winter! I would love to hear about places to stay (or stay away from) and must go restaurants also. Last time we stayed in Humacao but would like to try another part of the island. Suggestions?

Eileen

We stayed at the Dorado in 99 and loved it. They have recently completed a major renovation so I am sure it is even nicer now. Hyatt considers it one of their "showcase" properties -- I am sure you won't be disappointed if you stay there again. Su Casa at Hyatt Dorado is one of the best restaurants we have been to in the Caribbean.

R

Thanks for everyone's help. I have done some research & came up with a place in Rincon on the same side of the island just east of San Juan. A couple of real nice hotels there one being the Rincon Beach Resort (a new hotel) & Horned Dorset Primavera, a real class operation. Also, understand that the Puereto Rico government has bought airline tickets for anyone wanting to go there for free. You have to leave from one of the many airports, but at real savings & you have to do it before the 15th of December. You also have to get in touch with one of the travel agents listed on their site. We still have our thoughts on Dorado, but things could change. Thanks to all for your help & we are on our way!

rqf

For the free ticket deal you have to fly out of either JFk or EWR. The Dorado hasn't changed much over the years - recently renovated. Rincon is about 70 miles west of San Juan. Leaving for PR on Wednesday taking advantage of the free tickets (you pay taxes) deal.. Staying at the Wyndham El SAn Juan.

Jana

Any other Puerto Rico suggestions and opinions? Has anyone else stayed in Ponce and roamed about from there? San Juan seems too much like a big, busy city - will go for a few days, but would like to have a quiet spot to stay and visit other areas of Puerto Rico. Thanks.

Mariarosa

My two favorite places in Puerto Rico are the islands of Vieques and Culebra and the southwestern part of the island (Guanica, Cabo Rojo, La Parguera, etc.). I like Vieques and Culebra for the drop-dead gorgeous beaches and for the rustic environment. Swimming in the Biolumniscent Bay in Vieques has been one of my favorite experiences ever (Check out www.biobay.com for pictures of this bay). I have stayed in Vieques twice and been to Culebra twice as a day-trip (to Flamenco beach). Few and humble accomodations in both places, and not exactly charming, but cheap and fun.<BR><BR>The southwestern part of Puerto Rico also has a great feel to it. Enjoyed eating two fish empanadillas and drinking a coconut (total cost $4) while people-watching at La Parguera. The area around the Lighthouse in Cabo Rojo is very pretty and there are some nice beaches nearby. Loved Guilligan's Island in Guanica - near the Copamarina - a small mangrove spit with calm, clear water. If you base yourself in either Ponce or Rincon, you can definitely visit all these places.

Mariarosa

Forgot to mention that you stay at the Hyatt, you get up early one day of your vacation and do a day-trip to any one of the places I mentioned.

Annie

Mariarosa, thanks for the information about Puerto Rico and places to go and things to see. Have you seen or stayed at the Ponce Hilton? Any thoughts on this hotel? We thought about the Copamarina, but we did not want to feel so secluded. Ponce seemed like a good choice - near Guanica and other places for day trips and yet have a little taste of the city. We are planning to stay in the Ponce area for 5 days and then spend 2 days in San Juan at the Intercontinental- visit San Juan, Old San Juan, and the casinos!

Iwanna

There must be a few more of you out there who have vacationed in Puerto Rico and could share some information which would be helpful to Randi, Jana and others.

sally

I have travelled to Puerto Rico the last two winters. the first year I stayed with a friend in Humacao at the big resort there. The beach was great (and free lodging was wonderful). The downside to my stay was that I thought all the restaurants there were awful. They were all very expensive ($60 for greasy Chinese food for two people) and none were good. The small food market in the resort was bad too. Nothing fresh or very appealing. However, I was told that there is a good supermarket outside the resort if you have access to a car while you are there. The hotel part of the community seemed pretty deserted in March. <BR>Last year I stayed at the Hyatt Cerromar. I really enjoyed staying there for a long weekend with a college pal. The beach is also great there and I liked the food and facilities much better. However, it was pretty crowded so if you are looking for a romantic weekend on a deserted island, this might not be the place for you. The Dorado seemed less crowded and more calm. There was definitely an older crowd there (I am in my 20s). A couple things to keep in mind: (1) check if it is a typical school vacation the week you are planning to go (Christmas and mid-February are pretty common school v acations) as I think the Dorado and Cerromar both got a lot of families and I imagine that includes some screaming kids; (2) the Dorado and Cerromar always have deals going on (e.g. 4th night free), especially now. our trip was through an American Airline package (FYI - if you buy travel insurance you can cancel up to an hour before you leave and I think get a full refund. At least you can change the dates which we did as my friend got sick the day before we were to go); (3) if you are only going for a few days and time is important, the Cerromar was very efficient (a shuttle picked us up from and drove us to the airport; it was much closer to the airport). <BR>Also on my first trip, we needed to stay in San Juan one night for an early morning flight. we stayed at the Gallery Inn (look it up in the fodors book on line for more info) which was great. IT is an old home and very fun to stay there for a night, although it is not near a beach and might not be comfortable for a longer stay.

Mariarosa

Hi Annie! No, I have never stayed in Ponce (always stopped there as a day-trip) and unfortunately I don't know anything about the Ponce Hilton either.<BR><BR>I also agree with Sally. My family had (MANY years ago) a family reunion at the Hyatt Dorado Beach. I was pretty young, but I remember that the Cerromar side had a lot of families and kids and the Dorado Beach side was quieter with less kids.

bill

Hi Annie, We recently stayed at the Ponce Hilton. Very nice hotel with a casino and several nice resturants and several bars with live music. The hotel is south of town on the Caribbean, somewhat isolated from the rest of the town, but very secure with gated entrance to the property. Ponce is a good place to visit, but i think five days there is too long unless you plan to use it as a base and drive to other areas such as the west coast. I personnaly would stay two days in Ponce and five days in San Juan. Couple of things not to miss in Ponce. 1. Castillo Serralles, a large restored 1930s home of the founder of Don Q rum. Nice tour (available in English) and great views from the house overlooking the city. 2. Mark's at the Melia Hotel, on the town plaza. One of the BEST resturants on the island. Don't miss this one. Copamarina has a good reputation, but I did not care for it personally. Somewhat isolated and limited resturant options. OK for a quiet, pretty beach.

Annie

Bill, thanks for the information on the Ponce Hilton and "not to miss" things to do and see. I think we made the right choice with the Ponce Hilton, plus we got a great rate for the holiday week! We do plan to use it as a base and take some scenic drives around the island which we loved doing the last time we were there. Puerto Rico is a beautiful island and we are looking forward to seeing the west coast this time. We plan to go to San Juan for a few days at the end of our stay. This will be a first for us-actually spending Christmas someplace other than home. Made our Christmas Eve dinner reservation at the La Cava at the Ponce. Maybe we'll go to Mark's at the Melia on Christmas Day. Thanks again, and Happy Holidays to you!

R

This is for RQF, not trying to correct you, but the site for the free flying deal to Puerto Rico says more airport hubs than just New York. Their is Atlanta, Miami, Ft. Lauderdale & Chicago. Yes, Rinco is west of San Juan, my mistake. Also, to get all this information, its located right here on Fodors website. That is where I got most of my information for us to book at Rinco at the Rinco Beach Resort. All you have to do is go to one of the travel agents at any of the airport hubs from their advertisement & they will fix you up.<BR><BR>As for the rest of the questions & replys they are pretty good. The food reply kind of gets to me as my wife & I really enjoyed the cusine of Puerto Rico. We didn't go there to have Chinese food. We have found that the markets in San Juan were great! Although Sally is talking about a different place then San Juan. The beaches there are very nice & beautiful to the eye & you can walk a lot of them for miles & not hardly see anyone else, but don't let that go without saying. We were there a long time ago, might not be that way today. In my opinion the Hyatt Dorado Resort before & after their muti-million dollar renovation is the best place to stay in San Juan. If you like golfing its bettter then ever! Happy hoidays all!

sally

To respond the R's comment about the cuisine, I think what you need to consider is if you are staying at a resort that is far from a city or large town, the only restaurants that will be accessible to you will be those at the resort. So, if the restaurants at your resort are bad, you are stuck eating there anyway. Doesn't sound like a big deal but a week of expensive crummy food should be avoided, if possible, in my opinion.

Jana

Sally, did you stay at the Palmas del Mar in Humacao? How did you get free lodging?