One Week in Puerto Rico
 

My friend and I would like to spend a week in Puerto Rico. We're looking for rest, relaxation, and something to do at night. Any suggestions? <BR> <BR>Melissa

We love the Hyatt Dorado/Hyatt Cerramar, about 40 minutes outside of San Juan. The two properties share all facilities and there is a small casino, lots of restaurants. Stay at the Dorado if you really want peace and quiet during the day and the beach is better than Cerramar's. It may not be enough nightlife for you though. I do not recommend staying in San Juan unless you want a big city atmosphere not an island one.

I have no problem relaxing in the big city. The spot to find all in in Isla Verde. Lots of hotels to choose from. From the Hampton Inn all the way up to the El San Juan and Ritz Carlton. Lots of night time activity there! All within walking distance. <BR>Ronnie

Isla Verde is far from quiet and relaxed, but it is the hub of nightime activity! I particularly don't care for Isla Verde, although there are number of nice hotels in the area. My recommendation for rest and relaxation with some nightime activities would be either Rincon or Ponce. Lajas (La Parguera) on the weekends is quite lively and about an hour from Ponce.

We live on the NW coast of Puerto Rico and always recommend to visitors that they get out of the city. PR is definitely not just San Juan. To get a true feel of paradise, travel west and head over to Isabela/Jobos Beach, Rincon (try dinner at the Lazy Parrot and then watch the killer waves across the street), Boqueron, and Cabo Rojo (the lighthouse, not El Pueblo). <BR> <BR>Head east to El Yunque and lose yourself in the rainforest. Amazing. Fajardo and the El Conquistador Resort is amazing -- worth a day trip. <BR> <BR>Head into the mountains, say Maricao, and you'll see a completely different Puerto Rico. A week is enough time to see the entire island, including the southern pearl of Ponce. <BR> <BR>Enjoy your trip. When are you coming? The weather right now is just gorgeous - lows about 72 at night, highs about 85 and only about 60% humidity. nice and breezy with beautiful blue skies.

has the rainforest recovered yet? i was in El Yunque about a year back and it had been decimated by a hurricane (I can't remember which one). and either the hurricane blew all the signs down or it was poorly marked (like amny things there) because we had a hell of a time finding it!

Agree with the comments on getting out of San Juan. We spent two nights at the Lazy Parrot Inn in Rincon and loved it. You can see several traveler reviews of this inn at wheretostay.com. We explored from there, drove back roads running along water almost the entire way to Ponce, just bummed around. The inn is great, and the area beautiful and more typical of old PR. Highly recommended. The roads are very good, but if you're renting a car to explore the island, buy a map stateside before you go (we got one at Barnes & Noble); it was indispensible. Folks also highly recommended the East coast to us, unfortunately, we did not have time to go there. Next time. <BR> <BR>Isla Verde, while fine for the two days we were there, reminded me of Miami... <BR>

I spent a week at El Conquistador in January and it was amazing! The complex is huge and beautiful and there are lots of activities. The beach is actually on a private island accessible via a free water taxi - it is for hotel guests only so it is quite easy to find a nice private spot on the beach. The rooms were large and quite nice, there is a Golden Door Spa, and some of the restaurants were quite good (with the exception of the $10 hamburger!). Enjoy!