Anyone been to Puerto Rico lately? I'm thinking of taking the wife in Feb/March to get away from the kids. My wife loves the beach so this is more for her than anything.

I've never been so I'm open to ideas. Just looking to get away from 3-5 nights and want easy access to the beach.

Y'all can tag along with Hollywood and admire his fabulous nails and hair.

Lol

Potcake said:

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Y'all can tag along with Hollywood and admire his fabulous nails and hair.

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The hair salon that he went to for many years just closed down. So, his hair and nails might not be fabulous for long.....

Potcake said:

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Y'all can tag along with Hollywood and admire his fabulous nails and hair.

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I did win a beautiful baby contest on the Island. So there's that.

murphyag said:

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Potcake said:

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Y'all can tag along with Hollywood and admire his fabulous nails and hair.

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The hair salon that he went to for many years just closed down. So, his hair and nails might not be fabulous for long.....

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Actually, two months after I had the Vid, my gorgeous long blond hair started falling out.
So I shaved it all off. It's about halfway grown back by now.

I am sure Hollywood will get Covid for a 4th or 5th time so he can't go. But in all seriousness, anyone have some good recommendations on where to stay?

Does Puerto Rico offer some nice all inclusive resorts like Mexico does? TIA.

Sorry to hijack. We have only spent single nights going to and from BVI so we always stayed in the Condado area of San Juan. There are some beaches nearby. I know a lot of people like Fajardo. I think there is a pretty famous resort there, the Castillo or something like that. I also think there are some bioluminescent tours nearby.

ETA. It isn't called Castillo, it's El Conquistador.

I haven't been since 2014 so, prior to Maria but... as I understand it, things are pretty back to normal.

In this modern Covid era, I just read an article saying that they're checking vax cards at certain hotel resorts in the Condado area of San Juan.

Sort of depends how old your kids are and what you're really looking for.

There's a lot to see around Puerto Rico.
El Yunque Rainforest
Bioluminescent Bays
Sadly, the Arecibo Dish is no longer there
Old San Juan and especially the El Morro fort. Think about the fact that San Juan is over 500 years old.

We've stayed in Palmas del Mar a couple of times and enjoyed that. Walk to the beach and some of the rentals have their own pool. There's a Wal Mart in Humacao so you can stock up on your shopping. When I was a kid, we used to have to drive to Caguas to go shopping.

A couple things we did that I enjoyed was staying in the Rincon area on the northwest coast.

And my wife and youngest daughter went horseback riding near Isabela and really enjoyed it.

We aren't planning on bringing the kids. And we would prefer to stay right on the beach. Any all inclusive resorts you know about?

https://www.conquistadorresort.com/

Thanks.

The St Regis out by El Yunque

aggiederelict said:

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We aren't planning on bringing the kids. And we would prefer to stay right on the beach. Any all inclusive resorts you know about?

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Yeah, I misread your OP regarding the kids.

I don't know much about AI in PR but, a quick search says that the Rincon Beach Resort might be AI.
https://www.rinconbeach.com/

We stayed there way back in 2007 so I couldn't tell you what it's like today. But, I can say that it was really nice having the pool right next to the beach.

No all-inclusive that I know if. If you find one let me know. I have clients asking all the time.

aggiederelict said:

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I am sure Hollywood will get Covid for a 4th or 5th time so he can't go. But in all seriousness, anyone have some good recommendations on where to stay?

Does Puerto Rico offer some nice all inclusive resorts like Mexico does? TIA.

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My dad lives in PR so I go back and visit every few months. PR doesnt have any all inclusive resorts like other tourist destinations. The reason is because PR is a lot safer than Mexico or Jamaica. You can rent a car and drive around the entire island and feel safe. Thats the beauty about PR, is you can explore all around and dont have to just stay in one spot.

I believe the W in Vieques was all inclusive but a google search shows it closed down. Some nice hotels in San Juan near the beach: Intercontinental, El San Juan Hotel, La Concha.

Makes sense. Thanks for your insight.

If you plan a trip to the bioluminescent bay, be sure to do so when the moon is not too bright. It's a long drive and the luminescence is underwhelming if the night is not dark.

My wife and I went in 2017. We stayed in San Juan for a night or two and we're very impressed. We don't enjoy the bar scene/casinos, etc so take that for what it's worth. I can't see staying there very long. The old fort was cool as was the historic part of SJ.

We got a rental and drove most of the west side of the island. Stopped when we wanted to, got airbnbs in Rincon and somewhere further southwest.

Mar Chiquita beach - isolated cove beach, good snorkeling.
Crashboat beach - nice spot with old pier. Maybe a bit more authentic.
Gilligans Island, Gunica - south coast.
Toured a small coffee farm/plantation in central mountains, very pretty - I believe it was Sandra Farms. Best coffee I've ever had.

If you drive, it's pretty and the driving itself is enjoyable, just know that it's a bit windy and drivers are not by the book at all.

Our favorite vacation ever. We went in 2016 and stayed at the Ritz Carlton. Right on the beach.

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The reason is because PR is a lot safer than Mexico or Jamaica. You can rent a car and drive around the entire island and feel safe. Thats the beauty about PR, is you can explore all around and dont have to just stay in one spot.

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^^ This is so true. We ate at roadside stands and off the beaten path restaurants. We found a hiking trail and a huge waterfall that we played in for hours. You can take a catamaran trip, zip lines through the jungle and tour the old town of San Juan - all that's just off the top of my head.

It's been 7 or 8 years but I built 2 projects there. I always stayed in Condado at the La Concha.

I think you are probably looking for something like the Conquistador. Many of the snorkel, Culebra trips leave from there as well. If you are at the marina in Fajardo walk around and look at all the boats seized by customs, for some reason I found that fascinating.

Much more off the beaten path but I really like the other side of the island better. You will love the beaches from Ponce to Cabo Rojo. Surfers come from all over the world to surf the break at Cabo Rojo.

I highly encourage you to rent a car and explore. Lots to see. Their Spanish is spoken faster. You'll notice a difference from TexMex or northern Mexican Spanish. All tourist facing people and the business
profesionals speak English. The lady at the Dunkin' Donuts probably isn't confident enough to speak English FYI.

I miss it and hope to go back soon. My Spanish has sucked since I left.

Build It said:

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The lady at the Dunkin' Donuts probably isn't confident enough to speak English FYI.

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I saw this many times in PR where the counter help would see me walk in and assume I didn't hablo.
So, they would go in the back and bring their best English speaker to the counter to wait on me.

They all take English in school, but most of them just don't feel comfortable speaking it.

Olive Boutique hotel in Condado is great. On the lagoon and centrally located.

We're flying to San Juan on Friday, staying at the El Conquistador for the night, and then getting on a sailboat Saturday for a week. Gonna island hop around Culebra, Viequez, etc... Our first trip to PR so we're excited.

What family friendly resorts do you recommend?

TulaneAg said:

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We're flying to San Juan on Friday, staying at the El Conquistador for the night, and then getting on a sailboat Saturday for a week. Gonna island hop around Culebra, Viequez, etc... Our first trip to PR so we're excited.

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Flamenco Beach on Culebra is one of the 2 or 3 most beautiful beaches I've been to anywhere. Enjoy !

No all-inclusives that I know of either.

I have sent clients to:
Condado Vanderbilt
Fairmont El San Juan Hotel
Serafina Beach Hotel

All have great beach front access and beautiful views!

I am planning my 10 year anniversary and pretty locked in on PR. Right now I am looking between the Condado Vanderbilt and La Concha.

Anyone have any opinions on those by chance? Also looking for things to do. Not sure if we will be getting a car but we like active stuff like the Zipline stuff I have already seen.

My very limited, and quite possibly incorrect understanding is essentially that generally AIs aren't allowed in US or territories. The only AI I've seen people reference in the US is a Club Med in Florida away from beaches. It hasn't gotten good reviews that I've seen either, and people have said that was grandfathered in. I've never seen a law referenced specifically, so I'm not sure it's "illegal" or anything.

PR just dropped all of their covid travel restrictions today. No more requirements for proof of vaccine or negative test. Just in time for my trip next week