Who has gone to Puerto Rico?

[Kangol]

I'm thinking of a short SC run and holiday to Puerto Rico next month in the middle of a US trip and was wondering what people think of it?
ie where to stay, what to do, places to visit, etc
My understanding is that it is a safe place to visit and there are no problems with an Australian passport (and valid ESTA)?
Tried to search but nothing specific came up..

 

[Princess Fiona]

I only stayed overnight due to time constraints.
Stayed at the Hampton Inn SJU near the airport $10 in a taxi. Safe and clean.
There was a LONG line-up for TSA the next morning and no priority as far as I could see only Crew.
I would be happy to go back again and stay a bit longer, maybe in the Old Town

 

[pagingjoan]

My experience is rather dated, but I did spend six days in Puerto Rico in 2004. The reason for the trip was a conference, which took place at the Caribe Hilton in San Juan. My memory is of a large and busy hotel, not in the best of condition but with several pools, pleasant gardens and a beach front location.

Our visit coincided with local elections, which certainly added to the colour and atmosphere at the time, and we also had the entertainment of Halloween, which is a major festival there. The costumes at various grand functions around the hotel were eye popping.

We took a couple of days driving around the island and enjoyed the experience, and the old town is worth exploring. I spent quite some time wandering around by myself and had no problem at all with safety and security.

Rather out of date, as I said, but hope this helps with some background.

 

[serfty]

I only stayed overnight due to time constraints.
Stayed at the Hampton Inn SJU near the airport $10 in a taxi. Safe and clean.
There was a LONG line-up for TSA the next morning and no priority as far as I could see only Crew.
I would be happy to go back again and stay a bit longer, maybe in the Old Town

I have done this three times now - the taxi is "flat rate" starting at $10 and each bag (including laptop/carryon) is another $1, there's a night fee of $1 and a fuel surcharge of $2 - expect to pay at least $15 each way.

PR is a USA protectorate, so there is no immigration/customs between mainland USA and San Juan in either direction.

 

[Kangol]

Thanks, booked my flights and am now looking for a hotel on expedia - no Accor hotels so I'll go for a good value one near the beach! Any suggestions?

 

[Princess Fiona]

I have done this three times now - the taxi is "flat rate" starting at $10 .

I must have got lucky twice
They did tell me it was a special discount
( and I did tip of course on top of the fare)

 

[get me outta here]

You could perhaps read a few reviews on Tripadvisor: Search results: puerto rico - TripAdvisor