First Flight to P.R.

[Timebuilder]

Any "must do's" during a four day trip to Puerto Rico? Restauants? Tourist stuff?

 

[ceo_of_the_sofa]

Agree on a cab price before you get in...Go to the old city, plenty of things to see (not in the fortress itself, but the town part)...There are some nice casinos by the beach, less than 5 minutes from the airport, and some nice beachfront restaurants...

It's pretty much like any East Coast resort towns...'cept everyone (and I mean everyone) speaks Spanish, so you may wanna brush up (even in Burger King, they fully expect you to order in the local tongue)

Enjoy

 

[Timebuilder]

I can see it now:

Seniorita, losiento, no habla espanol, uno whopper with cheese, por favor.

 

[ceo_of_the_sofa]

I can see it now:

Seniorita, losiento, no habla espanol, uno whopper with cheese, por favor.

may wanna make it:

uno whopper con queso, por favor

and look relaxed

 

[Timebuilder]

Thanks. I've spent the last two weeks on French, so I'm a little behind the curve on Spanish.

My office just called, and I won't have the native-speaking captain after all. I'd better pick up a phraseology dictionary....

 

[na265]

When we were there, they were having a street festival by the forte. EVERYONE was giving away free mixed drinks made with Bacardi rum. The drinks are very strong! Cool. There was also a lot of eye candy. The women were way hot. Do the Bacardi tour. It was good also. Don't believe the stuff about only being able to get this rum and that rum only in PR. I found the same stuff at my local liquor store, only cheaper. Our CEO and his wife went to the rain forest and really enjoyed that also. As they say, good place to visit, wouldn't want to live there. Have fun, it's a great trip.

 

[Mr. Irrelevant]

Timebuilder,


na265 is right on the moey. I lived there for a few years as a child and remember it well. Nice place to visit. The rain forest was refered to as El Yunque. It's a pretty wild place to see and worth the visit if you have 5-6 hours. Tours are probably available.

The old city is pretty cool. Lots of good restaurants. There was a cuban restaurant called the Metropol but it may be closed at this point. All the cruise ships dock nearby so the tourists are out pretty heavy there. There is also an old fort I believe is called El Morro that people like to visit.

If you have a free day and can leave the island, I'd try to the Virgin Islands somewhere. The snorkeling there beats P.R. hands done. If you're a surfer, then P.R. is better.

As for the women, I can't recall very well, I was 12 the last time I was there and I was a good doobie at 12 years old.


Mr. I.

 

[jsoceanlord]

you might try and jumpseat on the seaborne seaplane from old san juan to st thomas - you can come back on cape air if you have to.

if you try and order a big mac at mcdonalds, you usually have to repeat your request 3 times;

You: "I'd like a big mac please"

cashier: "you'd like a big mac?"

you: "yes a big mac"

cashier: "ok a big mac?"

 

[Chunk]

Two Words.....

BLACK ANGUS!!!

 

[frenchy]

unfortunately the black angus is closed, the Metropol is still open and is one of the best place to eat cuban in isla verde, on the week end go to lupis great ambiance with live band, but stay away from the margharita's they are 12 $ a piece, go to rincon if you like to surf.

 

[TurboS7]

San Juan my favorite place on a Friday night. Tons to do on the island, you have to visit El Yunque the forest, great. Dancing on Friday night anywhere is the best. Metropol is closed. Drive the island and find the "green eyed pirate girls" long dark hair with emerald green eyes. Wonderful family they all live up in the mountains on the east side of the island. Enjoy, great place. And the girls speak English too, especially in San Juan.

 

[SkySpray]

I spent about 9 months down there in 2000 as a captain for American Eagle. The Metropol is definitely an excellent place to eat...although I think someone mentioned it was closed. If you make it into Old San Juan, check out a place called "El Jibarito" on Calle Del Sol (N.E. part of the old town). It's a great local family-run restaurant.. very cheap, and some of the best food I've ever had. There's TONS of places like that throughout San Juan and Puerto Rico, you just have to know where to look.
Other than that, the beaches in San Juan pretty much stink. The water in Isla Verde is murky, beaches covered with nasty seaweed, and no waves. The people are not very friendly, and you can feel an anti-American sentiment just about everywhere you go. It's a nice place to visit.... for a very, very short time.

 

[ilinipilot]

BEST MEAL

One of the best meals I have ever (!!!!) eaten was in San Juan, more specifically Old San Juan. It was called the Parrot Cafe and I had a tuna steak with a sweet rum sauce and garlic mashed potatoes, it was outstanding.

Also a really cool place to people watch is the lobby of the Wyndham El San Juan Hotel and Casino. It has a huge chandelier and on the weekends everyone gets all dressed up to the nines and drinks in the lobby or plays in the casino.
Those are my 2 MUST visits for San Juan

If anyone else has ever eaten at the Parrot Cafe, i think they will agree

D

 

[GIVJoc]

Things to do in San Juan,

Go to Old San Juan check out Castillo de San Cristobal (SP?) also plenty of museums, monuments and beautiful old buildings to explore. Ride the trolley up to that old huge Spanish fortress; I believe it is the largest in the Caribbean.

Plenty of shopping and several nice art galleries if you into that kind of stuff, copiousness amounts of nice music, open outdoors cafes and restaurants and a couple of casinos scattered here and there.

When we went there we stayed at the Ritz-Carlton San Juan, a bit pricey for my own pocket but man was it nice!

Agreed with all, check out the El Yunque forest and what trip would be complete without a stop at the Bacardi Rum Distillery.

Enjoy the trip and watch your pockets and your back.

GIV

 

[Guardflyr29]

Happy Land

You'll need to find someone to take you there, but about an hour west of S.J. is a waterfall that cascades into a swimming hole in the middle of the forest, very deep and the water is cool. There's a sick rope swing, you can choose how high you start from. I went as high as you could go. I was pulling some serious Gz at the bottom, could barly hang on. It got me a good 30ft free fall. The second time I couldn't hang on and cartwheeled across the water toward the rocks on the opposite side! The English translation of the name of this place is "Happy Land". Not known by tourists. Also, The Landing restaurant on the west coast is very nice, gringo friendly since most of the folks working there are American. Ladies night at Happy Belly's in Jobos Beach, again west of SJ. The only thing that kept me from going home with two Senoritas were my wedding vows, and some relatively sober pals!

 

[Chunk]

The mention of BK in a Puerto Rico thread makes me laugh....

Once counted the BK's between SJ and Roosy Roads....18!

 

[Chickenhawk]

Wyndham casino = lose yer money
Conquistador casino = win some money

Worth the trip down the coast. Many beauties at the Conquistador.

 

[Timebuilder]

The Metropol is open, (recommended by the FBO) and I had the "festival cubana", a teriffic plate of cuban food, including "yucca", which was delicious.

The hotel is close to the airport, so I can hear 767's take off late into the night.

We went to the caves at Camuy, and over to Arecibo for the radio telescope. Not a bad place, would not want to live here.

My VIP has to get back to washington, so this should be interesting this evening. We may take them as far as Richmond and put them in an SUV, since the ops guy at Dulles says that the blowing snow is a big problem.

Thanks for the tips.

 

[ceo_of_the_sofa]

My VIP has to get back to washington, so this should be interesting this evening. We may take them as far as Richmond and put them in an SUV, since the ops guy at Dulles says that the blowing snow is a big problem.

You're in for a trip, buddy...I think RVRs are in the teens now here (MD, NOVA and WV)...oh, and maybe about 3 feet of snow (not the clumpy kind, but the puffy, impossible to plow kind)


Wecome back

 

[Timebuilder]

Understood.

I'm hoping that the personal assistant calls back and says that "so-and-so has decided to remain here until Tuesday."

Of course, that will send our dispactcher into coniptions, since she wants US and the PLANE back ASAP!

I hate snow.

 

[GIVJoc]

Hey Timebuilder!

I gotta good idea who you were haulin' around!

 

[Timebuilder]

I guess that means my passenger had a soundbite on the news with some palm trees in the background?

 

[GIVJoc]

Naaah...

His hometown fishwrapper had all kinds of nice things to say about his little P.R. excursion while all this global warming was piling up on everyone's doorsteps.

Peace

GIV

 

[Timebuilder]

From what you said, I can deduce that there is more than one such VIP down here right now.



This particular passenger wants to wait until tomorrow morning, so I have to put up with another "snowless" day...


........darn.........