Puerto Rico Trip Report
My husband and I went to Puerto Rico January 2-11, 2008. We stayed at the Marriott San Juan Resort and Stellaris Casino on Condado Beach from Jan. 2nd thru the 6th using Marriott Rewards. On the 6th, we transferred to the El Conquistador Resort in Fajardo staying there until Jan. 11th on an annual trip through one of my chemical vendors.
PART I, SAN JUAN:
Day 1, New Years Day
My husband (Harry) and I (Tammy) dropped the dog off at his folks and the kids off at my mothers prior to driving to St. Louis, MO for the night. We had a 6am flight on AA Jan. 2nd. Before hitting the road we decided to stop at our local pub to have a Bon Voyage cocktail with our friends. Harry was hoping to be at the hotel in time to see the start of the Rose Bowl game. We almost didn’t make it because I inadvertently flushed the car keys down the toilet <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/duh.gif" alt="" />. The situation was complicated by the fact that the extra set of keys were at home and the house keys were locked in the car. Thank goodness for Onstar, except if you can’t remember the number and the Onstar card is also locked in the car. We did finally get the number for Onstar, got the car unlocked, retrieved the house keys, and borrowed a friend’s car to go home and get the extra set of car keys, and make it to the Marriott at STL (in 17 degree blizzard conditions) to watch the game. We ate, had a few drinks and went to bed early with a 3:30 am wake up call.
Day 2, Jan 2nd
We got up and down to the lobby by 4am to get a shuttle to the airport. Marriott has a Park and Fly deal so we left our car in there lot for no charge for 8 days. Got to the airport, checked our bags, went through security and proceeded to the nearest smoking cubicle (yes, we’re THOSE people) as we knew we weren’t going to be able to smoke again til we landed in PR. Our flight was on time and we flew to Chicago and almost immediately boarded our next flight to San Juan. We were delayed about 20 min. due to a cargo door issue, but the pilot made up for it and we landed in SJ actually about 15 minutes EARLIER than scheduled. Waited FOREVER for luggage, all the while have nicotine w/drawals. Luggage finally comes out and we’re out the door to inhale a butt or 2 before catching a cab to our hotel. Might I add that we are both ecstatic upon walking out the airport door into the sunny tropical weather <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Joy.gif" alt="" />. It was 2 degrees in Chicago when we departed. We got to the hotel, checked in and up to the room to shed our warm weather gear. The room was in the west wing of the hotel on the 9th floor overlooking the pool and beach. What a view! The room itself was very spacious and clean, large bathroom and nice sized balcony. The bed was extremely comfortable. Next we’re down to get the “lay of the land” and to the beach bar for a cocktail. After, that we decided to venture up and down Avendida Ashford to see what was in the area. We stood on a street corner for about 40 minutes watching a group of men hoist a sleeper sofa to 4th floor apartment with electrical cords <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Yikes.gif" alt="" />. Had a few drinks here and there before heading back for a little casino action and then calling it a night.
Day 3, Jan 3rd
The next day consisted of entirely nothing but the beach and rum drinks all day. When we’d had enough sun and gotten cleaned up, we again headed out onto Ashford Avenue. Ate at a place called Via Appia’s. Good Italian food and pizza reasonably priced. We had drinks at several more spots, before again heading back to the hotel for some more casino action.
Day 4, Jan. 4th
We had breakfast and then caught a cab to San Juan. We did some shopping and then headed to El Morro. A lot of shops were closed because of the holiday season. We had lunch at Café Puerto Rico and then caught a cab back to the hotel. Spent the remainder of the day on the beach and again ventured out on Ashford Ave. I can’t remember the name of the place where we ate this night. We also went to the casino at the Radisson, had drinks at various places , then back to our room for the night.
Day 5, Jan. 5th
The day started out overcast and we could see squalls offshore coming our way. We had breakfast and decided to go back to Old San Juan to go to some shops closed the previous day. This time we took the $.75 pp bus ride instead of the $12 each way taxi. The bus stop is right in front of the hotel. We got to Old SJ just in time for a 20 minute raging downpore. When it stopped out came the sun and the humidity. We finished our shopping and went back to the hotel and the beach for the rest of the day. After the beach, we had dinner at Zabo’s. The food is very good, but expensive. A few cocktails later at various places, we turned in fairly early since we had to check out the next day. We watched “3:10 to Yuma” in our room before lights out.
OVERVIEW, SAN JUAN:
The weather every day was 80 degrees or warmer. A bad north swell came in on the afternoon of our 3rd day along with some pretty strong winds. We watched surfers and boogie boarders from dusk to dawn each day. There are no lifeguards and we were warned of the dangerous surf by security each day. I would not advise anyone who is not a strong swimmer to venture out into the surf. Keep an eye on your children, too <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Yikes.gif" alt="" />!
Dining and drinking can be expensive! Drinks and meals at the hotel were pretty high. Fortunately, our Marriott Rewards included the breakfast buffet every day which was very good and we took advantage of this. Via Appia’s menu was reasonably priced and drinks were a little cheaper and the food is very good. Zabo’s drink prices were moderate to high, the food is great but expensive. Café Puerto Rico in Old SJ, has great food, moderate prices. We found one little dive down the road that we visited every night of our stay called the Video Bar. This was the cheapest place for drinks that we found at $2.50 per longneck. This is also the place where many locals and expats frequent to unwind. It was pretty amazing at how many places we went and met someone working that we had had a drink or game of pool with the night before at this place. Speaking of beer, cans are 10 oz. not 12 oz. If you’re a domestic beer drinker like me, i.e. Bud Light, etc., watch the born on date! We learned it was better to stick to the local brew, Medalla, which is quite good <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/toast.gif" alt="" />!
PART II, FAJARDO:
Day 6, Jan. 6th, THREE KINGS DAY
We woke up to the promise of rain, but this was a travel day so we weren’t upset. We had packed up the night before, so we went down to have breakfast. We checked out and took a cab to the airport to meet up with our business group and board the El Conquistador bus to the resort in Fajardo. We boarded one the bus and discovered that not only was there our chemical vendor group of about 300 but also a group from Harley Davidson around the same number. It was about an hour drive to Fajardo from the airport to the resort. It rained off and on the whole way. It seemed short, since we had a lot of people’s acquaintance to make as well as scenery to enjoy and rum to drink! The resort itself is absolutely stunning and immense! It’s sprawled out over 3 different levels. The main top level consisting of the main lobby, various wings of rooms, villas, the main pool area, ball and convention rooms, shopping, bars/restaurants, and casino . The next level midway down the cliffside has wings of rooms and another more private pool. The bottom or marina level has shops, bar/restaurants, wings of rooms, the marina, and ferry dock, and the water park(which was not finished for opening yet). Checking in didn’t take too long despite the large number of us arriving at once. We were given maps and had a porter take us down to our room on the marina level. It is quite the walk from the main lobby to the funicular to get down to the mid and lower levels of the resort! Our room was huge and very clean. The bathroom was enormous! Our room was right over the Stingray Café and overlooking the Ballyhoo Bar and Grill and the marina. After settling into the room, we went down to Ballyhoo for cocktails and mingling. It was still raining intermittently. As we sat there, watching the ferry come and go to Palomino Island, people watching etc., we noticed a group of people with a number of security persons boarding an East Wind catamaran. Our jaws dropped upon realizing it was Mariah Carey and her entourage going on a sail! Naturally, my batteries in my camera were dead and by the time I ran back to the room to change to recharged ones, they had already left. We then decided to hop on the ferry and check out Palomino. We were halfway there when a squall hit, and debarked onto the Island in the pouring rain. We hung out in the beach bar til it let up, then we walked around a bit before heading back to the resort. After cleaning up, we had a few drinks, dinner at Café Caribe, a little casino action, then we turned in for the night.
Day 7, Jan. 7th
We stated the day with breakfast at La Brisas Restaurant. This was complimentary each day as part of our trip package thru my vendor. After breakfast, we jumped on the ferry and spent the day at Palomino Island. Upon returning for the day, I had to do laundry. Harry had gone through pretty much all the clothes he’d brought and had wanted me to do laundry at the San Juan Marriott. I said I’m sure theirs a laundry facility at the El Con. Well, there isn’t anything on site. Maybe there is in the villas, but not in the resort itself. They do have a pickup service, for starting at $7 per garment. So, being the innovative and imaginative thinker that I am, I washed them all, his and mine, in the bathtub! I filled the tub with warm water, threw the darks in, added some shampoo and shower gel, climbed in and proceeded to stomp them. Rinsing them well and ringing them out proved to be a bit of a challenge. I did the same thing with the whites. Thank goodness for the huge closet in the bathroom, as well as armoire drawers, doors, and many towel racks to hang everything to dry! I was pretty pleased with myself for getting the job done in a difficult situation. We then cleaned up, and headed for the terrace where our chemical vendor was hosting a Welcome Buffet. We had complimentary drinks and a huge buffet of Puerto Rica, Mexican, Italian, Traditional, and Seafood dishes. There was live entertainment as well (not Mariah Carey though, LOL). A fellow chemical dealer we met, told us that there were several local bars and restaurants off the resort down from the marina. So, him, us, and about 12 other people we met, ventured that way. It’s not a far walk, drinks and food much cheaper. I would not advise doing this unless you’re in a group of several people as we were. We had several drinks then went back to the resort for some casino action. I was playing the progressive Caribbean Stud and Harry was at a blackjack table. I went to watch him, and lo and behold, sitting right next to him is “Da Brat”. She’s a female rap artist who was big in the early to mid 90’s. I didn’t have my camera with me at all, but she seemed a little peeved by the people crowded around taking pics on their cell phones, so it was just as well. After, losing several more hands, we decided to quit for the night.
Day 8, Jan. 8th
After breakfast, we hooked up with two other couples we met the night before, Pam & Clay and Ann & Mike. Ann had rented a car so, us girls headeto Walmart and the grocery store to stock up on stuff. The prices at the El Con on food, drink, EVERYTHING is $$$$$$$!! The guys were heading out to Palomino to watch girls and look for the hidden nude beach. The stores are within 5 miles of the resort and not difficult to get to them. After loading up, and getting it all back to the resort lobby, Pam and I faced the challenge of getting it all back to our rooms. The porters wouldn’t let us use a cart or take it down for us as it wasn’t purchased on site. Pam was on the mid level and I’m at the marina. I had 3 cases of beer, I case of diet coke, and about 5-6 bags of snack, sandwich fixings, etc. and a collapsible cooler. Pam has bottles of liquor, mixers, soda, beer, and food too. This is besides our purses. It’s approaching a half mile walk from the lobby to the funicular, up and down stairs and elevators. We made it about 300 feet before we had to stop. Fortunately resort staff member offered his assistance to help carry everything. Poor guy didn’t realize what he was getting into as we gave him all the heavy stuff. He carried everything to both our rooms, so we tipped him generously. Finally, the 3 of us headed out to Palomino loaded with drinks and snacks to meet our guys. They said they found the nude beach, and it’s nude because there’s no one there! We lounged the afternoon away and decided we’d all have dinner together at the Strip House. Food was good, not great, considering the prices. I had Mahi $32 and Harry had a pork porterhouse $36. Sides are, salads, apps are additional, not included. $11 garlic mashed potatoes. Ask for tap water or pay $7 per bottle. Our tab for 6 entrees, 6 sides, 1 soup, 1 salad, 3 btls water, 2 btls wine was $680.00 excluding the tip. After dinner, we all went for more casino action. Drinks are free there when you’re playing. We lost some more then called it a night.
Day 9, Jan. 9th
We met our friends at breakfast to see what was going for they day. They were off to Old San Juan and asked us to join them, but the day was gorgeous and since we’d already been there earlier, we decided to spend it by the pool and the beach instead. After a full day of sun, we had a few cocktails, retired to our room and lounged the evening away on our balcony.
Day 10, Jan 10th
We met with our friends for breakfast, as we had made plans to do a full day snorkel excursion through East Wind Excursions on one of their powercats to Culebra. It was $89 pp and included pick up/drop off from the resort, snorkel gear, unlimited soda and rum drinks, and a deli buffet. It’s worth every penny. Our crew Captain (Tito) Barbosa, Keith, and Kayla were great! Barbosa let Harry and I sit up top with him. We weren’t even out of the marina before we saw a manatee and a spotted eagle ray. Midway to Culebra, we spotted a pod of dolphins and Barbosa stopped for us to which until they left. We also saw a sea turtle as we neared or first snorkel spot off Culebra. There was a lot of sea life including barracuda, an octopus, and many other fish and the coral was in decent shape. Our next stop was Tortuga beach on Culebrita for lunch and swimming. The beach is gorgeous and supposedly good for turtle watching, but we didn’t see any. Harry, however did find a starfish. A yellow plastic one out of those toddler toy shapes ball thingy, LOL! I discovered it’s not a good idea to walk barefoot past the beach grass line. After ow ow owing it back clear of the grass and plopping down, I found the soles of both feet to be covered in sand burs. They are very sharp and very painful. Next stop was another beach of Culebrita. This one was beautiful too, but had a lot of coral instead of sand and sea grass. The snorkeling here was awesome. Saw a lot of HUGE sea urchins and the coral is in good shape. Getting to the beach was a little tricky. The coral is shallow and there was one pass through to get to it. From Culebrita, you’re close enough to see Charlotte Amalie on St. Thomas. Unfortunately because of the swells, we weren’t able to do Flamenco beach on Culebra. When we got back to the resort, we cleaned up and met for Happy Hour on the pool terrace hosted by our chemical vendor prior to our dinner in the ballroom, also by the vendor. The 3 course dinner was catered by the resort and was very good. We learned that our trip for January 2009 is to be held at the Paradisus Palma Real Resort on Bavaro Beach in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. We had packed up earlier, so we made a late night of it partying, as we had to leave the next day.
Day 11, Jan 11th
We met our friends at breakfast to say our farewells, we then proceeded to check out. Our flight was at 1pm to Miami. I was surprised to see Davide, owner of Brandywine Bay Restaurant and Traveltalkonline sponsor on our same flight. We’d never met, but I recognized him from the website, and introduced myself. We had a layover in Miami to catch our flight to Ft. Myers to meet up with my folks and our kids. We went to dinner, checked into the Gulf Coast Town Marriott for the night.
Day 12, Jan 12th
We had breakfast and got a cap to the airport in Ft. Myers to fly back to St. Louis. Arrived in STL on time, picked up our car, and back home we went.
OVERVIEW, FAJARDO/EL CONQUISTADOR:
The weather was perfect other than our check in day. The resort itself is stunning. The resort staff was very friendly and helpful. I recommend bringing in your own food/drinks to cut costs as well as off site dining. Rent a car, although we were intimidated on doing it ourselves, next time we know better. Bring a collapsible cooler and take your own stuff to Palomino and the pool. Be discreet and it won’t be a problem. The action at the casino here isn’t as loose as in San Juan, in my opinion. Be prepared to do a lot of walking. I’m not a golfer, but the course is beautiful and looks challenging.
Puerto Rico is big and has a lot to offer. We barely scratched the surface and are looking forward to returning some day. The people are very friendly and helpful. At no time did we ever feel unsafe. If you’ve never been to PR, you’re really missing out! Sorry this report is so long. I will post trip pics as soon as I can!
WEBSITES:
http://www.paradisuspalmareal.travel/http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/sjupr-san-juan-marriott-resort-and-stellaris-casino/http://www.elconresort.com/http://www.eastwindcats.com/http://www.paradisuspalmareal.travel/http://www.islaculebra.com/index.htm
