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San Juan Question
Question:
We are planning a cruise out of San Juan in January. We will fly from the west coast so it sounds like we should go a day early. Our question is should we go 2 days early? The hotels are pretty expensive. Is it an interesting place? Many Thanks Don
Response:
San Juan hotels are all over the place price wise, so make sure you keep on checking. I have a friend getting married there in August, which of course isn’t the best time to go, and the hotel has dropped by over half as time has gone on. Keep checking. You should get in at least a day early, anything else from the West Coast, in the middle of winter, could be a real mess. Even if you are not flying through a city that will have snow or ice issues, a storm in Denver, Chicago, or New York can reek havoc on the day no matter where you are flying through. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> We are planning a cruise out of San Juan in January. We will fly from the > west coast so it sounds like we should go a day early. Our question is > should we go 2 days early? The hotels are pretty expensive. Is it an > interesting place? > Many Thanks > Don
Response:
I’m quite budget minded, and I stayed in a lovely little guest house when we took our last cruise out of San Juan. It was called Hosteria del Mar or something like that, and was at 1 Tapia Street in San Juan. $75 per night for a very basic room, loud Air Conditioner but the very bottom of the barrel pricewise. It was clean and comfortable, but noisy. Right on the beach , with a very good restaurant. In the ocean park neighborhood, about a mile east of the Condado. Safe, residential neighborhood. Not far from a bus line into Old San Juan. I would stay there again. Julie – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > San Juan hotels are all over the place price wise, so make sure you keep on > checking. I have a friend getting married there in August, which of course > isn’t the best time to go, and the hotel has dropped by over half as time > has gone on. Keep checking. > You should get in at least a day early, anything else from the West Coast, > in the middle of winter, could be a real mess. Even if you are not flying > through a city that will have snow or ice issues, a storm in Denver, > Chicago, or New York can reek havoc on the day no matter where you are > flying through. > We are planning a cruise out of San Juan in January. We will fly from the > west coast so it sounds like we should go a day early. Our question is > should we go 2 days early? The hotels are pretty expensive. Is it an > interesting place? > Many Thanks > Don
– Julie Check out my Travel Pages (non-commercial) at http://www.dragonsholm.org/travel.htm
Response:
> We are planning a cruise out of San Juan in January. We will fly from the > west coast so it sounds like we should go a day early. Our question is > should we go 2 days early? The hotels are pretty expensive. Is it an > interesting place?
Don, go at least one day ahead of your cruise. Even if you are routed through Dallas/Ft.Worth, the weather in Dallas can be very "iffy" in January..There could be delays because of weather elsewhere.. We lived in San Juan for three years in the 1960’s and there are many interesting places to visit and explore in Puerto Rico.. I would start checking out hotels on www.hotels.com. www.expedia.com or www.travelocity.com for rates and booking ahead of time~~you can cancel if necessary, but watch out for the places that may charge a cancellation fee. http://www.hotelmilanopr.com/index.htm http://www.gotopuertorico.com/index.php?language= http://www.travelnow.com/index.jsp;jsid=mfuNE89k3c9e?pageName=hotSear… http://www.canariohotels.com/ http://www.trespalmasinn.com/ The above I have all bookmarked . I personally don’t know the condition of the hotels and have just saved them over the years, but one of the regular posters here, Tom K, .who has been to San Juan more recently than I, may know and give you some better suggestions..You might even try Priceline, Orbitz or Hotwire. Have fun planning! –Jean
Response:
>We are planning a cruise out of San Juan in January. We will fly from the >west coast so it sounds like we should go a day early. Our question is >should we go 2 days early? The hotels are pretty expensive. Is it an >interesting place? >Many Thanks >Don
Without doubt, yes. Get a good guidebook and have some of your vacation in PR, which I personally think is a great place to visit. And you don’t need to get an expensive hotel unless you just need luxury. Mason Barge "If this is coffee, please bring me some tea. If this is tea, please bring me some coffee." — Abraham Lincoln
Response:
> e are planning a cruise out of San Juan in January. We will fly from the > west coast so it sounds like we should go a day early. Our question is > should we go 2 days early? The hotels are pretty expensive. Is it an > interesting place?
We went two days early to San Juan a few January’s ago. You could easily spend two days seeing Old San Juan and the nearby forts. Interesting? Yes! We stayed at the Wyndham Old San Juan. It’s right were some of the cruise ships dock and it’s an easy walk to Old San Juan. The forts are also within walking distance, but farther away.
Response:
Hotels in January (peak season there) are more than double what they are in August (off peak). –Tom
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> San Juan hotels are all over the place price wise, so make sure you keep on > checking. I have a friend getting married there in August, which of course > isn’t the best time to go, and the hotel has dropped by over half as time > has gone on. Keep checking. > You should get in at least a day early, anything else from the West Coast, > in the middle of winter, could be a real mess. Even if you are not flying > through a city that will have snow or ice issues, a storm in Denver, > Chicago, or New York can reek havoc on the day no matter where you are > flying through. > We are planning a cruise out of San Juan in January. We will fly from the > west coast so it sounds like we should go a day early. Our question is > should we go 2 days early? The hotels are pretty expensive. Is it an > interesting place? > Many Thanks > Don
Response:
It is an interesting place, but one that I think can be seen in one day, maybe. When we fly from east to west we gain three hours of tourist time. Sadly, you will lose three. The interesting parts, IMHO, of San Juan are all in the area of the main piers. Two forts, Morro and Christobal, and the olde city, which is within walking distance. — DG in Cherry Hill, NJ – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> We are planning a cruise out of San Juan in January. We will fly from the > west coast so it sounds like we should go a day early. Our question is > should we go 2 days early? The hotels are pretty expensive. Is it an > interesting place? > Many Thanks > Don
Response:
>When we fly from east to west we gain three hours of tourist time.
All the more reason for selecting a GGC which departs from the West Coast. 
Response:
Sign up on Wyndham’s site and join Wyndham-by-Request. I got an oceanfront room in April, Holiday Period, for $122 oceanfront on a 72 hour sale. They send these sales periodically. This was for the Wyndham Condado which had very large rooms. It is oceanfront, 2 pools, and a small public beach. There are lots of things to do and see in San Juan. Diane Giambalvo Travel Consultant GalaxSea Cruises And Tours East Brunswick, NJ 1-800-357-9393 http://www.galaxseaeb.com http://hometown.aol.com/iv18/myhomepage/business.html
Response:
Many thanks every one. That gives us a lot to chew on. Don and Lynn – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> We are planning a cruise out of San Juan in January. We will fly from the > west coast so it sounds like we should go a day early. Our question is > should we go 2 days early? The hotels are pretty expensive. Is it an > interesting place? > Many Thanks > Don
Response:
We’re sailing on RCCL the week of 1/8 and are going in on the 8th. We have rooms at the Convento that was recently renovated for 345.00 per night. The Wyndham was similar in price but required a two night stay. In addition to the reasons given in previous posts, we like to go a day early to maximize our boat time. Our first cruise had us arriving at 5PM for a 10PM sailing. With the early demark, we felt like we missed two whole days of a 7 day cruise. Hope this helps. Allen – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > Hotels in January (peak season there) are more than double what they are in > August (off peak). > –Tom >San Juan hotels are all over the place price wise, so make sure you keep > on >checking. I have a friend getting married there in August, which of > course >isn’t the best time to go, and the hotel has dropped by over half as time >has gone on. Keep checking. >You should get in at least a day early, anything else from the West Coast, >in the middle of winter, could be a real mess. Even if you are not flying >through a city that will have snow or ice issues, a storm in Denver, >Chicago, or New York can reek havoc on the day no matter where you are >flying through. >>We are planning a cruise out of San Juan in January. We will fly from > the >>west coast so it sounds like we should go a day early. Our question is >>should we go 2 days early? The hotels are pretty expensive. Is it an >>interesting place? >>Many Thanks >>Don
Response:
We stay in a place called El Canario —there are actually three of them –El Canario Inn; El Canario by the Sea; and El Canario – Lagoon — all cost about $90 and they are B&B’s — real friendly — all are in the Candado section and two of them are on Ashford Avenue where you can get a bus to the old city –check out their web site — tough to beat Bill Wright – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> We are planning a cruise out of San Juan in January. We will fly from the > west coast so it sounds like we should go a day early. Our question is > should we go 2 days early? The hotels are pretty expensive. Is it an > interesting place? > Many Thanks > Don
Response:
> We stay in a place called El Canario —there are actually three of > them –El Canario Inn; El Canario by the Sea; and El Canario – Lagoon — all > cost about $90 and they are B&B’s — real friendly — all are in the Candado > section and two of them are on Ashford Avenue where you can get a bus to the > old city –check out their web site — tough to beat
Thanks, Bill, that is good to know..I posted the link to their site in a previous post of mine. At which of the three did you stay? –Jean
Response:
We stayed in April at the El Canario Inn — right on Ashford, next to the Marriot — it’s one block from the beach –the courtyard is beautiful — what a way to start a day !! — the staff is terrific – We liked it so much that we’ve booked a few days in November –sort of a get-away long weekend — (Wed-Sun), but this time we chose the El Canario by the Sea– I understand it’s right on the beach on the other side of the Marriott– from what I understand, it’s been renovated during the last few years — should be fun Bill Wright
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> We stay in a place called El Canario —there are actually three of > them –El Canario Inn; El Canario by the Sea; and El Canario – Lagoon — > all > cost about $90 and they are B&B’s — real friendly — all are in the > Candado > section and two of them are on Ashford Avenue where you can get a bus to > the > old city –check out their web site — tough to beat > Thanks, Bill, that is good to know..I posted the link to their site in a > previous post of mine. > At which of the three did you stay? > –Jean
Response:
We took a cruise in Feb and even though we had reservations when we got there they had no rooms, make sure you confirm your hotel reservations yourself by phone if you use any of the services such as hotels.com , etc. One day will enough- the ships normally said at 5 p.m.
Response:
We are on the Century with a late arrival into San Juan (4:30 or so to midnight). We are a family and it seems everything will be closed (except the casinos). One thing we are planning to do a carriage ride. My question is this: One of our hobbies it blowing up pictures to 20×30 and framing them on our walls. What are your favorite picturesque locations to go watch the sunset and take pictures????
Response:
In San Juan, without any doubt or hesitation, get yourself over to El Morro for the Sunset and snap as fast as you can….. Cal Ford Lido Deck Cruises – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text ->We are on the Century with a late arrival into San Juan (4:30 or so to >midnight). We are a family and it seems everything will be closed (except >the casinos). One thing we are planning to do a carriage ride. >My question is this: >One of our hobbies it blowing up pictures to 20×30 and framing them on our >walls. What are your favorite picturesque locations to go watch the sunset >and take pictures????
Response:
> In San Juan, without any doubt or hesitation, get yourself over to El Morro for > the Sunset and snap as fast as you can…..
El Morro is closed at 4:30, isn’t it? It’s a National Park Service site. You can get close to El Morro, but not in. Julie – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> Cal Ford > Lido Deck Cruises >We are on the Century with a late arrival into San Juan (4:30 or so to >midnight). We are a family and it seems everything will be closed (except >the casinos). One thing we are planning to do a carriage ride. >My question is this: >One of our hobbies it blowing up pictures to 20×30 and framing them on our >walls. What are your favorite picturesque locations to go watch the sunset >and take pictures????
Response:
> We are on the Century with a late arrival into San Juan (4:30 or so to > midnight). We are a family and it seems everything will be closed (except > the casinos). One thing we are planning to do a carriage ride. > My question is this: > One of our hobbies it blowing up pictures to 20×30 and framing them on our > walls. What are your favorite picturesque locations to go watch the sunset > and take pictures????
In San Juan? You want to get the wall and one of those little guard tower t thingys (like on the license plates). with the sunset. El Morro is closed, but you can walk along the peninsula that Old San Juan is on, to the west from the cruise ship dock (stay outside the wall) at sunset. That should be lovely. Julie
Response:
We are planning a cruise out of San Juan in January. We will fly from the west coast so it sounds like we should go a day early. Our question is should we go 2 days early? The hotels are pretty expensive. Is it an interesting place? Many Thanks Don
Response:
San Juan hotels are all over the place price wise, so make sure you keep on checking. I have a friend getting married there in August, which of course isn’t the best time to go, and the hotel has dropped by over half as time has gone on. Keep checking. You should get in at least a day early, anything else from the West Coast, in the middle of winter, could be a real mess. Even if you are not flying through a city that will have snow or ice issues, a storm in Denver, Chicago, or New York can reek havoc on the day no matter where you are flying through. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> We are planning a cruise out of San Juan in January. We will fly from the > west coast so it sounds like we should go a day early. Our question is > should we go 2 days early? The hotels are pretty expensive. Is it an > interesting place? > Many Thanks > Don
Response:
I’m quite budget minded, and I stayed in a lovely little guest house when we took our last cruise out of San Juan. It was called Hosteria del Mar or something like that, and was at 1 Tapia Street in San Juan. $75 per night for a very basic room, loud Air Conditioner but the very bottom of the barrel pricewise. It was clean and comfortable, but noisy. Right on the beach , with a very good restaurant. In the ocean park neighborhood, about a mile east of the Condado. Safe, residential neighborhood. Not far from a bus line into Old San Juan. I would stay there again. Julie – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > San Juan hotels are all over the place price wise, so make sure you keep on > checking. I have a friend getting married there in August, which of course > isn’t the best time to go, and the hotel has dropped by over half as time > has gone on. Keep checking. > You should get in at least a day early, anything else from the West Coast, > in the middle of winter, could be a real mess. Even if you are not flying > through a city that will have snow or ice issues, a storm in Denver, > Chicago, or New York can reek havoc on the day no matter where you are > flying through. > We are planning a cruise out of San Juan in January. We will fly from the > west coast so it sounds like we should go a day early. Our question is > should we go 2 days early? The hotels are pretty expensive. Is it an > interesting place? > Many Thanks > Don
– Julie Check out my Travel Pages (non-commercial) at http://www.dragonsholm.org/travel.htm
Response:
> We are planning a cruise out of San Juan in January. We will fly from the > west coast so it sounds like we should go a day early. Our question is > should we go 2 days early? The hotels are pretty expensive. Is it an > interesting place?
Don, go at least one day ahead of your cruise. Even if you are routed through Dallas/Ft.Worth, the weather in Dallas can be very "iffy" in January..There could be delays because of weather elsewhere.. We lived in San Juan for three years in the 1960’s and there are many interesting places to visit and explore in Puerto Rico.. I would start checking out hotels on www.hotels.com. www.expedia.com or www.travelocity.com for rates and booking ahead of time~~you can cancel if necessary, but watch out for the places that may charge a cancellation fee. http://www.hotelmilanopr.com/index.htm http://www.gotopuertorico.com/index.php?language= http://www.travelnow.com/index.jsp;jsid=mfuNE89k3c9e?pageName=hotSear… http://www.canariohotels.com/ http://www.trespalmasinn.com/ The above I have all bookmarked . I personally don’t know the condition of the hotels and have just saved them over the years, but one of the regular posters here, Tom K, .who has been to San Juan more recently than I, may know and give you some better suggestions..You might even try Priceline, Orbitz or Hotwire. Have fun planning! –Jean
Response:
>We are planning a cruise out of San Juan in January. We will fly from the >west coast so it sounds like we should go a day early. Our question is >should we go 2 days early? The hotels are pretty expensive. Is it an >interesting place? >Many Thanks >Don
Without doubt, yes. Get a good guidebook and have some of your vacation in PR, which I personally think is a great place to visit. And you don’t need to get an expensive hotel unless you just need luxury. Mason Barge "If this is coffee, please bring me some tea. If this is tea, please bring me some coffee." — Abraham Lincoln
Response:
> e are planning a cruise out of San Juan in January. We will fly from the > west coast so it sounds like we should go a day early. Our question is > should we go 2 days early? The hotels are pretty expensive. Is it an > interesting place?
We went two days early to San Juan a few January’s ago. You could easily spend two days seeing Old San Juan and the nearby forts. Interesting? Yes! We stayed at the Wyndham Old San Juan. It’s right were some of the cruise ships dock and it’s an easy walk to Old San Juan. The forts are also within walking distance, but farther away.
Response:
Hotels in January (peak season there) are more than double what they are in August (off peak). –Tom
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> San Juan hotels are all over the place price wise, so make sure you keep on > checking. I have a friend getting married there in August, which of course > isn’t the best time to go, and the hotel has dropped by over half as time > has gone on. Keep checking. > You should get in at least a day early, anything else from the West Coast, > in the middle of winter, could be a real mess. Even if you are not flying > through a city that will have snow or ice issues, a storm in Denver, > Chicago, or New York can reek havoc on the day no matter where you are > flying through. > We are planning a cruise out of San Juan in January. We will fly from the > west coast so it sounds like we should go a day early. Our question is > should we go 2 days early? The hotels are pretty expensive. Is it an > interesting place? > Many Thanks > Don
Response:
It is an interesting place, but one that I think can be seen in one day, maybe. When we fly from east to west we gain three hours of tourist time. Sadly, you will lose three. The interesting parts, IMHO, of San Juan are all in the area of the main piers. Two forts, Morro and Christobal, and the olde city, which is within walking distance. — DG in Cherry Hill, NJ – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> We are planning a cruise out of San Juan in January. We will fly from the > west coast so it sounds like we should go a day early. Our question is > should we go 2 days early? The hotels are pretty expensive. Is it an > interesting place? > Many Thanks > Don
Response:
>When we fly from east to west we gain three hours of tourist time.
All the more reason for selecting a GGC which departs from the West Coast.
Response:
Sign up on Wyndham’s site and join Wyndham-by-Request. I got an oceanfront room in April, Holiday Period, for $122 oceanfront on a 72 hour sale. They send these sales periodically. This was for the Wyndham Condado which had very large rooms. It is oceanfront, 2 pools, and a small public beach. There are lots of things to do and see in San Juan. Diane Giambalvo Travel Consultant GalaxSea Cruises And Tours East Brunswick, NJ 1-800-357-9393 http://www.galaxseaeb.com http://hometown.aol.com/iv18/myhomepage/business.html
Response:
Many thanks every one. That gives us a lot to chew on. Don and Lynn – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> We are planning a cruise out of San Juan in January. We will fly from the > west coast so it sounds like we should go a day early. Our question is > should we go 2 days early? The hotels are pretty expensive. Is it an > interesting place? > Many Thanks > Don
Response:
We’re sailing on RCCL the week of 1/8 and are going in on the 8th. We have rooms at the Convento that was recently renovated for 345.00 per night. The Wyndham was similar in price but required a two night stay. In addition to the reasons given in previous posts, we like to go a day early to maximize our boat time. Our first cruise had us arriving at 5PM for a 10PM sailing. With the early demark, we felt like we missed two whole days of a 7 day cruise. Hope this helps. Allen – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > Hotels in January (peak season there) are more than double what they are in > August (off peak). > –Tom >San Juan hotels are all over the place price wise, so make sure you keep > on >checking. I have a friend getting married there in August, which of > course >isn’t the best time to go, and the hotel has dropped by over half as time >has gone on. Keep checking. >You should get in at least a day early, anything else from the West Coast, >in the middle of winter, could be a real mess. Even if you are not flying >through a city that will have snow or ice issues, a storm in Denver, >Chicago, or New York can reek havoc on the day no matter where you are >flying through. >>We are planning a cruise out of San Juan in January. We will fly from > the >>west coast so it sounds like we should go a day early. Our question is >>should we go 2 days early? The hotels are pretty expensive. Is it an >>interesting place? >>Many Thanks >>Don
Response:
We stay in a place called El Canario —there are actually three of them –El Canario Inn; El Canario by the Sea; and El Canario – Lagoon — all cost about $90 and they are B&B’s — real friendly — all are in the Candado section and two of them are on Ashford Avenue where you can get a bus to the old city –check out their web site — tough to beat Bill Wright – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> We are planning a cruise out of San Juan in January. We will fly from the > west coast so it sounds like we should go a day early. Our question is > should we go 2 days early? The hotels are pretty expensive. Is it an > interesting place? > Many Thanks > Don
Response:
> We stay in a place called El Canario —there are actually three of > them –El Canario Inn; El Canario by the Sea; and El Canario – Lagoon — all > cost about $90 and they are B&B’s — real friendly — all are in the Candado > section and two of them are on Ashford Avenue where you can get a bus to the > old city –check out their web site — tough to beat
Thanks, Bill, that is good to know..I posted the link to their site in a previous post of mine. At which of the three did you stay? –Jean
Response:
We stayed in April at the El Canario Inn — right on Ashford, next to the Marriot — it’s one block from the beach –the courtyard is beautiful — what a way to start a day !! — the staff is terrific – We liked it so much that we’ve booked a few days in November –sort of a get-away long weekend — (Wed-Sun), but this time we chose the El Canario by the Sea– I understand it’s right on the beach on the other side of the Marriott– from what I understand, it’s been renovated during the last few years — should be fun Bill Wright
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> We stay in a place called El Canario —there are actually three of > them –El Canario Inn; El Canario by the Sea; and El Canario – Lagoon — > all > cost about $90 and they are B&B’s — real friendly — all are in the > Candado > section and two of them are on Ashford Avenue where you can get a bus to > the > old city –check out their web site — tough to beat > Thanks, Bill, that is good to know..I posted the link to their site in a > previous post of mine. > At which of the three did you stay? > –Jean
Response:
We took a cruise in Feb and even though we had reservations when we got there they had no rooms, make sure you confirm your hotel reservations yourself by phone if you use any of the services such as hotels.com , etc. One day will enough- the ships normally said at 5 p.m.
Response:
We are on the Century with a late arrival into San Juan (4:30 or so to midnight). We are a family and it seems everything will be closed (except the casinos). One thing we are planning to do a carriage ride. My question is this: One of our hobbies it blowing up pictures to 20×30 and framing them on our walls. What are your favorite picturesque locations to go watch the sunset and take pictures????
Response:
In San Juan, without any doubt or hesitation, get yourself over to El Morro for the Sunset and snap as fast as you can….. Cal Ford Lido Deck Cruises – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text ->We are on the Century with a late arrival into San Juan (4:30 or so to >midnight). We are a family and it seems everything will be closed (except >the casinos). One thing we are planning to do a carriage ride. >My question is this: >One of our hobbies it blowing up pictures to 20×30 and framing them on our >walls. What are your favorite picturesque locations to go watch the sunset >and take pictures????
Response:
> In San Juan, without any doubt or hesitation, get yourself over to El Morro for > the Sunset and snap as fast as you can…..
El Morro is closed at 4:30, isn’t it? It’s a National Park Service site. You can get close to El Morro, but not in. Julie – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> Cal Ford > Lido Deck Cruises >We are on the Century with a late arrival into San Juan (4:30 or so to >midnight). We are a family and it seems everything will be closed (except >the casinos). One thing we are planning to do a carriage ride. >My question is this: >One of our hobbies it blowing up pictures to 20×30 and framing them on our >walls. What are your favorite picturesque locations to go watch the sunset >and take pictures????
Response:
> We are on the Century with a late arrival into San Juan (4:30 or so to > midnight). We are a family and it seems everything will be closed (except > the casinos). One thing we are planning to do a carriage ride. > My question is this: > One of our hobbies it blowing up pictures to 20×30 and framing them on our > walls. What are your favorite picturesque locations to go watch the sunset > and take pictures????
In San Juan? You want to get the wall and one of those little guard tower t thingys (like on the license plates). with the sunset. El Morro is closed, but you can walk along the peninsula that Old San Juan is on, to the west from the cruise ship dock (stay outside the wall) at sunset. That should be lovely. Julie