Beautiful but we wont go back:
Written: Jan 21 '07
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Pros:
Beaches
Caribbean forest
Mountain Views
Activities
Old San Juan
Cons: Cons:
Driving
Rude natives
Litter
Stray dogs
No maintenance/garbage
Crime
The Bottom Line: You can do a lot better. We wanted to go somewhere different but I regret it.
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| ginaxoxo's Full Review: Puerto Rico |
Before we decided on Puerto Rico I came to Epinions to get some insights. I did get some information but a lot of it was a little outdated. I want to give a current review.
Pros:
Clear Caribbean waters
Calm beaches
Caribbean forest
Mountain Views
Ample activities for tourists
Historical Old San Juan
Cons:
Driving
Rude Puerto Ricans we encountered
Litter
Stray dogs
No maintenance just patch jobs
Crime
Puerto Rico’s tourist areas are very pretty. The beaches are calm and the water is blue and clear (not clear like Cozumel but more clean that the Hawaii islands.) The Caribbean Rain Forest is very pretty. It is cosmetically beautiful with the mountains, ocean, and forest.
The snorkeling really wasn’t very good. The water was clear enough but the reefs and fish weren’t very colorful. What we saw in Hawaii and Cozumel was a lot better comparatively.
We really liked Old San Juan. It is charming and has a lot of history for us history junkies. It is run by the United States DNR rangers and is clean and organized. I do think it is best to go to the Forts with a guide. There really wasn’t enough information about how the rooms we were looking at were used. They did have a lot of clothing and weapons on display and also had a movie that I recommend viewing before the tour of El Morro.
Now the bad: I will not go back. My husband and I traveled with our 16 and 13 year old son’s. We traveled over our Christmas break in 2006/2007.
Puerto Rico appears to have no maintenance programs in place. The United States helped them by putting in place electricity, running water, highways and streets. The electricity goes off without any explanation. The same is true with the water. The streets are full of pot holes. The new interstate type toll roads are very nice (26-66).
There are a lot of junked vehicles. I did see a scrap yard but it appears that very few use it. There are a lot of homes with broken down cars and even out in open areas. I have to wonder how these vehicles got there!
Also there is garbage everywhere. There is garbage washed up on the beaches, on the streets, in people’s yards. There is not a mandatory recycling in place like we have in the states. A couple of our friends from California said that they go for walks and pick up the garbage as they are walking and the PR people in their neighborhood just don’t understand why they would do that and actually start handing them some of their garbage.
Their beaches are calm but there was a lot of garbage at the beaches we went to. It is very sad. It will not ruin a day at the beach but it does take away from the experience.
What bothered me the most:
We did not feel welcome. When we got into the authentic PR areas the PR people we encountered were very very rude. They were friendly with each other but not with non Puerto Ricans. Others from the states told me they felt the same way. If we would have stayed in the tourist areas we probably would not have noticed as much. In the tourist areas they aren’t really rude but aren’t friendly either. I am aware this is a generalization. I am just telling what I experiences and don’t intend to label the Puerto Rico people in general.
Getting around is very difficult for 2 reasons. There aren’t any good maps and it is very confusing. But even worse are the drivers. They are so rude. They literally make their own lane from the side of the road and buzz on by until they cut back in. The motor cycles/scooters scare me! We saw a young woman weaving in and out of traffic and would “tail gate” within 6 inches of the vehicles back bumpers, literally! That should give you an idea of the bad driving.
There were a lot of police patrolling. We only saw one accident but did notice a huge number of cars with big dents. Not surprisingly.
Tips:
Stay near the beaches
Go sailing with Erin Go Bragh
Go to Vieques or Culebra with East Island Excursions
Go to Old San Juan (try a rainy or chilly day for this)
Hike the rain forest
Be careful where you book if you book a villa/don’t get too far off the beaten path
Go to the bio-bay
Rent a car: we rented from Charlie’s and it was a good experience
Take the early flights to avoid chaos
I don’t really want to give the name of the Villa we stayed at. The hosts were great and the villa itself is nice. I don’t want to give them any negative reviews. But my advice based on this experience is to make sure when you book that you know how far they are from the highway and the condition of the road leading to their villa.
Erin Go Bragh was FANTASTIC!! We went on a day said with them and felt like family. All 4 of us had a great time. This was a highlight. We went snorkeling in Vieques and were treated to a BBQ and all the drinks we wanted. The sailboat is very comfortable and the hosts are top notch.
We also went ATVing near the rain forest in Luquillo. We rode through the mud and had a blast even though the ATV’s had governors. The company was called Hacienda Carabali . They also have go-carts that are a lot of fun. I wouldn’t not do the horseback riding. They horses do not appear to be well taken care of.
We did the bio-bay. It is amazing. If you are not in shape go on the boat that has an electric motor. We went on a kayak tour with Las Tortugas. From what I am told they are normally very good. I think we just got a bad tour guide. He basically worried about himself and paddled to the destination and waited for us. We went through a winding channel in pitch darkness. It kind of added to the experience but at times it was a little a nerving. We were in a group of about 12 and about 4 people kept up with the guide and the rest of the group was very slow and behind us. We were in the middle and seriously we were alone. We were so spread out that we could not even hear either group. I did notice though that the tour guide behind us kept his group together.
Hopefully what I have reviewed will help you have a good time if you decide to go. We have no inclination of going back. If you go consider carefully where you are staying.
Recommended:
No
Best Suited For: Couples
Best Time to Travel Here: Never
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Epinions.com ID:
ginaxoxo
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Reviews written: 3
Trusted by: 0 members
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