Blogs from San Juan, Puerto Rico, Central America Caribbean

A full service resort located 10-minutes from the International Airport and adjacent to the convention center.While the surrounding area within walking distance doesn’t offer much, it is a convenient 10-minute taxi ride to old San Juan and Condado Beach and 5-minutes from the Panamerican Cruise Terminal. The lobby is chic with lots of ochre- colored marble and soft lighting that changes hues in the evening. A large bar/café extends from the check-in area and serves as an entry way into the casino. Check-in is efficient, except on cruise departure days, when large numbers of cruise passengers checking in and out at the same time, seem to overwhelm the housekeeping staff. This was what happened in our case, when we had to wait 2 hours past the 3:00 PM check-in time to get our deluxe king room ... read more

Like everyone else, I imagined PR to be just like the US (whatever that means). I’ve been told by folks who have been to PR that PR is very modern and at the same time underdeveloped.Well this is my opinion of San Juan, PR. To a certain extent, it can be compared to Miami. However, to me it is very comparable to any Caribbean country or the Caribbean coast of any Latin American country. Comparable in terms of the developed infrastructure in place for tourists, the vibe, the old town/colonial zone and so on. I stayed in the Old San Juan and I loved it. I am easily charmed by Old towns/Colonial zones. The architecture is amazing, people watching, shopping, good food, insightful museums and local attractions were all worthwhile. The architecture of the walls-castle-morro surrounding ... read more

Our final full day started off late and slow on account of having gone out the night before. We thought it a perfect late morning to spend poolside, so we put on our suits and headed on down. We grabbed a table and ordered a couple frozen drinks - a marg and a piña colada- along with tostones (fried plantains) and little mofongos stuffed with chicken a la criolla and guacamole. Nothing like fried food and alcohol to get the day going! Afterwards we lay out in the sun for a while before heading back up to change and shower. Next stop was back to Old San Juan for the last time to clean up shop there. We waited some half an hour for the stupid bus, but still, I'd much rather wait than drown in ... read more

Awoke in San Juan and realized the ride thru paradise was over. Today (in the heat) we will endure the long lines in the cruise terminal, the long walks thru 3 airports, the comical banter with the customs guards to make it home. Our trip covered 2500 nautical miles, lots of great meals, buckets of Bombay Sapphire and hours at a slot mahcine. Every island had something different to offer and we didn't have enough time to see it all. I would think that a littler later in the season would be better to get slightly better weather. I am going to include my favourite pictures in this blog and look forward to the next trip.... read more

Today we start our epic journey home. We think it's around 6000 miles. We have booked a taxi to collect us from the apartment at 8.00 this morning, so did not have to be up too early. Check in at the airport all went according to plan. Were a bit surprised that we did not get charged for our extra bag as this is the longest leg of our 4 journeys so far over the last three weeks. The flight from St Thomas to San Juan in Puerto Rico took 23 minutes. As soon as we got comfortable it was time to get off again. We had been warned many years ago that Puerto Rico was expensive and it certainly seems to be that way. In the airport. we found a small bar, one of only ... read more