San Juan for $700, possible?

[Stingyshark]

Hotel not an issue - assume not an AI ( I don't even know if this is a possibility). 

Flights will be $350. 

We would arrive Oct 4 - depart Oct 9/10

Can't drink, I'm pregnant. (wah) 
DH will drink, but he's a beer guy - no fancy drinks for him.

My biggest plan is to lay on the beach, or at the pool. 

What is the cost of food? 
Would we take taxis everywhere, should we decide to leave the hotel? 

geez. i just realized this is next week. 
our original plan was to stay on the beach in FL, but my boss graciously offered to pay for a hotel anywhere we want to go as long as we pay airfare. I'm trying to stick w/ our original budget, and PR is the cheapest place in the Caribbean we can fly from FL. I wish we had a bigger budget, but it is what it is.

[scout8]

Do you know where you will stay? There will probably be a lot in walking distance, but otherwise you can easily take a taxi.

I found the food to be expensive in San Juan. You can find cheaper places, but you will need to do a little research ahead of time to find some less expensive options.

I don't think there are any AI hotels.

Check the weather--it is hurricane season there now.

[bullsgirl]

So, your budget is $350 for food and entertainment, if I am understanding you correctly? I think you could do,it, but its tough. Public transportation is really not an option there. The beach area is not really near the downtown area where restaurants and shops are. If you stay in Isla verde where the best beaches are, you can walk to a few restaurants, but most restaurants are in hotels and not cheap. There is a grocery store nearby, so if you had a room with a fridge and microwave it will cut down on costs. I remember cab rides being $20 - $30 from Isla verde to old San Juan, which you will definitely want to see. Our favorite thing in PR was hiking down to the waterfall in El Yunque, which you would need to rent a car for.

In my opinion you could meet your budget but you would be missing out on a lot.

[sarahsas]

No

[Moe]

You can absolutely do this.

As long as you know you'll miss out in many activities that make the island wonderful.

Food can be as cheap or as expensive as you want it to be, there's several inexpensive options, but you have to research a bit, since they're not necessarily publicized in the tourism circuit.

[D2M]

You have a nice boss!

There's great food in San Juan and you can certainly eat cheaply, but if you want to stay near a beach (Isla Verde), most of the places are pretty pricey. There is a Denny's in Isla Verde although I doubt you'd want to go there. Also, to get from Isla Verde to almost anywhere, it's a $20 cab ride.

As for the beaches themselves, I've heard that the best beaches are outside San Juan, which would require transportation beyond a quick ride from the airport. I've only been to San Juan and while I had a great time there and loved the food, etc., the beach itself was not exciting. I'm not sure which part of FL you're in, but the Gulf Coast beaches are way nicer than the beaches in San Juan. So if you can't make your budget work for Puerto Rico, I'd look at Sarasota or Pass-a-Grille or Sanibel, etc. Since you already live in FL, that may not be as exciting, but it could be very relaxing. Hope you have a good time, either way.

[Stingyshark]

D2M

I live on the Gulf Coast of FL.. I have heard that our beaches are nicer than PR.
PR is out anyways. I found out my boss has a timeshare; none of the timeshares are on the beach in PR.

This has become way more stressful than I care to deal with.
I'm perfectly content spending a few days in Ormond like we originally planned, but feel like a major brat by turning down his offer.


Thanks for all the responses