Where to stay in Puerto Rico?

[aspentosh]

H is going down to PR for work and DD (8) and I will be heading down to meet him for ~4 days (Fri-Tue). We can stay at the Wyndham Grand Rio Mar but I am wondering if there is a better area to be in?

We do AirBnBs a lot because I like being immersed in culture vs resort trapped. We will likely have a car so we can go places. If you've been and stayed there do you have recommendations? Either for general area or a specific place. Or places to avoid for whatever reason.

I see a lot for Vieques and Culebra islands but I think for such a short period of time we'll want to be on the mainland.  

[tres3]

That's a good launching point. We stayed in San Juan when we went and did lots of day trips mostly to that side of the island. You are close to el Yunque. The beach at Luquillo is really nice and we did a storkeling trip from Fajardo.

[aspentosh]

Dec 10, 2019 9:10:18 GMT -5 tres3 said:

That's a good launching point. We stayed in San Juan when we went and did lots of day trips mostly to that side of the island. You are close to el Yunque. The beach at Luquillo is really nice and we did a storkeling trip from Fajardo.

Was this a catamaran one? If so- did you like the company you used? We are looking into one but there are SO many. 

We are also hoping to do a ATV tour of el Yunque.

[tres3]

Dec 10, 2019 12:14:27 GMT -5 aspentosh said:

Dec 10, 2019 9:10:18 GMT -5 tres3 said:

That's a good launching point. We stayed in San Juan when we went and did lots of day trips mostly to that side of the island. You are close to el Yunque. The beach at Luquillo is really nice and we did a storkeling trip from Fajardo.

Was this a catamaran one? If so- did you like the company you used? We are looking into one but there are SO many. 

We are also hoping to do a ATV tour of el Yunque.

We went pre-Maria so I can't remember which snorkel company we used but we had a good time.

Tip for el Yunque-  try to pick a day when a lot of cruise ships aren't in port as it is a popular cruise excursion. What's in Port will usually tell you how many cruise ships are there.  My husband found a great waterfall trail on a blog that was hard to find but worth it and not overly crowded as it wasn't on the official map... it was some crazy directions like park at mile 4.2 and look for hidden trailhead. 

[eddy]

Dec 10, 2019 12:14:27 GMT -5 aspentosh said:

Dec 10, 2019 9:10:18 GMT -5 tres3 said:

That's a good launching point. We stayed in San Juan when we went and did lots of day trips mostly to that side of the island. You are close to el Yunque. The beach at Luquillo is really nice and we did a storkeling trip from Fajardo.

Was this a catamaran one? If so- did you like the company you used? We are looking into one but there are SO many. 

We are also hoping to do a ATV tour of el Yunque.

We used East Island Excursions and loved it. It was the highlight of my trip.

We stayed in Isla Verde and it was a fantastic location. We only stayed 5 nights so didn't want to waste time traveling. We had never been to PR so we wanted to make sure we saw the San Juan sights, but also get in beach time. You very much feel like a local in this location. We rented an Airbnb. Every place we went to was as many locals as there were tourists. 

Now that we have done that, next time we would go out to somewhere more remote and stay for a week.

[aspentosh]

eddy, that was super helpful- thanks! East Island Excursions was the one we liked best, so it's great to know you also liked them. Do you remember if you went to Culebra (Flamenco beach) or Icacos? It looks like they are pretty different experiences.

I think this time we are going to stay in Luquillo. It's a somewhat last minute trip so all the 2br Airbnbs that we see are booked for the holiday weekend But Isla Verde looks amazing!

[eddy]

I think luquillo would be amazing. It isn’t that far out from the city.

We did ICacos because H can get motion sickness. It is a closer island. I thought it was an amazing day. I have read snorkeling is better on the other one. We were satisfied with our snorkeling exp.

[mgm]

Dec 11, 2019 6:59:08 GMT -5 eddy said:

Dec 10, 2019 12:14:27 GMT -5 aspentosh said:

Was this a catamaran one? If so- did you like the company you used? We are looking into one but there are SO many. 

We are also hoping to do a ATV tour of el Yunque.

We used East Island Excursions and loved it. It was the highlight of my trip.

We stayed in Isla Verde and it was a fantastic location. We only stayed 5 nights so didn't want to waste time traveling. We had never been to PR so we wanted to make sure we saw the San Juan sights, but also get in beach time. You very much feel like a local in this location. We rented an Airbnb. Every place we went to was as many locals as there were tourists. 

Now that we have done that, next time we would go out to somewhere more remote and stay for a week.

We are going in January and hoping to stay in Isla Verde, do you mind sharing what hotel you stayed at?  My sister doesn't like chain hotels but some of the smaller ones make me unsure...