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Hello again!

So if you read my last article, and if you haven’t check it out here, you may have been curious and looked up some flight prices to get to the quirky island of Puerto Rico. And, Surprise! It fits within your winter escape budget. Now the question is when and where do I go?

In terms of when, the winter here is the most consistent weather I’ve seen anywhere. Weather men/women have the easiest job here from December to April where it is always 85 degrees partly cloudy with a 20% of rain. So anytime is just fine to book your trip. However just before or after holidays you will find the best hotel prices.

Where to stay is straight forward. Isla Verde, right by the airport, is where I currently reside and is the main hotel/tourist spot. There’s a beach about a 2 minute walk from here and plenty of restaurants for those quick lunches. Condado is not a bad place either and has a bit more to offer (shops, restaurants, bars, etc.) However either spot should be just fine. The good part is that Uber is great down here and you can get to all the main spots for $10 or less.

Now to the good stuff, what to do. As I said in “The Quirky Island of Puerto Rico” there is so much packed into this island it will be hard hit everything that is available here.

Beach Day: The first and most important thing to do is to go to the beach with some drinks and enjoy the main reason you flew so far. The beaches here are great and a great way to cure some jet lag. However, don’t get too comfortable because there is so much more that this island has to offer.

Beach Roads: I can’t even count many hours I have spent driving on the beach roads around the island and finding some truly incredible places! This is probably my favorite thing to do on the island and recommend getting a rental car just for this reason. Just make sure you have insurance on the car because the pot holes here are no joke

Other Cities:  Although you may be tempted to stay in San Juan and Old San Juan I would highly recommend taking the 2 hour drive to the other side of the Island and explore places like Arecibo, Rincon, Fajardo. Ask a local and they can point you in the right direction.

Rain Forest: When you get into the Rainforest it’s hard to believe that the beach is just 30 minutes away. The expanse and life that is in the rain forest is something you must see to believe. Equipped with all the water falls, hiking trails, and everything you need to fill up your photo album on your camera or phone. Plus the world largest zip line!!

Island Hop: San Juan is the gateway to the Caribbean, there are so many airlines that can take you to Culebra and Veicaques islands which are worth it. Or even further like Anguilla, Antigua, St. Barths, St. Maarten, St. Kitts and Nevis, Dominican Republic, St. Thomas, St. Croix, and the list goes on and on. Plus clearing customs in San Juan clears you into the United States and will not require that you clear when you get back home!

Old San Juan: Finally, the thing I do the most down here is hit up Old San Juan. This place is filled with so much history, world class bars, fine New York style dining and fun for the whole day and night. Old San Juan has been the start of some of funniest and best stories I will carry with me when I go back to New York soon.

I sincerely hope that this article helps to point you in the right direction or even convinced you to come down and take the trip. I encourage you however to remember that although this is a part of the US, it is very different than any US city I’ve ever visited. So PLEASE take this place with a grain of salt and try to look past some of the weird or irritating things that may happen. This place is special and I highly encourage people looking for a cheap but great vacation that they will not soon forget.

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As always if you have questions about destinations or are looking for specific answers to your travel concerns please reach out.

Until next time,

Tyler Gaebe