San Juan, Puerto Rico Review

My husband and I went on a cruise ship leaving out of San Juan, Puerto Rico.  We had decided to spend two nights before our cruise in San Juan and two nights on the other side of the island after returning from our cruise.  Our experiences on both sides of the island were less than impressive.

Mistake #1:  I booked everything online and did not use a professional travel agent.  Had I used a travel agent, we might not have spent our first two nights in San Juan in a so-so hotel in the middle of a residential area.  We didn't rent a car so we had to take a long bus ride to get downtown.  I thought I was being frugal by doing that but we were the only tourists on the bus and really stood out.  I did not feel threatened but I also didn't feel very safe until we were downtown or safely tucked away back in our hotel room.

Lesson learned:  Pay more money for a tourist hotel in the popular areas and be sure to check online reviews (i.e. Viewpoints) about the hotel.  Also, when in doubt about a location, use a travel agent who is familiar with the area.

Mistake #2:  Feeling adventurous while walking around downtown, my husband wanted to take a walk by an area that looked a little suspicious to me.  As we were making our way to this area, a San Juan resident stopped us and told us that we should turn around and go back to the tourist area.  As we were making our way back, my husband started videotaping the area and inadvertently taped a group of kids making a drug deal.  When they spotted us, they started yelling out to us and it was really frightening.  We pretty much ran back to the downtown area all the while looking behind our backs. 

Lesson learned:  Read your guidebooks, stay in tourist areas unless you have a tour guide, and trust your instincts.  Crime is rampant even on tropical islands.

Mistake #3: After returning from our cruise (which was wonderful), we rented a car out of a hotel that was close to the ship's port.  Unfortunately it was still far enough away that we had to rent a cab to get there.  Also, when we returned the car, we had to take another cab ride to get back to the airport.  If I had used a travel agent, there may have been other options that I was not aware of.

Lesson learned: Plan ahead for additional charges, such as cab fares, when choosing transportation in San Juan.  It may have been cheaper for us to return the rental car at the airport and pay an additional fee than to pay for another cab ride to get to the airport.    

Mistake #4: Romanticizing a place that I had never been to and not realizing that Puerto Rico isn't all of the beautiful tropical island that I imagined it to be.  While we were fortunate to have spent one night in a beautiful ocean-front resort, that seemed to be more the exception than the norm.  The roads were strewn with litter and stray dogs were running all over the place.  I'm a HUGE animal lover and I was very depressed at the end of our stay knowing that I couldn't save even one of the lovable dogs that I came across.  It wasn't for lack of trying.  After calling the airline to see if I could bring a dog home with me, I discovered that there was a waiting period (after a vet check, of course) to make sure that the animal wasn't contagious. 

Lesson learned:  Unfortunately, my memories of Puerto Rico are more sad than happy.  My heart aches when I think of all the homeless animals roaming the beaches and streets and how no one seemed to care.  Also, the roadsides filled with garbage took much away from the beautiful ocean that was sometimes only yards away.

My summary:  Unless we found a great deal for a cruise departing from San Juan, my husband and I will never go back to Puerto Rico.  Other than spending one night at the ocean-side resort, we were not impressed with most of what we saw there.  I know that there are probably many people who will disagree with me, but I have to be honest about how dirty and unsafe the island seemed to me.  I would rather spend my travel dollars elsewhere.