Puerto Rico Travel Reviews - Rainforest, Pork, Beaches, Seafood, Hot Springs

 This blog contains a little review of my adventures followed by a detailed list of the places we went, stayed and ate at (or meant to).  My list of travel destinations in Puerto Rico below includes addresses, hours of service, costs & amenities with links to trail/route maps where available. My lodging lists runs the gamut from treehouse camping, nice resort hotels, hostels, bed and breakfasts accomodating all sorts of travel budgets. My personal photo gallery of our trip can be found >here<

 -DESTINATION GUIDE-  below these reviews for- Old San Juan / Salinas / Dorado / El Yunque / Naguabo / Santurce San Juan / Pork Highway / West of San Juan / Lodging

We arrived in San Juan and our first morning was spent in Old San Juan where the tourists start & cruise ships come to port. The cobblestone streets are paved with blue flagstone.  The bus employees were on strike so we took a $14 taxi ride from Condado.  We ate breakfast at Cafeteria Mallorca which is an unpretentious little diner & bakery that makes delicious café con leche with an ancient coffee press/steamer and the most delicious Mallorca (a Spanish brioche style pastry with powdered sugar).  I ordered a mallorca with ham & cheese and it was amazing in a monte cristo kind of decadent way.  Next we walked a few block over to Pier 2 where the 50c ferry will take you to Condado where the largest rum distillery in the world is:  Casa Bacardi… the cathedral of rum.

Locally produced rum brands include:  Bacardi, Captain Morgan, Palo Viejo, Don Q, Boca Chico, Llave, Castillo, del Barrilito, Rico and Canita Cura’o.  Coca-cola is also produced locally and a rum & coke on Puerto Rico is a different experience that on the mainland.  Mojitos beautiful enough to bring a tear to your eye with fresh mint leaves & the perfect swizzle stick of sugar cane.  Pina Coladas supposedly originated in Old San Juan at Barrachina where you can still enjoy the cocktail on their patio.  The history says that Spanish conquistadors invaded the island and killed most of the native Tainos off.  The often blonde, blue eyed, Castillian Spainards imported African slaves to work the sugar plantations and refineries that produced rum, a byproduct of the sugar refining process was molasses. In the process of researching this trip I developed a recipe for "pirate pie" using rum, molasses & citrus to flavor a sweet potato- egg custard pie. However, this blog is about Puerto Rico, so let me tell you about the rum tours.

Once the ferry arrives in Condado, you will have to pay a van $3 each way to drive you over to Casa Bacardi from the pier.  The Bacardi tour does not allow many photos inside, there is a short education film about the company history & standards.  You get tickets good for 2 free cocktails at their bar next to the gift shop.  The gift shop offers Bacardi rum blends not available off the island, more basic blends can be had for around $10 a bottle (which unopened can be brought back on the plane).  After we returned on the ferry to Old San Juan, we walked across the street from Pier 2 and enjoyed the locally made Don Q Rum tasting room.  Don Q offers one free rum cocktail and you can take pictures of anything you like at their facility.  I was especially enamored with their first edition illuminated copy of Don Quixote.  I just love rare books.
  

At first in San Juan, we stayed in the Oceana Hostel above the Pura Vida vegetarian restaurant, about one block away from free Condado Beach.  They offer private rooms with adequate shower facilities (bring shower shoes).  The linens were clean.  Day manager super helpful & night manager was bitter. Roof deck was refreshing. Parking in a nearby alley on one side.  Interesting figurative graffiti.  Connected with a lovely friend who lives in San Juan & visited Circo Bar for a drag show and dancing to electronic music.  Crowded dancefloor after midnight, lots of diversity, many shirtless attractive boys getting their groove on.  The music everywhere in Puerto Rico is cranked up to 11 always whether its a siren break at a danceclub or a salsa band in a plaza, volume is serious on the island.  Music is life. 

Drove the very curvy, ups & downs of route 184 aka Pork Highway to find a Lechoneria for lunch.  Roasted pork everything.  Dozens of little food stands & restaurants alllllll along the road, especially concentrated in the town of Guavate where you will find at least 4 competing soundsystems on a Saturday belting out tunes for your dancing feet.  Delightfully fresh pina coladas, empanadillas, ribs, pastelillas & all sorts of deliciousness.  If you want a part of the pig & cannot translate, remember to point & mime politely.  We ate lunch at Los Piñones, which offered a buffet line making it easier for us to order based on sight instead of guesswork.  There is nothing like watching someone carve your lunch from the whole animal with a machete to remind you of the sacrifice this animal made for your sustenance.  Thank you tasty pig friend, they honored you in the recipes.  Most definitely.  One word to learn to love before visiting Guavate?  “Chicharrón” the crackling savory, crisp pork skin.  That puffy stuff they sell in the bags as chips called chicharrones is a sad pale comparison to the real thing, fresh & hot off the meat. Video of Travel Channel's Bizarre Food episode in Puerto Rico found >here<. 

Lets introduce you to another Puerto Rican dish that my vegetarian friends can enjoy while vacationing, since I did just subject them to visceral Roasted Pig imagery lol. “Tostones.”  Super delicious, little round patties of mashed plantain (or yucca plants on some menus) that are twice fried.  Sometimes tostones are stuffed with meat or vegetables upon request. I had amazing lobster tostones in Salinas at La Barca.  >Here< is a link to a recipe for tostones should you like to cook a few. 

One more vegan dish found in Puerto Rico on menus is “Mofongo”.  Its mostly mashed plantains as well but softer and slightly more savory.  Often its offered with marinated meats or fried in bacon grease, but that is an option for some veggie friends as well.  >Here< is a link for a recipe for vegetarian mofongo.

Near the south coast of Puerto Rico is a little town called Coamo that offers geothermally heated hot springs, perfectly clear natural spring water heated to around 109 degrees.  The hot springs is not considered good to drink because of its high mineral content, however the local tap water is fine.  It is thought that Banos de Coamo was the original inspiration for the Fountain of Youth sought by Spanish explorer Ponce de Leon.  Hotel is simple, clean & quiet.  Beautiful private pool area in the hotel with both cold & hot pools.  Next door to hotel is a public hot springs area if you choose to pay to swim.  Amazing trees growing in this space, a true oasis.  We ate dinner at a restaurant nearby called La Ceiba which had an amazing ancient tree, the food was a little pricey but solid.
 

 

On our drive out, we stopped in Salinas at the southern coast of Puerto Rico that touches the Caribbean sea.  This little fishing town has some amazing restaurants with views of the water.  We ate at La Barca & loved every succulent bite of fresh seafood.  Incredible lobster paella & lobster stuffed mahi mahi (locally called Dorado).  

As we left, I stopped to dip my toe in the sea so that later that night I could dip my other toe in the Atlantic when we got to our destination tat evening.  To my surprise I found a micro-SD card in the seawater of Salinas.  The disk worked & we found a nice older couple’s vacation photos.  I would love to return their disk, but no evidence of their names or origin.

Next we stayed in Dorado on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean at a resort hotel with a private beach, Embassy Suites Dorado del Mar Casino & Resort. Amazing beach sunsets. Snorkeling around coral reefs.  The casino is rigged, the pit boss nudged the roulette table almost every time the ball was thrown (to the point I asked him to please stop touching the table during my bets).  They fix their broken slot machines in a Fonzi like way by punching the machine :/ Lovely pool area with no deep end, all pools were less than 4 ft deep.  Private beach was also deliberately shallow.  Generous free breakfast with omelette bar, free happy hour drinks in the evening with snacks.  We nicknamed this hotel Gringoland because of the many spoiled American children running about.  Exquisite high thread count sheets & best wifi we had on the island.  Ate dinner at nearby Katrina’s restaurant, fresh seafood prepared in Creole/Caribbean/Cajun style with a view of the beach.  We ate red snapper with red mojo sauce and mahi mahi in garlic butter.  Amazing local food at Katrina’s, relatively inexpensive for a neighborhood awash with precious plates of tiny nibbles & American chain restaurants.  

After gringoland, we escaped to the rainforest in search of our treehouse in the jungle.  Admittedly, this is a tiny island compared to Texas.  It only takes an hour to cross the entire island of Puerto Rico from the North to the South.  There was a supermercado and a wal-mart within twenty-ish minutes of Naguabo where we stopped for camping supplies such as the $3 pocket knife we used to pry the husks off fresh coconuts, batteries for our LED lanterns, drinking water, baby wipes, charcoal & food.  Bugspray is not necessary with all the bats and frogs eating mosquitos there.  In fact, our host drinks the local spring water (which is a safe spring at this elevation) and is happy to share this unpurified water should you ask.  Food in the Rainforest was plentiful once we knew what to look for, our guide Robin pointed out edible plants during the hike up to the treehouse.  During our walk in March we enjoyed a type of local blueberry that grows on trees, bananas from the bunch, “tree spinach”, and coconuts.  Harvest time at the fruit farm is around August & September.  This is not a traditional farm with trees in rows, this is a jungle with select cultivated plants that provide food or homeopathic medical solutions.  Here is a minute long audio track my boyfriend recorded while we were camping in the treehouse at Rainforest Fruit Farms. sound link for midnight in el yunque >
https://soundcloud.com/hepkatmama/el-yunque-rainforest

The treehouse is an unfinished one room cabin with outdoor porch built into the side of the mountain on stilts at 900 ft. above sea level.  There is no electricity or running water.  There is a bbq grill out back by the coconut tree. The locker inside has clean linens, mosquito netting, extra blankets plus random cutlery, foil and pans left behind by former guests. The porch deck has two hammocks, 2 chairs, a table for dining and an amazing view of the sea from above the treetops.  A peaceful night time serenade by chirping frogs, birds and insects will lull you to sleep.

The next day we tried to visit the petroglyph caves but found all the private parking owners were not at home & gates were locked.  The public parking area is prone to car break-ins & we ended up blowing it off. Instead we drove 2 minutes north of the Rainforest Fruitfarm to swim in the spring fed waterfalls of the southern most point of El Yunque Rainforest National Park on 191.  After our swim we had dinner at a quaint little café called Noelia’s that is built on the mountainside with a spectacular patio view of the rainforest valley (see photo below).  Noelia is an amazing chef who uses local game and produce to create fresh tasty dishes sure to please both vegetarians and carnivores alike.  I had a savory rabbit turnover (empanadilla de conejo) and juicy bbq chicken wings with puerto rican style rice and beans. Probably one of the best meals on the trip served by a lady with a radiant smile who loves cooking, conga drums and her sweet old dog, Chaco.
 

-DESTINATION GUIDE  INDEX-  Old San Juan / Salinas / Dorado / El Yunque / Naguabo / Santurce San Juan / Pork Highway / West of San Juan / Lodging

-Old San Juan-
Bus - Condado > Old SJ (catch Bus 53 on McLeary. Get off at 1- San Juan/Covadonga Station) 75c/person. Runs 7am-9pm. route map at this link >    http://www.puertoricodaytrips.com/wp-post-images/san-juan-bus-routes.png

Trolly free.7am-7pm. Routes start at Pier 4.  Old SJ only. both red & blue routes go from trolly pier 4 > Calle San Francisco > ferry Pier 2) . route map at this link >  http://www.puertoricodaytrips.com/free-trolley-old-san-juan/

Cafeteria Mallorca - 300 Calle San Francisco, San Juan –breakfast (bombadera fndr) 787-724-4607 cafe con leche, mallorca dominguera with ham & cheese. sit at counter (4 blks from pier 2) open 7am-6:30pm. Inexpensive PR diner in Old San Juan (founded by old employees of La Bombonara in the 50s). http://www.yelp.com/biz/cafeteria-mallorca-san-juan
 
Casa Bacardi – in Catano, PR (ferry ride from pier 2 in old san juan. 50c / person. Runs every 15-30 minutes).  Largest rum distillery in world.  Free hour long tour w/ 2 free samples.  Including distillery replica, bar, film, interactive smelling area.  M-Sat 9:00am till last tour at 4:15pm.  Sun 10am-3:45pm  www.casabacardi.org (Bacardi Puerto Rico on fb)
 

 Casa Don Q Rum (brand favored by locals) – Ochoa Building (ground floor) on Marina Street across the street from Pier 2 in Old San Juan.  Rum Reading Room & Bar with free rum sample & inexpensive gift shop.  Open Fri- Wed, 11am till 8pm (closed Thursday).  787-977-1720 (ferry ride east of catano or walk from san juan) http://www.destileriaserralles.com/Brochure.pdf
  

- Ocean Park Beach - in San Juan near Condado (more adult beach, south beach mia vibe, near residential so more low key, 1 km from Oceana hotel)  1077 Avenue Doctor Ashford, San Juan, Puerto Rico 00907   http://gopuertorico.about.com/od/sanjuan/p/OceanPark_Guide.htm

- Salinas (Caribbean coast fishing port) -
La Barca - Calle A, Salinas, Puerto Rico 00751 seafood with view of caribbean
Ladi's Place - Cam De Playa - Salinas, Puerto Rico 00751 (787) 824-2035 seafood with view
Restaurant El Roble - Carr 701 79-A Bo. Playa, Salinas, Puerto Rico 787-824-2377 (old family run seafood restaurant, but no view)

-Dorado-
Katrina's -  $- Dorado, Puerto Rico 00646 (787) 278-3183 beach seafood. empenadas. beach corner of clle estrella del mar & calle a / calle madre perla 

Mana Deli Plaza Dorada 12 / 787-796-7676 / 9a- 10 p. BREAKFAST. DELI. PR food
Costa Criolla -$$- Costa De Oro D76, Dorado, Puerto Rico 00646 (787) 626-5999
El Capitan $ (787.278.0111)  511 Calle Sur (Detrás del Pabellón Rafael Hernández Colón) mariscos 11am-10pm (Thursday is $15 lobster night)

-Rainforest Area - Naguabo / Rio Blanco / Rio Grande -
El Yunque National Park Rainforest  – open daily 7:30am – 6pm – Hwy PR 191 runs thru it North - South.  HC-01, Box 13490, Rio Grande, PR 00745-9625.  787-888-1880  . Camping (must rsvp over 2 weeks in advance), hiking, picnics, scenic drives, waterfalls, interpretive forest center, yokahu tower, several trees & animals only found in this rainforest. No Fee for tent camping or day visits.  Restrooms in the El Portal Rainforest Ctr (25 mi. east of san juan) http://www.fs.usda.gov/elyunque

El Yunque Hiking Trail Map in this link >
http://www.fs.usda.gov/detailfull/elyunque/maps-pubs/?cid=stelprdb5190546&width=full

List of Puerto Rican Local Animals, Reptiles, Amphibians, Fish and Birds listed at >
http://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/elyunque/learning/nature-science/?cid=fsbdev3_042978 

Taino Petroglyphs & La Canoa Falls in Rio Blanco at the edge of the Rainforest.  Free Parking is challenging (locals recommend you partner with others so that your cars are not left alone, teenagers tend to break in unattended vehicles). Several home owners on the street will allow you to park inside their gated yards for $3-5 (which is worth it if they are home) -  GPS: 18.247747, -65.786351
http://www.puertoricodaytrips.com/el-hippie/
  

Noelias - Rainforest Bar & Grill in Naguabo.  Excellent food, generous bar, friendly service, amazing view from the patio, jukebox & pool table inside.  Noelia loves fresh food made with local ingredients and delightfully plays her congas to the jukebox.
http://www.yelp.com/biz/noelias-naguabo
 

Restaurante Waterfront Cantina - Puerto Rico 3, Naguabo, Puerto Rico 00718  (787) 874-3028

- In Santurce (San Juan) -
Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico.  Avenida de Diego 299 in Santurce 787-977-6277
PRs largest museum includes garden.  Free on Wednesdays from 2-8 pm or $6 other times.  ___ night calendar http://puertoricanpainter.com/gallery.htm

Museo de Arte Contemporaneo (MAC). Av. Juan Ponce de León, esquina Ave. Roberto H. Todd, Parada 18, San Juan, 00910 (787-977-4030)-  ?$5 adults. (free entry each Last Wednesday of month open till 9:00 pm).  Open Tue - Fri 10am - 4pm, Sat 11am - 1pm, Sun 1pm - 5pm.

La Plaza del Mercado. aka La Placita (foodie farmers market, fish market, herbs, tons of restaurants nearby) in Santurce neighborhood. Corner of Dos Hermanos and Capitol streets in a blue collar neighborhood.  Foodie by day.  Bar/music at night.  Cab at night, no parking. (a few local things of interest:  Algarova = Carob. Mavee = PR iced tea)

El Coco de Luis. at dos hermanos & capitol streets in La Placita– cheap food & specialty whiskey cocktail served in fresh coconut 787-721-7595

Tasco el Pescador. Across from main market building on Dos hermanos Street in Santurece. Best place in market for fresh seafood. Neon sign on green building 787-751-4335

Circo Bar. straight friendly LGBT nightclub in Santurce.  Multi-leveled, 4 different rooms.  Excellent danceclub after midnight.  Drag shows on the weekend. Strong drinks, loud music, bad neighborhood, free parking, simpler to pay in cash. 650 Calle Condado, San Juan PR  00907 (727-725-9626)  http://www.yelp.com/biz/circo-bar-san-juan
 
- Pork Hwy is Route 184-  through City of Guavate (off Hwy 52), is home of Lecho’n, roast suckling pig .  notice the KM marker signs to determine ”street address” as you drive along.
El Rancho Original (pork) Route 184 Guavate, (Cayey) Puerto Rico 00736 (bourdain)
Lechonera Los Pinos 787) 286-1917 . Guavate, Carr. 184, Km. 27.7, Cayey, Puerto Rico 00736
Lechonera El Rey 787-535-4200 . Carr 184 Km 32.4 | Bo Guavate, Cayey, Puerto Rico

- West of San Juan-
- Museo del Café at 42 Calle Palmer Cabalines, Ciales, 00638, a small town mountain town about one hour west from San Juan. Family owned coffee roasters, museum & café.  Sells locally grown coffee. $1 per person tour. pen Tuesday to Friday from 8am to 3pm, Saturday and Sunday from 8am to 5pm. 787-871-3439 to rsvp for tour

- Balneario Punta Salinas in Toa Baja. Crescent shaped beach with life guards & blue flag tested water. Good swimming. Manatee & Sea turtle nesting site.  Dark beige sand. $4.28 entry per person.  W-Su from 8:30-5pm  787-795-3325  (20 min from San Juan)

-Rio Camuy Cave Park - Route 129 Km 18.9,HCO 2 7865-A,Camuy,00627, Puerto Rico 787-898-3100 located 11 miles southwest of Arecibo on Hwy 129.  open Tuesday to Sunday and holidays from 8:00 am to 3:45 pm. Entrance fee $10, parking is $2. rsvp required

- Arecibo Observatory – world’s largest Radio Telescope in Arecibo, Puerto Rico.  This is the source of the data used by SETI. $10 adults/ $6 for kids or seniors.  Open M-Su 9am-4pm (787 - 878 – 2612) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arecibo_Observatory  http://www.naic.edu/general/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=162:vc-description&catid=107&Itemid=638
 
- Rio Piedras Mercado on Paseo de Jose de Diego (east of San Juan).  Farmers market, Hot Food vendors, (on Bizarre Food).  Open M- Sat from 9am – 6pm and Sun morning. Free. Area parking is usually $1 per hour.

-LODGING-
COAMO HOT SPRING (1.5 hours South of San Juan) – Route 546, Km 1, Coamo, PR 00769 (787 825 2186) Check in 2pm, checkout 12pm, Free breakfast, free parking $85 double room with vaulted ceilings & courtyard view of ancient tree. Hotel has swimming pool & separate private hot pool heated by thermal springs (pool closes not long after sunset, ask early about night swims).  Next door is city run public springfed thermal pool that charges $3 per person  787-825-6668  (7am – 9pm Sat & Sun).  http://welcome.topuertorico.org/cgi-bin/lodgingshow.cgi?listing=0143
http://www.coamo.puertorico.pr
http://www.puertoricodaytrips.com/coamo-thermal-springs/

Oceana Hostal Playero  $130ish per night. free street parking, free continental breakfast, full sz kitchen, outdoor swimming pool, rooftop deck with view of city, one block from Condado beach, check in 3pm check out 12pm. 1853 Mcleary Avenue, San Juan, Puerto Rico 00911.  787-728-8119. (near airport, museums, santurce, old san juan, bt. condado beach and ocean beach) Http://oceanapuertorico.com/?

Embassy Suites Dorado del Mar - 201 Dorado Del Mar Boulevard, Dorado, 00646, Puerto Rico TEL: 1-787-796-6125
check-in 4pm, check out 12pm.  in room fridge, microwave, room service, beach access, beach yoga, free breakfast with omelette/waffle bar, free "evening reception" drinks/snacks, near dorado del mar casino, arcade, gym, spa, luggage hold, baggage storage ($3/day), bar, parking $12/day. 

Phillips Forest Cabin  $40 per night for treehouse (less for tent sites). BBQ grill but no kitchen, full size bed with mosquito net. Treehouse has no electricity & no running water (so bring lights & food/water). Robin Phillips is a fruit farmer & knowledgeable rainforest guide.  exotic fruit farm with views of the ocean and Vieques Island from your cabins' porch. It's a steep hike up 900 ft. Elevation to the treehouse, do not arrive after dark. On Road # 191 about 53 min from san juan, take 191 north from Naguabo to reach farm. Rainforest Fruit Farm is at HC1 Box 4449 Naguabo, Puerto Rico 00718 USA robinaphillips@gmail.com . There was a landslide (pretty old now) across the road on the top of the mountain and Road 191 is blocked off completely in the middle (landslide separates Rainforest Fruit Farm from the main National Park, but there is still access to one of the park’s spring fed waterfall/swimming area from the south side). Walking distance to trails of El Yunque National Forest and Cubuy / Sabana River springfed pools.
http://www.elyunque.com/Phillips.htm
http://www.rainforestfruitfarm.com/cabins.html

Casa Cubuy Ecolodge - $120 per night.Route 191 in Naguabo (787-874-6221) Running water & Electricity. Showers. No tv. No a/c (but temperatures are 60-75 year round). Hotel uses solar power. Complimentary fruit breakfast. Clean Linens. Hiking distance to trails of El Yunque National Forest and Cubuy and Sabana River springfed pools. Check in at 1pm. Check out at 11am. info@casacubuy.com
http://www.casacubuy.com/index.html

Posado Old San Juan. Calle San Francisco 405, In front of Plaza Colon, Old San Juan, Puerto Rico private room with shared bath is $108. check in: 15:00-3pm.  check out: 11:00AM Taxes and fees not included breakfast not included ( but have 2 full kitchens) credit cards accepted.  Cancellation policy 72 hours. Free WiFi, Bike rentals, Washing Machines onsite, All Rooms have airconditioning, onsite Bar. Hostel got really good ratings for cleanliness.
http://www.hostelworld.com/hosteldetails.php/Posada-San-Francisco/San-Juan/46261?dateFrom=2014-03-21&dateTo=2014-03-23&sc_sau=avdc&sc_pos=3

Hyatt Hacienda Del Mar – 301 Hwy 693. Vega Alta 00646.  (787-796-3000) $161 per night ("studio" queen)  Check in 4pm / check out 10am. Outdoor pool & swimup bar.  Hot tub, gym, free guest parking, wifi, balcony, hiking trails on site, snorkeling on site, yoga on site, beachfront hotel. (24 mi west from airport.  n beach) http://hyatthaciendadelmar.hyatt.com/en/hotel/home.html

Comfort Inn Levittown – 3167 Paseo Cresta, Toa Baja PR 00950  787-641-9090
Free breakfast & wifi, balconies, beachfront hotel, outdoor pool, $179/night (or $109 on travelocity).  Free guest parking.  (8 minutes from Bayamon, 24 minutes from airport, on beach)

Andalucia Guest House – in Condado 787.309.3373 2011 calle McLeary. San Juan, PR. $99/queen private bath.  http://www.andalucia-puertorico.com/guest_house_rooms_and_rates.html

The Palace Hostel (condado beach in san juan) 666 Calle Suau, San Juan, PR 00907 +1 787-998-2494  $34 for double private room
http://www.hostelworld.com/hosteldetails.php/The-Palace-Hostel/San-Juan/54364?dateFrom=2014-03-21&dateTo=2014-03-23&sc_sau=avdc&sc_pos=1

San Juan Beach Hotel $124. 1045 Ashford Avenue San Juan 00907 Puerto Rico 1-855-201-7819
 
 
Hostel on Vieques Island
Beware of some petty crime and reportedly underhanded local authorities in the neighborhood.  Vieques is the Island nearest to Bioluminescent Bay
http://vieques.com/island-bioluminescent-bay/
http://www.hostelworld.com/hosteldetails.php/The-Lazy-Hostel-Vieques/Vieques/68148?dateFrom=2014-03-21&dateTo=2014-03-24&sc_sau=avdc&sc_pos=1

Gloria's in Fajardo… Casa Linda del Este: Modestly priced, a very clean & comfortable two bedroom apartment, with amazing views! lovely area on the eastern slopes just below the East Peak of El Yunque mountains. starting at $75. for 2 pp. and $100 for 4 .. See the real Puerto Rico here with friendly local hosts who will serve you breakfast if you ask. All children welcome. Gloria also has a one bedroom (very clean) unit with private bath which rents for $55. per night for 2 plus 7% tax. Road # 971, drive south from Fajardo. 2 night minimum: call Gloria directly. Gloria Nazario tel. 787-461-6666. gloriasapt@hotmail.com   http://www.elyunque.com/glorias.htm

Hostel in Fajardo http://www.hostelworld.com/hosteldetails.php/Moon-Light-Bay-Hostel/Fajardo/71341?dateFrom=2014-03-21&dateTo=2014-03-23

-LINKS-
www.frommers.com/destinations/puerto-rico/744365  (best beaches)
http://studentsinsanjuan.blogspot.com/2008/07/puerto-rico-is-rum-tastic.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Juan,_Puerto_Rico