San Juan, Puerto Rico

i've been to at least 25 countries and i think PR is THE MOST BEAUTIFUL PLACE IN THE WORLD! I've been living in old san juan for the past 5 months and every day i am amazed by the outstanding spanish architecture and natural landscape. i think those ppl who said bad things about it must be those drunk tourists who did something stupid, had a bad experience, and are trying to get some kind of revenge. i've driven around the island and it is as clean (or cleaner) as any area of its size in the usa. the ppl r nice and helpful and i dont even speak any spanish so i need lots of help in getting around. somebody in one of these reviews actually said it was cold here in the winter! i wonder what country they were in because it is never cold here. i've been here all winter and only once thought i might want a light sweater. it is always sunny and on the hot side. rain showers are brief and then the sun comes back out. i have only seen 1 gray day in 5 months. virtually every day is perfect bea... Read more

great for taking photo shoots and relaxing

One of the best and most beautiful cities in the world. Old San Juan is AMAZING, a destination that everyone has to visit once in their lifetime. The architecture/culture/food is incredible. El Morro was AMAZING. And make sure you take a stroll along the San Juan city walls, the scenery is absolutely spectacular.

The old town has lots of interesting colonial buildings.  It makes for an interesting half day of touring.  There are a few churches, shops and restaurants within the old city walls.  Try to take a tour of the old fort; it is one of the largest in the Caribbean.  The beaches in the city proper, including Isla Verde are only so-so, although the party scene isn't bad.  Try to see the countryside, including El Yunque, a national park which houses a rainforest and lots of waterfalls.  The western and southern part of the island facing the Caribbean has very good beaches.

Pathetic!!!! That's the only word I have for ungrateful people that can not appreciate the beauty found in places that may not be as fortunate as those found in the USA. I was brought up in the slums of Newark, NJ and moved up the corporate ladder to own a home in the richest county in America (Loudon County, VA). I point this out because 'we' Americans have a tendency to expect our pristine little American neighborhood to follow us everywhere we go. Wake up!!! San Juan is a city like any other. There is crime, poverty, trash etc. There are also upscale areas that will easily stretch our six-figure salaries (easily). All it takes is a little research and motivation when you arrive on the island. I highly recommend that you rent a car (47 per day) and drive through the island. You will find the beauty of the island in the various beaches, culture, climate, food, etc. Also take a few of the offered tours (snorkeling, kayaking, biobay).

i spent a year living and working here and without a doubt a miserable experience (2000/2001)... i had the yankee go home attitude everywhere i went. and i speak proper Spanish btw, not that ghetto shit they use there. had food poisoning 7 times, amazingly i didn't die from the lack of health code there... one time i bit into a chicken sandwich with metal shaving and ended up at an E.R. getting several stiches in my tonge which feel out 2 hours later... had to go back and get re-stiched, couldn't eat solid food for a week... the rain forest was nice and old san juan has some charm (where i lived) which earns it one star... other than that it is a total 3rd world craphole.

The weather is too iffy -- cold in winter and in summer, if there's a storm, you're STUCK! It's too expensive for what you get. The natives are LAZY and not at all service oriented toward guests -- very slow. Even a supposedly nice hotel like the Hilton was dirty. Crime is a big problem. We looked at real estate because of a business commitment and after walking through raw sewage to look at one "luxury" property and noticing bars on all the condo balconies to thwart thieves, I turned down the job and would never go back.

Beautiful women, lot's aof party sites, beaches are awesome...A great place to be!!

I've been in Puerto Rico just for 1 year and I love it. The island has many places for all the gusts. Old San Juan is a romantic place, full of history, beautiful architecture and delicious food. There are good places in San Juan city to dance salsa and other Puerto Rican rhythms. The west and east areas have excellent beaches, some of them perfect for snorkeling. Personally, I recommend Isabella and Rincon in the west, and Luquillo in the east. El Yunque forest is astounding. Culebra Island is breathtaking. There are free salsa concerts all year with very good artists. People is so nice, you must come here to believe it.

They don't call it the "happiest place in the world" for nothing! Sure there are alot of problems, but the essence of the pueblo is good. One of our best artists described the island to me as "we may be small on the outside, yet we are grand in the inside". Let's all of us that love Puerto Rico do whatever we can to resolve the bad parts, and polish the good. Maybe the next generation will get an even better deal!

went to vacation to San Juan some spots are ok but let me tell you dont even waste your money just stay in the US its dirty lots of crime and people are rude

PUERTO RICO, PUERTO RICO ISLAND OF ENCHANTMENT: AS A SPANISH AMERICAN I CAN SAY PUERTO RICO IS BEATIFUL, REGARDLESS OF THE PEOPLE BECAUSE EVERYWHERE WE GO PEOPLE ARE RUDE ESPECIALLY IN AMERICA. SECOND OF ALL IF YOU ARE GOIGN ON VACATION TO PUERTO RICO YOU MUST GO WITH MONEY IT IS A VACATION RIGHT? I RENTED A ROOM FOR $190 A NIGHT AND IT WAS BEATIFUL WITH THE OCEAN'S VIEW. I ALSO RENTED A CAR FOR $50 A DAY WITH UNLIMITED MILEAGE. I PREVIOUSLY LIVED IN PUERTO RICO WHEN I WAS LITTLE, I KNOW WHAT RESOURCES TO GO TO WHEN IT'S TIME FOR ME TO HAVE FUN A NIGHT OUT ON THE BEACH, SURFING,VIEWING THE ARTS,GOOD FOOD. PUERTO RICO IS A BEATIFUL COUNTRY TO ENJOY AND HAVE FUN AND MAKE THE BEST OF IT FOR YOURSELF. SO IF YOU DONT KNOW HOW TO GET AROUND OR ENJOY YOUR VACATION I DONT THINK PUERTO RICO IS THE PLACE FOR YOU, SO DONT CRITICIZE. LOVEPR

I am perplexed? I went to San Juan, Luquillo, Fajardo, Carolina, Culebra (small island off the east coast),Caguas just last year! Where in the Hell did everyone who is referring to TRASH around the island go in the island?? Third World??? Who is your travel agent???? And you native Puerto Ricans?? Sick! Help me out here? Specifically where on this island did you experience so much trash? Living in NYC, If I dont' smell urine or crap in the streets and subways every single day...it's a miracle! Every place has a ghetto, trash and bad people and crime..but when I go on vacation..I go to get away from all that..so next time you go to PR, or for those of you reading all this crap these people have written, who have never been...stay in Isla Verde, maybe the Water Club if you can afford it. Go to Luquillo for it's native beauty and culture, visit the plazas of the island, Old San Juan...and like anywhere in the world be as nice to people as you'd like them to be to you...Do your research o... Read more

100% agreed w/ MR. CARIBLOVER, Go San Juan, you will LOVE IT. History + Beaches + Art+ Great People.....Dont paid attention to empty, ignorant people...GO SAN JUAN...its fun, its lovely...the Chicago Girl

I'm from LA, and I stop by in SJ on my way to St Croix VI, wihthout great expectations, now my opinion it's completly different. It's a a large city with a charm, full of history, and friendly people. Goodlatin an international food,a lot of art (good contemporary an classic), beautifull beaches, a great bars....I know the Caribean very well, I been there many times, actually it is my favorite vacation, but this was (by accident) my 1st time in San Juan...Whithout a doubt, best and most cosmopolitant city of the islands....Go there, it is much better than most of our plain cookie cut cities. CARIBLOVER

Overpriced, dirty and basically like going to Anytown USA. Having travelled extensively in Latin America, I can't think of any reason why I would go back. You want an experience of Latin America? Go to Mexico, Venezuela. PR is little more than a mass of strip malls. Culture? Try Chile, Brazil or Argentina. Just want to go and fry on the beach? Fine, I like that too, but your money will be better spent elsewhere.

I visited San Juan and stayed at the Wyndham Condado. It was nothing special...I was actually pretty dissapointed how things have changed in PR since I last visited (only 5 years ago). I noticed alot of arrogance and unfriendliness that is not typical with the culture....Anyhow, I did however meet some great people and enjoyed excellent food. PR is a nice place to visit, especially the west coast. Only go to San Juan for a day trip

we need this sh*tty little island for what??? nuke tests? pineapples? cheap labor? other than the beaches there isnt much to be hyped up about.

It is very irresponsible to highlight only the negative things of a city. I like Florida but it has many negative things and that doesnt change the good of this place. A high percent of San Juan's population consists of well prepared people and an 80% of the high school students make it to the an University...most of the USA young people dont. We are hoping to become a state of the USA to improve our Island because USA also needs us.

I have been to many caribbean islands. None of them can even come close to the diversity, beauty and charm that P.R. has to offer. The literacy rate in P.R. is 90%, that's much higher than that of the U.S. Many of the aeronautical engineers that work at NASA are Puerto Rican born and raised. This business that most P.R.s are on welfare, is a lot of nonsense. Look at your own people before you talk.There are more whites on welfare in the U.S. then African Americans and Hispanics put together, and that is a fact!!!

I went on vacation last year and found Puerto Rico to be an awsome place, the people are very friendly and do welcome you with open arm's, wether you speak the native language or not, I am not fluent with the spanish language, but the people were friendly, for instance I was walking the streets in the town of (Rincon) looking at the beautiful house's that are for sale because I am looking to buy some realestate on the beachfront, anyway it started to rain and some people who I've never seen in my life offer me and my wife to come in out of the rain so we did and we talked to the guy and he was very pleasant with us and offered us food and beverages until the rain was gone, I also toured the Island and found the people to speak English where ever I went, yes there is trash on the beautiful beaches, that comes from tourist and the natives from what I've seen while I was there... so if there is realy a big issue about trash on the Island, why don't you do somthing about it insted of trash... Read more

I left Puerto Rico 11 years ago (no work there). Since then I have returned about 8 times (vacation and visiting family). I was in Puerto Rico last week for 5 days with my family. Rented a car at the San Juan airport - later return the car because it was full of roaches. The auto renter (well known) gave me a lot of buts in returning it. Stay in a Parador in the western part of the Island - had to leave to a hotel because of the intolerable conditions of the room (rate $90.00 a night). Went to another hotel (well known) - last day there was no water. Had to fly back home without a bath. Puerto Ricans in general have gone from very friendly to very rude. It is very sad. I studied Engineering in Mayaguez (city in western part of the Island). My daughter is finishing her industrial engineering degree here in Florida. She found the Island to be third world. She was born on the Island (as my wife and other children). I don't blame the people. I blame the Puerto Rican government (not the... Read more

Ok. I just ran into this website by accident, but read some of the topics and decided to post a message. I was borned and raised in Puerto Rico and go there once every year. Though I will not say is the best place in the world, We do have some SERIOUS problems, starting with crime. The fact of the matter is that a lot of the islanders don't give much of a dam about the island. The trash issue is a real one. The word civility is unknown to many drivers. Can we change it?, Yes!, Can we blame the US for our problems?, No. We got ourselves into this mess and only ourselves can get us out of it. Quite honestly we do look and behave like a third world country. It hurts me to say it, but that is how we behave and in many instances look. Some third country in fact have an idea of civility. We don't even have that. How sad, for such a pretty place!

Like I've said before I've lived in Puerto Rico and obviously you so called tourists haven't been to Luquillo beach because that water is very clear. And about it being dirty every place has its imperfections. Look at NY not the cleanest but the best place. Some of your comments were hurtful to me and I'm just a kid so re word what you say.

I like the history and the setting is just gorgeous. Beautiful birds. Some beautiful hotels along the coast too. I enjoyed listiengi to the Spanish language its so musical. Some things I don't like are the poor physical state of some major buildings. I saw electrical wiring that looked like 3rd world standard (eg - no standards!) But, overall I'd say San Juan ias better than most Caribbean countries in respect to building and road quality. I think the U.S. government should do some serous inspections of the infrastructure and set up a major works program. It would pay off in better living and working conditions and it ouls in turn encourage more tourists to stay in P.R, with their money.

The fact is when people go on vacation the last place they want to go is to the murder capital of the US! The beaches are nice on other ends of the island, but to be honest it's just not worth it to be looking over your shoulder. The Virgin Islands have much cleaner beaches and the people are friendlier-Puerto Rico is a third world country-don't be fooled that its part of the US. I should know-I was raised in Puerto Rico (though its a much different world now) and though I hate to admit it-people there do not act civilized

It always troubles me to see people trash Puerto Rico when, for the most part, they never left the airport, or got further than a stone's throw from the airport. There is so much more the island has to offer, in fact I have lived in PR for more than 5 years and I love it. Sure, as some have pointedd out, San Juan is a city with crime. No doubt about it. You put a few million people in a city and you have crime. But you find the same thing in New York, Philadelphia, LA, Detroit or any American city as well. Use common sense! As a rule the people are hospitable and friendly. Again, sure there are the bad apples, but I would encourage you to show me any place that does not. San Juan and Puerto Rico is what you make it. If you want your steak n' taters, and gall-durned everybody oughta speak 'american' , then PR is not for you. Wherever I have traveled in this world, I am usually embarrassed by Americans. Here is no exception.

While Old San Juan has many interesting attractions, their own people treat the island like it is their trash can. They keep their houses impeccable but they trash the beaches on the weekend. Not just trash but with loud, obnoxious music that they seem to think everyone is going to enjoy. Crime is a big problem. While I was there, the manager and cook of the Outback Restaurant in the Wyndham Casino were murdered during a robbery and there was a man killed and a woman wounded on the streets of Old San Juan. There is a drug war raging and to date (4/27/2004) there have been 281 murders. If you want to see PR, stay someplace away from San Juan. There are plenty of beautiful beaches around the island, just stay away from them on the weekends when the locals trash them. I was amused to read Cottonmouth's review below. He is obviously one of the 'independentistas who think that their opinions count. Fortunately, the 'independentistas' compromise an insignificant 5% of the popula... Read more

Best city in the caribbean. The most modern, historic, cosmopolitan and economically stable city in all of the caribbean basin.

Real mainland Americans...please take notice: We only make a living from your taxes because they are also ours. Sad but true we have American passports and rights. Thanks to the Spanish AMerican war of 1898. No one really asked us back then if we wanted to be taken over by the USA... Oh well, life is not fair. But if the tax thing bothers you all, tell your president to disinherit us. Like a pet, you take care of us, because we are unable to do it ourselves. You feed us and give us a roof because we are not very independent. Tsk, Tsk... We are messy babies that do not pick our trash up. We must be needing counseling. Is it possible then that we can change and improve??? Seriously now,I dont think that the 47% of Puerto Ricans really really would love to be a state. They are just a little afraid to end up like Haiti. It is a bit of a phenomenom that Caribbean Islands are just full of problems. We are aware of that and we think we need to love and be grateful that thanks to the USA we ... Read more

Puerto Rico needs some work.The employment opportunities are scarce.Overall Puerto Rico is a nice place to visit but I certainly wouldn't recommened it for one to live.If you like a quick vacation stop PR are would be the place.

a) I listen to no one who calls me ignorants. b) there is no arguing the high crime rate in Puerto Rico because it's a fact. The murder rate in San Juan last year (22 per 100,000) is more than 4 times the national average in the US. Crime rose by 25%, with cocaine trafficking being the most common but also kidnapping, robbery, and theft top the list. Puerto Rico is a big war zone. Everywhere, crime seems to be the issue. - Anthony Maingot, Caribbean expert and professor of sociology at FIU.

I'm Puertorican so I'll say a couple of things about San Juan and its people. First of all Puertoricans are very friendly and in San Juan the majority of the people speak english. It's a beautiful city but in all honesty there's too much trash. The nightlife is pretty good, there's everything to do. Yes it's a little too expensive but don't tell me that american beaches are prettier because it's not even close. And finally it's not true that almost everyone here hates America when like 47% of the population wants PR to become the 51st state and another 45% wants PR to stay as a commonwealth of the US if you add that's about 92% of the population!!!

I have lived in puerto rico for over two years.I have found that most people here are rude to non spanish speaking people. CRIME is a huge problem here.Most all streets need work and need the trush pick up.Puerto rico can not compare to Florida because most of the beaches in florida are clean.Puerto is a nice place to visit for no more than a week. IF you can AFFord here.

You guys are ignorants. Puerto Ricans are the friendliest people. They treat tourist with open arms. The city is beautiful and the Old San Juan is a spectacle. I went there for 3 weeks and it was amazing. Your guys should check it out.

This destination is so-so, it deserves at least an "OK" because of the great history of the Island. Although, the crime, dirty streets, and unfriendly people can really take away from this location. I really enjoyed touring the forts, it was truly amazing to think about the role they played in the history of the Island.

San Juan is a beautiful city, but the Puerto Rican people are so lazy. They have no sense of civility. They throw trash right on the street and could not care less. They hate America and Americans, although most of them are on welfare. The beaches are great, but the people are of a mind set that is so unlike the American mindset.

The island is beautiful and the water is warm and great for snorkling/ diving/ sailing! On the other hand, a majority of the people TRASH the place, are rude and lazy. It seems a lot of people in Puerto Rico are making a living from US taxes and think that the navy is contaminating Vieques (hardly the truth). San Juan is nice for a day trip. See the castle and pick up a case of Bacardi Reserve, then get back to Florida for a vacation before your wallet gets stolen.

A beautiful place to visit, amazing architechture, beaches, historical attractions, shops and an assortment of restaurants. If you are ever in Puerto Rico, I also suggest heading over to the other side of the island. We stayed in Rincon which is a gorgeous town with great little bars and cafes. A lot less touristy with great attractions like the lighthouses, unbelievable beaches and the everyday culture of the people.

I have never been to Puerto Rico, but I think it sounds like a very beautiful place. I've wanted to go to this place forver and I hope I will I have the opportunity to go soon. All the water and palm trees and weather. It sounds like heaven to me!! :0)

Old San Juan was magnificent with its old spanish charm and friendly people. Juan Ponce De Leon is burried in the old cathedral, governor's mansion is in old san juan, many, many historical spanish forts, and of course - their currency is the dollar.

San Juan was great, especially the Condado area. Old San Juan very interesting. Great shopping, nice beaches, good restaurants - a great place for a vacation!

A gorgeous city. Loved Old San Juan with its maze of cafes, bars, and shops.

San Juan was disappointing—environment was very degraded.

Lots of girls, girls, girls, girls.