El Yunque From Marriott or Old Town Sheraton

[mrsheldon88]

We have one night before our cruise and one night after. None of our days in San Juan are full days. We fly in the first, leave on a cruise the second; arrive back by ship on the third (probably our longest day due to an early am arrival) and fly out the fourth. But if at all possible we would really like to get to El Yunque for a short tour. We won't have a car. Does anyone know of half day tours to El Yunque that we could take from either the Marriott or the Sheraton?

What else do you recommend keeping in mind the lack of a rental car? Bio Bay is not an option, unfortunately, because the moon is in the wrong phase.

What about restaurants at or near either hotel?

Are the casinos reasonable, or are the odds ridiculously low (like the ones in Nassau where you just cannot win at slots)?

[texancruzer]

We did two nights precruise before our Serenade cruise in 2005. We stayed at the El Convento and were ALL over Old San Juan - morning * noon * and night !

First - eat breakfast at La Bombonera. 100+ year old diner/bakery with amazing fresh pastries. Also regular breakfast fare. Fresh squeezed oj and coffee they grow right there on the island. Waiters wear bow ties. Cheap too. 4 adults ate till they were FULL.....$16.00 incl. tip. This is very good for San Juan. The mallorcas are melt-in-your-mouth ! Lunch and dinner too....... but

For dinner one night try El Picoteo in the El Convento courtyard. Little white lites in the trees so very romantic. Their tapas are really good. The lobster empanadas along with everything else we tried were really good. The sangria which was praised by everyone I talked to precruise - was in my opinion so-so...... now the mojitos - yeah !

If you like dancing...... we went to two clubs - Nuyorican Cafe but did not stay as they had jazz that night so we headed to Rhumba club where they had a 7 piece salsa band. This is the little hole in the wall place where they filmed part of Dirty Dancing - Havana. Not fancy but this is where alot of locals go and band was good....dancing was awesome. Drinks were strong and low cover. Just a good way to experience some local culture as the salsa was invented here - and they know how to do it too

We had reserved a car from Hertz to be picked up at the Sheraton to do a rainforest DIY......but our concierge told us there were storms in the mountains and unless we knew what we were doing......best not to go. It was sunny and nice in town....... so if you plan this - check weather in mountains first. Seems they got alot more rain/storms there - hence the term "rainforest" DUH !

Oh - another night we ate at Pamelas located in Ocean Park at the Numero Uno guesthouse. Best meal of the entire trip ! Not cheap but right on the beach and really good food. This was our 25th anniversary dinner.

Hope this helps - have fun !

[RigleysMommy]

We were in SJ less than 2 months ago and had the most amazing day! We were fortunate to find a guide in the cruise port to give us a full day tour including El Yunque, Old San Juan, the beaches and a local food hot spot for $50 each. He was so charming and we felt like we got such a deal. You can search for my cruise review to read the details if you like but I strongly recommend him if you want someone to take you around on your personal schedule - his name is Albert Aguirre, you can reach him by email at surfcabs@yahoo.com
Have a terrific time and if you see him tell him Heather from Canada says Hi!

Originally Posted by mrsheldon88

We have one night before our cruise and one night after. None of our days in San Juan are full days. We fly in the first, leave on a cruise the second; arrive back by ship on the third (probably our longest day due to an early am arrival) and fly out the fourth. But if at all possible we would really like to get to El Yunque for a short tour. We won't have a car. Does anyone know of half day tours to El Yunque that we could take from either the Marriott or the Sheraton?

What else do you recommend keeping in mind the lack of a rental car? Bio Bay is not an option, unfortunately, because the moon is in the wrong phase.

What about restaurants at or near either hotel?

Are the casinos reasonable, or are the odds ridiculously low (like the ones in Nassau where you just cannot win at slots)?