2 Day Plan for San Juan (advice?)

[BlondeLuva]

Hi everyone,

 

I am going to be in San Juan for two days/nights Feb 20th and 21st. Some questions if you don't mind for those of you familiar with the area.

 

I am traveling with my 18 year old son.

 

1 - Where to stay? I am thinking in the Old San Juan area. Anything you would recommend in that area or would you recommend something else all together? Casino or close vicinity of one is a plus. (late night activity)

 

2 - Daily plans and activities. This is what I sort of guesstimated I might be able to do. Can someone tell me if it is doable (time frame) or not?

 

**Day 1 - The Rain Forest and nearby beach during the day. Dinner and wandering OSJ at night.

 

OR

 

The zipline canopy tour. My son would love this too. Not sure if I can do both Rain Forest and zipline in same day. (skip the beach part. We are from Ft Lauderdale, so beaches are nothing new.)

**Day 2 - take cab up to the Fort, visit cemetery nearby, walk down sample the stores, sights, etc. Visit the place where carnival masks are sold (is it worth a stop? I hear another place in Ponce (?) is better, but this is the only one I will be able to see). Visit the Butterfly people. See second fort. Do some shopping and have lunch and/or dinner in the area. Maybe Senor Frogs at night.

 

3 - Our flight out Sunday morning has a 730AM boarding time. (*groan*) Hopefully access to the airport is easy and abundant??

 

Many thanks and good travel karma for everyone.

[rainforestgirl]

The only place in OSJ with a casino (and it is small) is the Sheraton. But OSJ has LOTS of night life (clubs etc). No beaches and about 15 min from the airport.

 

Or you can look into staying in Isla Verde, many of the larger hotels have casinos and night life. Look at the El San Juan or the Intercontinental. This area is closer to the airport and on the beach. But some clubs (the one at ESJ) have a minimum age requirement...

 

You can do the [/url]zip line and the rainforest in the same day, you just need a car and to be flexible with your time. Plan on the zip line in the morning, then work your way east. The rainforest is open until 6pm. After that, you can go back to your hotel and go to dinner somewhere.

The next day, you can wander OSJ, see the forts (get the $5 for both ticket), There are a few shops that have masks (a nice one is in a cigar shop on Calle Cristo) and the Museum of the Americas has some great ones on display.

 

For the airport on a Sunday that early will be pretty empty and you can easily get a taxi - have your concierge call one for you. Roads are empty that time of day.

[arlodog]

I second the vote for the Sheraton. You may want to consider doing the Segway tour--right across the street from the Sheraton. Our DS who was 20 at the time loved it. Great way to see OSJ and a lot of fun too!

[BlondeLuva]

Many thanks to both of you for the replies.

 

So if I stay in the Isla Verde area, how easy is it to reach the OSJ area? Supposing I want to go out there in the evening for late night clubs and such? Is a cab ride doable?

 

Or suppose I just skip the casino part all together, would staying in the OSJ area be a better choice overall?

[rainforestgirl]

Many thanks to both of you for the replies.

 

So if I stay in the Isla Verde area, how easy is it to reach the OSJ area? Supposing I want to go out there in the evening for late night clubs and such? Is a cab ride doable?

Or suppose I just skip the casino part all together, would staying in the OSJ area be a better choice overall?

 

Sure, if you don't need beach, stay in the OSJ area. Then you can easily walk and tour around, do dinner and clubbing and just walk back.

You just need to get a taxi to the airport on Sunday morning and allow an extra 15 mins for the trip.

 

If you stay in OSJ, just rent a car for the day you want to tour the zipline and the rainforest. Sheraton has a Hertz office on site (easy pickup and drop off).

Have fun!