Going to Puerto Rico in 3 Weeks, What Are the Must-Do's?

It'll blow you away?

Walk around singing the first verse of 'America'

Didn't we have a local here on DL? I remember him posting during the hurricane and then showing the damage to his home.

Guess you haven't seen or read the news lately but San Juan has become very dangerous with hotels asking their guests, not to go walking around at night. This is not BS, do a check before you go.

HOLY JESUS! I did just look --- WOW. I guess we'll be staying at the hotel the whole time (it's a 5-star on the Condado beach.)

I had no idea.

OP,

Fuck as many hot Ricans as you can OP.

^^ Preferably in the hotel "safe zone"

Troll post.

Fuck off, I'm genuinely asking. First time to PR.

Lots of huge dick, good coke and cheap rentboys.

Where are you staying, OP? My bf and I stayed at the Condado Vanderbilt last month and it was great. This was our third time there. Things have gone downhill since Maria, and the visiting crowd seems worse now, too. I recommend spending time in Old San Juan, renting a car and going to El Yunque (despite much of it being closed). Agreed with other posters, it has gotten more dangerous. The Enterprise we rented from in Condado said as much, advising us to be careful if returning our car at night. That said, I hope you get some good PR dick.

R12 We're staying there too! Is the hotel nice enough to just spend the entire time there? What's the beach there like?

R13, I'd get out and walking around the neighborhood during the day. There are some pretty good dining options nearby, and in the hotel. Overall, I wouldn't say PR is renowned for cuisine. But yes, you could probably spend most of your time on the beach and in the hotel space. The pool is area is lovely too. I hope you enjoy the hotel!

Oh, and the beach is very nice!

[quote] Condado Vanderbilt

Is sex with Anderson Cooper included?

Go see Lin-Manuel in Hamilton if it's still running.

Old San Juan.

Walk through San Juan late at night op.

Admire the “100%, A+ job” Dump did in rebuilding the island. Oh wait, it’s more than just tossing paper towels to a crowd? Fucking idiot.

So I haven’t been in 10 years. Is it reallty that dangerous now? Condado and Old San Juan were pretty safe - though bordering areas were not places to go after dark. Is the Atlantic gay bar still there? Is that area safe?

Hotel El Convento in Old San Juan is a great place to stop into for a drink if you’re exploring the historic part of the city. Across from the Cathedral , it actually was a convent.

Be sure to check the water taps before use: Hot, Cold, and Rum.

Is Old San Juan still safe? It was wall to wall people/tourists last time I was there, but that was pre-Maria

Okay, answering my own question at R23

YES-- IT'S STILL PERFECTLY SAFE

DL Marys and all that.

And.

Ok, everyone. Chill out. OP, I’m the PR local who posted during the hurricane. I was born and raised in San Juan, attended college in the U.S., then -based out of NYC- traveled the world with several careers. I can tell you, Puerto Rico is no more dangerous than many other tourist spots where basically you have to stay in the safe spaces and all will be OK.

Now to answer some questions:

BEACH - Condado Beach is still lovely, the gay beach is still there. As a matter of fact we hold court every Sunday at the beach with music from all eras, drinks and hot Puerto Ricans who welcome ALL visiting tourists. We even have hot bi. girls at times for our lesbian friends. We dance on the beach, we party, eat and drink. Chances are if your stay includes a Sunday and you take the short walk east to the gay beach, we’ll meet. Some regulars have started calling me “the Mayor” of the beach, because, a) I’m in my fifties and b) my schedule permits me to be at the beach EVERY Saturday and Sunday and then some c) I used to entertain people for a living so it comes naturally. The water is very wild with sometimes tricky rip tides and undercurrents and no lifeguard, but it is warm and beautiful. These were all elements that contributed to that area becoming strictly an adult beach and a gay one (with partial nudity) by the permissive early seventies - which coincided with my puberty and my living in Condado then, so you can imagine the wild times I witnessed. Forget about the nudity now, unless you travel into secluded, beautiful beaches in the island. Still, we now kiddingly call it our Sunday church, more specifically the Church of Our Lady of the Atlantic Beach, Worshippers of the Holy Member (in Spanish, La Iglesia de Nuestra Señora del Atlántico, Adoradores del Santo Miembro).

HOTELS - The Vanderbilt is very beautiful, but -even though it used to be called the Condado Beach Hotel since the nineteen twenties, it DOESN’T have a beach right on the premises (all wild ocean and rocks) but it’s a short, extremely brief walk away from the beach at la Concha, which is nice and lifeguarded, but full of straight tourists. I dont recommend staying at the Vanderbilt pool the whole time, let alone just hanging out at the hotel. You’ll be bored to tears - it’s an old-school classic 1920’s hotel with modern annexes and it attracts that kind of clientele. They have a nice restaurant, but I can recommend better (you’ll need to ask specific questions regarding cuisine - budget, nationality, ambiance etc).

Unfortunately, The Atlantic Beach Hotel, the premiere beachfront gay hotel and happy hour meeting spot for over three decades, though still open, is a ghost of its former glory days. The terrace bar is not even open and the hotel looks empty all the time. They don’t even have beach chairs but thankfully, our Heriberto continues to rent beach chairs and umbrellas that cater to that part of the beach. Strong rumor is that the Atlantic Beach is a Russian money laundering operation (hey, just like Manhattan!). They even remodeled a huge portion of the beachfront terrace bar and never opened it. If that doesn’t scream money laundering, I don’t know what does. They probably wanted to justify the big windfalls of money especially if compared to Océano Restaurant and Bar next door:

GAY BARS - ask me specific questions, there are still plenty of those but YES, the neighborhood where there’s a big concentration of them is not so safe at late nights. Will be glad to expand later or just ask anyone at the gay beach. There is one small gay bar called Oasis, with aggressive and very friendly go go boys in the Condado. Bartender Henry has a huge Venezuelan dick and gladly lives to show it off. Also near the beach there’s a very gay friendly upstairs sports bar called Patrick’s. Our friend and gay beach regular, Joe, bartends there.

DRUGS - yes, pretty easy to get. Pot is practically becoming legal here and people smoke it openly on the beach. Coke is ridiculously cheap. Circuit drugs are harder to get though I hear they’re around

What's Carolina like r26?

Old San Juan is very safe. I have property there and can attest to it.

Yes, it gets packed with tourists for several days in the week, now that cruise ships can accommodate 5,000 to 7,000 people (including crew), and a large portion of them disembark right into the old city, where most most of the piers are.

That shouldn’t deter you from exploring Old San Juan. It’s historic, enchanting, and fascinating. And it has many great restaurants as well. Again, if you ask specifics, I’ll try to answer.

Carolina is our answer to Queens, NY.

Just like Queens, it’s part of the metro area, it’s where the airport is, it has lots of middle income suburbia, and with lots of nice beaches lining its Isla Verde and Piñones area, where there are many resorts -including the Ritz Carlton and the El San Juan Hotel (only in Puerto Rico you get a hotel called El San Juan that’s technically not in San Juan or a Hotel called the Vanderbilt Beach Hotel -formerly Condado Beach Hotel - that technically doesn’t have a beach!)

Also Carolina boasts one huge celebrity, famed Pittsburgh Pirate baseballer Roberto Clemente, who faced his untimely death when a chartered food relief plane he was in en route to Nicaragua crashed in the waters outside... Carolina!

PR is the NYTimes number 1 place to visit in 2019.

Thanks PR Local! Glad to see you’re safe after Maria. We arrive on a Sunday afternoon and leave the following Friday, and are staying at the Hotel El San Juan the last two nights. I’ll be sure to ask you more, can’t think of anything in particular right now. We’ll be there February 3-8.

R26 - so is that gay bar area Santurce? I remember going to late night clubs which were inland from Comdado that seemed really unsafe at 2AM.

How is there no gay bar in Condado or any of the tourist areas? The whole point of going there is to be comfortable as a gay man in the Caribbean and meet gay PR men. Otherwise can just go to St Martin, DR or another straight island - that is prettier, but less gay. San Juan always attracted me because it had the only gay scene in the Caribbean.

PR what would be a nice restaurant for a birthday dinner in the area? Quiet, maybe fresh seafood, not planning to bring fancy clothes so nice casual.

YAY - Our Beloved PR guy is back!

[quote][R26] - so is that gay bar area Santurce? I remember going to late night clubs which were inland from Comdado that seemed really unsafe at 2AM

Yes.

As long as you uber or cab it, you’ll be fine. Circo is still open (bar on weeknights, multilevel club on weekends, cruise bathrooms). SX is still going (originally wanted to be like the Eagle, now a cruisy bar with plenty of gogo boys you can touch for cash, and a tiny dance floor).

Tia Maria, further up Santurce, is still a very popular, especially with the “eldergay” crowd that lived through the glory disco days and those who love them. It’s a pool table jukebox LED screen joint - a liquor store that becomes a gay bar (think that episode of Will and Grace where they visit a bar in some podunk town and the disco ball comes down and shirts come off at 9:00 pm). BTW liquor stores in PR are not stores but actual bars where you can sample very strong servings of “the goods.” Lots of loud, older, lonely alcoholic men (even in the regular liquor stores), which is not entirely a bad thing. Please refer to “drunk PR pinga” for further information.

Temptation, further up Santurce (by up I mean east) is still going, though I hear it’s been surprisingly empty. It features the strangest combination of darkroom action, porn flick sitting rooms, sleek front bar, and a drag showtime! Also a hot guy who frisks you at the entrance and if you flirt you get felt in the groin. Not done as frequently anymore what with all the hyped legal consequences of these days. There’s a very tiny bathhouse across the avenue from temptation but not really just across, more like a few blocks away.

Which brings me to a very serious point. The only danger that this neighborhood represents will rear its ugly head ONLY if an inebriated, unaccompanied, successful appearing gay man tries to walk from one bar to another in Santurce. Circo and SX are right around the corner from each other, but please Uber or cab everything else!

OP it looks like we’ll be missing each other unless you arrive in San Juan and immediately drop your baggage at the hotel and head to the gay beach nearby. On nice Sundays, we do stay past sunset and the music and partying can remain going Into the early evening hours. The sunset experience is lovely.

Good seafood restaurants : Ladi’s place, right on the “cliff” of the wild waters of Puerta de Tierra with a lively view of the Atlantic Ocean. Uber it - do not set on foot anywhere in Puerta de Tierra at night. Ironically, Ladi is located where once gay men used to cruise in a built lover’s lane/beach/bushes area that got developed into the restaurant. Who knows some people may still be hitting the shore.

Atlantica, also in puerta de Tierra - has good seafood.

If you want to stick to Condado, I’ll Piacere is Italian, but the wonderful Chef and lovely owner are always coming up with great seafood ideas, especially with shellfish. And any Puerto Rican cuisine restaurant, from Cafe del Angel (a must for after beach munchies in an informal environment) to Ropa Vieja in the heart of Condado, to the fancier Picayo at the Condado Plaza Hilton, will feature it’s fair share of fresh seafood entrees.

Also, El San Juan has been famous for decades for its great restaurants, so if you have the fat wallet, you won’t need to leave the hotel those last two days for great international cuisine. It’s lobby is like a theme park of great restaurants.i know it recently opened since after Maria, so I hope they’ve refurbished nicely.El San Juan is at the end of the Isla Verde strip, obscenely close to the airport (4 minute cab/uber ride) but surprisingly not a plane in sight. It was built well.

Look all of these up in yelp or your favorite restaurant review engine.

Hope to meet you and welcome you to the island. If not, drop a note anyway. Saludos.

Il Piacere (dammit it took five tries, autocorrect keeps changing it to I’ll).

Also forgive all the incorrect possessives (its, it’s) - another favorite Autocorrect spoiler.

[quote]How is there no gay bar in Condado or any of the tourist areas? The whole point of going there is to be comfortable as a gay man in the Caribbean and meet gay PR men.

Did you miss my post about Oasis, Patrick’s, and the gay beach in general? All feature semi naked PR men who are imbibing and at different stages of accessibility.

Oh, you don’t need fancy clothes for any restaurant in PR. Shorts and t-shirts pretty much welcome anywhere. El San Juan andcthe Caribe Hilton used to have stricter dress codes (jackets required) for the casinos and ballrooms, but that was decades ago, when overseas flying and gambling were formal affairs.

I worked on a huge PR cock in a darkroom while the Prince Albert ring made sparks on my fillings. It was actually quite lovely.

[quote]Sparks

🤣😛

OP hopefully the Federal government won’t still be shut down in three weeks. Otherwise:

Remember to arrive at the airport three hours before your flight due to NSA delays.

Don’t expect the fortresses in Old San Juan ( under federal historic monument jurisdiction) or the facilities at El Yunque (a federal national park) to be open. You’ll still be able to go to the fortresses and take pictures and drive up and down the mountain. But you won’t be able to enter facilities.

Action at Marriott Stellaris?!

When the Marriott Stellaris used to be the Sheraton and later the DuPont Plaza (of the infamous fire that killed 90+ people), it’s lobby rest room was notorious for lots of action, a peep hole, and even hotel employees who were willful participants.

Times have changed (as well as lobby layouts) and such is not the case anymore.

It’s a very nice hotel, though, and just a block away from the gay beach (located between the Marriott and La Concha Hotels) and gay bar.

The Marriott - rough seas and all - is a family hotel so it’s not a gay scene, not even gays with kids. The one big exception is that one of our many gay beach friends who visit the island with plenty of frequency (this guy comes to PR from the UWS about 10 times a year) will almost always stay at the penthouse suite of the Marriott. It’s a huge luxury unit that takes half the floor, with a wrap-around terrace that provides a wonderful view of the ocean and the city.

We’ve had some nice parties there.

Don’t get me wrong, the Vanderbilt is very luxurious with a fabulous pool. It just doesn’t have a beach right back, but it does have beautiful ocean views and a walkway that will get you to La Concha beach. Next beach over after La Concha, is the gay beach.

Isn’t concha slang in Spanish for vagine?

OP, it's a good time to go. With the lousy economy there right now, you can grab some bargain pinga.

Make sure you bring your own paper towels.

[quote]Isn’t concha slang in Spanish for vagine?

In some South American countries (Argentina, Chile). But just like Johnson Peter and Dick, Concha is also a proper name, specifically female, derived from the word’s original meaning - seashell.

But, yes, I always imagine Argentinian tourists showing up and laughing at this big sign atop an uber fifties style building flashing at them the word’s “The Twat” or “The Pussy.”

La Concha from behind. That quieter space between the multitudes of white beach chairs/umbrellas and blue beach chairs/umbrellas is... the gay beach.

Oops, the picture.

The Vanderbilt “beach”, but La Concha is right next door.

The Condado Beach Hotel (now Vanderbilt) in the 1950’s - perhaps the reason it was called a beach hotel then. Nowadays, buildings and erosion have taken over most of the beach on the left.

PR Local our flight arrives at 5pm on Sunday, so doubt we'll be able to make it to beach. Hope to meet you somehow, would be thrilling to meet another real live DLer! We could converse in DL-speak and my husband won't know what we're saying.

Thanks for the tips on Santurce gay scene. Very helpful. Not exactly ideal having to Uber everywhere, but at least there are gay bars.

OMG, OP, I’ve never done that- a conversation in DL-speak leaving someone else out of the loop. How rude, how nasty... how fascinating. I’m in!

Get some delicious uncut muscle cock, OP. The hottest, best sex I ever had with the best looking guy I've ever slept with was in Puerto Rico while I was there on business. He had green eyes, killer smile, a beautiful, beautiful body and a big uncut dick.

Yeah, I can’t deny that after traveling the world, when I got back home to PR at age 50, I went “I forgot how beautiful Puerto Rican cocks are.” And the men are hot too.

It’s a skin texture thing - the product of three beautiful, horny cultures.

Have fun OP!

Agree R60. The skin is so beautiful. But also the facial structure, body and dicks tend to be above average. But the skin is what really gets me - being a super pale, pasty skinned euro.

And that’s what most of the gogo boys in the PR bars have - beautiful skin.

Ok, and big uncut pingas and perky asses.

The bio-luminescent bay was amazing. And make your reservations in advance.

Is picadillo Puerto Rican, or is that Cuban? What’s a typical PR food you’d eat for lunch or dinner? Mexico has their delicious street tacos, what’s the equivalent in PR?

Picadillo is Cuban.

Mofongo, alcapurrias, arroz con gandulea, pasteles, lechón (roast pork) are Puerto Rican.

Gandules*

Alcapurrias are usually filled with picadillo. Picadillo is served throughout Latin America and the Philippines. Lechón is popular in PR, Cuba, Philippines, DR, etc.

"A big uncut dick"

Of course. That's the only kind they have there. Also everyone has a beautiful beautiful body. Also everyone has a dazzling smile.

Go for a evening stroll at Tacarembo La Tumbe Del Fuego Santa Malipas Zatatecas La Junta Del Sol y Cruz.

R70, I know her well, but she really should drop a few of those names.

That song was introduced by DL icon Linda Lavin!

Any massages witb extras at Condado hotels?

PR Local, good to hear from you again. I followed your postings after the hurricane. I hope your mother is well.

Thanks r74. Mother’s well.

R73, I know an excellent guy that will go to your hotel room. He’s one of our beach regulars and diligently takes good care of anyone I refer to him.

The rates will astound you!

ropa vieja at a nice restaurant

There is an actual restaurant called Ropa Vieja, it’s somewhat upscale, the food is good and, yes, their plantain canoes stuffed with ropa vieja and melted cheese are excellent

Yum

TWO MORE WEEKS!

PR guy are there any good drag shows Sunday-Thursday? We won't be there on a weekend :-(

Haven’t seen any recently. But, unfortunately, they usually happen on the weekend and not on a Sunday night. I’ll check with friends.

[quote]What Are the Must-Do's?

Pinga! Pinga! Pinga!

Where does one find the pinga? Atlantic Beach used to have some hanging around. But I don’t like the idea of going to Santurce- especially late at night when those clubs open.

I'm getting terrified by all these warning of not going into certain areas at night, like the gay area, Santurce. Is it really that bad there?

OP, I found this guide that lists some gay events in San Juan by the week. It looks both helpful and hopeful. You can update it as your week approaches.

Too bad you won’t be here this weekend. There’s gonna be some Winter Pride theme weekend that will include April Carrion at one of the bars on Saturday.

Also, it looks like Temptation does feature some drag entertainment during the week. One of my friends just told me that Drag Bingo on Tuesdays is fun ... and he’s actually young!

Good luck.

Did you have to get a visa and do a money exchange?

No - assuming you are American.

It was a joke!

R83, it's just fine. Can we have your stuff?

Stay in the hotel and use Grindr or Scruff to get dates.....but keep your money in the hotel safe.....

PR guy, I'm thinking about setting up a small leather goods shop aimed mostly at tourists. Besides Old San Juan what could be another good area for that?

R90, why are you considering anything besides Old San Juan for a business that has “cruise ship tourists” written all over it?

But if it’s a rent matter, you can check out small spaces in Condado, Ocean Park, or Isla Verde. They’re thes three coastal communities that cater to a heavy influx of tourists. And there’s always the little islands of Culebra and Vieques, or the surfing Mecca of Rincón on the western tip of the island.

Cabo Rojo, three hours away from San Juan in the southwesternmost point, with its Boquerón and Combate villages and very lovely beaches, caters mostly to local tourists, though they also host the biggest annual gay pride weekends, which continue attracting circuit revelers.

Don't believe these Donald Trump supporters...go and have a great time.

Why waste money on trashy Puerto Rico? Why not go to Cuba? It's beautiful there. The people are warm and friendly.

Elizabeth Warren just spoke up for Puerto Rico and it makes me respect her.

I already respected her. Too bad she wouldn't have a chance at prez, given the US misogyny and anti-intellectualism.

R93 wrong. Cuba infrastructure is worse than PR's, and the people just want your money.

Thank you so much for the info PR guy.

[QUOTE]Why waste money on trashy Puerto Rico? Why not go to Cuba? It's beautiful there. The people are warm and friendly.

You've got to be kidding. Cuba is derelict, depressive shithole and no one should set foot there while the vicious, homophobic, oppressive castristas are running it.

Yeah - Cuba is interesting but everything is complicated and low rent. Accommodations, food, travel. I need first world amenities I’m afraid. PR has the hot men and an open gay environment with a gay scene - and high end hotels, restaurants and nightlife. And not having to go through the craziness of visa/money issues.

Reminding myself I need to get back to PR after 5 years. Looking up travel deals now.

The beaches near Condado, are the waters rough or are they good for wading, swimming?

The raw Condado coastline has rough waters (think California Pacific) but the Condado Plaza Hilton beach (first beach after you cross the bridge into the Condado) and the Condado lagoon (once contaminated but now purified, and THE original tourist bathing area back in the days when 1920’s bathing fashions could sink you into a wild ocean) are protected and very mild. Caveat, families and having to THINK OF THE CHILDREN all the time.

I’ll take the rough seas anytime (especially when there’s plenty Puerto Rican pinga floating around).

The Condafo Plaza Hilton beach, known to locals as “La Playita del Condado”

Nearby Escambrón an Ocean Park are also milder beaches. Remember, the milder the beach, the wilder the children.

Here’s Escambrón

And here’s Ocean Park.

Lots of late night cruising in the Yardley Place Street area of Ocean Park. Because the beachfront houses there are grazed or abandoned.

R104 why would prime beachfront houses be abandoned (don't know what "grazed" means)?

And finally, good ol’ rougher Condado Beach.

No cruising but plenty of fucking if you bring your own date from the bars

Oops, forgot the lagoon. Absolutely no parking, and very limited sand space. As a matter of fact, what you see in the picture is it.

But, loys of hot, super young locals diving from the different bridges... with swim trunks and pants that are weighed down so low, you’re bound to see plenty of ass crack.

PR Hotties diving into lagoon

[quote][R104] why would prime beachfront houses be abandoned (don't know what "grazed" means)

Because it’s a cruisy area! The houses used to be occupied, then the used condoms started appearing!!

During the day, however, it’s a beautiful pristine beach. Clean-up crews are pretty good.

It’s nearby that famous picture of San Juan Mayor and Closet Lesbian Carmen Yulin Cruz wading by in the post-Maria flood waters of the streets of Ocean Park.

There are a LOT of prime beachfront properties in Puerto Rico, r105. So 1 block left to suffer the effects of late night sexual encounters is not a big deal.

That and they haven’t been able to sell, probably because, like you, they think their dilapidated houses are worth more than they are.

damn, if they're abandoned, I'll take one!

Meant to say razed, r104, not grazed.

PR guy, what's your take on Kevin Fret's murder in Santurce? Love his dgaf video.

[quote]damn, if they're abandoned, I'll take one!

Exactly! That’s what I say. And be steps away from prime pinga. Problem is, the owners are waiting to strike gold with some resort or condo developer willing to overpay, not knowing that real estate in PR is at a depressed lull, beach front insurance prices are impossibly high, and Ocean Park is not really a hotel area, more like boutiques and guest houses, if anything (mostly regular homes).

Other big luxury projects in the heart of Condado -after they were done clearing the land - reached a halt because they were unable to get insured and the number crunching did not add up to the economic demographics.

San Juan is not Manhattan and there are only so many luxury buildings with “studio apartments starting at 1.5 million dollars” that you can build (none on these bankrupt days).

Our Russian oligarch money launderers are much smaller potatoes.

Which neighborhood do you live in, PR?

I live in the suburbs and have property in OSJ

Yeah, what's the deal with Kevin Fret (RIP)? Surely you met the him, Mr. Mayor.

Didn’t even know who Kevin was. Had to google him. Sad story. Not that many rap artists hang out at the tourist beach. I don’t even recognize him from the group of nice techno tweakers who assemble -clearly straight outta the clubs - about once every two months way early in the morning at the back of the beach against the AB wall. RIP.

I’m not a stranger to the reggaeton and Latin hip hop scene, but I guess Kevin was too new for me (I could have heard his song on the radio without knowing who he was).

Besides all the local artists I’ve worked with (most not gay), at the beach we’ve hung out repeatedly with Jessica Wild (very sweet and handsome as a boy and glad to go by Jessica regardless) and Shangela (tiny with a little belly - he must use control spanx). Plus a few gay models and male pageant titleholders.

But poor Kevin doesn’t ring a bell, at least for me.

Well now I’m asking around with my beach friends and someone sent me this pine clip featuring Osuna, the same guy who’s been linked to Kevin’s murder - by hearsay.

PR is a shithole. Be careful, OP.

Hi PR! Nice to have you back. I love you.

Have a great time OP!

I worry the shutdown will impact my trip there next weekend :(

It will, if it’s still on, with the following:

Delays in TSA security checkpoints at airports

The fortresses of El Morro and San Cristobal May be closed.

The Yunque Rainforest facilities may be closed (you can still drive up the mountain and splash on the waterfalls).

Hi S FL!

You’ll be OK, OP/r124

I was there in November and had the time of my life. Go to Placita de Santurce and La Floridita for dancing.

La Placita is great for dancing and drinking right in the streets, every evening. During the day, it’s a mediocre market place surrounded by average restaurants.

One of its night spots “El Patio de Lila” is favored by the gay crowd.

Bring extra paper towels, to help out.

Anybody wanna get high?

One of the problems with PR. Can’t bring pot. Pretty much not a problem anywhere in US - but I’ve had dogs sniff me getting OFF the plane in PR. I know it’s a lame reason for not going - but would prefer to go to FL and be able to get high on the beach.

PR Guy, is going to El Yunque National Forest worth spending a day? We'd probably just rent a car and go at our leisure rather than a touristy tour. Is that the closest rain forest to San Juan?

It’s close enough to San Juan (30-40 minutes by car) and you can do it in less than half a day. People usually combine that trip to El Yunque in Rio Grande with a visit to beautiful Luquillo Beach (featuring limited cruising/nudity in the changing lockers/showers as well as half a mile east on foot past a small river by where the thick bushes and small natural pools are), located on the next town eas - Luquillo!

Lunch at the kiosks and restaurants next to Luquillo Beach (featuring all kinds of seafoods and fritters) is always a must for tourists and locals alike. You can get bacalaitos (codfish fried in batter), alcapurrias (fried plantain mixture stuffed with meats or seafood), mofongo (mashed fried green plantains with garlic, our second national side dish after rice and beans), piononos (meat stuffing surrounded by sweet plantains), arepas (Venezuelan stuffed floury things) as well as fresh lobster, shrimp, burgers, clams, oysters... and plenty of booze. The piña coladas inside Luquillo Beach are topped with an extra shot of dark rum andvcost like four bucks.

Please don’t complain about all the fried stuff. Just eat it and work it off later when you’re having sex.

Luquillo Beach is EAST of Rio Grande (make a right on Route 3 when exiting el Yunque) and you have to take the Balneario Monserrat’s exit that gets you to the other side of the road and right onto the beach. I’m being very specific because a lot of signs are still missing after Maria and GPS sometimes doesn’t compensate for constructions and gated communities and will try to take you through a guards’ booth, for instance.

I forgot empanadas and pinchos (kebabs)!

Here’s what some of those fried things look like on their humble displays

I just won a 2 for 1 cruise deal that I'm considering taking. The cruise leaves from San Juan, Puerto Rico. If I end up going, would you recommend an extra day or two in PR before the ship leaves?

Absolutely, r136.

First of all, because, as any seasoned cruise ship traveler will tell you, it is highly advisable for you to book the flight to your home port for a day or two before sailing time, since you never know what flight or transportation delays, cancellations or snafus you may face. Coincidentally, I worked in cruise ships several times throughout my careers - totaling over 550 cruises when I did the math - and I can vouch for that. And it doesn’t even have to be an airline problem! Once I got stuck on traffic on my way to JFK and missed my Iberia flight to Barcelona. Luckily, my employer had booked an early enough flight so I could hop on the next plane and even make it on time to spend one night in a hotel in Barcelona.

Second because, you’d probably book a hotel stay in Old San Juan or Condado, close enough to the ports, and with plenty of great beaches, restaurants and historic sites to visit in each of those areas.

Oops r137 was PR, not OP

Thanks PR! Will definitely check out El Yanque and Laquillo. Three more days!

I am in love with Puerto Rico! Can’t believe it’s taken me so long to visit. Old San Juan reminds me of the French Quarter in New Orleans.

And the food, wow! Went to Pinones last night and had incredible mofongo at a divey but friendly place on the beach.

I may retire here.

OP the kiosks by Luquillo Beach will have Piñones type of food plus some other restaurants and oyster stands.

Enjoy!

Tomorrow and Friday is supposed to be nice weather (today it rained).ayne I’ll hit the gay beach tomorrow - it will be fairly quiet:

Maybe *