REAL DEALS
California Hotels, From $139
Hotels in Sacramento, San Francisco, San Luis Obispo, and Woodland Hills are luring guests with discounted room rates and perks like wine tastings, free parking, and gift cards.
Suzanne Van Atten: The pickings are pretty slim between Ponce and Yabucoa, and what's there is quite modest in the way of modern amenities. You might try Caribe Playa Beach Resort or Villa del Carmen in Patillas. Or if you don't mind a little detour through some windy but lovely mountain roads, you might head north of Salinas to Hotel Banos de Coamo. This basic, family-friendly hotel is located by the natural hot springs, Banos de Coamo, a favorite getaway for locals.
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Ridgecrest, CA: This is an embarassingly simple question. Four of us will be flying into San Juan shortly after noon on March 25th. We need transportation to the port to board a cruise ship for an 11:00 p.m. departure and would prefer not to commit ourselves to the cruise line's transportation service. What other options are open to us, what might we expect to pay, and how might we make best use of the afternoon hours before we board? Thanks!
Suzanne Van Atten: You can expect to pay about $16 for a taxi ride from the airport to the cruise ship piers in Old San Juan, plus $.50-$1 per piece of luggage over two pieces. Plus tip.
There are couple of options for your afternoon hours in San Juan. You could rent a car at the airport and head southeast to the nearby rainforest in El Yunque Caribbean National Forest, where you can hike and picnic. Afterwards, you can return the rental car to the airport then take a taxi to the cruise ship piers.
You could also spend your time exploring Old San Juan, which is where the cruise ship docks are located. The town is compact, easily traversed on foot and jam-packed with things to do and see.
Check out one of the Spanish fortresses -- the 16th century Castillo de Felipe del Morro or 17th century Castillo de San Cristobal. See the extensive collection of Latin American folk art at the Museo de Las Americas. Do some shopping at import shops and local craft stores along Calle Fortaleza. Dine on hearty, traditional Puerto Rico cuisine in a casual setting at El Jibarito on Calle Sol or try the upscale, creative Caribbean cuisine at the Parrot Club on Calle Fortaleza.
The action doesn't get started until pretty late in the clubs, but you might check out Divinio Bocadito on Calle de la Cruz. The tiny Spanish bar offers salsa dancing and authentic tapas starting at 6 p.m.
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Princeton, NJ: My husband (43) and son (16) will be spending four days in Puerto Rico, just the two of them, from March 12-16. My other son and I will be joining them on the 16th, for a week in Culebra. While the two of them are in Puerto Rico alone, what should they be sure to experience? They are flying from Philadelphia to San Juan, and renting a car. They both like adventure and exploring over sitting on a beach.
Thanks!
Suzanne Van Atten: Since you're all ending up in Culebra for a week, you'll surely do plenty of snorkeling and/or scuba diving there.