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Travel Advice Articles
Our travel advice category is designed to cover tipping, shopping hotspots and all kinds of cultural insights geared towards travelers to Puerto Rico. We'll tell you which neighborhoods to avoid, which places are over-rated, and what off-the-beaten-path places you simply can't miss. Our staff of writers will focus largely in this area.
Whether you're looking for tips on how to find the best airlines, vacation hotspots, or the tips and tricks you might overlook, or not know to think about, we offer a variety of unique articles to insure your trip is a smooth one.
Latest Headlines:
Carlito's Bar & Kitchen an Ideal Stopover Dive - Traveling west on the southern coast of Puerto Rico, between Ponce and Cabo Rojo, you aren't going to find a whole lot of reasons to stop. There are periodic festivals, and the town of San German has it's own quaint charm, but you may just be passing through in hopes of finding food or gas. Gas is easy enough, since the service stations down there are fair and reasonable, but let me throw in a quick vote for where you should eat.
McRestaurant McAlmost McReminds McMe of McHome - If you've ever traveled, whether it was across town or across the world, the one thing you wanted more than unlimited outgoing calls from your room was something familiar that reminded you of home. In my case I could think of nothing better or more familiar than passage of those golden arches through which kids come out happy and cows come out hamburger.
Baby Pony Silent, Technically a Little Horse - We had our third shot at giving our local Puerto Rican hotspot a chance the other day and it went pretty well. We once again enjoyed fine food and a good half-hour on the playground, but this time we upped the auntie's ante and partook of the diminutive equine staff on hand and enjoyed ourselves a rousing round of pony rides to boot, despite our wearing sandals.
Craig's List Approaching Critical Mass in Puerto Rico - Savvy browsers the world over are quickly contributing to the downfall of traditional newspapers thanks to their understanding of Craig's List and the basic need for a better way to post classified ads. In many markets Craig's List has struggled to catch on, but Puerto Rico is one of those markets in transition, and it's finally gaining the traction it's long held elsewhere.
Enterprise Truly Earns 6th Straight J.D. Powers Award, These Guys Kick Ass - I've traveled a good million miles and rented cars from pretty much everybody under the sun, and that include the "top rated" likes of Hertz. I've paid the absurd $20 a day for GPS and the accidental $15/day for insurance, but nobody has been as good to me as the people at Enterprise, and I do mean nobody.
Payless Rent-A-Car Profits from Lousy Cars, Rampant Fraud - When I first landed in Puerto Rico, I was scheduled to pick up a car from my very favorite rental car company of all time; Enterprise. They are honest, ethical, and unwaveringly committed to the satisfaction of the consumer (as their top-of-market rating on JD Powers five years running will agree.) Turns out I landed on the opposite side of the island from my reservation, so I was forced to consider other options at the last second, and Payless-Rent-a-Car deliver not just a car, but a headache, hassle, and a busted-ass car all at once.
Puerto Rico Tattoos a Great Way to Get Discount, Lousy Ink, Hepatitis - Puerto Rico is a great place for spring break, corporate conferences gone wild and too many more sorts of potentially crazy getaways to name. One thing that's fun to contemplate while blitzed on the world's most endless supply of cheap, premium rum, is getting a tattoo. There are a perhaps a million reasons why this can be a bad idea, so let's cover just a few of the top ones.
Michel Thomas Spanish Lessons Effective, Hysterical - I know I'm being a bit juvenile here, but we got four different language courses for our big trip to Puerto Rico, and they're all very different. Some are lousy on a good day, others pretty good (but much too long) and one is really, really great, but it's still comical to me. What can I say, Spanish is a funny language.
Fort Caprón Perfect for Everything Except a Visit - We've traveled far, wide, deep and always shallow, so when we were looking for fun things to do in the humble, seaside town of Gúanica, Puerto Rico, we dug in our research heels as best we were able to find things worth writing up. As it turns out, Fort Caprón should be omitted from this list in every case.
Hurridean Cain is Super, Man: Category-3 - We're a bit behind the ball reporting on this one, but Hurricane Dean swept through our Puerto Rican quasi-paradise, and we lived to tell the tale. Sure, you might point out it was barely a category-3 hurricane when it swept across the open ocean some 300-miles to the south of us, but we were pelted with torrential rains, screaming winds, and it was still the sort of thing that makes news, and not just by our own admittedly low thresholds of newsworthiness.
AAA Car Rental Inc Doesn't Live up to Mediocre Reputation - Once I arrived in San Juan, Puerto Rico, I needed a rental car, specifically to get the hell out of Dodge, though in all fairness it's because our business office and accommodations are on the other side of the island. I'd already checked all the rates through the mega-chains, but wanted to try my luck with the local flavor, and what an acrid taste it was.
Coqui Not Quite Ubiquitous, Despite Famous Claims - Prior to visiting Puerto Rico, I had read that the coqui is a ubiquitous nocturnal noisemaker throughout the island, but upon arrival, I learned two important things. First of all, I learned that it isn't ubiquitous, and that there are places where the micro-beasties don't exist. Secondly, I learned that most travel writers are lazy as hell and don't bother to do their own research… which of these is more important to you?
If You're Ever in Sabana Grande, Try Nicky's Pizza - If you're ever in Sabana Grande, and honestly I can't imagine why you would be, you'll find there's nearly nothing in terms of tourist draw. The buildings are quaint and rustic, the people are as friendly as anywhere, but strangely this is a town that really likes pizza, and Nicky's is a good choice.
Garbage in the Heart of Touristland, Puerto Rico - Maybe it's a cultural difference, but where I come from we don't throw garbage on the ground, when we do there's somebody to pick it up, and this is always twice as true for the tourist spots. I couldn't imagine begging tourists to come spend money in my town if there were heaps of garbage beside (and inside) the city park, along the beach, and dotted along every single road.
Puerto Rican Drivers Are a Special Kind of Terrible - Most travelers heading overseas are advised strongly against driving. Unfamiliarity with rules, signs and the custom of local driving attitudes are reason enough to take a bus or taxi, and in those places, the infrastructure supports you doing so. In Puerto Rico you have to have a car if you intend to do any serious traveling, and the driving isn't impossible, but these people drive a special kind of terrible.
Best, Cheapest Luggage, and How Not to Lose it at Baggage Claim - Luggage generally costs somewhere between a lot and way too much, but there are less expensive options if you're not elitist about it. You need fair quality, want decent looks and from there you want to be able to recognize it when it rolls off the carousel. This covers all those bases.
Every Puerto Rican Town Shares the Same Unique Charm - When you get to the heart of a small, old town, like Lajas, Yauco, Gúanica or Sabana Grande, you find a unique, antique charm. The sort of thing you've read about but can't quite express until you're there. You should plan to visit a few such towns on your trip, but there's no reason to go crazy with it, because the charm they have, they all have in common.
Puerto Rico Children's Museum No Place for Kids - We took a trip to San Juan, Puerto Rico last week and we saw a bunch of newsworthy things that really rocked the boat of our ability to take the cake. We'll cover all of them in uncomfortable detail in coming weeks, but first I have to point out the horrible travesty on child-named attractions that is the Puerto Rico Children's Museum. All I can say is that it's no place for kids.
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