Budget Travel: San Juan, PR

by Jeremy Kressmann on

Summary: One of the frequent knocks on the Caribbean is that many of the islands (not all) are nothing more than receptacles for tourists. That there’s no real dynamic culture and sense of place. But this statement also ignores the fact that millions of Americans head to the Caribbean each year, and many of them are looking for nothing more than a cheap vacation with a beautiful beach and a frosty drink in a coconut. I can’t say that I blame them.

That said, we’re here to tell you that San Juan, Puerto Rico is the perfect combination of all these factors – affordability, authentic local culture and beautiful, warm sandy beaches. As the capital and largest city on the island of Puerto Rico, San Juan is a city with a surprising diversity of options for visitors. It’s among the oldest cities in the Western Hemisphere, having been founded in 1521 by the Spanish. The history is strongly felt wherever you might wander in San Juan, whether it’s a visit to the imposing El Morro fortress or a walk along the fading beauty of Old San Juan’s cobblestone streets.

That’s nothing to say of the glitzy nightlife and beaches of Condado, or the untouched beaches and lush rainforests within an hour’s drive of the capital. Ready to be amazed by one of the most underrated (and cheap) destinations in the Caribbean? Come along for our Budget Guide to San Juan…

Getting in: Most travelers from the contintental United States will arrive at Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport, the central hub for many flights into and out of the Caribbean. The airport is served by almost all major U.S. carriers, and your chances of finding a deal during peak season are fairly good. As of the time of this posting, just about every major U.S. city east of the Mississipi River was offering round trip January fares to San Juan for between $200 – $300 per person.

Once you’ve arrived, it’s easy enough to grab a taxi into the city center. Rates are typically around $10 – $20 depending on if you’re going all the way into Old San Juan or to the outlying hotels. The frugal can also take the B40 bus, which will bring you to Isla Verde or Rio Piedras, where you can connect to other buses including the A5 to the city center. Total bus cost is .50-.75 cents.
Where to stay: San Juan offers a surprisingly diverse cluster of different neighborhoods, ranging from the glitzy and glamorous to the historic and atmospheric. It all depends on what you’re looking for out of your trip.

  • For our money’s worth, the place to stay in San Juan is in Old San Juan, a picturesque neighborhood of cobblestone streets, elegant public squares and quietly crumbling facades. It’s been experiencing a resurgence in recent years, with hordes of great restaurants, bars, galleries and shopping. The best way to go is to rent your own apartment in one of the beautiful old buildings that dot the area. If you don’t want the hassle though, Hotel Milano and Caleta Guest House have rooms starting at under $100/night.
  • Just east of Old San Juan is the glitzy neighborhood of Condado, sight of many of Puerto Rico’s best hotels and resorts. Condado is the tried and true tourist hotspot of San Juan, bordered on one side by a heavily trafficked beach and avenues lined with casinos and fancy boutiques. It’s not necessarily the most authentic part of Puerto Rico, but for non-stop action it can’t be beat. Unless you want to drop a wad of hundreds at a fancy resort, the At Wind Chimes Inn has reasonably priced rooms starting around $110/night.
  • A little closer to the airport is Isla Verde, another main tourist drag. Though Isla Verde is technically not part of San Juan, it’s conveniently situated next to the airport and close enough you can still easily head into San Juan proper if you want to soak up some culture or fine dining. It’s also got its fair share of lovely sandy beaches, Pina Coladas and casino action, so don’t despair. Rumor has it that the Holiday Inn is the place to stay. It’s nothing fancy, but still clean and a good bargain.

What to See:

  • El Morro: San Juan was originally the last stopover for Spanish galleons loaded with gold and silver bound for the mother country. As such the city founders built the imposing El Morro stone fortress at the mouth of the harbor to protect it from pirate and enemy attacks. Today the fort is a National Park and one of San Juan’s top tourist attractions. And the entrance fee? Only $3 for those over 16. On Sundays the locals flock to the vast parade grounds in front of the fortress to fly thousands of kites in San Juan’s vigorous tradewinds.
  • Old San Juan Wandering: Spend an afternoon and an evening wandering the atmospheric streets of Old San Juan. Each corner is filled with a wealth of surprises – from delicious mallorcas at La Bombonera, to sizzling live salsa music at the Nuyorican Cafe to the overflowing art galleries and restaurants of Calle Fortaleza, the area’s newest hotspot. Unless you buy a new painting for the living room, you’re sure to end your visit with a few bucks left for breakfast the next day.

  • El Yunque: If you’re feeling adventurous, there’s no better way to get a sense of the island of Puerto Rico than renting a car ($40-$50/day). Grab a GPS and head for El Yunque National Forest, one of the island’s most beautiful natural wonders and only about an hour’s drive from San Juan. As the only tropical rainforest in the U.S. National Forest System, El Yunque features an astonishing diversity of wildlife, plenty of hiking trails and some refreshing waterfalls where you can stop for a swim. Cost to get in? Free.
  • Hit the beach: There’s a number of beaches within the confines of San Juan if you’re looking to soak up a few rays. Condado has a strip of sand where you can kick back, throw around a frisbee and have a swim. It’s not the most picturesque beach but certainly convenient. If you really want to see the best of Puerto Rico’s beaches, take that rental car I mentioned and point it at Luquillo Beach, one of the most beautiful in all of Puerto Rico and only about an hour from San Juan. Along the edge are food vendors selling roast pork, mofongo and other Puerto Rican specialties.

More Budget Destinations on Gadling

Star Island won’t make you change

by Tom Johansmeyer on

It seems like every effort to “go green” requires a change of behavior. Hotels let you choose to use towels or sheets twice. Your parents instructed you to turn the lights off when leaving a room. These measures can affect change, but they usually don’t. Despite the clear benefits, people just won’t change. But, what if you could find a way to protect the environment without having to change any part of your life? This is the elusive goal of most eco-minded designers, builders and activists, but few have discovered the secret handshake.

David Sklar, it seems, has found the answer.

Star Island, located in Eleuthera, Bahamas, is designed to be carbon-neutral, even if you forget to turn the television off when you slip out to the beach. A unique combination of embedded power sources that harness natural forces and savvy architecture allow you to save the planet by doing nothing. Sklar’s project, which includes both resort and residential properties, is your ticket to guilt-free luxury.

The property is currently under construction in the Bahamas. Sklar, the president and lead designer, and his team at Dalu Design Group, envisioned a resort built around pragmatic environmentalism. Buildings account for about 70 percent of the factors that lead to global warming, he says, particularly around the consumption of energy. So, Sklar realized that a better design could have a pronounced impact on the environment. The key, however, is to affect conservation without thought. People won’t change, but you can change everything around them.

See artist renderings of Star Island, including an EXCLUSIVE shot of the pavilion.

%Gallery-41493%

Here’s where the essential tension lies. We all love fast cars, big rooms and oversized televisions. We like big and convenient and immediate. When traveling, we’re even worse. At home, my sheets are fine for a full week, but on the road, I can’t imagine using the same set two nights in a row. I have the same attitude toward towels. Conservatism doesn’t work unless I can have fresh sheets every night without damaging the planet. We all love big rooms, oversized television screens and fast cars. Even if we privately lament what we’re doing to the environment, we can’t let go of what makes us happy.

Fortunately, this is what Sklar has in mind. He believes you shouldn’t have to make these tough choices. A carefully considered engineering effort can deliver the lifestyle you crave without impairing the world around you.

Star Island does not tap the power grid to fuel the washing machines, lights and kitchens. The resort generates its own power. Don’t expect to see any wind farms or endless rows of solar panels on the 35-acre resort. The tools are built into the structures, with photo voltaic energy-generating roof panels, and water is gathered through a rain water collection system.

Once open, the resort will offer guilt-free villas, bungalows and homes, where visitors (or residents) can live guilt-free. The Star Island villas range from one to three bedrooms and include custom gourmet kitchens. And, they aren’t small, some reaching 2,000 sqft in size (much, much larger than my apartment). Restaurants and recreation (such as snorkeling) are available on site, a nice touch since you probably won’t want to leave anyway.

The amenities that Sklar promises are exactly what you’d expect to find at an upscale resort. You can dip into a private plunge pool at one of Star Island’s bungalows or refresh yourself in an outdoor shower. Of course, you’re never far from the beach, not to mention snorkeling and other on- (or under-) water activities. None of it happens with the help of oil, coal or split atoms.

What possesses a man to pursue green recreation and living with such zeal?

Sklar was not kidnapped by Greenpeace, and he didn’t have a mountain-top epiphany that changed his view of the world. Instead, he took his cues from his life. The experienced architect, who was “raised on fossil fuels,” as he puts it, realized when he looked at his son that the Earth would continue to be here well into the future. Even though he may not be around to suffer the most severe consequences of environmental mayhem, he understood that his actions would shape the world his son inherits.

Star Island began with this altruistic motivation … and a sense of defiance. Sklar sought to prove that he could create from scratch a top-tier resort that could operate without the support of a substantial, global energy industry. He plans to resist the convenient pull of traditional energy source and create an example to his peers, one that can be replicated. Sklar believes that Star Island can serve as a model to real estate developers and architects everywhere. If a trend emerges, he will have started a revolution in building design and construction.

But, we need to take this one step at a time. Star Island is still under construction. Houses have yet to be sold, and guestrooms need to be filled. Sklar doesn’t expect the warm, fuzzy feelings of environmentalists to get his business humming, though he certainly welcomes them. The call of luxury, he expects, will bring people to his resort, and their experiences will bring them back. Star Island is a business, after all, it just happens to be doing something great in the process.

Learn a bit more about Star Island in the NY Times.

Look good in your swimming suit photos

by Annie Scott on

It’s happened to all of us. You’re lounging at the beach or by the pool, feeling all warm and glamorous. You want to remember that feeling forever, so you have a picture taken. Then, you look at the picture and realize you hate yourself.

Carson Kressley, who I had the privilege of interviewing over on StyleList, has put together the above video to help you look good in your swimming suit photos. No more “Oh my God, you have to delete that” out of you!

Even a size 2 can look fat in their bathing suit. Remember the Jennifer Love Hewitt scandal? The video includes tips such as:

  • Use a prop, like a beach ball, to hide problem areas.
  • How to do the Hollywood leg pose (for ladies).
  • Men, twist your torso.
  • Don’t be looking into the sun, you’ll squint.

See more of Nikon’s Look Good in Pictures series with Carson Kressley here at LookGoodinPictures.com.

Flee the cold at the Ritz in Naples, FL

by Tom Johansmeyer on

It snowed today. It was cold and wet, and my feet were drenched by the time I got home. It sucked. My soggy, frigid feet felt even worse when my mind turned to a pair of Ritz-Carlton resorts in Naples, FL. The golf resort and the beach resort ooze luxury, and the airport is accessible from most major airports. JetBlue, admittedly not my favorite airline, puts Naples in reach (via Fort Meyers) from several cities in the northeast, and Delta can fly you in from anywhere, though you may make a quick stop in Atlanta.

So, why does all this matter?

I stayed at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Resort, and it was one of the few times in my life I’ve actually felt relaxed. I’m not a golfer-at all-but I understand the courses are fantastic. Called Tiburon, they 36 holes are named for Greg Norman, whose nickname is the English equivalent (Shark).

A heads up from course pro Roger James: the second and seventeenth holes on the “Black” course (as opposed to “Gold”) are the toughest. I’m happy to take his word for it.

Over at the Ritz-Carlton Beach Resort, on the other hand, I felt right at home in the spa. The beach is probably the big draw, but it’s not really my style. Soak in the salt bath for a while, as I did, and you’ll feel like nothing outside that tub matters. Follow it up with a massage, and you’ll probably book an extra night at the hotel.

So, on a day like today, I couldn’t think about anything but sitting on that hotel room balcony with a glass of wine next to me and a cigar in hand. If you need a fast getaway for the nasty winter months, remember that there are some corners of Florida that cater to adults.

Photo of the Day (12.23.08)

by Grant Martin on

Having nice weather this Christmas? Yeah, me neither. If you’ve ventured even close to an airport or a newscast in the last week you probably know that 3/4 of the country is buried under snow right now and that flights and passengers are in chaos.

In case you happen to be one of those poor souls stuck at the airport this Tuesday afternoon, I thought I would give you something to take your mind off the weather. This shot, taken by StrudelMonkey in Boracay, Philippines, depicts the exact polar opposite of where I am right now, and where I’m sure many of us want to be. Close your eyes, don’t think about that screaming child in the row across from you and pretend its 80 degrees outside. Isn’t that nice?

Have any cool photos you’d like to share with the world? Add them to the Gadling Pool on Flickr, and it might be chosen as our Photo of the Day.