It will be HOT, and humid up in El Junque (sp?), the rainforest. You'll see all sorts of clothing -- some very dressy stuff in casinos and some restaurants. Five nights will be just about right to see the sights of San Juan. (I haven't been there in years though. My father had a plant in PR, and DH and I have been there a couple of times, once on a cruise.) In the old city the streets are rough walking -- flats better than heels there and for touring the fort. I think it's a very *romantic* city.

I've been to Puerto Rico few times, but on cruises. I only went into San Juan once, and did a city tour, plus the fort.

My neighbor frequents the casinos there.

This is from my cruise last Jan.

Should I pack my own insect repellant? I am used to heat and humidity here in FL but mosquitos love me so I will make sure to wear at least capri length pants and a thin long sleeve shirt.

I think the resort is about 30 minutes from San Juan so we will probably spend a full day there in town then go back another evening for the night life. We aren't party type people so maybe a cou[ple nights there will be enough.

It has been several years since I was there but I do remember the most fun I had was river rafting. Not what you would think though. The rafts are made of bamboo and flat with a seat for 2. A guy on the back with a long pole takes you down the river. Very smooth and so beautiful, along the way you stop for refreshments. It was one of the highlights of my trip. It was a great place for shopping. If I remember correctly at the McDonald's in San Juan is where the first Pina colata (sp) was made. I had a virgin one and it was amazing.

Went last year over Xmas. Loved it. We stayed on the East side in Luquillo. BTW, you can pack your own repellant or buy it there. Walmart accessible. Very humid there.

We're not night-life people so we brought shorts and tees and some capris/jeans for dinner out. You'll need comfy shoes for hiking/walking, and sandals are fine for evening out. We didn't pack too much (carry ons) knowing we'd hit a laundry mat which was a good idea.

I recommend a good hike in El Yunke Rain Forest. Bring a packable jacket b/c it can rain on the drop of a dime in the forest. Luck was on our side. There is no wild life in this forest and you may get lucky to see butterflies and birds.

El Morro is one of the forts in San Juan and the other is next to it - not a real long walk. Old San Juan is in this area and we didn't find it to be anything exciting except for the architechure and people watching. Good for shopping and walking around, but not much else. DH isn't a shopper, so that didn't help me any b/c I am. Wear flats since the streets are very uneven as someone else mentioned. It gets really crowded on the narrow streets in town so watch your pockets(books).

Fajardo Zipline was much fun and you'll get an education along the way. Guides were exceptional. The bio bay was another cool adventure if the moon is not close to full. We booked with a company that has glass bottom kayaks so it was neat to see the illuminations under your butt. Wear quick dry pants/shorts or anything to keep you bottom half dry here b/c you will get wet from paddling unless you change at your car after the trip. Use repellent.

You will need to rent a car to get around PR. One of the interesting things we did was get in the car and go. We just cruised one day going through many little towns and seeing how the natives live. We had a GPS with no other agenda that day. PR is a poverty stricken island so the sights can be destressing, but it's how you see things/places for what they truly are by going off the beaten path. The people in PR are very nice but the neighborhoods can be sketchy.

I wasn't impressed with the food anywhere except at Pasta y Pueblo which was so good I still think about it. The reviews are terrific. It's a tiny shack - a restaurant with 6 tables and you'll find it in Liquillo. It sits solo by the beach (the surf beach, not Liquillo Beach). I honestly can't wait to go back to PR just to eat at this place again. They offer a small menu list, but who cares. I wished we had visited here early in our trip so we could have gone back, but we didn't go until our last day. Best food I ever had anywhere - period!!

I suggest going to TripAdvisor and search. There's a wealth of info there that will surely help in your decisions on what to see/do based on how much you want to move around the island. I hope this post gives you some ideas.

PS: Can I go?

I've been a couple of times. We hiked El Yunque rain forest. They have observation towers along the way and a local waterfall you can swim under. We rented a car that day.

Arecibo is the worlds largest radio tower; where we listen for sounds in outer space. lots of nice exhibits there.

There's Rio Camuy caves, which are beautiful and HUGE. We took a tour to get us to the caves, Arecibo and a restaurant in the rain forrest.

There's the fort, EL Morro....we loved it! Great view!

The Bacardi rum distillary tour(didn't see that).

We booked a boat that left from there and took us to St Croix and spent a week diving.

Note: When ordering food at a McDonalds,KFC or stopping for a smoothie....the employees did NOT speak English. Tour guides, taxi drivers and tourists were the only folks I met fluent in English. I was there 14 months ago.

LOVED it! Even thought moving there to retire sounded like a good idea! The people were VERY friendly and approachable!

I've been to Dorado beach(west of San Juan) and Farhado beach(southwest of San Juan) and loved both places, which are short driving for a day trip into San Juan. The fort in San Juan (El Morrow) is worth seeing.

I spent two weeks in San Juan on a work assignment over 10 years ago. I stayed in a nice hotel on the main drag in San Juan but I mostly saw the nitty gritty of the island. The city areas were really not much different than the mainland U.S. except people were not predominantly speaking English. There was a Walgreens right down the block from the hotel, fast food places. We did do an out of the way beach trip (even though we were close to a beach, I'm not sure why we did this). It didn't impress me but I'm sure there were nicer beaches in PR. I enjoyed the fort and the old city area.

Thanks for all the replies and suggestions. DH speaks a little spanish so we may google how to say some of the most important phrases like "Filet of Fish" and "vanilla shake" just to be safe! HA!

I'm just looking forward to getting away for a few days and since this is an unexpected trip, there isn't alot of time for me to "over think" things. I have plenty of capris and lightweight clothes so that's not a problem.

Anyone else want to make suggestions, go ahead, I will check back throughout the week.