Thread: Victor - Our San Juan Answer Man

Victor,

We are planning a cruise out of San Juan.. we would love to find a great hotel in for a couple of days before the cruise and for a couple days after the cruise... being a gay couple we would appreciate one that is "gay friendly": or at least gay accommodating... any advice or suggestions?

Good to have you here Victor! Thanks for helping us

You are welcome Ziggy.
and here is a little update about a dengue epidemic that some members might already know about.
This is from the tourist board,.
__________________________________________________ ________________
OFFICIAL PRTC STATEMENT – DENGUE
The Puerto Rico Department of Health and the Puerto Rico Tourism Company (PRTC) are working very closely with the tourism community on the Island to keep all visitors free from mosquitoes carrying and transmitting the Dengue virus, and well informed of the latest information on the dengue cases that have been reported over the last few months. Visitors should be aware that the majority of Dengue cases reported have been confined to locations outside the areas popular to tourists. As with all tropical locations and climates, mosquitoes are unavoidable but can be minimized.
The Puerto Rico Department of Health is working with numerous municipalities across the island to fumigate popular public areas on a daily basis and has launched a public education campaign to distribute information across the Island informing the necessary precautions to help avoid mosquito bites and how to treat them if bitten. All hotel properties on the Island have also implemented these measures and have taken the extra step to make their accommodations mosquito free, adding an extra sense of security to all their visitors.
Travelers to Puerto Rico can also take precautionary measures into their own hands to further minimize their chances of being bitten by a mosquito. While outdoors, it is recommended that visitors apply mosquito repellent containing 20-30% DEET on skin and clothing. Additionally, keeping hotels windows and doors closed or screened and wearing loose clothing significantly reduces the chances of being bitten by a mosquito. Visitors should also avoid being outdoors from dusk until a dawn, when mosquitoes are most prevalent.
PRTC is doing everything possible to obtain reliable, up-to-the-minute information of interest to tourists and the tourism industry and will make additional details available as they become known. For more specific information about Dengue, please visit the Center for Disease Control and Prevention website at http://www.cdc.gov

To Joey and David, San Juan is a very gay friendly town anyway you look at it but I would recommend any of the hotels in the Condado area like Atlantic Beach 787 721 6900 or the nearby San Juan Hotels: El Canario Hotel Group - the best budget value in San Juan, Puerto Rico's best location - the famous Condado! or how about El Consulado at 787 289 9191 or Welcome to Coral Princess Inn, Santurce, Puerto Rico if you need more information see my signature

Thanks for your response... I will check out the hotels you suggested... as far as thee mail link to your business.. is that your email or a group box .. I guess what I am asking is who will answer my emails..LOL what we are looking for typically we like to do business with one firm if possible for hotels reservations.. custom adventures site seeing ..and meet and greet drop off services from the airport... etc..is this something you guys do....... ....( who knows who will eventually read your response.. so... wow ....you are helping so many)

Hi Joey, I wish I can do more but I am basically a tour guide, therefore between conducting tours and answering e-mails, I got my hands full.
So I must ask you to contact any website, phone or e-mail that I give you .
Concerning countrysidetourspr@yahoo.com yes that is my e-mail address.
I will always answer it.
Take care

Wish I would have found this website before we made our hotel reservations. We are staying 1 night at the Sheraton OSJ, pretty pricey. Since the hotel is so pricey we believe the restaurant will be also. We are looking for good food at a reasonable price for dinner on Sat. night and breakfast on Sun. that would be close to the hotel.

Also before boarding the ship on Sunday we wanted to do our own tour of OSJ, especially the forts. Anything else we should do.

We will be in San Juan the evening of Nov. 10th and Sunday Nov. 11th. Are there any street festivals or other celebrations going on.

Casinos-We also would like a casino close to the hotel and what are the dress codes for the casinos on a Sat. evening?

I know I have asked alot of questions but this is our very first cruise, in fact our first "big" vacation and we have saved for along time and want to experience everything time will allow for at each port.

Thanks for any and all information you can give us! Looking forward to visiting your island.

BRNSNBRWS

I see that you are new to CLF.

Welcome!!

Don't forget to stop by the "Introduction" section and introduce yourself.

To brnsnbrws, nice to hear about your first cruise and I know that you will love it.
Concerning the hotel, yes it is a bit pricey but you are in old san Juan and from here you can do plenty.
At the present time I am not sure of any festivals for that weekend but as sson as I find out I`ll let you know.
Now for a different eating experience walking distance from the hotel, is my favorite Restaurante Raíces check it out. . If not, a few short blocks is La Bombonera on San Francisco Street.
For both eating and casinos go casual.
The best casino is at the Sheraton but take a walk up to the el Convento hotel .
Go to the fort Sunday at 9am, then go back to the hotel and get ready to check out.
The fort entrance fee is $3 p/p
Keep asking your questions. Its very important for us at Cruiseline to make this first cruise a special one.

tour 46, thanks so much for answering all my questions. I do have another one you may be able to help me with. I am going to start a sterling silver charm bracelet for the cruise. I want to get charms from each port. Where would you suggest I find sterling silver charms in OSJ?