Leaving for Puerto Rico this weekend!

We are staying at the El San Juan hotel and casino. Any recommendations or things to avoid regarding restaurants, things to see, etc? Also, can I use regular sunscreen or should I use baby sunscreen? TIA!

Re: Leaving for Puerto Rico this weekend!

What great timing, while we will still be burried in the snow your on the beach! Sooo lucky!! lol Have fun!!!

Re: Leaving for Puerto Rico this weekend!

We just came back from PR on our cruise. It was beautiful. Wear regular sunscreen..you should be fine. We went to the bacardi factory (it's a free tour!)...not much fun when you're pregnant though. We also went to Senor Frogs and had a great time. Shopping in Old San Juan was beautiful and I just love the cobblestone streets. Just be careful walking over there...a few of our friends almost took some nasty spills.

Re: Leaving for Puerto Rico this weekend!

Great restaurants are Dragonfly and Aqualina

Re: Leaving for Puerto Rico this weekend!

we toured bacardi but idk how fun that is to do when your pregs

Re: Leaving for Puerto Rico this weekend!

I love Puerto Rico!

I just went on a tropical vacation...and here are the things I learned from my Ob (and experience):

I used regular sunscreen (which is fine)...but make sure you use it often (you will burn faster).

Make sure you drink A LOT. Your risk of dehydration is greater.

Make sure you drink bottled water.

If at a bar, I would order club soda and lime juice. This kinda did the trick for me.

Do get yourself special bug spray (just in case)... the baby-safe one (without DEET) stinks, but made me feel better.

About Puerto Rico, specifically:

With restaurants: they've probably changed a bit since I was there. I always ask for reccs from the concierge. Make sure you bring a list of what fish are safe & not safe.

Def. visit Old San Juan & make reservations at some of the nice restaurants there. The barcardi factory is a fun and free thing to do. You can take the ferry there from Old San Juan and then take a short cab ride (MUCH cheaper than going on an escorted tour from the hotels). I loved the forts & museums.

My favorite part of Puerto Rico is the midnight kayaking...with the bioluminescent plankton (this will depend on HOW pregnant you are). It is far from San Juan and a bit strenous, but BEAUTIFUL.

The rain-forest tours are nice as well (but really easy to do at your own pace if you rent a car).

There is a cave-tour too, which is nice.

Have a great trip!

Re: Leaving for Puerto Rico this weekend!

Re: Leaving for Puerto Rico this weekend!

Re: Leaving for Puerto Rico this weekend!

enjoy

Re: Leaving for Puerto Rico this weekend!

Have a great time! The El San Juan is supposed to be one of the best hotels there! Enjoy

Re: Leaving for Puerto Rico this weekend!

In old San Juan:

Have breakfast at Cafe Mallorca. It's a bakery/diner with great food (esp. for breakfast). If it's too packed, try a similar place.

I had a great lunch at a teeny place for locals. Menu on a chalkboard.

For dinner, they had a food festival, so we ate from Dragonfly, and a few others whose names I just don't remember. We ate a light meal and had drinks at a restaurant inside El Convento (hotel)... which was a really breathtaking sight and along one of the prettiest walks.

I stayed in Condado, and would recommend dancing at the Marriott (go early), and Ajili Mojili as well as Ropa Vieja, both in that region.

My second time there, we stayed at another city and cooked most of the time food caught by local fishermen. We did eat at a great steakhouse near S.J., but I don't think it would have been on a guide & I don't recognize the name. Only locals go there... it was in a bit seedy part of town.