Caribbean - Puerto Rico or Hawaii? Drivers License OK for travel?

Hello Everyone!

I'm thinking of taking my Aunt for her bday to San Juan, PR or to Hawaii.

(She hasn't been to either, but I go to HI on a regular basis and I've never been to Puerto Rico so wanted to try something new)

I have a couple questions:

1) Is Puerto Rico worth the visit? How does it compare to HI? (Oahu, Kauai, or Maui) I was thinking of exploring the main spots on the main island and going to Vieques for a day or two since the beaches there are apparently much nicer.

2) I have my current Passport but she doesn't. Would she be fine traveling just on her California Driver License? I looked it up on Timatic. Going there...no problem....it shows ID is ok. But if I pull up the return, I get the following response:

/ 15OCT10 / 1917 UTC
National U.S.A. (US)
Embarkation Puerto Rico (U.S.A.) (PR)
Destination U.S.A. (US)

Passport required.
- Nationals of U.S.A. may enter with a passport and/or
passport replacing documents valid on arrival.
Passport Exemptions:
- Holders of a Temporary or Emergency passports.
- Holders of a Transportation Letter:

What does" Passport replacing documents" mean? Driver License count?

I just want to make sure she doesn't get stuck there.

3) If we go to Puerto Rico, we are eligible for Duty Free...correct? Any limitations? (I'm more concerned with the liquor/perfume allowances)


Thanks in advance!:)

Hello Everyone!

I'm thinking of taking my Aunt for her bday to San Juan, PR or to Hawaii.

(She hasn't been to either, but I go to HI on a regular basis and I've never been to Puerto Rico so wanted to try something new)

I have a couple questions:

1) Is Puerto Rico worth the visit? How does it compare to HI? (Oahu, Kauai, or Maui) I was thinking of exploring the main spots on the main island and going to Vieques for a day or two since the beaches there are apparently much nicer.

2) I have my current Passport but she doesn't. Would she be fine traveling just on her California Driver License? I looked it up on Timatic. Going there...no problem....it shows ID is ok. But if I pull up the return, I get the following response:

/ 15OCT10 / 1917 UTC
National U.S.A. (US)
Embarkation Puerto Rico (U.S.A.) (PR)
Destination U.S.A. (US)

Passport required.
- Nationals of U.S.A. may enter with a passport and/or
passport replacing documents valid on arrival.
Passport Exemptions:
- Holders of a Temporary or Emergency passports.
- Holders of a Transportation Letter:

What does" Passport replacing documents" mean? Driver License count?

I just want to make sure she doesn't get stuck there.

3) If we go to Puerto Rico, we are eligible for Duty Free...correct? Any limitations? (I'm more concerned with the liquor/perfume allowances)


Thanks in advance!:)

I've travel between the US and PR some many times that I can't remember and have never been asked for my passport. A DR should be fine. Now, there have been times that ICE officials have asked about citizenship upon boarding the a/c leaving PR, I always said US and that was it. Never asked to prove it. Still, I doubt that you would be detained if you did not have a passport with you.

PR is a very diverse island but on whole I find HI more beautiful. Unless it is a surprise trip, why not let her decide since she has not been to either. Also, I don't know if you are bi-lingual, but some PRs do not speak English but generally language should not be a huge issue.

Duty free, not sure about.

1- Yes. A good friend of mine from southern california describes it as "if Mexico and Hawaii had a kid."

2- It's a domestic US flight. No problems there.

3- Yes you are, and no limitations since it's a domestic flight! However, the prices aren't that great.

Thank you both for your replies!:D

My Aunt is impartial to either destination. She lives in CLT so it'll be closer if we went to SJU vs HI. Oh well, choices choices...

Hawaii + Mexico = Puerto Rico....lol:D That gives me a good idea what to expect.....

We don't speak Spanish but hopefully it won't be that hard to get around with limited phrases etc....

We're planning to go sometime in the Fall....I'm almost tempted to do a quick "weekend" there, to SJU, to scope the island out.....

I just think it might be cheaper to go to SJU than to HI.

We'll see....

I have been to both, and assuming your aunt does not do much traveling, I would definitely choose Hawaii as a special destination.

As a US citizen,no passport is required for PR

I have been to both as well, and have a similar answer. San Juan is cramped, and looks like a normal city. Dirty in places, beautiful in others. The beaches there are meh at best. Once you get outside San Juan, its gets very pretty.

But Hawaii is a place into itself. Assuming you venture outside honolulu and visit the otehr islands, you get to see peace , nature, lovely beaches, adn serenity.

To put it in perspective, we as a family take 1 major vacation a year. When we can't decide where to go, the fall back is always hawaii because we know nothing goes wrong there (PS, we go to Kauai). It is imp[ortant that if you decide to go to Hawaii, you decide which island you are going to go to. They are very different and offer different things.

Well, as far as normal cities, I have to agree. That's why I wouldn't send a tourist into Hato Rey or the more commercial areas of Santurce :)

How old is your aunt? What are her interests? How long is she willing to sit in an airplane seat? What does she like to eat?

I've been to Maui and PR. I liked both.

I never had an issue with limited Spanish language skills in PR.
Driving in PR is a little hairier than HI.
PR is cheaper (airfare - cash or miles, food - by a mile)
I love the music and art scene in PR.
You will certainly feel more like you're travelling outside the US in PR.
Beaches in HI are better.

No passport required.. I generally go to my vacation condo in Florida every year, and last year we decided to take a 5 day trip to SJU.. I was able to go with my Ontario driver's licence (MCO-SJU). I did notice CBP was present at SJU but nobody asked us anything.

I have been to both several times for each. I would DEFINITELY do Hawaii. Puerto Rico is very humid, cramped, and frankly not too much entertainment in the evenings. No fabulous restaurants. I assure you there is a huge different in the ambiance of the two places. I just love Hawaii and never tire of the peace and beauty that I find there. Additionally the people and the service are far superior there.

Ouch on the people comment

Went to Kauai, Maui and San Juan in 2010. Enjoyed them all but would likely not go back to SJ unless I got a tremendous deal on airfare and board. It's certainly easier to get to from ORD (and CLT) but Hawaii is something special and worth the extra flight time.

I absolutely agree with the Mexico+Hawaii having Puerto Rico as baby comment, and I'd rank SJ ahead of Mexico for a beach destination (considering the recent uptick in safety concerns). Also, one of my favorite all-time travel experiences was the Fajardo bio bay night-time kayaking trip... truely unique in the world.

If you really want to make the birthday special Hawaii is the choice for me. San Juan where I assume you would stay the most is nothing special in my opinion once you leave the resort area

Ouch on the people comment

+1.

I found the people in Puerto Rico to be extremely friendly, polite, and courteous. Most were very proud of their island, and were very hospitable.

As far as driving in Puerto Rico though.. they drive too fast lol