The Caribbean - Ponce?

We are going to Puerto Rico for the first time this Fall. We are only going for a long weekend (3 nights) and I am wondering if we should try to make it to Ponce.

So far we are planning on 1 day doing stuff around San Juan, another at El Yunque/Loquillo, and another at Camuy/Arecibo. If we went to Ponce, I am thinking we would drive there after Camuy/Arecibo and then spend the night in Ponce before heading back to the San Juan area.

Is Ponce a must-see, or are we trying to squeeze in too much? It sounds interesting, but I have some concerns with the amount of time we have and the amount of driving involved. Any comments would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
BillJ

Having been to Puerto Rico many times, I would have to say do not visit Ponce. The trip will take you much longer than you think. At least a 2.5 hour drive from Camuy/Aircebo.

Also what is the attraction of Camuy or Aricebo? Anything in particular or just because?

I would visit Ponce before Camuy/Aricebo. We did witness the mask festival in Hatillo (either Christmas or New Years day).

Camuy is for the Parque de las Cavernas del Río Camuy. I have never done caves before, and this one sounds interesting.

Arecibo is for the observatory/radio telescope, although we are still debating that part.

I should comment that we do not usually do beach stuff. (e.g. last time in Miami we went to the beach for about an hour and that was enough.) Our travel revolves around museums, shopping, smaller outside attractions (i.e. not hiking, but parks and such), and just seeing different things.

I have never done an island/tropical vacation before and I think my boyfriend has not been since he was a kid, so this is also to see what we think of this type of trip.

Thanks much,
BillJ

My bad, forgot about Rio Camuy caves :eek: ^ ^ ^

here are some restaurant/activity ideas/reviews.

In Old San Juan:

Chef Marisoll, 202 Calle de Cristo. Contemporary. I had a curried chicken w/papaya and cilantro YUM!

Amadeus, Calle San Sebastian 106. Caribbean, but w/a gourmet twist.

Just next door to Amadeus is El Patio de Sam.
A busy, but fun place for drinks. I would not recommend the food. It is across from the Church de San Jose where there are usually some festive happenings, which are fun to take in after dinner (at Amadeus!).

One of our favorite restaurants is newcomer The Parrott Club at 363 Fortaleza. Very, very, very good PR and Caribbean food. Also live music at night. Very lively atmoshpere.

Brunch:

IMO, hands down it is the sunday brunch at the Caribe Hilton. What a spread!

In Condado Area:

Los Faisanes, Avenida Magdelena 1108. International. Being lovers of great pheasant (Faisanes) dishes, Los Faisanes always has at least two on the menu. Never disappoints.

Ramiro's, Avenida Magdelena 1106. International/Spanish. While the service is great, we've never been bowled over by the food at Ramiro's. Although most others we've talked to have. Just a personal opinion I guess.

Chayote, Avenida Miramar 603 (Olimpo Hotel).
Puerto Rican/Seafood. Always very good!!!

Compostela, Avenida Codado 106. Spanish. We like Compostela over Ramiro's anyday!!!

Urdin, Avenida Magdelena 1105. Seafood/PR.
Had a divine dish of Halibut w/a chutney of raisins and bananas over it.


AJILI MOJILI, Calle Joffre 6. If you want to try Puerto Rican food as the Moms of Puerto Rico cooked it, try this restaurant!!!! WE ALWAYS EAT HERE, EVERY TIME IN PR!!!! Very fun and good value. Anything w/the Ajili Mojili sauce (a very garlicky chili salsa) is awesome.


In Isla Verde:

While we have stayed at the El San Juan, we have never really enjoyed the food or thought it was a good value, seeing the tremendous other restaurants in San Juan. So I can't recommend anything here......EXCEPT!!! goto the open air rooftop bar at the ESJ, get a magarita and have guacamole made tableside.
Very yummy and great views.

In El Yunque/Luquillo Beach:

I highly recommend driving to El Yunque Park. It is the only rainforest in the US park service. Great hiking. Afterwards wash yourself off in the ocean at Luquillo Beach, just don't go on weekends when it will be packed!!!! The good eats are the various bungalows along the beach (not in the beach park, but down from the beach area) you'll see when driving twoards the beach park. The various grilled meats and empanadas go great w/the cold Medalla beer.

In Ponce:

The only restaurant we've eaten is La Hacienda/La Cava de la Hacienda which is located in the Ponce Hilton. Good International cuisine, but pricy. a better bet is to drive 20 minutes West to the following:

In Guanica:

One of our favorite places to stay (and eat) on the south side of the Island is the Copamarina Beach Resort whose Ballena's restaurant is very good. Service is slow here, but the food is well worth it.

In Rincon:

Rincon is 8 miles north of Mayaguez on the West side of PR. The Horned Dorset Primavera Hotel. This is THE best hotel in PR for couples (no kids under 12 allowed). It also has one of the most beautiful and delicious dining rooms in all of PR. Well worth the drive and $$.

La Paguera:

La Paguera is located on the SW side of PR.
If you should find yourself there on a dark night. Make sure to do two things.
Eat at the Parador Villa Parguerra, which serves seafood in a traditional PR manner. the fresh fish is ALWAYS pleasing.

After dinner, find the local boats that take you to Phosphorescent Bay. Once there, the tiny bioluminescent organisms in the water light up when disturbed by the swimmers. A very amazing sight and real fun being on the water at night.

Other activities:
the Observatory of Arecibo, the largest radar/radio telescope on earth
Rio Camuy Caves (about 1 hr drive from San Juan)
Scuba (we've gone out of the Copa Marina and Fajardo)
Oldest Church in the Western Hemisphere (text courtesy of Frommer's): One of the most noteworthy churches in Puerto Rico is Iglesia Porta Coeli (Gate of Heaven) (tel. 787/892-0160), which sits atop a knoll at the eastern end of a cobble-covered square, the Parque de Santo Domingo. Dating from 1606 and built in a style inspired by the Romanesque architecture of northern Spain, this is the oldest church in the New World. Restored by the Institute of Puerto Rican Culture, and sheathed in a layer of salmon-colored stucco, it contains a museum of religious art with a collection of ancient santos, the carved figures of saints that have long been a major part of Puerto Rican folk art.

I spent a week at the Ponce Hilton on an award. The hotal was OK, beach was very poor. A hotel employee advised us not to swim at the beach. It seems there is a sewer discharge pipe not far away! We heeded his advice. I would not visit Ponce again. The only highlight was "Marks at the Meila" which had great food and service. It blew away the Hilton best restaurant (I forget the name).