Bahamas or Puerto Rico
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2005
Posts: 240
Bahamas or Puerto Rico
Need help figuring out which island to go to this summer. We are a family of 4, with two kids with us - a 16 year old girl and a 20 year old young man. We are diamond and want to use our Hilton points. We would like to spend at least a week and mostly would like to hang at a nice hotel with pool, and a beach. Sightseeing nearby would be great as we were hoping not to have to rent a car, if that is at all possible. Would love some help, insight, and opinions as to which island to go to.
#2
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: OKC
Programs: IHG Spire, National Exec, AA Plat
Posts: 2,274
SJU would work for this. Try the Caribe Hilton or Condado Hilton. Airport to hotel is about $20, and you can either walk the Condado area or take a quick cab to Old San Juan for the day.
The Condado is cheaper for food/drinks, but is part of a small area of the public beach. The Caribe has a private beach and pool area that is great, but they're awful proud of their prices there. Depends on if you're a big drinking family or not, and how much you want to eat on/off property.
Edit: As an example, a Medalla in the hotel gift shop is $3/can. At the poolside bar, it is $7. Same beer, same size, just poured in a cup. As you may see in a thread from a few days ago, I confirmed that they do not allow outside drinks there, despite previous trips never having a problem. Last year, the rules varied daily, and I'd had enough. Since I drink when on vacation, I'll be going somewhere else next time. The Caribe is a great hotel though - especially for what you are wanting - despite what some threads here say about it.
The Condado is cheaper for food/drinks, but is part of a small area of the public beach. The Caribe has a private beach and pool area that is great, but they're awful proud of their prices there. Depends on if you're a big drinking family or not, and how much you want to eat on/off property.
Edit: As an example, a Medalla in the hotel gift shop is $3/can. At the poolside bar, it is $7. Same beer, same size, just poured in a cup. As you may see in a thread from a few days ago, I confirmed that they do not allow outside drinks there, despite previous trips never having a problem. Last year, the rules varied daily, and I'd had enough. Since I drink when on vacation, I'll be going somewhere else next time. The Caribe is a great hotel though - especially for what you are wanting - despite what some threads here say about it.
Last edited by bchandler02; Feb 1, 2015 at 6:13 pm Reason: added beer example
#5
Join Date: Feb 2015
Posts: 4
If you were single or if it was just you and your wife, I would say Puerto Rico, but since you want to do the family thing I think you should go with the Bahamas. I took my family of 5 to the Bahamas a couple of years ago and it was awesome.
But there are a ton of resorts out there so you need to do your research. We went to the Crane Resort. I chose this one because it had really good ratings and reviews http://thecrane.com/About-The-Crane/
Either way, both places are nice, so I don't think that there is really a "bad" option here.
But there are a ton of resorts out there so you need to do your research. We went to the Crane Resort. I chose this one because it had really good ratings and reviews http://thecrane.com/About-The-Crane/
Either way, both places are nice, so I don't think that there is really a "bad" option here.
#6
Moderator: CommunityBuzz!, OMNI, OMNI/PR, and OMNI/Games & FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: ORD (MDW stinks)
Programs: UAMM, AAMM & ExPlat, Marriott lifetime Plat, IHG Plat, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 23,500
Hands down Puerto Rico.
Do yourself a favor & get out of San Juan!!!
Here is a Flyertalk thread with lots of activities listed: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/carib...ing-ideas.html
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Do yourself a favor & get out of San Juan!!!
Here is a Flyertalk thread with lots of activities listed: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/carib...ing-ideas.html
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#7
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: Paradise
Posts: 1,616
The Bahamas.
The British Coloniel is literally on the beach/cruise port/downtown area. There is another beach about 200 steps away (leads to Arawak Cay stalls). You can walk to all the sights and there are ferry's to get to atlantis. The Adastra Zoo/Botanical Gardens are also close by as well as Arawak Cay home to every local seafood dish you can imagine.
The British Coloniel is literally on the beach/cruise port/downtown area. There is another beach about 200 steps away (leads to Arawak Cay stalls). You can walk to all the sights and there are ferry's to get to atlantis. The Adastra Zoo/Botanical Gardens are also close by as well as Arawak Cay home to every local seafood dish you can imagine.
#8
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: PHL
Programs: AA - Plat, HHonors - Diamond, IHG - Plat, Marriott - Gold, National - Exec, Amtrak - Select, NEXUS
Posts: 1,075
I'm wrapping up a 4 day biz trip to SJU tomorrow. Stayed in Condado neighborhood. First time in PR for this gringo. I'm seriously considering bringing Mrs. pa3lsvt next winter for a vacation.
Old San Juan and the historical sites are beautiful. Heck, even La Perla was a neat site to see - from a distance. Condado is very walkable - shopping, casinos, restaurants & bars/clubs. Highly recommend the French Onion soup at Greenhouse Cafe - best I've ever had.
I dipped my feet in Atlantic at the public beach mentioned upthread today. It's small and somewhat hidden behind a public plaza but wasn't crowded.
Tomorrow we are driving to the west side of the island for a client meeting. If today's drive to the east side of the island provided some fantastic natural scenery, I can't wait for tomorrow.
As an added bonus: no border crossing, US$ is the currency, no need for int'l cell packages, and no forex fees on credit cards. It is like international travel without all the headaches.
Driving down here is a bit of an adventure, but I've also seen worse in Boston and Toronto at times. Tourist taxis are everywhere.
Old San Juan and the historical sites are beautiful. Heck, even La Perla was a neat site to see - from a distance. Condado is very walkable - shopping, casinos, restaurants & bars/clubs. Highly recommend the French Onion soup at Greenhouse Cafe - best I've ever had.
I dipped my feet in Atlantic at the public beach mentioned upthread today. It's small and somewhat hidden behind a public plaza but wasn't crowded.
Tomorrow we are driving to the west side of the island for a client meeting. If today's drive to the east side of the island provided some fantastic natural scenery, I can't wait for tomorrow.
As an added bonus: no border crossing, US$ is the currency, no need for int'l cell packages, and no forex fees on credit cards. It is like international travel without all the headaches.
Driving down here is a bit of an adventure, but I've also seen worse in Boston and Toronto at times. Tourist taxis are everywhere.
#9
Moderator: CommunityBuzz!, OMNI, OMNI/PR, and OMNI/Games & FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: ORD (MDW stinks)
Programs: UAMM, AAMM & ExPlat, Marriott lifetime Plat, IHG Plat, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 23,500
#10
Join Date: May 2005
Location: YOW
Programs: AC-SE100K MM, BA-S HH-D, MB-G LT Sil, IHG-Plt, Nexus, Global Entry
Posts: 3,801
If you were single or if it was just you and your wife, I would say Puerto Rico, but since you want to do the family thing I think you should go with the Bahamas. I took my family of 5 to the Bahamas a couple of years ago and it was awesome.
But there are a ton of resorts out there so you need to do your research. We went to the Crane Resort. I chose this one because it had really good ratings and reviews http://thecrane.com/About-The-Crane/
Either way, both places are nice, so I don't think that there is really a "bad" option here.
But there are a ton of resorts out there so you need to do your research. We went to the Crane Resort. I chose this one because it had really good ratings and reviews http://thecrane.com/About-The-Crane/
Either way, both places are nice, so I don't think that there is really a "bad" option here.
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13F
#12
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: About 45 miles NW of MCO
Programs: Acapulco - Gold, Panama - Red, Timothy Leary 8 Mile High Club
Posts: 29,238
If it's not too late, I vote for PR. I've been twice and been to the Bahamas 4 times. I find Puerto Ricans far friendlier. Other than the beach and a couple other attractions, I don't think there's much to do in Nassau. I don't know of other Hilton properties in the Bahamas, but I don't like the location of the Colinial Hilton and wouldn't be wandering around Nassua at night. Puerto Rico is a much larger island with geological and historical attractions. BTW, the US dollar works as currency in both places (it's interchangeable with Bahamas money - just don't bring any of theirs home with you). It's been more than 5 years, but we stayed at the Embassy Suites in Dorado and thoroughly enjoyed it. Not only is it nicely located, but you will be immersed in the culture as many locals vacation there in the summer.