Courtyard By Marriott San Juan Miramar

A little Salsa!

by laura4n8

I had heard the Marriott San Juan Resort in Condado had decent Salsa dancing so we went. Sure enough, we slipped in with no cover (I'm not sure if they charged anything).

The floor was full of regular local dancers and some brave tourists. The sideline area was pack full of eager-to-hit-on-you people. The average age was significantly higher so we decided to try the spot across the street. Overall it was a decent spot.

We wanted a younger crowd so we went across the street to another club/bar. I don't know the name of the place but it was fun. It had a large staircase that acted more like a catwalk than the entrance to the club. The crowd was young and DEFINITELY more good-looking. A word to the wise ... dress to impress at this spot. Pull out the Prada. Dress to impress!

San Juan Weekend

by laura4n8

"It's all about time"

My dear friend and I flew to San Juan for the night as a birthday trip (happy birthday to me!). While we didn't see much of the island -- soaking in the sun was our main objective -- we thoroughly enjoyed our stay. Here's a rundown of the trip for all of you who only have a night and a day in San Juan. It worked for us and may work for you.

"When you first arrive"

Most airline's flights from the U.S. arrive in Puerto Rico in the afternoon or evening. We arrived at 10 p.m. and immediately took a cab to our hotel, Diamond Palace Hotel, in the Condado area of the city. Then we ...

1. Changed into cute outfits to impress the local folk
2. Hired a cab to take us to Old San Juan. WARNING: Traffic is heavy at night between Condado and Old San Juan.
3. Walked around Old San Juan (more like wandered aimlessly) and enjoyed the sights.
4. Dined at the Cade la Princesa. This was at the recommendation of the security guard patrolling the El Paseo de la Princesa. In fact, this security guard drove us to the restaurant in his golf cart -- a definite highlight of the trip! More info about the restaurant is available in my restaurant tip.
5. Looked for dancing spots. We asked our server at the restaurant and was directed to a crowded hip-hop club. I wanted some Salsa so decided not to stay. I was surprised that I didn't see many dancing spots in Old San Juan -- we must have been in the wrong area. I advise you to do a little research in advance.
6. We took a cab back to Condado . Again ... warning about the heavy traffic! It took all of my blonde-hair-blue-eyes persuasion to talk a cab driver into driving in that direction. He said it took too much time out of his night because of the traffic. Just be aware of that challenge.
7. I had heard the Marriott in Condado had decent Salsa dancing so we went. Sure enough, we slipped in with no cover (I'm not sure if they charged anything).
8. I don't know the name of the club/bar across the street from the Marriott San Juan Resort but we ventured that way. More about our dancing suggestion in the nightlife tip.
9. After dancing at the what-ever-its-name-was club we walked back to the Diamond Palace Hotel (an easy walk).

"When the sun rises"

After a few hours sleep we hopped out of bed to a glorious day. Beach here we come! Although it was only 8 a.m. we were ready to start the day.

1. First we stopped at the Walgreens drug store across the street to pick up some beach treats (our breakfast).
2. We marked our spot on the beach. That wasn't a hard task since we were the ONLY people on the beach -- that's to be expected at 8 a.m.
3. We slept until about 9:30 a.m. when a local beach chair vendor interrupted our slumber to asked if we wanted two chairs. At first I said no but then I realized that thery were only $3 a chair for the ENTIRE day. So I paid the man. You have to read more about this adorable story in my local customs tip.
4. Sleep, read, turn over ... sleep, read, turn over ... sleep, read, turn over. That was the extent of our day (with a little people watching in between).
5. Took a brief break to check out of our hotel.
6. After my friend was sufficiently sunburned (I, on the otherhand, was well protected with sun block and a hat) we packed up.
7. We walked back to the hotel to change clothes and catch a cab to the airport.
8. Drove to the airport and flew back to Atlanta. We made sure we had some smell-good lotion on so we didn't smell like sweaty beach bums.