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Guide to San Juan, Puerto Rico
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San JuanSan Juan
The capital of the fantastically beautiful Caribbean island known as Puerto Rico, San Juan, factually one of the first cities to emerge in the Americas during the colonial era, is nothing less than a diverse, central focal point for all activity in and around the region. Situated on the northeastern coast of the island is a majestic haunt with everything and anything going right for it. Of course, it has its downsides, including immense crowding at high season and the threat of water-born phenomena. All taken into account, however, San Juan is an oasis of high-rise hotels, nightclubs, family restaurants, and white beaches. Take it from us, though, and find yourself a stretch of coastline away from the mayhem.Too much shopping can wear your wallet right out, so play the city conservatively when much dinero is involved. San Juan is treated doubly so by gorgeous dawns and dusks; if your reason for visiting is based solely on the views, the waterfront is where your satisfaction resides. When to go:
It is hard to imagine a more perfectly temperate region than the Caribbean, and because attempts at doing so may prove fruitless, we think the best course of action is to take the majority stance. Puerto Rico is somewhat in the center of a broad archipelago, where the islands appear struck together rather than grouped in a haphazard fashion. This is both a blessing and a curse for this tropical series. When a calm climate rests over this part of the world, the openness allows multitudes of boating activities, and when in San Juan, sea is all one can glimpse, giving the impression, though false, of seclusion. There is a reason why most travelers avoid winter and spring in San Juan, Puerto Rico, or the Caribbean in general: hurricanes. Both season link as one to bring forth successive storms that residents and business owners along the coast only hope will not bring destruction. Check with San Juan's weather authorities before flying out, or solidifying your plans for that matter.
Getting there and around:
Only a short distance away from the city, San Juan's Luis Munoz Marin International Airport, though difficult to confirm, is likely to be the busiest air hub in the Caribbean. Taxis and buses are both ready to whisk you to your hotel, though the latter only stop at the most popular of the bunch. Specialized 'tourist' taxis are popular with visitors to San Juan, offering fixed rates to specific destinations. Many travelers opt for these if waiting for buses proves too wasteful of one's time. The Old Town in San Juan has always been a delightful part of the traveler's experience, and there's no better way to see the sights there than at a slow pace. Roadways are available for those intent on motoring, but if you don't want to miss a thing, walking is the method primero.
Attractions:
Walls segregate Old San Juan with its modern offspring, and appropriately so. Similar to traveling through time, almost nothing is equitable between the two apart from the few thrift shops that adorn street corners in the historic annex. El Morro is the most visible landmark on the peninsula, a 16th-century fort that stands as a monument and symbol of a past forgotten by many residing within the city today.
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