Rainforest or Bacardi factory?

[kayehall]

Which one would you recommend for a short stop in San Juan? Is the rainforest a "not to miss" attraction? :confused:

[MDSue]

If you only have a short day in San Juan, then the rainforest will probably be to far. Are you considering a ship excursion, a private tour, or do-it-yourself?

 

The Bacardi Factory can be done easily on your own for less than ten dollars each round-trip. It will take about 2 1/2 to 3 hours to go. I definitely would not do this option as a ship tour (unless you want to spend considerably more). If interested- I can tell you how to go on your own.

 

If you've never visited Old San Juan before, it is a great city to walk around, explore, and visit the forts. There is a ton to see and do withn walking distance of the ship (some ships depart from another pier outside of town- but visiting ships dock in town)

 

I, personally, have not visited the rainforest but it is on my wish-list for our next trip. I've been advised you need a minimum of 5-6 hours to visit the rainforest and preferably a whole day. It is located on another part of the island).

Edited July 29, 2013 by MDSue

[Langoustine]

I've been advised you need a minimum of 5-6 hours to visit the rainforest and preferably a whole day. It is located on another part of the island).

 

Well, I've been there, and I think it's stunningly beautiful. I would certainly pick it over the Bacardi factory. It's only 20 miles from SJ, and you certainly don't need that much time to see it. Private tours are available from SJ if you don't want to rent a car, and they usually range from 2 to 4 hours total.

Edited July 29, 2013 by Langoustine

[trish1c]

The Bacardi Factory is OK but contrived.

[MDSue]

Well, I've been there, and I think it's stunningly beautiful. I would certainly pick it over the Bacardi factory. It's only 20 miles from SJ, and you certainly don't need that much time to see it. Private tours are available from SJ if you don't want to rent a car, and they usually range from 2 to 4 hours total.

 

 

Thanks for the info- we are planning to go next spring and I'm not sure whether we'll rent a car or do a tour. When I checked Google maps, it was 54 miles from Condado (near Old San Juan) to El Yunque- so it would take at least an hour just to get there. If you add the extra time, traffic, and distance from Old San Juan- 2 hours wouldn't be realistic.

 

When we asked the concierge at our hotel, she was the one who recommended 5-6 hours minimum to go to the rainforest. I've never seen a tour offered that was less than that. I think that realistically; in 2 hours you could drive there and have to almost immediately turn around and head back- definitely not worthwhile to me if I can't have a few hours to hike and explore.

 

Can you tell me how you went (tour or drive)? I've been to San Juan many times, but haven't rented a car there because I always worried about navigating with Spanish road signs. I've been told many times that it is a cinch to rent a car, so maybe I'll give it a try next time.

 

I tend to agree that the Bacardi factory is a little underwhelming. My sister is a huge Bacardi fan so she really wanted to visit. Since we've walked around OSJ numerous times, it was a fine half day-trip for us. If it was our only time visiting, I would definitely recommend exploring the city and forts the first time around, or the rainforest if I had enough time to enjoy and not rush.

Edited July 29, 2013 by MDSue

[Lard Greystoke]

Thanks for the info- we are planning to go next spring and I'm not sure whether we'll rent a car or do a tour. When I checked Google maps, it was 54 miles from Condado (near Old San Juan) to El Yunque- so it would take at least an hour just to get there. If you add the extra time, traffic, and distance from Old San Juan- 2 hours wouldn't be realistic.

 

Are you sure that was miles, or kilometers? I drove all the way around to the south side of El Yunque in well under 2 hours.

 

Under any reasonable circumstances you could drive to and from El Yunque and have at least 2-3 hours in the park itself. 2 or 3 hours in a place that's absolutely unique is not time ill spent.

[MDSue]

Are you sure that was miles, or kilometers? I drove all the way around to the south side of El Yunque in well under 2 hours.

 

Under any reasonable circumstances you could drive to and from El Yunque and have at least 2-3 hours in the park itself. 2 or 3 hours in a place that's absolutely unique is not time ill spent.

 

You are right- 56 kilometers, not miles. However, it did give a little over an hour for driving time to El Yunque. So, you could probaly drive there and back in approximately 2- 2 1/2 hours, but I would think most people would want to get out and hike some trails or explore.

 

Here is the link to Google maps. I used Condado as a reference. I'm not sure where the OP was based. If they were in the Isla Verde area, the rainforest would be even closer.

 

https://maps.google.com/maps?q=el+yunque&ie=UTF-8&hl=en

Edited July 30, 2013 by MDSue

[Luv 2 Float]

One word of advice for people renting a car and driving to El Yunque, they will offer you the e-pass for the turnpike. If you take 26 to 3 towards Fajardo, you'll need to have the pass as there are no manned toll booths - only the ones with the sensors that read the e-pass.

 

Also, concerning Isla Verdi, you would actually be no closer as you'd need to backtrack to almost condado to get on 26 unless you plan to take the back roads or are staying right up close to the airport.

[RayInPR]

Route 26 is NOT a toll road. Route 66 is the toll road from Carolina to Rio Grande. You can use the western-most stretch of Route 66 by paying cash for the toll, but the eastern stretch (east of exit 14) is AutoExpreso (that's our "e-pass") only ... no cash ... no manned toll booths. But you can always get off at exit 14 and continue east on Route 3 (which is toll-free).

[MDSue]

Route 26 is NOT a toll road. Route 66 is the toll road from Carolina to Rio Grande. You can use the western-most stretch of Route 66 by paying cash for the toll, but the eastern stretch (east of exit 14) is AutoExpreso (that's our "e-pass") only ... no cash ... no manned toll booths. But you can always get off at exit 14 and continue east on Route 3 (which is toll-free).

 

Thanks for the heads-up. I had no idea they had toll roads in PR or the EZPass system. I have an EZPass at home, but definitely don't plan to bring it with me. Hopefully, the car rental people will give us the right information if we decide to drive.

[Fattony]

I'm considering doing the rainforest as a day trip with a rental car in late Oct. My wife will be in a conference that ends at mid-day Sunday and we fly out Tuesday morning. Sounds like it'd be a rush to do it on Sunday and, besides, I think crowds would be much worse. I've been to the Amazon, but this sounds refreshing. My wife is not a rum fan and, besides, we've toured a small rum distillery in Tennessee (plus Jack Daniel's), and I think I'd prefer to test various rums on my own or at a special tasting (with no driving).

[MDSue]

I'm considering doing the rainforest as a day trip with a rental car in late Oct. My wife will be in a conference that ends at mid-day Sunday and we fly out Tuesday morning. Sounds like it'd be a rush to do it on Sunday and, besides, I think crowds would be much worse. I've been to the Amazon, but this sounds refreshing. My wife is not a rum fan and, besides, we've toured a small rum distillery in Tennessee (plus Jack Daniel's), and I think I'd prefer to test various rums on my own or at a special tasting (with no driving).

 

I think the rainforest is a great choice- I'm looking forward to seeing it myself on our next trip.

[Lard Greystoke]

I'm considering doing the rainforest as a day trip with a rental car in late Oct.

 

Ideal. The park closes at 5 or 6, which gives you time for another activity in the evening, such as a food kiosk at Luquillo Beach.

[KatyGal]

One word of advice for people renting a car and driving to El Yunque, they will offer you the e-pass for the turnpike. If you take 26 to 3 towards Fajardo, you'll need to have the pass as there are no manned toll booths - only the ones with the sensors that read the e-pass.

 

Also, concerning Isla Verdi, you would actually be no closer as you'd need to backtrack to almost condado to get on 26 unless you plan to take the back roads or are staying right up close to the airport.

 

Do you know what the cost of the e-pass is per day on a rental car?

[Stinger-pr]

One word of advice for people renting a car and driving to El Yunque, they will offer you the e-pass for the turnpike. If you take 26 to 3 towards Fajardo, you'll need to have the pass as there are no manned toll booths - only the ones with the sensors that read the e-pass.

 

Also, concerning Isla Verdi, you would actually be no closer as you'd need to backtrack to almost condado to get on 26 unless you plan to take the back roads or are staying right up close to the airport.

 

This is not entirely accurate. You can take expressway 26 (no toll) east and at the end of the expressway you can take PR3 road or PR66 east. PR66 is a toll road like a previous poster stated. You CAN pay cash for the first strech on an east-west drive but with (usually) one lane only to do this, lines tend to be long. E-pass is the best bet. At the end of PR66 you turn east into PR3 untill you reach the turn-off into El Yunque. You CAN take PR3 from PR26 east but the difference is PR3 will entertain you with over 25 stop lights before you get to the PR66 intersection. Total toll both ways is $5.

 

Also, Isla Verde IS closer to El Yunque than Condado but just by a few minutes (depending on traffic on PR26). Both have multiple accesses to PR26. No need to backtrack.

[bruinlvr]

Do you know what the cost of the e-pass is per day on a rental car?

 

The rental car comes with it at Dollar rental. They also matched Charlie's car rental price. GPS is $10 extra.

[Colorado Kat]

If you have the time, definitely do the rainforest. I would tour the forts over the Bacardi tour. But the Bacardi tour is nice. I thought the history was interesting.

[kolson66]

The rental car comes with it at Dollar rental. They also matched Charlie's car rental price. GPS is $10 extra.

 

 

I am going for an extended pre-cruise and booked a car through Expedia/ Dollar Rental for 8 days $144 TOTAL. Great price!

[goldn02grl]

If you have the time, definitely do the rainforest. I would tour the forts over the Bacardi tour. But the Bacardi tour is nice. I thought the history was interesting.

 

Is the hike hard on someone who is 60?

[caribtravel]

I've been to el Yunque several times--worth going. Don't miss Luquillo Beach a few minutes away from El Yunque. Even if you don't like the beach, it's worth visiting to take in the view...

 

Also, FYI-Bacardi is not P.R. rum, good but not originally from P.R. Across the pier you'll find a DonQ store, with a little hx of the rum and free pina coladas or whatever rum mix you want--DonQ visit is FREE and you'll be getting P.R.

 

If you still want to visit Bacardi you can do so with a cheap ferry ride to Catano (you can see the ferry from the main cruise terminal) and from there any pubic bus can drop you outside Bacardi. It's interesting to see the rum making process, just know it's not originally from P.R.

 

Hope this helps.