Charlie's Custom Tours- El Yunque and Beach Review

[Aloha Y'all]

[i've posted this on Trip Advisor, but wanted to add it CC as well.]

 

This was the best tour of our cruise and amongst the best we've had since we started cruising 8 years ago. Carlos was very prompt in responding to my emails and even called me to hammer out details. Making contact once in port was no problem. We had cell numbers of both Carlos and Carlitos. We traveled in a group with two families: 4 adults and 3 kids (3, 5, and 9 yo).

 

Carlitos, Carlos's son, was our guide and very excellent. Charlie is the best transport I've ever had in port. Leather seats, easy to use shades, and very very cold AC were much appreciated. There was a cooler full of water, soda, and local beer in the back; a basket of snacks in the front. Even better, there was an on-dash camera so passengers in the back could see from the driver's perspective. Carlitos was our own personal paparazzi. We received lots of photographs including the ever rare group shot with everyone. He answered lots of random, off script questions thoroughly and well. Carlitos was well prepared with ponchos and umbrellas for any rainy weather. He also had binoculars for the kids to use.

 

Our tour included El Yunque and Pinones Beach. We got a heads up that we are visiting a rainforest, which means a high forest canopy and lots of water, NOT monkeys swinging over our heads and tigers. Carlitos pointed out interesting plants and trees to us as we walked through and included informational tidbits about them. We saw lots of giant ferns and trees the natives used to tell weather. Carlitos pinched off leaf tips of PR cilantro and ylang ylang for us to smell, which went over well with the kids. We went on a 30 minute hike in the forest, which was just easy enough for DD (a petite 5 yo) and her friend (3 yo). The path was quiet and not where the big tour buses deposited their passengers. We had it all to ourselves most of the time. We saw lots of plant life and creepy crawlies. We were blessed with several sweet songbirds along the way. I really enjoyed Carlitos's narration and learned a lot more than I expected to. He stopped in a stream bed to show us a rock the Tainos ground with water to use as sunscreen and bug repellent. We were all very satisfied with our rainforest experience.

 

One of our cruise mates went on the ship tour and came back very disappointed saying that this rainforest didn't compare to others (no animals, no flowers, etc). I think the difference in our levels of satisfaction had more to do with the guide than the forest. Their guide didn't tell them much about what they saw so they couldn't see the wonder of it. When we shared what we learned from Carlitos, our cruise mates seemed to see the forest in a new light.

 

After the forest, we went to Pinones Beach. I asked Carlitos to take us to a quiet beach that wouldn't be crowded with tourists. He got it right with Pinones. There were a few local families there, but no crowds. We spent a good amount of time relaxing and playing. When we got back in Charlie, Carlitos had water to rinse off our feet and laid down towels on the floor. He reassured us that Charlie could handle sand and sea water when I apologized for the mess we were about to make in Charlie and didn't make us feel bad about the inevitable sand we tracked into Charlie (unlike our guide in St. Martin who really laid into us). We initially planned to head to some beach shacks for lunch, but we opted to return to the ship since the Littles were snoring in their seats. We took the scenic beach road back to port, which was beautiful. Carlitos gave lots of great info about all the small town we passed and pointed out little details that would have otherwise been meaningless to us.

 

Overall, we are immensely satisfied with our experience. It was fun and educational, and very luxurious. We felt like visiting family and were well cared for by Carlitos. Our tour has inspired us to return to PR for a longer stay, and of course book our tours with Charlie's Custom Day Tours.

 

Visited April 2014

[jmwg49]

This sounds awesome! I have sent an email to them. We have a full day after getting off our ship before a flight at 4:50 pm....I asked for suggestions and an airport drop off so I will see what he has to offer! This sounds perfect!

[imluvncruzn]

We used Charlies Custom tours in January and they were wonderful! Can't say enough good things! We also did El Yunque and Pinones Beach plus a few additional sight seeing stops.

[jsscuba2]

How much was the tour and how long. Can it be done as an excursion.

[MDSue]

Great review. We wanted to use him a few years back but the price was high for just the two of us- it would have been perfect had there been more of us to share the cost.

 

I love your comment about tracking sand into the van. This seems to be a common problem with many drivers and guides who take you on a tour that includes a stop at the beach, but complain if you have a wet bathing suit (and no place to change).

 

Sounds like an excellent guide and tour!

[jmwg49]

I contacted him. It was $60 per hour....and the rainforest was 6 - 7 hours. So, unless you have a group to split the cost, it is very expensive. We are a group of 2, so alot of money for an excursion. He told me he does not do 'excursions per se'...so you have to find your own group. In other words, you pay for the whole van, whether you are 2 or 8 people.