Puerto Rico Local Tips

For cheap and authentic grub, stop at one of the snack bars found along beach roads.

Beaches with a “Blue Flag” designation by the Foundation for Environmental Education have the safest, cleanest, and best-equipped seashore conditions. Puerto Rico has three within an hour of the capital: Escambrόn next to the Normandie Hotel near Old San Juan, Carolina in Isla Verde, and Montserrate in Luquillo. A fourth is beautiful Flamenco on the island of Culebra.

A new highway, Route 66, allows cars to drive from San Juan to the northeast coast in just 20 minutes, down from the hour of stop-and-go it used to require.

You haven’t experienced air conditioning until you’ve been to Puerto Rico: Bring a sweater with you everywhere.

On the first Tuesday of the month, Old San Juan art galleries stay open late and host evening events.

The locals are known for reckless driving and creative parking – stay alert!

Puertorriqueno cuisine is not for the cholesterol conscious – much of it is heavy and fried – but is delicious! Three dishes to try are: mofongo (mashed plantain with meat bits), tostones (fried smashed plantain slices), and alcapurrias (fried mashed plantain).

Puerto Rico adheres to Atlantic Standard Time, 1 hour ahead of Eastern Standard Time. Daylight Saving Time isn’t followed, however, so in summer, it’s the same time in San Juan as it is in New York.

As a U.S. territory, American visitors don’t need a passport to visit Puerto Rico (letters costs the same to mail as back home, too).

The hotel tax ranges 9-11% and some resorts levy an additional service charge around 10-12%. Recent budget constraints forced Puerto Rico to introduce a sales tax of 5.5-7%, depending on the municipality – you’ll find it applied to purchases in shops, restaurants, etc.

Spanish and English are both official languages, but many people, especially outside tourist and business areas, speak little or no English. If you’re exploring outside San Juan, bring a phrase book – or a deep well of patience.

Although you’ll need a car to get anywhere else on the island, you don’t need wheels in San Juan, especially Old San Juan, which is compact and traffic-choked (there’s also a free trolley that navigates the old city). Frequent bus service links the four-mile coastline where most of the city’s accommodations and sites are found, running between Old San Juan, Condado, Ocean Park and Isla Verde. Metropolitan Bus Authority; 787-767-7979

For maps and general visitor tips head to La Casita, a tourist information center housed in a yellow house next to the San Juan port, where the majority of cruise ships dock. They’ll help you get oriented for a walking tour of the old city and can also point you to the stop for a free trolley that tours the sites. 787-722-1709

The Casals Festival – named after Puerto Rican cellist Pablo Casals – has been luring top names in classical music to San Juan since 1957. The month-long series of concerts starts mid-February. 787-721-7727; www.festcasalspr.gobierno.pr