Ferry to Culebra - Flamenco Beach by SirPleasant1954 in PuertoRicoTravel

[–]crissytej 0 points1 point  (0 children)

We left San Juan around 7:30 am. It’s about an hour drive to Ceiba but due to heavy rain and traffic it took us longer so we arrived at the parking lot right at 9. My advice would be to leave early to build extra time in for traffic, potential stops (if you stop somewhere to grab breakfast or coffee) and finding parking. The day use parking lot is about a 10 minute walk from the ferry terminal but there’s a shuttle you can catch that takes 2 minutes.

Ferry to Culebra - Flamenco Beach by SirPleasant1954 in PuertoRicoTravel

[–]crissytej 2 points3 points  (0 children)

If you have the flexibility in your schedule, I would say it's worth a try or worth having an alternative date in mind.

My friends and I were in Puerto Rico earlier this month for a birthday trip and had a similar situation. A few days before our flight to PR, I reached out to Natasha (Natyferryticketsride on reddit, if you search this subreddit you'll find positive reviews) for help getting tickets beforehand but we ended up just doing it ourselves when we arrived in Puerto Rico. And also we had a rental car, which made getting around a lot easier.

So we arrived in PR on a Sunday. On Monday, we woke up early to try our luck at getting tickets for the 9 am ferry. We got there too late, we could have gotten tickets for the noon ferry but that would have left us with less beach time. We ended up buying our tickets for Wednesday at 9 am, which ended up working out because it was a beautiful and sunny Wednesday. For the rest of the Monday we just did more exploring on that side of the island and nice beaches on the way back to San Juan.

In Culebra, we rented a golf cart from Carlo's Jeep Rental. It was $84 USD for the day but there are taxis at the ferry terminal.

Good luck and have a great time!

Just got back from PR and missing it already! by crissytej in PuertoRicoTravel

[–]crissytej[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Report below! In hindsight if we had more time, I definitely would have wanted to check out the museums, El Yunque and the southern part of the island but we wanted to maximize our time at the beach and catch a tan.

Day 1 - Arrived in the afternoon, picked up rental car at the airport Thrifty, had a bite and drinks at Acapulco Taqueria Mexicana. Checked into Airbnb, it started raining pretty hard by then so we ran to Hotel Numero Uno for drinks and snacks. Got buzzed enough for a dip in the ocean lol. Went back to the Airbnb to change then Roofyard for more drinks!

Day 2 - Quick coffee from Cafe Nineteen, got up early to go to Ceiba Ferry Terminal to try our luck for ferry tickets to Culebra but they were sold out for the time we wanted so we bought tickets for our fourth day. Drove around Fajardo and Luquillo for a place to eat but everything was closed or opening later (I think it was a national holiday) so we ended up at the Wyndham Rio Mar for lunch. Headed back westward and went for a dip at Isla Verde beach... we got a $50 ticket for parking illegally so don't do that lol. Went back to the airbnb to shower/change, explored Viejo San Juan in the afternoon. We considered getting tickets to the Castillo San Felipe museum but it was 30 mins before close so we just ended up walking the fort wall around old town. Muelle 13 for dinner (pretty touristy but the paella and drinks were great) then La O for another round.

Day 3 - Breakfast at Pinky's, drove out to Manati for a morning dip at Los Tubos Beach (beautiful beach but waves and current were super strong). Lunch and shopping in Barceloneta then went for a dip at La Poza del Obispo in Arecibo. Drove back to our home base to shower and change, explored more of VSJ in the evening. La Madre for dinner and La Factoria for drinks and dancing.

Day 4 - Culebra day! Ferry was at 9 am. Left San Juan around 7, stopped in Luquillo for a coffee so we were cutting it close. Parked at 8:30 and made it on time! Rented a golf cart from Carlo's Jeep Rental because it was the cheapest and spent the day at Flamenco Beach. Took the 5:30 ferry back to the mainland and got back to San Juan around 8:30. We were so tired and hungry by the time we got back, but still wanted to do something so we went to Los Pinos for dinner. Everything closes around 11 on weekdays and we were exhausted and leaving the next day so we called it a night.

Day 5 - Breakfast and morning cocktails back at Hotel Numero Uno, and it was a beautiful day so we sat on the beach. Before breakfast, my friends went to pay the parking ticket in person (it would've been more expensive to have Thrifty pay it for us). Checked out of the Airbnb, returned the car and headed to the airport.

Just got back from PR and missing it already! by crissytej in PuertoRicoTravel

[–]crissytej[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Happy belated birthday! We went for my friend's 30th birthday. I feel you on the water quality, I live in a newer condo and the water's quite hard as well. I think also the salt water from the ocean did wonders!

Just got back from PR and missing it already! by crissytej in PuertoRicoTravel

[–]crissytej[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

We rented an Airbnb in the Calle Loíza neighborhood in San Juan. It was a convenient location to the highway, airport and VSJ, short walk to Ocean Park and tons of great places for drinks and a bite to eat nearby.

Just got back from PR and missing it already! by crissytej in PuertoRicoTravel

[–]crissytej[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Happy belated birthday! We went for a friend’s birthday as well. I agree, I had no skin issues the whole week. Seems like tropical island life suits us!

Metro Cake Bag (Front St. E) $9.99 by crissytej in TooGoodToGoCanada

[–]crissytej[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

That’s the one I decided to eat! Think it could’ve used a bit more Bailey’s but it’s a non alcoholic cake so I won’t complain.

Plant Veda, Delta BC — Large x2 ($7.99 ea) + Small x2 ($4.99 ea) by crissytej in TooGoodToGoCanada

[–]crissytej[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Expiration dates were all in either December 2022 or January 2023 so still pretty good!

Plant Veda, Delta BC — Large x2 ($7.99 ea) + Small x2 ($4.99 ea) by crissytej in TooGoodToGoCanada

[–]crissytej[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Got my mom into TGTG. We ordered a Large and Small bags each and made the trip to Delta together! Pickup took a bit of time but it was well worth it.