Puerto Rico Airport Transfer Info

Hey folks,

I'm headed to Dominica in March and have to spend a night in Puerto Rico waiting for the flight the next afternoon. I'm guessing its a good idea to grab the luggage so it doesn't sit all night in the airport. Does anyone have any good ideas on how to handle the hotel. Would you recommend just staying at the airport hotel or grabbing someplace close. We arrive San Juan about 10:00 pm and fly out the next day at 2:00. First time in Puerto Rico so I'm not sure of the layout.

Appreciate any thoughts,

Steve

Steve,

Going to Dominica in March, I would venture you are going to join Jeff and Izzy to snorkel with sperm whales. You should have an awesome time if you are lucky in your whale encounters.

Regarding San Juan, I cant recommend a hotel but can tell you about your transfer. Be aware of TSA in San Juan with your photo gear, they will make you unpack your housing and camera so allow time to repack it. Also you will have to gate check your carry-ons since the cabin overhead bins are not very large. Hope you are flying American Eagle and not LIAT to Dominica. LIAT does not have a good track record for on time flights and luggage.

Elmer

I would venture you are going to join Jeff and Izzy to snorkel with sperm whales.

That's the plan Elmer, thanks for the info on the TSA, we're booked on the American Eagle flight. We're planning on staying on and getting some diving in so I'm taking all the gear. It will be interesting to see how it works out. My first time with sperm whales so I'm seriously pysch'd.

Chers,

Steve

Steve,

Swimming with the worlds largest carnivore is really fantastic. Hopefully you will encounter Scar, he will swim right up to you and allow you to pet him.

Be prepared to do a lot of swimming and have a very wide lens.

Also the baggage weight limit is very strictly enforced on flights to and from Dominica, the runway is short and one way.

Elmer

Steve:

We found a place relatively close to the airport when we did our Dominica trip thru SJU. Especially if you're getting in at 10pm the night before. You're not likely to want to do much but take a walk with the camera and/or grab a leisurely breakfast/early lunch before the flight to Dom anyway. There's a fair list of places along Avenida Ashford or Avenida Isla Verda that aren't that far - that time of night should only be a 10-15 min taxi ride. Getting something for dinner that night might be challenging outside of a hotel restaurant.

They aren't kidding about luggage restrictions into Dominica. Confirm with American as it may have changed (the airport has been working on a larger runway I believe) but when we went in 2008 it was 70 lbs total maximum in 2 checked bags, vs. the usual 2 checked bags with 50lb per bag limit. They didn't weigh my carryon and did let me get a Lowepro Vertex AW300 on the plane with most of my gear (Ike housing, DS50s, body and lenses, only the big 8" dome and tray/handle went in with the dive gear into the checked bag, carryon was about 33 lbs.)

If you haven't been to PR before either then schedule an extra decompression night between your DOM>SJU and SJU>AZ legs(I mean in terms of 'relaxing after the trip' not in terms of actual nitrogen decompression) on the island on the trip back and stay somewhere further out in old San Juan. Makes for a nice day of wandering around with a camera, although its gotten kind of seedy. There was a really cool place called the Gallery Inn that we stayed at that was really fun architecturally and in terms of all the sculpture and the little courtyard (more a 'B&B' than hotel), but more recent reviews have been kind of mixed about the actual service. The rooms in the big casino hotels are nice, but incredibly overpriced and very impersonal.

Hope it goes well. I'm giving serious thought to planning way ahead for late 2011/early2012's whale season. Besides, Izzy hasn't had a new reason to laugh at me for some time.