If you are planning a vacation to Puerto Rico; getting here is the easy part. You can easily obtain flights to San Juan and also to Ponce and Aguadilla. But once you are here, if you plan on taking a rental car a little research is recommended.
If you want to drive east, west or south from San Juan it is fairly easy; Route 3 takes you east towards Fajardo, Route 52 takes you south towards Guayama then Ponce, and Route 22 / 2 takes you west to Aguadilla and Rincon. But once you turn off the major highways, things get a little trickier. The road signs around the island have improved over the past few years (so I have been told), but I still would not leave for a trip without having a map in the car. You can pick up a map at most gas stations and pharmacies here in Puerto Rico, but if you are like me, you will want to have a map before you arrive. Two maps that appear to be pretty decent are:
Rand McNally Puerto Rico Easyfinder
Puerto Rico Road Map 2007 / Mapa de Carreteras de Puerto Rico 2007
If you intend to do some driving around Puerto Rico, I would strongly recommend that you have a map with you.
As for travel books, I tend to steer towards the ‘Frommer’ and ‘Rough Guide’ series when I am looking for information on a particular destination. So, do you need a travel book if you are coming here? If you want to have something handy when you are traveling around then maybe a book would be useful; especially if you do not have easy access to the internet when you are here. From a quick search on Amazon, there is no ‘Rough Guide’ to Puerto Rico. There is however a ‘Frommer’s’ guide, an ‘Insight’ guide and an ‘Off The Beaten Track’ guide. All are available at Amazon and should also be available at your local book store.
Frommer’s Puerto Rico
Insight Guide Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico Off the Beaten Path
Finally, once you are here, don’t forget some of the best advice will be from the locals, so do not be afraid to ask…especially when it comes to restaurants.
