Puerto Rico

We enjoyed Puerto Rico. Following are the list of activities, lodging and food options.

Activities:
1) Bio-bay - they have two trips - one around 6:30PM and another around 8:30PM. Do the earlier one. In the earlier trip, you will kayak in day light - so you can see the path and also the groves and it will be dark when you come back - so you can enjoy the biobay also. But at 8:30PM, its dark even when you go in, which is pretty scary.
2) El yunque rain forest and the coqui frogs. Try the tender coconuts on the way - they are amazing.
3) Old San juan - just walking through the small streets. The fort was okay.
4) If you are into water activities, snorkelling is moderate - not as amazing as other places but decent.
5) There are also lot of sailing, motor boats and inflatable boat trips - that take you to the smaller Palaminitos islands etc in a day- which is quite a sight. It was very enjoyable.
6) We didn't go to Veiques coz we didn't have a lot of time. So we did a day trip to Culebra with "Aquafari Culebra" trip. The flamenco beach is not be missed. It was BEAUTIFUL - especially when you fly and see it from above.

We went with the tour guides called Kayaking Puerto Rico and mini-boat adventures - they give you a discount when you do more than one trip. Most tour people are very comparable and do similar stuff.

Food:
If you want to try Puerto Rican food - the way it should be tried, check out Luquillo Kiosks. Its pretty crowded but totally worth it.
Inside tip 1: Stall 2 in the Luqiollo kiosks- La Parilla is considered the best. Try their pineapple-coconut curry.
Insider tip 2: Mofongo is the PR speciality food - its a plantain preparation. The menu usually says Mofongo with some meat inside. It usually runs to $15. But you could get a a side order of just Mofongo - which is like $3. We don't really enjoy meat so much. So we got just a side of Mofongo and rice and beans - this was a perfect meal for us. BTW, the rice and beans is just heavenly - such simple food but made right.
We found - hole in the wall -places are usually better than big restaurants for authentic food.

Lodging:
I did a lot of research on lodging options. Following are the most popular options:
1) Downtown San Juan - this is all high rise hotels. Its more like a partying place. Parking is a huge pain. And the beaches near San Juan aren't very good. But it is close to shopping etc. There are a LOT of 4 star lodging options. You could get a good deal with priceline since most hotels are comparable.
2) Fajardo - This is 45 minutes from the airport. This is where all the water stuff activities are located. This is very close to the ocean and other smaller islands, snorkelling activities and the ferry dock. Its also cheaper and more-local-ish. The people are really friendly. You will get to see the local culture. There are many bed and breakfasts and one resort (El Conquestador).
3) Ponce - this is more upscale and posh - I want to say. Its known for its architecture and shopping. The beaches near Ponce are supposed to be the best.
4) Rainforest - There are many private B&B and log cabins near the rain forest. They are all amazing. You can hear the COQUI FROGS sing all night - some people find it a nuisance but we just LOVED it.

We stayed in Fajardo - because we wanted to be close to the water and locals. And we just loved it.
1) We stayed in a B&B called passion fruit B&B. It was pretty good and very convenient.
2) We also stayed in the resort called El Conquistador. It was pretty good. We saw a lot of kids. The resort had a lot of activities for kids. They also have a private island that you can go to, using their ferry. Its slightly on the expensive side - but we got a good deal in priceline. Parking is expensive and food is expensive and not very good. So we drove outside the resort for food. As I said, it was more for kids than adults and it was very crowded. We like smaller places that are more intimate.
3) We also stayed in the rain forest for a night - in a B&B called Casa Flamboyant. It was ONE AMAZING PLACE. Its a like a dream come true and it was so perfect. They had their own natural water falls. And it was so far away from anything, up in the mountain. It was good for a night's stay - but not more than that coz its so far away from everything else.

General Pointers:
The traffic is PR is very unpredictable and bad. So if you want to get out of San Juan or get into San Juan, give an extra 45 minutes in addition to driving time. We missed our flight on the way back and had to stay an extra day :-(

Driving itself was not as bad as people say. The roads are narrow and hence it feels like everyone wants to hit your car.

Google maps and GPS is USELESS. So you need to get driving directions to places you want to go from locals/hotels.

Word of caution: PR is more like India than US, though it technically belongs to US. So look out for yourselves. Also when you do guided tours, don't assume they are going to bring you back safe and alive. We did snorkeling - unlike Hawaii, where they really look out for you, these guys kind of have an attitude that you should gauge the danger yourself and take care of yourself. We did a "mini-boat adventure" in which you get your own inflatable boat and go into the ocean and do island hopping. It was a lot of fun and we had an awesome time - but as I said, there was this one big wave that hit us and we couldn't jump it - I am glad we came back alive and without getting hurt. So just be careful!

I hope this helps. Trip advisor is very useful for PR. So you may want to check that out before you make reservations.