Taking classes in Puerto Rico this summer...?

Question

I'm taking a spanish course in PR this summer and will be staying at the university in San Juan. I'll have a lot of free time to spend in the city and I'm completely fascinated by the culture, the music and dancing (salsa! reggaeton!), and the beaches! what are some fun places you can recommend for the nightlife, as well as day activities?

also, how much spanish is necessary (i heard that the majority of the island is bilingual...)?

thanks =)

Answer 1

Get a car and drive all around the island. It will take you 6 hours. Also you may go to Culebra, Vieques, and Caja de Muertos, small islands with great beaches. In Culebra you must go to Flamenco beach and Culebrita island. For culture you must go to Old San Juan. You will need Spanish in the towns outside San Juan. You can also go to La Parguera and the luminescent bay in Fajardo, there a couple of luminescent bay but the one in Fajardo is the prettiest one. Another must go city is Ponce.

Answer 2

I haven't been there myself, but as a travel agent have sold it quite often and in the town of san juan there are many bilingual residents. I am including some links for you to check out! Have fun!

Of course you wont want to miss a tour of the BACARDI RUM DISTILLERY!!!!

Answer 3

Regarding the island being bilingual, that is a complete fallacy.  I lived there for several years, and regardless of the location, once you leave San Juan you will be very hard pressed to find anyone with a working understanding of English.  Also whoever said that Rincon is a good place to visit should be shot.  Rincon is nowhere near San Juan, it's on the opposite end of the island, and with normal traffic - a two hour drive away.

There's a lot to do in the San Juan area, but you must take percautions when going out at night.  Puerto Rico is an extremely violent country, which has a lot of gun violence.  This is the country, where they changed the traffic laws to allow people NOT TO STOP AT RED LIGHTS at night because they don't have enough police officers to deal with carjackings.  Yes you heard me right, at night you don't have to stop at any intersection - and neither do the locals, you drive there at your own peril.  Driving in PR is generally a bad idea anyway because of drunk driving.  They don't card minors at any place and the drinking age is only 18.  There are a lot of drunks on the roads at night, far more than you could ever imagine - stick to the cabs.

Answer 4

You will love it in Puerto Rico! It really is a great place & going for a summer to study & have fun will be the best! Find out as much as you can before you go, this way when you get there you will already know where you want to go & what to do, etc.  The nightlife in San Juan is hot. In Isla Verde & Condado (parts of San Juan) you find alot of hotels with clubs & casinos. Old San Juan has the best nightlife. There are bars & pubs everywhere, its so much fun. Legal drinking age is 18. In San Juan many people are billingual, some other areas you wont find as many, but you will do fine.  People are very nice & helpful.

http://www.pubclub.com/sanjuan/nightlife...

http://www.frommers.com/destinations/san...

In San Juan the nicest beach is Isla Verde. Its kind of like Miami beach. Tan sand & resorts lining the beach. If you want the best beaches go to CUlebra & Vieques Islands. You can drive or take a tour bus trip to Fajardo (45 mins away) then catch the ferry. Culebra & Vieques have gorgeous white sand beaches & clear waters. If you like to surf then go to the West coast. Rincon is known for surfing & beautiful sunsets.  There are lots of activities all over the island like watersports, festivals, dancing, horseback riding, biking, hiking, sports like basketball, baseball & volleyball & more. You can see El Yunque rainforest, the bioluminescent bays, Camuy Caves, Arecibo Telescope, Indian parks like Caguana or Tibes & many other sights. In San Juan there are lots of historical sights like El Morro Fort. Ponce is a city on the south. Its ool, you can see Seralles Castle & the Dry forest. If you live in San Juan you wont really need a car. There are buses & taxis & you can rent a car when you want to explore outside San Juan. Thrifty rents compact cars for about $30 per day.  Check out all the sights & see for yourself. Enjoy!!

(PS: IMACHEF is a complete liar that hates PR. People do have to stop at redlights & carjackings are not a big problem)

Answer 5

Rincon is the town for you. It has the best beaches and many tourist from the USA. I highly recommend Angelo's Car Rental 787-823-3438.

Answer 6

Every body in Puerto Rico Understand English...must of them will try to talk to You in English..English  is taught in PR since Kindergarten.. so don't worry about  that one.

try these sites....

www.welcome.topuertorico.com

www.gotopuertorico.com

www.zonai.com

Answer 7

the majority are bilingual but not all people talk english. im will not take you at the point but why the americans can't speak spanish and we can talk english. im glad that you decide t learn spanish.

Answer 8

yeah they're "bilingual" but it's a very broken english kinda bilingual that they speak...