Not familiar with Hacienda del Mar (others will be able to help you on that).

As for car rental - you should be able to get a van from any of the major companies and local companies (but I would book one as soon as possible, to make sure)

check here for some info:

http://www.visit-the-coqui.com/car-rental/

Must sees:

Old San Juan - el morro, cathedral, san juan gate, paseo la princesa

El Yunque rainforest & luquillo beach (nice beach) try the food kiosks also

Camay Caves

more info here:

http://www.visit-the-coqui.com

I also don't know about the Hacienda del Mar, but from the pictures, it looks nice. But I did a quick search for forums on time share owner sites. Look into them and read and ask questions. Know what you are getting before you buy- looks like some changes have been going on...

But PR is great- a short non-stop flight from NY. Since you will have a car, you can visit other areas on the island and find restaurants that better suit your needs/tastes.

Minivans and cargo vans are both available for rent. For a good rate, try Charlie's, but you can check online- all the major rental companies are all here.

Definitely wear water shoes in the rivers. Usually not a lot of rocks on the beaches on the north shores.

Hi TPTM,

I suggest that you contact the time share sales rep and ask for a free trial stay at their resort. If the place is as good as they say it is, they should have no problem offerring you free weekend or more time there. Often time shares do this for potential new buyer. While there, you can see what they have to offer. If they don't offer you the free trial stay, that a good indicator of the resort's quality.

Are you buying the timeshare or renting it for a week. I stayed at the old Hyatt Dorado beach which was a great resort. The Hacienda del Mar is on the old Hyatt grounds outside San Juan. I hear that te properrty is somewhat empty since the two resorts are closed. That is a shame as the property and beach was very nice.

It is very easy to get around as the roads follow the same logic as the the US except signs are in spanish but the symboles are the same. Rent a care from the airport as all major companies and local ones have operations there. Also, there are Costcos, SamClubs/Walmarts, so stock up on groceries.

Enjoy...

I would also suggest that you get the Hyatt to offer a free or discount stay in exchange for their 90 minute sales pitch. They can explain their complete program to you and you can check out the place to see if you will like it.

Just resist the temptation to buy from them. You can get on line and purchase a timeshare from private parties who no longer use them (Often due to illness, divorce or death of a spouse). If you buy points at a Hyatt you can exchange your week to another Hyatt for a small fee (less than $50). We have stayed at 6 different Hyatt Timeshares and they are great. I suggest trying to get at least a Gold week (1880 Points) and check out TUG (Timeshare users group) online for units for sale.

If you rent a car, AVOID U-SAVE. From experience....

1)There were too many hidden costs.

2)I indicated that I needed to drop off at

3am and was never told no one would be there

until 6am (my flight was scheduled to leave

at 6am). They charged me an extra $30 for

picking up the car at the airport and still

charged me the $29 service fee for shuttle

pick/up - drop/off at the airport. Although

I spoke to the manager, they would not budge

on hearing me out. After I tried to get that

fee waived, they insisted that they had "verbally"

given me information about dropping off the night

before. If I would have known that, I would have

rented from someone else! I am never renting from

U-Save and am telling everyone I know, as a matter

of fact I will post it on the internet every chance

I get.

They seem like they are out on the prowl for

indefensive tourists, trying to squeeze every

penny they can from them at every opportunity

they have. WILL NEVER, EVER RENT FROM THEM AGAIN!!!

Don't purchase until you've seen/tried it!!!!! This used to be a wonderful area with the two other resorts -- Hyatt Dorado Beach originally built by Laurence Rockefeller and the Hyatt Cerromar, a high rise with casino, etc. BUT both Hyatt Dorado and the Cerromar were closed in the past three years. I don't know what the current status is but this should be something of major concern to anyone considering purchasing a property at the Hacienda del Mar.

The Hacienda does have a river pool that is popular with the kids. The beach at Dorado is very pretty, but with the closing of the two big Dorado resorts much of that beach might be closed. It can be rough water, but the Hyatt Dorado Beach had two protected lagoons for swimming which made it very nice. The water in front of the Hacienda del Mar is not as nice in my opinion. And, with the other two resorts closed, another poster was right. It feels a lot like a ghost town -- especially at night.

I might consider visiting to check it out, but I certainly would not put down one dime until I found out what the future holds (and get the facts from the Hyatt or other representative of the resort; not from folks who are doing a lot of wishful thinking.) Good luck.