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The current weather in Culebra

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SJU to Culebra: excellent option for transport
Culebra, Puerto Rico
Author: Daniel Colon (---.med.yale.edu)
Date:   08-23-09 17:18

I recently organized a trip to Culebra for 45 people (!!!) It was for a "group honeymoon" trip planned after a friend's wedding. I thought it was going to be an absolute logistical nightmare transporting all those people from San Juan to Fajardo in time for a 9:00 am ferry!

I found this webpage and contacted the person they call here Henry (his real name is Enrique, so his nickname is actually Enri, but it phonetically sounds like Henry in English). He was absolutely outstanding. Before calling Enri I had called at least 4 or 5 different car rental places. Enri gave me the lowest price per person (it came out to be around $12/person/way), and he was awesome. He showed up on time, with three vans that were in top condition and two other great drivers. He picked us up at the Old San Juan. He knew how busy the ferry schedule was, so he had called me before hand, walked me through the ferry situation, and volunteered to get tickets for us. He then traveled to Fajardo before our trip and got tickets for everybody. Once we made it to Fajardo, he helped us navigate the chaos in Fajardo, organizing everybody and making sure we all made it into the ferry. We had coolers we needed tickets for, so he talked to the people at the ferry terminal and paid them out of pocket so that we could make it in time to the ferry (I reimbursed him when I returned from Culebra, but still!) He called me while I was in Culebra to make sure all was well, and sent us tickets for the return ferry by plane, just to make sure we could all make it back on time. And I am glad he did because the ferry on the way out of Culebra was sold out, something we had not foreseen.

I wish we had a Enri like character in Culebra, because once in Culebra we got totally ripped-off in terms of local transport. Renting cars in Culebra is a pain in the butt. There are only a couple of companies, and they are highly overpriced. They rent a golf-cart for $50 a day (!). We had three babies in our group, so I walked from the ferry to the airport to rent a jeep. I ended up talking to an American guy who has a jeep rental place in front of the airport: I have never such an unpleasant experience in PR. The guy was a total idiot. He asked me how many people were in my group. I thought he was going to give us a discount for renting multiple jeeps, but when I told him we had 45 people he totally lost it. It was out of a cartoon: He started yelling at me to get lost, saying that I could not fit 45 people into a jeep (?). A retired American renting jeeps in Culebra and with a loose screw upstairs....

In any case, the "taxis" in Culebra were no better. They charge $2/person to drive you 1 mile, which meant that we ended up paying a guy $100 to drive us in his van for maybe 10 minutes. Unreal! I am not sure if there are any alternatives, but local transport in Culebra is abusive and might hurt tourism there in the long run.

Back to Enri though, he was professional and helped us well beyond the call of duty. All 45 people in the group kept commenting how awesome/helpful he was. I can say, without a doubt, that the trip would have been a disaster if he had not helped us with the ferry tickets. I highly recommend him for big or small groups anywhere in the main island of Puerto Rico, and plan to use him in my next trip. His number, as presented in this page, was (787) 632-9600. He speaks English well.

Daniel

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Re: SJ to Culebra: excellent option fro transport
Culebra, Puerto Rico
Author: Jeannie G3 (---.asm.bellsouth.net)
Date:   08-23-09 23:48

Hola! How brave of you to have planned a trip for so many people! I commend you for getting everyone to and fro safe and in good health. I hope in spite of your transportation experience in Culebra, it looks like "Enri" Enrique, (787) 632-9600, is a very good transportation contact as well as a very good host. He went above and beyond and that's what every good host should do. Felicidades Enrique por un trabajo espectacular y admirable! I hope your experience in Culebra was a positive one that you should someday return solo or in a group to experience the numerous wonders and beauty our island and the mainland as well has to offer. Happy travels! J

supergarcia3

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Re: SJ to Culebra: excellent option fro transport
Culebra, Puerto Rico
Author: shawke (---.hsd1.va.comcast.net)
Date:   08-24-09 18:12

Daniel, this is the funniest post I have ever read on this forum. Rent vehicles for 45 people?? Is this for real?? If so, then I applaud you Jerry. See you soon.

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Re: SJ to Culebra: excellent option fro transport
Culebra, Puerto Rico
Author: Debbie (---.sip.asm.bellsouth.net)
Date:   08-24-09 21:18

Everything on Culebra is "overpriced" because everything from food to tires has to be brought in from the mainland, and it drives prices up. If you were to severely damage a car, it can't be fixed on Culebra; it has to be taken to the mainland. Luckily, a lot of the mechanics can be done on-island, but not everything. So this, among other things, drives prices up on car rentals. Seriously, I'm surprised Jerry didn't have a heart attack on the spot when you showed up without notice. With that many people, the courtesy of calling ahead would have been appreciated, I'm sure.

I do agree with your statement about Enri. He is awesome!

Happy Diving!
Debbie

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Re: SJ to Culebra: excellent option fro transport
Culebra, Puerto Rico
Author: Tricia (65.173.18.---)
Date:   08-25-09 09:52

I love Jerry..he is such a treat whenever we rent our vehicle from him...and very very helpful about the island as well....We ALWAYS call months ahead to reserve our jeep as there are few on the island to meet the demand.

There is no such thing as a bad vacation. Some are just better than others.

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Re: SJ to Culebra: excellent option fro transport
Culebra, Puerto Rico
Author: Frank S. (---.nyc.res.rr.com)
Date:   08-25-09 19:36

I just suprised knowing how difficult doing anything for 45 people is, that you didn't make on island transportation plans well in advance.
especially since you did for the trip from sj to the ferry.

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Re: SJ to Culebra: excellent option fro transport
Culebra, Puerto Rico
Author: Matt TOSIELLO (---.c3-0.161-ubr4.lnh-161.md.cable.rcn.)
Date:   09-01-09 23:49

I used to be an event planner and marketing manager so I'm not going to downplay how hard it is to book a trip for 45 people... however...

I am going to jump to Jerry's defense here. We've rented from him 2 out of our last 3 trips (once with Dick and Cathy because we wanted to try the VW "thing" - which was great and they were great). Honestly I'm just a customer and I was a little insulted at how you described Jerry. When it comes to customer service, you really get it with Jerry. At this point I could do his map orientation from memory but it's accurate and he takes the time to get your acquainted with the island. Culebra is a special place so that extra time is worth every penny - not to mention that he costs at least 10 bucks less than Carlos...

Here's the deal, you're entitled to your opinion but I don't think you really should be harping out the situation on Culebra. You clearly did your homework for 1/2 of your trip but any casual glance of any guidebook or any website would have told you about how limited rentals are on the island, same goes for the taxi/publico fares. Really, you have no excuses for not knowing the situation on-island, I'm surprised Enri didn't caution you... this is common knowledge (as common as the knowledge that the ferry is unreliable!)

If you're angry because you didn't do your due diligence then I sympathize with you because we all make mistakes. Culebra is not for the faint of heart. Please don't dump your anger on Jerry or the other folks who do a good job to earn a living on the island. If you want big discounts and super-abundance of cars and low prices try the Bahamas or Jamaica - they'd love your business.

I on the other hand am more than happy to shell out for Jerry Jeeps - even if they are expensive compared to what one might pay in Orlando or wherever... same goes for Willy's water taxi fares or whatever... I'd rather pay more to keep Culebra for people who appreciate its quirks and charms rather than make it the next island wasteland of big-box hotels and mile-long Hertz parking lots...

That being said, I cannot wait to call Jerry in the next week to let him know that we'll be back again this year and want him to write us in the notebook for our week!

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Re: SJU to Culebra: excellent option for transport
Culebra, Puerto Rico
Author: Tracy Eichelberger (---.hfc.comcastbusiness.net)
Date:   09-03-09 14:58

Jerry is the best...anyone who can't "get" Jerry -- or get along with Jerry, really has the wrong island for their destination.

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Re: SJU to Culebra: excellent option for transport
Culebra, Puerto Rico
Author: EZ (---.dyn.optonline.net)
Date:   09-04-09 12:10

Hillarious post! A jeep for 45 people! Ever think of doing a stand up routine? On my second trip to Culebra (the first time we relied on publicas, bicycles, and our feet -- and instead of renting a vehicle, we bought a house in Clark), I rented a jeep from Jerry. As I walked accross the street from the airport, I saw this guy in the rental lot hanging his laundry to dry in the middle of a downpour -- that was Jerry.

Oh, he is a character. Rather than performing a quick business transaction (i.e. after he finished hanging his laundry in the rain), Jerry asked me how much I knew about the isand. When I told him I bought a house, but didn't really know where anything was, Jerry took 20 minutes to draw me a detailed map and explain where to snorkle, where to eat, where to buy groceries, etc.

The residents of Culebra are the kindest people I've ever met. And Jerry is a treasure among treasures. Sorry your experience on Culebra wasn't the best -- but next time try reserving a jeep for 45 people a couple days ahead of time (you must admit it's an unusual request on an island of only 2500 people.

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Re: SJU to Culebra: excellent option for transport
Culebra, Puerto Rico
Author: Debbie (---.sip.asm.bellsouth.net)
Date:   09-04-09 15:58

Bravo, Matt!

Eric - wow, that takes a lotze ;-) mojo to buy a house and not know where things are on island! Did you visit much before you bought? Not trying to slam you; just curious. . .

Happy Diving!
Debbie

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Re: SJU to Culebra: excellent option for transport
Culebra, Puerto Rico
Author: Culebra MJ (---.prtc.net)
Date:   09-04-09 16:21

Lucky for you that Henry/Enri/Enrique...because it sounds like he did a lot of things for you that you hadn't exactly planned out either. He sounds like a prince and we should all have his phone number!

And good on all who wrote standing up to your Jerry slam. All of us who live here and most who visit love Jerry, for exactly who he is.

Somewhere in a land far away (and I mean really far away) , off the cuff vehicle rentals for 45 people might be just the norm...and that, you see, is why we choose Culebra and Jerry instead.

Save What's Left!

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Re: SJU to Culebra: excellent option for transport
Culebra, Puerto Rico
Author: EZ (---.dyn.optonline.net)
Date:   09-04-09 17:48

Debbie,
No, I never visited before; just read an article in The New York Times and did some internet research. I know. I'm probably insane, but I thought Culebra was good for a change after living my entire life in New York City -- thought it might be a little different -- and I couldn't be more happy.

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Re: SJU to Culebra: excellent option for transport
Culebra, Puerto Rico
Author: Culebra MJ (---.prtc.net)
Date:   09-04-09 17:59

A little different from NYC...well, yeah, I can see that! Glad it works for you...goes to show that sometimes leaps land in clover!

Save What's Left!

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