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Movie Set Travel / The Rum Diary / Food Travel / Puerto Rico Travel / Booze Travel / Drinking Travel / Johnny Depp / → All Tags

Inspired by Johnny Depp's 'Rum Diary?' Tour Puerto Rico's Best Distillery

Today The Rum Diary, starring Johnny Depp, opens across the U.S. and in Puerto Rico, where the movie was filmed in 2009. Based on the Hunter S. Thompson novel about his own real-life boozy existence in San Juan in the 1950's, The Rum Diary stars Depp as Paul Kemp, a young American journalist working for a floundering English newspaper in San Juan.

The movie was filmed in Old San Jaun, Fajardo, at the former U.S. air base Roosevelt Roads Naval Station, and in the rainforest of El Yunque.

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Earthquakes / Puerto Rico Travel / Travel News / Puerto Rico / → All Tags

Is It Still Safe to Travel to Puerto Rico after Yesterday's Earthquake?

Yesterday morning, a 5.8-magnitude earthquake rocked the western coast of Puerto Rico, causing immediate panic for locals and tourists. Luckily for Puerto Rico, this event was not anywhere near as deadly and destructive as the 7.0 earthquake that decimated areas of Haiti in January.

For travelers heading to Puerto Rico, no flights have been cancelled and there have no reports of injuries or structural damage to hotels and resorts in Aguadilla, Anasco, San Sebastian and Mayaguez, all cities close to the epicenter in Moca. They have actually been very lucky with this, although geologists warn that this earthquake is only a warning for a much larger one to follow. But they always say that; California is way overdue to sink into the ocean as it is. Just check out this world map of earthquakes within the last week—they're happening constantly!

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Valentine's Day Travel / Valentine's Day / Romantic Travel / Travel Deals / Puerto Rico Travel / Caribbean Travel / Caribbean / Travelzoo / → All Tags

Go Passport-free in Puerto Rico over Valentine's Day for $399

If chocolate and a cheap stuffed animal won't cut it for your valentine this year, try whisking your baby away to Puerto Rico for a last-minute Valentine's Day vacation.

Travelzoo is offering a deal where you'll get four nights at a hotel and round-trip airfare for $399. But you have to jump on this, since the sale ends today at midnight, EST.

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Know the Law / Driving Laws / International Road Permits / Celeb Travel / → All Tags

No International Driving Permit Needed Here

Sweet ride! Johnny Depp gets carted around in style on the Puerto Rico set of "The Rum Diary," in which he stars as a young newspaper reporter. That's costar Aaron Eckhart in the car with him.

Neither Depp nor Eckhart would need an International Driving Permit to take the wheel of that sweet convertible -- a US driver's license would suffice. But if they wanted to island-hop to, say, Antigua or Jamaica after shooting, an IDP would come in handy. Even if a local car rental in one of the 155 countries that accept it doesn't ask for it, it can't hurt to be covered for the price of $15 and 2 passport photos in places where an American driver's license isn't accepted.

Besides, this may be the last year it's that easy to drive around the world: The IDP was set up back in 1949 by the UN, which is expected to revisit the regulations at a road safety conference in November. (Host country Russia also accepts the IDP, but take it from us: don't drive there.)

Related Stories:
· Application for International Driving Permit [AAA.com]
· Victoria Beckham Parties At That Hot LA Club DMV [Jaunted]
· Celeb Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Faded Youth Blog]

Wildlife / Wild Animal Travel / Monkey Butlers / → All Tags

Beach Party Sunday: Puerto Rico Fighting Hordes of Herpetic Monkeys

It's cold and wet in New York today, the first day of winter, and the mind wanders to thoughts of warm tropical paradises. A trip to Puerto Rico sure would be nice. Icy rum cocktails, gentle turquoise waters, soft white sand, and the constant threat of attack by hordes of diseased monkeys. Did somebody say beach party?

Too bad the Puerto Rican government wants to capture and kill all the monkeys. According to local rangers, the monkeys are an invasive species - having originally escaped from a secret research facility nearly forty years ago - and they pose a serious threat to native flora and fauna, agriculture, and even people.

That's right, some of these randy primates have herpes and hepatitis. Fun!

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Celeb Travel / George Clooney / Mustaches / → All Tags

Roughing It Travel: Where Is George Clooney's Mustache?

Why, in Puerto Rico, of course! World famous bachelor George Clooney took some time out from filming his new movie "Men Who Stare At Goats" to play a pickup basketball game, complete with the mustache he (or someone) has apparently chosen for his character. Looks like nose hair gone wrong, right?

Clooney is also co-producing the film, which is using the Rio Piedras neighborhood (where a campus of the University of Puerto Rico is located) as a stand-in for the Middle East.

The movie costars Kevin Spacey and Jeff Bridges as US military officers trying to find strategic applications for paranormal powers.

Related Stories:
· Clooney and Cast Arrive in Puerto Rico [Clooney's Cookie Crumbs]
· George Clooney Grows a Mustache [Telegraph]
· Celeb Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: PopSugar]

Jaunted Field Trips / Puerto-Rico-Travel-Guide-Map / Puerto Rico Hotel Reviews / Islands / → All Tags

Puerto Rico Hotel Scene for the Web Reader

While we normally leave the hotel chronicles to our big sister site, we couldn't leave you without mappin' and recappin' the hotel scene we encountered on PR.

The basics? You have plenty of options: full blown resorts, upscale hotels, mid-range hotels and plenty of brand name chains.

The short video above is of El Conquistador in Fajardo, and after the jump we've got a bunch of one-line hotel reviews. To find out where exactly these places are, hit up our Puerto Rico Travel Map. We'll leave the heavy lifting to HotelChatter, which should have full reports in the coming weeks.

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Jaunted Field Trips / Puerto-Rico-Travel-Guide-Map / Old San Juan / Islands / → All Tags

Old San Juan: Built to Keep Out the British

Yes, Old San Juan is touristy. But Old San Juan is totally worth it. Founded in 1521 by the forever young Ponce de León, the city was heavily fortified with turrets and walls to protect it from British invasion.

These days Old San Juan is the tourist center of Puerto Rico. Full of cruisers in for one night and day trippers coming back from the beaches, you'll see slack-jawed fanny packers by the busload.

That said Old San Juan is an interesting place, full of small town Costa Blanca influence, Puerto Rican style and US commercialism. One thing's for sure, the Puerto Ricans did successfully stave off the British. We didn't see a single Union Jack.

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Jaunted Field Trips / Puerto-Rico-Travel-Guide-Map / Restaurants / Mofongo / Islands / → All Tags

Jaunted in Puerto Rico: The Best Eats

Sure you could spend your entire time in Puerto Rico hitting US fast food chains like Subway and Wendy's for lunch, then sit down for dinner at places like Chili's and Outback, but what fun would that be?

Puerto Rican food has plenty to offer, almost too much, but if you find yourself with limited time you at least have to try two things: the seafood and the mofongo.

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Jaunted Field Trips / Puerto-Rico-Travel-Guide-Map / Beaches / Islands / → All Tags

Best Beaches in Puerto Rico: North and East Coast

There are plenty of beaches in Puerto Rico and chances are if you stay at a resort or a hotel, a completely satisfactory beach will be just steps away. However, if you want to break away from the tourists and those waiting to board their cruise liner, rent a car, pick a coast and drive it.

As the day begins to expire you are bound to run into a beach-side BBQ, and maybe even a Lechón de Asado. So where do the locals hang out? Not at the resort or hotel beaches. We stuck to the east of the island and picked our two favorite beaches there.

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Active Travel / Kiteboarding / Puerto Rico Travel / → All Tags

Active Travel: Kiteboarding in Puerto Rico

When it comes to active travel, we've checked out some pretty crazy stuff. But when HotelChatter tipped us off to kiteboarding, we had to investigate. The adventure sport puts riders on a small surfboard that's a bit like the more-popular wakeboard--and then hands them the reins to a big kite. Riders strap their feet into bindings before letting loose.

The sport is still in its infancy, but there are plenty of places to check it out. Our suggestion? Kiteboarding PR. The one-day Kite Control Class helps beginners master kiteboarding techniques, everything from kite setup to takeoffs and landings. Advanced lessons and custom camps are also available for those anxious to ride the waves like a true pro.

Our number one tip for the newbies? Well, it came from the experts:

The best way to feel like you're not at your local Costco meat section is to be sure all the boys wear board shorts over their wetsuits.

Related Stories:
· Kiteboarding PR [Official Site]
· Why Take Lessons [Kiteboarding Magazine]
· Kiteboarding and Sand-Biking are Big at La Zebra [Hotel Chatter]

[Photo: BlogKite]

Movie Set Travel / → All Tags

Movie Set Travel: El Cantante

J-Lo makes her return to the big screen with today's pick, El Cantante, together with hubby Marc Anthony. It chronicles three decades in the life of salsa great Hector Lavoe, from the perspective of his Bronx-born wife Ms. J-Lo, er, Puchi.

We've heard there's more chemistry on-screen between Marc and Jen than there was between Ben and Jen, but other than that, El Cantante's gotten some lukewarm reviews.

This one was shot in one of our favorite tropical getaways, Puerto Rico. Here's what to check out when you head down there:

Where To Stay: Casa Ilsena Inn -- Head out of San Juan to Rincon and check into this charming inn that looks a bit out of Mexico. It's definitely laid back, with just 9 rooms and you'll share a hot tub and pool with other guests but it's the perfect place to sneak away to and it won't cost you more then $200 a night.

Where To Eat: Cru -- Voted one of San Juan's best new restaurants, Cru is located inside the Normandie Hotel. Guests can choose from some of the freshest fish and seafood offerings available including halibut carpaccio and cuttlefish with carmelized onions.

Where To Swim: Bahia Mosquito -- Head to Vieques for this amazing sight, one of three bioluminescent bays on the island where you'll see the tiny natural organisms that appear to shine through the ocean at night.

[Photo: chubbybadass]