Run by Tania and her son Harry, Tour Express PR provides customized private shuttle tours for visitors to Puerto Rico. Our party of four (me, my brother, my wife, and her mom) visited on a hot early September morning, and Tania provided us a customized and considerate half-day of sightseeing, all in relative comfort. Highly recommend.
My 85 year old mother-in-law has had both of her knees replaced: she is mobile but not for long periods of time, especially in hot weather. So when I saw a listing for 'Old St. John Scenic On Cart Minimal Walks' on Viator, and found out that it was private (for our party of four, cost was $125 each), I booked it months in advance. Almost immediately, I got a text from the proprietor, Tania, welcoming us and asking for any special requests or sights.
As the day of the tour approached, both Viator (auto-generated) and Tania (personalized) reached out by text to confirm. I responded asking about the pick-up spot, since I didn't want Mom to have to walk too far. Tania gave very specific instructions (with pictures) on where to meet, and kept me informed as she was on her way. I asked if we could start earlier than normal (7:30am) since the ship was coming in early but also leaving early as well (all aboard at 2:30pm). She was receptive. We got picked up without a hitch and started our tour by visiting the Capital of Puerto Rico. Because we were a small party of 4, she was able to use her mid-sized SUV to drive us through La Perla neighborhood. Her company also has a van for bigger groups, which her son was driving that same morning for other folks on the same ship.
We stopped at various places throughout the area, and Mom chose which places she wanted to come out for pictures. Again there was minimal walking involved, with Tania always staying with her auto nearby as we explored. Old San Juan is very walkable (which my brother and I have done in the past), but there is something to be said to be able to get into an air-conditioned after every stop on a hot summer day. We did leave the city, past the airport for lunch near the beach.
Tania has a pretty informative website, telling her story. I only saw it AFTER our tour. And I think all of us are spoiled now, getting the private tour treatment. Going on a group tour with strangers will never be the same. My one regret was not to be able to go one of the famous beaches of Puerto Rico...just didn't do the right research beforehand to ask.
Viator takes a considerable cut from the fares (25%+), so booking directly with Tania via messaging (she responds quickly via WhatsApp and SMS) is the way to go. Highly recommend her for any group that would like a private customized tour of Puerto Rico that doesn't involve too much walking. If there are any particular places that the group wants to go to, she will try her darndest to make it happen. read more