I just returned to the mainland after a great three week adventure to buy land in PR.
The trip was a major success! My wife and I now own about 13 acres on a hill overlooking the ocean in Maunabo.
During my time in PR I stayed mainly in low cost($30 to $50) per night, Airbnb apartments. I stayed in Ponce and Guayama for most of my time.
My strongest feelings of the adventure are of ones of happiness and warmth, and wanting to move to PR as soon as possible!
I speak very little spanish (Hablo no mucho espanol), but I survived multiple normal living experiences like getting a flat tire fixed, shopping for groceries, doing my laundry at a "lavanderia", etc. Using a combination of a smile, attempting to use what little Spanish I know, and extremely warm and helpful PR locals made the experiences successful.
The main problem I had not speaking spanish came about when trying to locate land for sale using the local real estate agents. About 40% of the agents I tried to contact did not speak enough English to successfully complete a greeting, much less ask about their listings. This being said, 60% did speak enough English...so in the end I found what I was looking for and am extremely happy! Persistence and patience being key factors to success.
A few things I experienced were;
Potholes that the grand canyon would be proud of! (think I saw a Mini Cooper disappear in one)
Stop signs are a suggestion. Stop lights are only for people who have the time to wait. If you really need to get someplace you can ignore them. A stop light really isn't red until about 3 seconds after the color changes to red.
Driving in PR overall was very similar to driving in Texas and Virginia. In Virginia stop lights have a 2 second rule ( you always wait for 2 seconds then look both ways before proceeding through). In Texas people can drive any speed in any lane, so be prepared to change lanes a lot.
In cities and towns be aware most of the streets are one way, and don't assume that the direction the cars are parked are the right direction.
Mountain roads are as windy and steep as anything I have ever experienced. (and I have traveled all over the world). These roads can change to one lane at any time, so be prepared!
The roadside food vendors should be used as much as possible! The food is great and cheap!
Try to learn Spanish and don't be afraid to use it. The locals are just as afraid to try their English skills out on you. If you try first they are much more likely to be brave and try their English skills. Say "que pasa un bon dia" when leaving and you will always get a smile!
The property purchase process is somewhat complicated, so get a lawyer that speaks your language. Verbal contracts are binding, so don't make any commitments without a lawyer. I found a great lawyer in Ponce that made the process easy for us.
I know I am forgetting much of what I planned to write.....but I don't want to bore people.