Get to know us
West Side Destination (WSD) was founded on April 17, 2017 by Carlos Paralitici and Roberto Rivera. Together we created the vision of WSD with knowledge and experience gained by working in the tourism business. One of us worked as a chauffeur for the best casinos and hotels in Puerto Rico, driving artists, international delegates, and families, taking them in adventures; the other supervised around 5 tour and concierge desks in top hotel properties of Puerto Rico. Through this blog we seek to share with you more stories and experiences we had and will have.
The Climb
Little after the excitement of venturing into the abyss of owning a Tourism company, all ours, a dream fulfilled, Puerto Rico is devastated by Hurricane Maria and the world stops. We cried, we screamed, we almost closed down; none the less, we decided to pause and assist. As soon as we could we put out that we were available to transport food and help to areas in need, Syrian American Medical Society (SAMS) reached out to us and we took it upon ourselves to move them around and assist them with translation. We visited Ponce, Guayanilla, and Yauco, a few of the places that had a great amount of injured, and gave out water, food, medical services and medicine. It was a growing experience for us and WSD. We spent about 2 to 3 weeks with them. Another experience was with a group of nursing students from Chicago, volunteering to assist also, reached out to the community and we answered. They took us to Patillas in which the small town was living from the provisions of the local chapel, and together we provided water, food, medical assistance, and kind interactions.
The First Peek
Enter 2019 we were eager, ready to work. We started getting bookings and started providing great experiences to tourists from many parts of the World. We went on adventures with families, groups, couples, and single travelers. Our tours took them to many awesome places, from caves to beaches, to caves right at the beach! North, West, East, and South, all were visited through out the year. Two day tours of the whole island with two families. Venturing into the wild Puerto Rico offers. Great friends were made in all those trips. We grew and devised our tours through the experiences we had; thus, creating our tours of Cabo Rojo Salt Deposits, the mangrove forest next to the lighthouse, Cueva del Indio right at the beach in Arecibo, and Cueva Ventana in the mountains heading from Arecibo to Utuado.
Our adventure continues
Currently we are with you all staying patient and hopeful that we’ll get through this, the COVID-19 pandemic, all united. We have paused our operation to safeguard ourselves and our families, while also assisting in the stop of the spread. Taking a twist on our daily operations, we invite you to explore Puerto Rico with us, and learn a bit about our culture, history, and wonders through our stories and experiences. In addition, we’ll provide some history and background on ourselves and updates of future activities and tour creations of ours.
