May Be Relocated from California to Puerto Rico

Greetings from California,

My husband may be transferred to Puerto Rico and I have many questions. I will preface by saying that we were relocated to Mexico City for about 3 years and had some great and not so great experiences which may prompt some of these questions.

1. Housing (rental/lease): I have read that Dorado and Condado are nice places to live. Which areas would you recommend? I believe my husband will be working in Guaynabo. If we could get into a gated community with a golf course/pool/tennis court, that would be great. (My neighbor tells me that there are cemented 'safe houses' within houses due to a high number of burglaries. Really?)

2. What is the medical system like? I have read that waiting for a doctor's appointment can take many hours and that one needs to take their own pillows and blankets for an ER or hospital visit. Is this true? How reliable is the Protected content ? Quality of care in hospitals? (We may bring my 80-year old mom, so I want to have some idea how well she will be cared for in case of an emergency or illiness.

3. How is the air quality for people with allergies? I thought I read something about dust storms affecting Puerto Rico.

4. How safe is Puerto Rico in general? Is it safe for a woman to drive around town alone or walk through Old San Juan at night as a couple? Does one have to worry about car-jackings as I have read? (Having lived in Mexico City with armed guards outside the house 24/7 sort of drives these questions - apologies).

5. Is Dengue Fever something to be concerned about? Mosquitos seem to find me wherever I go.

6. Hurricanes - Is it something that you worry about or not that common? Sort of how we think of earthquakes here in California?

7. How common are power outages? Are there backup generators? Is central air conditioning common, or are window units used instead?

8. We have two indoor cats that love to sit in windows? In Mexico City screens on windows were not used. How about in Puerto Rico?

Sorry to ask so many questions, but these are things that are on my mind, even though they may seem insignificant. I may as well just throw them all out there while I have the opportunity. I will end by saying that I am a hobbyist photographer and can only imagine the beautiful shots that are possible in Puerto Rico. Thanks so much for your time (and your patience ;-)).