Puerto Rico this Thursday!?

Question

My husband and I leave for our 5 day vacation in Puerto Rico this Thursday!

We stay at the Condado Plaza Hotel in San Juan, anyone else stayed there recently? Any pointers?

Answer 1

Condado Plaza have been one of the best hotels for years. Condado is nestled between Old San Juan and Isla Verde/Ocean Park. The Condado Plaza is within waliking distance of Old San Juan but is a long  45 to a n hour walk. I recommend taxi or rental car. Condado is pretty good to walk aroound. Many famous stores like Gucci, Lois Vuitton, Cartier among other are there. Condado is the most upscale part of San Juan, so are the restaurants and bars prices. I recommend Mike and Charlies for Pizza or Calzone. Really good family place not that pricey, Ropa Vieja Rest. for puerto rican/ Cuban  cuisine. Take care, Raul.

Answer 2

We have stayed in San Juan several times. Probably the most famous attraction is Old San Juan, which we have toured twice. It's a major draw thanks to its history, architecture, shopping and festive atmosphere.

Historical attractions include forts San Cristobal and El Morrow, which are huge and were built in the 1500s. They were interesting and probably worth visiting at least one, especially El Morrow.

The Spanish architecture dates back centuries as well. The place is filled with cobblestone streets, statues, plazas, etc.

All of the streets are narrow, winding, and packed with shops. Expect a lot of tourists there during the daytime.

The best part for us on the last trip was visiting Plaza de la Darsena in Old San Juan right about dusk. Most of the shopping tourists had left by then, while quite a few locals were gathered at the plaza to listen to a band or walk along Paseo de la Princesa. It's a pretty boulevard along the old city wall and lined with trees, vendors and even sculpture gardens. It ended at the beautiful Raices Fountain. Highly recommended for a romantic stroll at sundown.

We wrote about our execursion at the link below.