Before our Yellowstone adventure this summer, it had been over 15 years since Tad and I had flown anywhere together; I suppose you could consider me the estrogen equivalent of John Madden. I.am totally freaked by loathe.air.travel.
We Tad had done our his homework. After not just watching, but studying meticulously scrutinizing, air fares for months, it occurred to him the only way for us to arrive at Hermitage Bay–our ultimate destination–before dusk, was to fly to "somewhere else" first. After evaluating our options, that "somewhere else" was deemed to be San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Ever my personal travel agent, Tad researched hotel options and decided against staying on San Juan’s beautiful coast; we’d get plenty of "coast" in Antigua
. Instead, he concluded our best option was El Convento in Old San Juan. El Convento’s rave reviews from our best friend in the travel business left no doubt.
The hotel is a beautifully restored 17th century convent:
Its check-in area is reminiscent of a bygone era:
El Convento is the ultimate in substance and style. There’s a wine and cheese reception every evening–
The views are spectacular from the
ground floor…
(courtyard dining, scrumptious breakfast, looking out and up)
…and the rooftop views are equally amazing–
(Me overlooking San Juan Bay, the Governor’s Mansion, rooftop pool, the city)
The little details throughout the hotel were countless; I saw a richness and beauty at every turn, even in imperfection:
El Convento is a wonderfully romantic destination, in the heart of a wonderfully romantic city.
And this is where I sorely regret NEITHER of us researching Old San Juan in advance, to truly understand and appreciate the AMAZING destination we had chosen. Had we realized the beauty and history of this city, we could’ve visited for days soaking in the culture, the history, the people of San Juan.
More about that, next time….
Click here for Part II ~ Old San Juan
Click here for Part III – Old San Juan/El Morro
Great pictures! Makes me want to go.
I am wanting to eat your food and drink all the wine. SCRUMPTIOUS photos!
That place looks SPECTACULAR! I also LOATHE air travel. Every time we fly, I swear I’m never doing it again.
I was just informed last week that all five of us will be on a plane in January.
(*sigh*)
(*shudder*)
If only I could reach through the screen and grab a bottle of wine…and a small hunk of cheese 😀
Very nice pics. Someday, I will take Debs traveling again, maybe after 20 or so raises.
Jeanne, you’re a romantic…you must!
Tiggerlane, it was a nice start to our evening :).
Susan, you would LOVELOVELOVE this place, I just KNOW it! Where are y’all ALL going???
Robocop, it takes A LOT of planning, but that pays off in the end. I figure this trip was 20 years in the making, which made it all the better :).
Robin,
Thanks for the tour. We actually thought about Puerto Rico, but I think we’re going to the Dominican Republic. Thanks for thinking of us, and the birthday wish! 🙂
Wow that hotel looks fantastic. Beautiful photos such a romantic setting.
Wow, great shots of a beautiful place!
I traveled to puerto rico with my parents and my brother years ago. The things I remember most is that almost everyday was a holiday and everything stopped. The taxi and bus drivers were absolutely crazy. We decided to go up to the top of El yunque, however drove up the wrong side of the mountain. When we ran out of road and suddenly came to a place where there was no road, just a mountain slide, that is when dad realized we had gone the wrong way. We finally did make it to the top. Absolutely beautiful. We also found this wonderful hotel – don’t remember the name, but my dad pretended we had reservations and made a big deal of it, when they couldn’t find the information in the computer. We got a nice room. You have to go back when have the time and spend several days and experience El Yunque.
Beautiful pictures. They bring back alot of memories.
Robin of mytwoblessings
Beautiful pics. Beautiful place. 😀
Glad you shared with us. I am also grateful there are no clown pics. *LOL* 😉
Sounds like it was a fabulous trip. And I bet you’ll want to go back for so you can soak up the culture of the place;)!
Very nice photos!!
Nice. Very Nice. Looking forward to vacationing by way of the Other Robin again tomorrow.
I actually asked Hub if he wanted me to call my Mom and have her come here so we could take a short cruise and he “just wasn’t comfortable leaving the boys again”. We left them for the first time Feb 06 for 2 days and he said the look they had on their faces, like they couldn’t believe we came back for them??? meant we can’t go away sans kids for some time to come. Pooooop! Gotta love him for it though.
Dear robin. Wow, looks amazing (not only the architecture, also the weather). What a great spot! Sometimes, it just doesn’t occur to me to research a place before I go there. I can’t figure out why I forget to, but a little research goes a long way! You can always go back 🙂
Wow!! That does look like a slice of heaven!!
Ok, I’m so getting the Fiance to take me there next time we go on vacation…
Dan, DO YOUR HOMEWORK! You’ll thank me when you’re there; your wife will thank YOU! 🙂
Chris, I took waaaay too many pictures; it’s hard to decide which to use (so many wonderful memories). That’s why I had to break San Juan up into at least two posts…we’ll see how that plays out today…
WT & Debs, thanks! 🙂
TLG, yeah, I’d love to go back and spend more time…
Robinella…my husband has NEVAH had that response to gettin’ away…!
Dear Little Miss Moi, the architecture was ART! I wish I knew more about it because that would only add to the value of what I’m seeing. I’m like you, my inclination isn’t to research; I’m VERY thankful my husband DOES have the foresight to do so!
THB, I guess because I didn’t really have any expectations, it blew me away.
Robin, I’m not even familiar with that mountain (remember, we didn’t really research Puerto Rico because we were there less than 24 hours). BUT, I’m sure it’s a blast re-living your memories–it’s such an impressive city!
truly amazing… Fantastic photos. Trip of a lifetime is right!
I’m just proud you did fly! I simply WILL NOT do it anymore. The last flight I took the stewardesses knew I was underage & begged me to drink…I was that bad. Pictures are beautiful!