Category: Caribbean

San Juan, Puerto Rico ~ El Convento Hotel

May 2023

For a delayed holiday in the sun, we wanted to try someplace new and, truth be told, Costa Rica was our original choice. Once we started getting into the travel details, however, Costa Rica ended up being a little more challenging to get to with our airline of choice (Delta) on the days we were traveling, so we opted for Puerto Rico instead – also a new destination for us and a direct return flight from Minneapolis. For the second part of our stay, we booked the St. Regis Bahia Beach Resort based on a New York Times article from several years ago. (Read more about the St. Regis in this post.) For the first part of our Puerto Rico visit, we were inspired by a colleague who had recently combined a Mexico City stay with a follow-up visit to a Yucatan beach; following her lead, we spent the first four days of our holiday in Puerto Rico’s capital city of San Juan. And after doing some research on neighborhoods, we chose Old San Juan and the city’s most historic hotel: El Convento.

The heart of the old city

Almost immediately upon our arrival, we could sense that El Convento serves as Old San Juan’s living room. A Thursday afternoon wedding was taking place in the courtyard, a tour group was gathered outside the main doors listening to the story of the hotel’s history, and visitors – maybe hotel guests/maybe not – lingered at the many seating areas on the hotel’s outdoor passageways.

Upon check-in, the reception staffer told us the hotel was fully booked for the length of our stay, although we later learned that many rooms were closed for renovation. Even with that reduced occupancy, the hotel bustled with activity throughout our stay, and although we would have preferred some peace and quiet on one of the nights when dancing from a wedding went well past midnight, it was fun to be someplace that felt like a favorite of Puerto Ricans, not just a choice for tourists.

El Convento isn’t only the social center of Old San Juan; it also happens to be at the geographic center, midway down Calle del Cristo right next to the San Juan Bautista cathedral. This turned out to be really convenient when we needed a brief stop for the restroom, water, or sunscreen on our many city explorations. From anywhere in Old San Juan, we could get back to the hotel in just about ten minutes. For a busy – and, in late May, very hot – city, we appreciated being able to take frequent refreshment breaks.

A nun’s quarters

The hotel’s common spaces were, by far, our favorite places to spend time: the verandas and balconies, the plunge pool, the covered patio, the massive courtyard. Our room on the second floor was a fine example of the building’s Spanish Colonial architecture with its tall ceilings, plaster walls, red tile floors and shuttered balcony doors. It also featured period antique furniture that one of the staff members said was authentic and could only be repaired by a craftsperson in the Dominican Republic (we weren’t entirely sold on this story, but we liked the idea of it).

El Convento is a member of both the “small luxury hotels of the world” and “historic hotels of America” groups. And while the hotel is certainly historic, we wouldn’t call it luxurious. In fact, our room was a little tired. We don’t need lavish but do appreciate rooms that have been well cared for and kept up. In our room, many of the finishes, furnishings, and fixtures needed attention: upholstery with stains, a broken shutter on the patio door, glass that needed a good dose of Windex, missing beams in the ceiling (they were modern replacements), and paint bubbles on the wall (likely the result of high humidity). The bathroom, while very small, was actually the most well-functioning part of the room; it appeared to have gotten a more recent refresh.

We’re sure that keeping up a building originally erected in the 16th century is a constant challenge, and we don’t mind small reminders of the constant churn of people moving in and out of hotel rooms, but our room was definitely due for an update. And we’re hoping it is on the list for upcoming renovations, as it could be stunning.

Service and amenity standards

One of the best things about a hotel is often its staff, and we’ve gotten exceptional service at hotels around the world. Everyone at El Convento was friendly and helpful, and when we checked in, we were given an introduction to the hotel’s services and amenities. Like the renovation, however, this commitment felt like a work in progress. Requests for things like replacement water glasses seemed to fall into a void; the nightly manager’s cocktail reception – introduced in a welcome letter – wasn’t really nightly; and the front-desk staff didn’t seem well versed in helping with things like dinner reservations. We don’t need or expect concierge-level services and can easily fend for ourselves, but when a destination promises a certain standard, we do think it should work hard to deliver on those promises.

Even with these criticisms, we’re glad we stayed at El Convento. It is the “grand dame” of the old city and an important landmark. When we come back to San Juan, we’ll surely return to the old city, maybe next time trying El Convento’s sister hotel, the newly opened Hotel Palacio Provincial, which is right around the corner from El Convento in a building that once served as the Department of State. From our visit to Palacio Provincial for dinner, it looks like a hotel that mixes historic architecture with more modern design, and as of May 2023, everything is sparkling and fresh.

Puerto Rico bonus entry: Because of a cancelled flight on the way back to Minneapolis, we stayed an extra night in Puerto Rico at the Condado Vanderbilt.

Stay details:

  • El Convento Hotel, center of Old San Juan, Puerto Rico
  • 4-night stay, May 25 – 29, 2023
  • Queen Vista room

What we did, where we ate:

Eating and Drinking

Outings and Adventures

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Rio Grande, Puerto Rico ~ The St. Regis Bahia Beach Resort

June 2023

Back in August 2018, we were reading the Sunday New York Times and came across an article headlined “10 Travel Writers, 10 Hotels.” We saved the article and marked the St. Regis as a property we’d love to visit someday. The Times article highlighted the property’s status as the first and only certified gold Audubon international signature sanctuary in the Caribbean, and we loved the idea of combining a resort vacation with adventures in nature.

Five years later, we finally managed to book the trip. Because this was our first visit to Puerto Rico and because we tend to like city vacations, we preceded our stay at the St. Regis with five days in Old San Juan at the Hotel El Convento. (Read more about the El Convento in this post.) The combination ended up being terrific: exploring a bustling city and then moving into full relaxation mode on the beach.

Truly spectacular environs

The 2018 Times article described driving through the gates as “feeling like penetrating a secret world: Lush tropical plants and flowers flanked quiet footpaths that snaked around palm trees and low-slung buildings.” We had the same experience; everywhere we looked was green, green, green, punctuated by bright reds, oranges, and yellows of seasonal flowers. During our five-day stay, we spent a lot of time meandering slowly down the paths between the resort’s buildings, keeping our eyes open for lizards, frogs, and birds of all kinds. While the iguanas got the most attention (a favorite memory is watching one swim across the pool among the guests), we loved the smaller lizards and the resident chango birds with their recently hatched chicklets that were just learning to fly.

With 483 acres to explore, we found lots of ways to keep busy. We biked around the entire property, making stops at the organic farm, the dog shelter, the inflatable water park, the bird sanctuary, and the tennis center. We walked along the two-mile beach, finding sand dollars to decorate the roped-off areas where sea turtles had recently laid eggs. And we peeked at the multi-million-dollar vacation homes under construction on either side of the resort. The ocean was calm and warm, so in between adventures, we waded in to watch massive brown pelicans dive for fish. And, of course, we found time for dips in the multi-tiered pool and for lounging poolside under the shade of an umbrella.

A cool (in many ways) escape from outdoor adventures

Our room – a garden-view king suite – served as a nice retreat when we needed an air-conditioned break from the sun. The welcome foyer with honor bar; the sunny bedroom; the walk-in closet; and the roomy, spa-like bathroom with a deep tub and one of the biggest showers we’ve seen (really, a shower room)…all were functionally just right. The spaces had a focus on rest and revitalization with plenty of life’s little luxuries: Frette linens, polvorones (a Spanish cookie) delivered nightly, Nespresso coffee, Sodashi and Sachajuan bath and body products, a stack of current magazines (Vanity Fair, Architectural Digest, Bienvenidos), a well-stocked liquor cabinet, and Bluetooth speakers. Loads of storage made it easy to hide any evidence that we were visitors rather than residents, and the patio with a lovely garden view was sheltered from the sun and featured a cushiony daybed.

The room wasn’t quite pristine – the wallpaper in the separate toilet room buckled a little, and there were a few small scratches in the bedside tables – but it was clear the room received regular attention from not just the housekeepers but from maintenance staff as well. Design-wise, the choices were safe – what we’d call beach neutral – but that approach left more attention to be given to the stunning gardens outside.

Butler service?

The St. Regis makes a big deal of its service. We received several emails in advance of our stay asking for preferences and offering to assist with any of our needs. And when we arrived, we were walked to our room by our “day butler,” who introduced us to all of the room’s features and made arrangements for morning French press coffee, dinner that night and preferred times for daily housekeeping and turndown services. The butler was lovely, and we expected we would be seeing her or a colleague in future days when we had a request. But that didn’t end up being the case, and while we called the butler number on the phone a few times, we never saw our butler again. This isn’t a complaint; we really don’t need someone at our beck and call, but it did seem a little odd. And it also seemed odd that the arrangements we made on that first day seemed to get lost in the system; our coffee never arrived; the housekeeper arrived early; and our dinner reservation was missing. Other service confusions during our stay made us think this is an issue with the system, not with any individual staff member. It may also have been that our last name was quite similar to another guest. On a handful of occasions, we were greeted by that guest’s name, and we think some of our arrangements may have ended up there.

Setting aside these mix-ups, which were really not a problem because they were always quickly remedied, every staff member with whom we dealt, without exception, was delightful, and we had fun conversations with several members of the St. Regis team. It was pretty obvious that all employees were expected to say good morning/afternoon/evening to every guest they encountered, but the friendliness from folks we exchanged more than a greeting with seemed genuine, and we loved getting to know them just a bit. Special thanks go out to everyone who shared their sea turtle stories with us!

Puerto Rico bonus entry: Because of a cancelled flight on the way back to Minneapolis, we stayed an extra night in Puerto Rico at the Condado Vanderbilt.

Stay details:

What we did, where we ate:

  • Pool and beach time — swimming iguanas, diving pelicans, nesting sea turtles, baby birds just learning to fly, sand dollar searching
  • Breakfast and lunches at Seagrapes
  • Dinner at St. Regis Bar
  • Cycling around the resort
  • Dinner at Paros
  • Visit to El Junque Rainforest with guide Ricky
    • coquis, snails and lizards
    • rainbow trees, torch gingers
    • Torre Yokahu tower, CCC Grande Bano, La Coca Falls
  • Dinner at the Beach Club

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St. Lucia, West Indies ~ Ladera Resort

March 2019

IMG_1372In our travels, we’ve been fortunate enough to visit a few different versions of paradise. St. Lucia and Ladera surely rise to the top of that list. This particular week in late-March was originally scheduled for a work trip to Brazil. When that was delayed, we decided to use the blocked-off time for a holiday instead. Knowing we wanted a warm-weather destination — by March, Minnesotans are well-and-truly done with winter — we took a look at options that are high on relaxation and low on hassle. The Caribbean rose to the top, with St. Lucia being our final choice for its geographic, historical and cultural interest. And — yes, we’ll admit — because we could get there via Delta. Some online research led us to Ladera, a smallish resort tucked in the hills 1,100 feet above the sea right between the island’s most famous (and truly breathtaking) mountains: the Gros and Petit Pitons.

A home with three walls

Ladera has many distinguishing features, but our favorite was the open-air design of our two-level suite. The entire southwest elevation — on both levels — is open, and the view looks out to the Pitons, the island forest and the Caribbean Sea below. Perhaps the most apt descriptor for our suite would be luxury treehouse. From nearly every vantage point — the private plunge pool, the chaise lounges on the deck, the shower, the built-in sofa or the giant four-poster bed draped in netting — the view was truly spectacular, quite honestly like nothing we’ve seen.

Showcasing island craftsmanship

At home, we tend to prefer minimalist — almost stark — design. Ladera is not that. But we found ourselves embracing the mosaic tiles; the hand-carved wood furnishings, decor and even structural beams; the bright paintings of island birds and flowers; the ceramic bowls that serve as sinks and fountains; and the baskets for everything from binoculars to beach towels. The entire resort has the mark of local craftspeople, and it feels distinctively St. Lucian. All of these items are also built to withstand the elements — the sun, wind and rain — and the seasoned nature of some of them makes Ladera feel like a place for the ages.

Scenery that changes by the minute

During our week-long stay, the view from our perch must have changed a thousand times. From shifts in the sun throughout the day to weather patterns that arrived and departed almost instantaneously, the sight was never the same twice. We found ourselves often distracted from important business — book reading, nap taking, pool plunging — by yet another “you have to see this” moment.

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The Pitons were named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2004, and we can’t imagine a better view of them than from Ladera. Before arriving, we knew the resort boasted a prime location, but we had no idea how fortunate our choice was until we arrived. For people who typically can’t resist the urge to get out and explore, we found ourselves seduced by the mountains, sea and sky, content to simply gaze out and watch the scenery change. And when we weren’t looking at the mountains, we could take in the tropical flora and fauna. Even at night, the view was hard to resist. The starry sky, with constellations we rarely get to see, was perfect to enjoy from the pool with a glass of local rum.

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Farm-to-table cuisine, secret rooms and a disclaimer or two

Eating in. All-inclusive resorts have never held much appeal for us; we’d rather venture out to find interesting places for cocktails and food. Therefore, even when we saw that Ladera has inclusive options, we didn’t choose one. Next time, however, we might do differently. Dasheene, the resort’s restaurant, serves some of the best food on the island, and each night we were there, visitors from other places arrived for drinks and dinner. Much of the fare is local, and we could have happily been occupied with each day’s fresh catch.

Perfect for two, room for five. Two days into our stay, we discovered that a few doors we thought were housekeeping closets actually disguised another bedroom and full bath. Apparently Ladera isn’t just for couples. This extra en-suite was on top of another small, single bedroom that we joked would be the place one of us would sleep when we got tired of spending all day together. The locked rooms lent an air of mystery to the place, almost as if we were guests in an old mansion that was only partially used.

Good to know. Ladera is not a beach resort on flat ground; rather, it is built into the landscape of the St. Lucian hills. This — its best feature — does, however, make it a challenge from an accessibility standpoint. Most everywhere we went involved climbing and descending stairs. Being 1,100 feet above sea level also means you’re 1,100 feet closer to the sun. And the sun is strong in St. Lucia. Ladera provides lots of potions to ward off insects (those didn’t give us any trouble), but we did overdo it a bit on the sun the first day. For visitors who want at least a semblance of exercise, the mile-long Gross Piton trail, which is accessible at the far end of the property, fits the bill. It’s carefully groomed by Ladera garden staff, provides yet another amazing view of Petit Piton at its summit and — because the property was once a plantation — features dozens of varieties of fruit and spice trees. Finally, although Ladera is only about 2.5 miles from the coastal town of Soufriere, getting there by car is really the only option. We love to walk, but the road into town is curvy and narrow, and it’s frequented by tourists who aren’t used to driving on the left side of the road. Most ventures out of the resort require a taxi arranged in advance, which Ladera staff are happy to accommodate.

Stay details

  • Ladera Resort
  • Location: St. Lucia, 2.5 miles south of Soufriere
  • Our stay: 8 nights, March 23-30, 2019
  • Suite B, Heritage Suite

Where we ate, what we did

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Diamond Falls

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