Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Sleeping
You'll find ample accommodations in San Juan, though few in the budget category. On the
upside, rates for places to stay in San Juan vary significantly (sometimes more than 30%)
from season to season. See Click here for details.
Aside from that, San Juan is wide open. Upscale, midscale, boutique or B&B: take your
pick. Condado and Ocean Park have the highest concentration of guesthouses and big re-
sort hotels. Isla Verde has a few ritzy boutique options flanked by mega resorts, and Old
San Juan's got a handful of historical havens, including the exquisite El Convento, surely
the most evocative hotel on the island.
Note that the large hotels tack on a 14% resort fee and charge $15 to $20 per night for
parking.
OLD SAN JUAN
Gran Hotel El Convento PARADOR $$$
( 787-723-9020; www.elconvento.com ; 100 Calle del Cristo; r $260-325, ste
$535-800; ) Historic monument, tapas restaurant, meeting place, coffee bar
and evocative colonial building…without a doubt El Convento is Puerto Rico's most com-
plete atmospheric and multifaceted hotel. Built in 1651 as the New World's first Carmelite
convent, this sturdy baroque beacon oozes with priceless old-world relics and subtle 'Siglo
de Oro' (Golden Age) charm. Check out the Goya-esque tapestries in the hallway or the
late-afternoon tranquility of the enclosed inner courtyard, or wander up onto the roof deck
for a plunge in the tiny pool and Jacuzzi that frame sweeping city views over the cathed-
ral and Old San Juan. El Convento's 67 rooms and five suites (2nd-floor rooms have the
highest ceilings) are gorgeously decorated with Andalusian tiles, mahogany and thick rugs,
plus the service from the bar to the front desk is impeccable. The nightly wine and food
reception may preclude outside dinner plans.
Gallery Inn INN $$$
( 787-722-1808; www.thegalleryinn.com ; 204-206 Norzagaray; r incl breakfast
$235-355; ) Get ready to do a double take here. This quirky artist-owned
hotel will make you feel as if you've wandered inadvertently onto the set of a Harry
Potter movie. Showcasing masks, caged birds, trickling water, antiques, paintings and well-
thumbed books, the Gallery Inn's cavernous 18th-century compound is the property of loc-
al artists Jan D'Sopo and Manuco GandĂ­a (who'll meet guests for a daily 5:30pm cheese
 
 
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