Posts Tagged ‘puerto rico’

Anyone who says that to have a luxury hotel experience, you must sacrifice character, history, and culture hasn’t stayed at El Convento. This boutique luxury hotel, located on Calle Cristo in the heart of Old San Juan, is one of the city’s oldest structures.  Founded in 1651, it served as a convent for 250 years.  [...]

One of the things you will read about Puerto Rico before going there is that the pace is much slower than what many of us are used to, particularly here in New England.  We tend to be very time-bound, rushingrushingrushing from place to place, activity to activity, trying to squeeze as much in during the [...]

Old San Juan is filled with cats.  Not to the point where you’re tripping over them or anything, but enough that it’s noticeable.  I’m sure some are pets, but many are feral cats.  Some residents think they’re a nuisance, while others think they’re part of San Juan culture and welcome them.  There’s even an organization [...]

I take public transportation regularly at home and try to do so when I travel as well. It’s an inexpensive way to get around and get the lay of the land when you’re tired of walking. As a solo traveler, I also welcome the opportunity to interact with others, and that’s easier when using public [...]

On every trip I take, I learn a little bit more about my travel style, my likes and dislikes. On my trip to San Juan, I came to the startling revelation that generic chain resorts–especially if they’re not within easy walking distance of the local culture, a variety of dining options, and nighttime entertainment–are not [...]

On my first morning in San Juan, I was walking down Calle San Francisco in search of breakfast, and heard motorcycles revving their engines up ahead.  I looked down the narrow, cobblestone street and saw a pack of motorcycles and a truck with a loudspeaker on it.  They were blocking the street and moving my [...]

Did you know that the birthplace of the piña colada was Puerto Rico?  This cold, creamy drink made of pineapple juice, rum, and coconut cream has been the official drink of Puerto Rico for decades.  I ran across this tidbit of information as I was researching my trip to San Juan.  Trouble is, the history [...]

In a couple of days, I will be trading my winter coat and boots for flip flops and shorts, and my bowl of hot soup for a frosty pina colada in tropical San Juan, Puerto Rico.  Sounds like a great tradeoff to me!  I promised to take you inside my planning process for my trips, [...]

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about my plans to travel during Christmas week, but I hadn’t actually booked anything yet.  I wasn’t even sure whether I would be going to Puerto Rico or New Orleans.  All I knew was that I wanted to get the heck out of the frigid arctic–er, Vermont–during my [...]

Much as I would love to be a full-time travel blogger, I have a day job to pay the bills.  My travel time is limited to whatever vacation time I’ve accrued throughout the year.  The best week for me to travel is the week between Christmas and New Year’s (because my office shuts down).  This [...]