Weekend in Puerto Rico:
It is easy to pop down to Old San Juan for a weekend when you live in Tampa. A weekend is enough time for mojitos, sangria, hiking, trekking, sun and sea. San Juan, Puerto Rico, represents a long and storied history of conquests and resurrection. Stay in Old San Juan, it’s the best way to explore and soak up the history. Old San Juan presents a unique historical perspective of the entire island.
Where to Stay:
The El Convento Hotel provides the perfect backdrop and a central place to stay. The building was the first Convent in Puerto Rico, dating back to 1646. It was in that year King Phillip IV of Spain inaugurated the Monastery of Our Lady Carmen of San Jose. The convent first became a hotel in 1962. It is located at 100 Cristo Street, which runs perpendicular to the popular Forteleza Street. El Convento represents the best of the old and the new with amazing architecture. Comfortable rooms are furnished with splendid antiques and reproductions. After checking in you need to try the hotel’s red sangria because it is the best anywhere in San Juan.
What to Do:
Now, while we absolutely LOVE to dine and imbibe during our weekends in Old San Juan, we need to justify our food and drink with a bit of exercise so on one trip we decided to trek through El Yunque rainforest to the East of San Juan. Now remember, El Yunque IS a rainforest yet the day that we last visited, in our in-climate weather sartorial spender, the temperature was 80 degrees plus and SUNNY! Not a drop of rain fell until we were driving away. Fabulous hiking trails and waterfalls abound. Swimming in the natural pools is brisk yet rewarding, but not for the the faint of heart.
What to See:
In addition to trekking through El Yunque, we enjoyed walking the wall around the Old City to visit both forts, El Morro and La Forteleza. The wall walk is very easy from the El Convento. The views are exceptional and the history surrounding the most strategic straits of the Caribbean is interesting and immensely enlightening. Continue your walk through the Old City to explore the many cafes and bars where one can rest tired feet and wet the whistle with even more mojotos and sangria.
