Condado, Puerto Rico
07/18/2013 - Puerto Rico, Condado
07/18/2013 – PUERTO RICO, CONDADO
Condado, Puerto Rico
We’ve spent the past several months travelling to Puerto Rico every three weeks to set up my husband’s company AmeriBid Caribbean. We have been staying in an area called Condado lately so I have decided to review a couple of the hotels in which we’ve been staying and the some of the restaurants in which we have been eating.
Condado is an upscale area east of Old San Juan. It is known as a popular residential and tourist destination with beautiful beaches and high-end shops such as Louis Vuitton, Gucci, and Ferragamo. Condado is a great place to stay if you are visiting Puerto Rico because the beaches are all public, meaning you don’t have to stay at a hotel right on the beach to have access to it, and there are several restaurants and nightclubs within walking distance of each hotel.
Below, I have highlighted two hotels, five restaurants, and three attractions we have enjoyed!
Hotels:
“In December, 1958, La Concha Resort opened to rave reviews, and was hailed as a shining moment in the Tropical Modernism movement’s heyday in Puerto Rico.
The structure is considered a crowning achievement of local architects Osvaldo Toro and Miguel Ferrer, designers of the Tel Aviv Hilton and the Puerto Rico Supreme Court building, among others. Perla, the signature seashell-shaped floating restaurant designed by internationally-renowned architect Mario Salvatori, was termed “a marvel of engineering and architecture” and “one of the high-water marks of Puerto Rico’s national architecture.”” (from their website)
La Concha Resort incorporates tropical climate features such as cross-ventilation, natural illumination, open lobbies and seamless transitions between inside and outside spaces. This feature is actually good and bad. It does create the “island environment” inside, but it makes it far more humid than other hotels in the area.
La Concha is comprised of two towers: the Ocean Tower and the Suites Tower. While the rooms in the Suites Tower are bigger, I prefer the Ocean Tower because every single room has the ocean view. The bathrooms are a bit small, but the floor-to-ceiling windows provide impressive views.
The hotel has three infinity pools, one of which is an adults only pool, and direct beach access. The fitness center directly overlooks the beach to make your workout much more enjoyable. La Concha is centrally located on the famous Ashford Avenue so you have shops and restaurants within walking distance on both sides of the hotel. One nice feature of Ashford Avenue is that there are cops on every corner so you can go out to a nightclub and feel safe walking back to the hotel.
La Concha has several restaurants including the famous Perla whose architecture has become a landmark in Puerto Rico. Side note: if you eat at the pool bar, try the chicken quesadilla. It’s my favorite! La Concha also has a casino located right off of the lobby just in case you’re in a gambling mood.
If you are coming to Puerto Rico and want more than just a beach experience, I recommend Condado and La Concha. You get the best of both worlds being directly on the beach and in an upscale urban area.
The Conrad San Juan Condado Plaza
“Discover the sophisticated style, where the lavish comforts of a modern resort are artfully merged with the colorful and effervescent magic of the island of Puerto Rico.” (from the website) I think this accurately describes the Conrad in a nutshell. It is sophisticated, it is modern, and the rooms and atmosphere are very colorful and very “Puerto Rican”.
The Conrad is comprised of two towers, the Ocean Tower and the Laguna Tower. The Ocean Tower faces the ocean, and the Laguna Tower is across Ashford Avenue overlooking the Laguna Del Condado. There are pools on both sides and a clay tennis court and gym on the Laguna side.
I personally really like this hotel. We have always had a great time in the casino…meaning we win money here! I love the restaurants from the pool bar food to Pikayo (see below). We were even upgraded to an oceanfront room with a balcony in the Ocean Tower the first time we stayed here.
The downfalls:
The beach is not the best because it is a small beach in a cove, but if you are into snorkeling, they have a great underwater trail.
The gym is located inside of the Laguna Tower while other hotels have their fitness centers overlooking the beach.
The beds are a bit soft and lumpy, and I will never understand one-ply toilet paper…seriously spring for the good stuff!
The Conrad is located near the end of Ashford Avenue so you have access to the great restaurants and nightclubs. All in all, I recommend it. We have always had an amazing time!
Restaurants:
Located inside the Conrad, Chef Wilo Benet’s flagship restaurant has been featured in the New York Times, Conde Nast Traveler, and Gourmet magazine. I first heard about this gorgeous restaurant when it was featured on Andrew Zimmern’s Bizarre Foods on The Food Network.
Everything from the Pork Belly Sliders appetizer to the Sea Bass tastes exceptional. If you make a reservation at about 9pm, you will find an all-Spanish speaking chic crowd. I would suggest you prepare your pocketbook. It is not cheap, but it is totally worth it.
White linen with a sophisticated twist on local food, Pikayo will not disappoint.
Located on Ashford Avenue in Condado, Casa Lola is an upscale traditional Puerto Rican restaurant. It is comprised of nine different areas inside of a “casa” (meaning house). It is told that Lola was an amazing cook with a knack for cooking with her magic ingredients. Today’s Casa Lola features dishes from recipes she inspired.
This is a great venue for celebratory dinners, wedding showers or receptions, etc. The food is exceptional, expensive, and well worth it.
Ropa Vieja is an adorable Puerto Rican/Cuban restaurant on Ashford Avenue in Condado close to the Conrad Condado Plaza.
It is my absolute favorite!!! We eat here at least once on every trip. It is a tiny restaurant with a distinct local flair. We have always managed to walk in and take the last table, but I suggest making a reservation for anytime after 7:30.
I usually get the Arroz Con Pollo (rice with chicken) or the Cuban Style Shredded Flank Steak. The restaurant features a nice Temperanillo (red wine) that works nicely with both dishes.
Metropol Restaurant is located five minutes from Condado in Isla Verde. I wanted to include it in the list because of the unique flavors and because of the ambiance of the restaurant. It was founded in 1965 by a Cuban immigrant named Jose (Pepe) Canosa. His concept “good food at good prices in a family ambience” created an instant success. The combination of Cuban and Puerto Rican influences has led to some amazing dishes including the Gallinita Rellena (stuffed Cornish hen) and the Montuno Cubano (diced pork with onions, tamale, congri, and casava).
We were introduced to this restaurant by another couple. We quickly fell in love with the rich flavors and bold dishes presented before us. My favorite is the Aporreado De Tasajo (cured shredded beef in creole sauce).
Metropol prides itself on always innovating in the kitchen to keep their loyal customers satisfied. We have eaten here several times and are always more than satisfied. Metropol now has six locations around the island of Puerto Rico.
Located five minutes (the other direction) from Condado in the popular Old San Juan area, Punto de Vista is an amazing little dive bar/restaurant with the best mofongo on the island. Mofongo is a traditional Puerto Rican dish made of fried plantains with meat or vegetable toppings.
Chef Ernesto creates his mofongo and other dishes with a culinary flair that you wouldn’t expect from the ambiance of the place. He is truly gifted in constructing complex dishes that taste extraordinarily delicious.
Punto de Vista has great bar specials as well, namely 2-for-1 mojitos. The restaurant’s owner Michael is generally always at the restaurant making sure the service is stellar. Since it is located right across from the cruise ship terminal, you can’t miss it. Stop in… You won’t be disappointed.
Attractions around Puerto Rico:
El Castillo de San Felipe del Morro in Old San Juan is one of the most impressive structures on the island of Puerto Rico. It is a fortress that became the main “guardian of the New World”. The construction began in 1539 and lasted for two hundred years. It was turned into a National Park in 1961.
Walking through the fortress, you can feel the power it once commanded. It contains nearly half a century of military history that began with the Spanish conquistadores and ended with World War II.
Today, El Morro is one of the most visited tourist attractions in Puerto Rico. The beautiful green landscaping that surrounds the citadel is generally populated with kids of all ages flying kites. This just adds to majestic ambiance of El Morro. Whether you are visiting via cruise ship or staying a few nights in a resort, I urge you to tour this amazing structure.
El Yunque National Rainforest is the only tropical rainforest in the United States National Forest System. It is about forty-five minutes outside of San Juan, covers over 28,000 acres, and receives about 200 inches of rainfall per year.
We hired a local guide, a cab driver named Jack Roman, to drive us into the forest. We were under a time frame, but he knew where to take us to show us the most for our money. He even took us on a hike to his favorite “Secret Waterfall” where we splashed under the waterfall that he swore was the fountain of youth!
After that, we headed to more trails and he gave us a local viewpoint of the flora and fauna! We then visited the old observation point tower and saw the most amazing Caribbean and forest views!
The forest is huge and if you want to take your own car and hike the longer trails- over three hours, pack water and food.
The forest is truly beautiful. Words cannot paint the picture. If you want a local tour guide without having to pay through the hotel tour groups, you need to contact Jack Roman when you get there! His personal touch really made the tour.
Stephen’s daughter and her boyfriend were with us during our last visit to Puerto Rico. They really wanted to do an adventure tour…and…What’s more exciting than ziplining?
Camp Rico has a beautiful plot of land about 10 minutes outside of San Juan. They offer ziplining courses, ATV courses, horseback riding, and a slew of other fun things.
We decided to do the ziplining course, an hour course through the trees that included some hiking, bridge walking, and educational talks about the native forestland.
Our guide Hector picked up from our hotel and stayed with us the entire time. I have ziplined in a few countries now, and the thing I noticed that set this camp apart from other camps was how kid friendly it seemed. The courses were fairly easy, it was educational, and they had a tasty Puerto Rican style meal at the end of the course. (Mojitos were available for the adults.)
If you’re looking for a fun family activity with just a hint of “dare-devilishness”, this is your best bet.